Mansfield Avenue shared-use path on track to open by Thanksgiving

The Mansfield Avenue shared-use path is almost ready to be used.

The wide path, which runs along Mansfield Avenue between Belmont Avenue and Grange Avenue, is expected to be wrapped up by Thanksgiving, City Engineer Brian Ball said at a city news conference Tuesday.

Ball said the concrete has been completed and all that’s left for the moment is getting back fill in to level out the yards where the trail is located. It is on the east side of Mansfield from Belmont to Fairgrounds Road, then switches to the west side heading north to Grange Avenue. He said they will touch up any erosion in the spring.

The project also included water and sewer lines on the route and some side streets, and the city has been patching holes in the road that were torn up. Ball said that a full asphalt resurfacing of Mansfield Avenue will be part of the 2026 city resurfacing bid.

Ball also noted that two parking lots across Gay Street from the building at 18 E. Vine St. will no longer be transferred to the Knox County Land Bank. The lots will be used for city employees once they complete the city’s renovations to the COTC building on South Main. They will also level out the asphalt area of Spice Alley behind the parking lots.

He said they will be presenting to city council on Monday a couple of Community Development Block Grant proposals. One will be for work on Burgess and Hamtramck streets between Main and Sandusky streets, while the other will be for the Riverside Park Neighborhood project.

City Public Works Director Tom Hinkle said that most of his departments are currently working on getting ready for winter. The street department is trying to finish up the leaf pickup so they can place the winter equipment on the trucks. The city has completed three rounds of leaf pickup, but many leaves are still hanging on to the trees. Hinkle said residents may take bagged up leaves to the county compost area on Thayer Road.

Hinkle also said they have put in the order for the first round of road salt. They ordered 300 tons of the 1,500 tons that have been approved for purchase. He said they are prepping the site for the new salt barn on Old Delaware Road.

The parks department has closed most of the restrooms for the winter. There will be restrooms open throughout the winter, during park hours, at Harmony Playground and at the Riverside Park splash pad. The parks close at 7 p.m. during the winter and restrooms will be locked at that point, he said.

The city has also prepped the fountain on the square for winter and are preparing to put out holiday decorations soon.

City Director of Utilities Aaron Reinhart reminded residents to unhook their garden hoses and insulate any exposed water lines prior to winter. He also noted that the Construction Manager At-Risk, Kokosing Industrial, has been working on the wastewater treatment plant and are expected to work on the design soon.