MANSFIELD — Primary construction on the Main Street Corridor Improvement Project is about to resume in Mansfield as the weather warms up.
That effort — and supporting businesses impacted by the massive project along five city blocks — was the primary source of conversation Thursday afternoon during the Downtown Improvement Advisory Board meeting.
Brent Rossman, communications specialist for the project through Downtown Mansfield Inc., told board members eight of $2,500 grants remain available through the Main Street Business Resilience Grant Program.
The DIAB set aside $50,000 in 2025 to make 20 such grants possible to qualifying businesses that can demonstrate a 15-percent decline in sales revenue over a 60-day period when compared to 2024.
Rossman said 12 grants have been awarded during the project, which began in February 2025 and is expected to be complete by the end of October.
“We had, I believe, 15 or 16 total applications,” Rossman said. “We awarded 12 of those. We did have a couple that didn’t qualify for one reason or another.”
“We continue an open line of communications with the businesses that have applied … if something changes and they do qualify … we will work with them on that,” Rossman said.
Downtown Mansfield Inc. administers the grant program. Applicants should apply online at the DMI website.
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Board members asked if additional funds needed to be added to create additional grant opportunities.
Jennifer Kime, CEO of Downtown Mansfield Inc. and also a DIAB member, suggested waiting until heavy construction begins again to determine additional needs.
“I think we give it a couple of months and see what the construction piece looks like and what that impact looks like. We can always regroup, if we get a couple of months down the road and it looks like some things might be changing.
“Or there could be other impactful ways to utilize that funding in different ways for the businesses. I think we could talk about it then, but since we’re kind of in a construction pause right now, I would hate to make any changes to it,” Kime said.
“I think we’ll know more in a month or two once construction starts to ramp back up.”
The Downtown Improvement Advisory Board was established in May 2018 by Mansfield City Council to oversee and make recommendations on the use of funds generated by a new $5 annual vehicle license tax. The tax generates around $230,000 annually.
The seven-member board was formed as part of a broader, community-driven effort to revive downtown, often associated with the “Mansfield Rising” initiatives that also began around 2018.
City engineer Bob Bianchi said “miscellaneous construction” is ongoing even as Kokosing crews prepare to resume heavier work on the project that is a complete upgrade of Main Street from First to Sixth streets and Park Avenue from Main to Diamond streets.
“Things are happening right now. They don’t have their entire crew on site, but they are able to pour some decorative walls. (Light pole) foundations are still being installed in a few places and also street lights.
“It’s gonna start changing very quickly here in March and April as construction ramps up,” Bianchi said.
Rossman said earlier this month he senses “a different sort of atmosphere” around the project these days, perhaps because the end of it is in sight.
Included in 2025 was the replacement of century-old water and storm sewer lines throughout the length of the project, an effort that led to closures of Main Street in places for extended periods of time.
That work is done and work done in 2026 will be more noticeable to the public, according to Rossman.
Bianchi told board members Thursday, “This will be more fun than last year. Last year was intense. I think it’s going to be a lot more fun.
“You’re going to start seeing the life of Main Street come together and what everyone’s imagined for the last six years or so,” the engineer said.