ASHLAND — Ashland City Council is moving forward with the creation of a new public gathering space near the former Napa Auto Parts building along Ashland’s Main Street.
On Tuesday evening, the governing body approved a $59,945 contract with Simonson Construction for pre-construction stage design-build services for the proposed Main Street Plaza.
The space will be developed to feature a covered stage, court yard, bronze statues and likely a splash pad through a public-private partnership, according to Mayor Matt Miller.
Miller envisions a unique space where children could climb on the statues or splash in the water feature on a warm day.
“Someone may say well how fun is it to play on a big bronze statue? Well let me tell you, over and over again, you hear these stories about parents taking their children to Disney World or an amusement park, and they say to the kids when you ask them on the way home, ‘How did you like the park?’ And they say, we liked best the big animals that were at the hotel.'”
The splash pad will not include playground-like equipment like at the Salvation Army Kroc Center. Rather, simple jets will spray water from the ground, allowing children to play by day and creating a colorful display at night. The splash pad is to be included in early plans as an “alternative” for council to either approve or cut from the plans after considering costs.
“It won’t be like any other gathering space we have downtown,” Miller said.
The future Main Street Plaza property was once the location of Weiss Family Pharmacy. The property was purchased by Matt Wurster, who realized a need to demolish the structure.
Upon tearing down the space, he donated the property to the City of Ashland for its Main Street Plaza project. Wurster retained a 15-foot buffer next to the former Napa Auto Parts building to be able to create outdoor seating for a potential restaurant. Since then, Ohio Fire Pizza has made plans to open at the space, located at 88 E. Main Street.
The Main Street Plaza will be among the city’s first projects from its Targeted Action plan to be completed. Paid for by the Ashland County Foundation and developed by a group of local leaders with OHM Advisors identified key areas to make strategic improvements over the next five to ten years.
Mayor Miller hopes the construction of Main Street Plaza could be complete by fall. It’d be a hard deadline to meet, he admitted.
“But you got to have a goal if you’re ever going to meet it,” Miller said.
The contract that City Council approved Tuesday authorizes the mayor and director of public service to enter contract modifications for contingencies that in aggregate shall not exceed 10 percent.
