MANSFIELD — There was a different type of public infrastructure discussion Wednesday during a Richland County Regional Planning Commission meeting.
Certainly, there were the normal reports about traffic patterns, road construction, safety planning and public transportation.
But Louis Andres and Jordan Tackett presented something a little different in terms of infrastructure.
Public parks.
Andres, the city of Mansfield public works director, and Tackett, the executive director of the Richland County Park District, were invited to DLX for the lunch meeting to provide updates on what is happening in public parks and green spaces.
“Our parks are part of our infrastructure,” Andres said. “When we build new communities, we have green space allocated for that, whether it be for retention basins, what we do for recreational trails … parks are an important part of that.
“They support our economic development and workforce attraction. They improve our public health and neighborhood vitality and they strengthen our regional identity and quality of life,” said Andres, a naturalist who spent 22 years as the manager of Malabar Farm State Park.
The city of Mansfield has 21 parks and also the Clearfork Reservoir, which serves as the city’s water supply and also as a recreational center. There has been a renaissance in Mansfield parks in the last two years under Andres and Mayor Jodie Perry.
“That’s a total of more than 2,300 acres of public green space,” Andres said. “Parks are essential infrastructure. They’re not an afterthought.”
The city parks and the county park district both benefit from voter-approved taxes dedicated to them.
In Mansfield, the PRIDE tax is a quarter-percent income tax that generates about $4.8 million annually. It’s an acronym for an income tax that helps pay for a combination of parks and recreation, illumination (re: streetlights), demolition and emergency services (police/fire.)
Under the tax, 50 percent must be used for safety forces, 22 percent for parks and recreation, 20 percent for demolition of vacant properties and blight and eight percent for streetlights.
“That’s about $1.1 million for parks annually,” Andres said.
The county park district receives approximately $1.6 million annually from a 0.65-mill, 10-year property tax levy approved by voters in May 2023. This levy, which began collecting in 2024, replaced previous funding of about $300,000 a year from the county general fund
“That (levy) has radically expanded our capabilities as a park district,” said Tackett, appointed to his new position in August 2025.
He pointed out improvements and programs in existing and new parks, including the Gorman Nature Center, Fleming Falls,Richland B&O Bike Trail, Hemlock Falls and Hartman Woods.
Before taking over as executive director, Tackett served as the district’s operations manager for two years and has been a part of the park district team for several years. He is a U.S. Air Force veteran and a Richland County native.
“With those new capabilities, we’ve got new projects going on, new land acquisitions. … We’re developing new parks and conservation areas and so we’re doing a lot of new things and we’re contributing to the community in what I think are very important ways,” he said.
The city and county parks have some similarities, but also have different missions, according to Andres and Tackett.
The city, for example, provides playground equipment, basketball courts, skate parks, baseball field, pickleball, dog park and tennis courts, among other offerings.
“We’re separate entities. We’re in the same communities, but do have different missions and different visions of how we fulfill our obligations to the community,” Andres said.
According to Andres, the city parks mission statement is: “To enhance the quality of life in Mansfield by providing accessible, safe, and vibrant parks that celebrate our community’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and recreational opportunities while fostering connections, wellness, and lifelong learning.“
Tackett said the mission of the county park district is to serve the community through the conservation of natural areas, providing environmental education and by providing opportunities for outdoor recreation.
“The three pillars of our mission are conservation, education and recreation. Municipal parks provide active recreation and high-quality manicured green spaces. That’s where they excel,” Tackett said.
“We provide opportunities for what we think of as passive recreation in a high-quality, natural habitat.”