The Mansfield City Council has postponed a vote to add the Ohio Brass building to the National Register of Historic Places, but the delay is unlikely to affect the building’s final outcome.
The council was expected to vote on the measure at its meeting Tuesday. The Historic Planning Commission and Mansfield City Planning Commission have already recommended the building at 380 N. Main St. for the National Register of Historic Places.
The Council vote is scheduled for August 20.
“It would have been cleaner to do it last night, but August 31 is fine too,” said Councilman David Falquette, adding that August 31 is the deadline.
Falquette was the only council member to vote no to delay the vote, which came after Council Member Cheryl Meier pointed out that the property still owed $84,000 in back taxes.
The revelation came as a surprise to attorney and developer Robert Meyers, who gave a presentation to the city council before the vote. He wants to convert the former office building into a senior living facility.
“This is a project that is close to my heart,” said Meyers. “For me, it is more than just economic.”
Meyers said he bought the building decades ago.
“Business has flourished for years, but it is difficult to find office space, especially in smaller communities,” he said.
Council members had several questions for the developer. Deborah Mount wanted to know how many residential units would be available in the six-story building.
According to Meyers, it should be 82 to 84, with 80% of them being one-bedroom apartments and the other 20% being two-bedroom apartments.
Meier asked him if the historic designation would hinder efforts to convert the building into a senior living facility.
Meyers assured that this was not the case.
“You can change a building so that it is still a tribute to the past,” he said.
Council leader Phil Scott pointed out that the building is also located in a flood zone.
“Only a quarter of the building has experience with water,” Meyers replied.
He said he would let the market decide who would live there, but his plan was geared toward seniors.
Falquette said he was impressed with how Meyers handled the news of the tax arrears.
“He seems to be the most honest developer we’ve had in a long time,” Falquette said. “I thought he was sincere. That was reason enough for me to give him a chance.”
Legal Director Rollie Harper advocated for Meyers.
“I’ve known Bob Meyers for a long time. He’s going to take care of this (the tax arrears issue),” Harper said.
City Engineer Bob Bianchi took center stage at Tuesday’s meeting, providing updates on the trails connecting the B&O Bike Trail to downtown as well as the Main Street Revitalization Project.
Council has decided to solicit bids for the construction of a connecting trail from the B&O Trail to the Trimble Road Trail. The 1.7 km trail will be 3.35 m wide and include a 57 m section that will be constructed as a raised boardwalk to avoid disturbing the wetlands.
An additional 5-foot section will serve as a “safety path” for pedestrians walking down the hill alongside cyclists. Construction on the $1.91 million project is scheduled to begin in January and be completed in October 2025.
“This project has been in the works for a long time,” said Bianchi.
City Councilwoman Laura Burns was impressed.
“Great news for the community, a lot is happening here,” she said.
The council also voted to solicit bids for the construction of the Millsboro Road Trail from Trimble Road to Marion Avenue, with construction scheduled to begin in May 2025 and be completed next August to make way for the nearby Discovery School.
“We were able to design the path to meander through the trees,” Bianchi said. “It gives it a pretty picturesque feel.”
The trail will be 3,300 feet long and will run parallel to Millsboro Road.
The project will cost just under $1.1 million. The engineer said the generous sales tax will only be applied when necessary. The council voted Tuesday to accept a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for the project.
Members voted to solicit bids for the Main Street project.
“This will be the last legislation you will receive on this project,” Bianchi said. “We are here to talk about construction.”
There are 14 sources of funding for the $17.1 million project.
“We believe we have all the resources necessary to carry out the project,” Bianchi said.
The council voted Tuesday to accept three of those sources, including a $7.3 million RAISE grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation and two state grants totaling $400,000. Construction will begin in February of next year and continue through October 2026.
“There will be a lot of construction in 2025,” said Bianchi.
He also thanked Ohio State Representative Marilyn John and Ohio State Senator Mark Romanchuk for their help in securing the state grants.
Other matters, advice:
- Appointment of Gary Freeman and James Smith to the Police Inquiry Commission.
- Authorized payment of claims to Jack Balcolm, Matthew Walter and James O’Donnell.
- Approved a $62,000 state grant for training and related overtime costs for some of the city’s firefighters and a $13,320 state grant for new equipment and supplies for the department.
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