City seeks bids for nearly $1 million Wildwood Cultural Center project

Mentor is seeking bids for a $995,500 construction project at Wildwood Cultural Center, one of the city's central arts facilities.

The City of Mentor's legal notice calls for sealed bids due Sept. 4, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. The work must be completed within 220 days of the Notice to Proceed.

Prospective contractors must attend a mandatory pre-bid meeting at 10 a.m. Aug. 21, 2026, at Wildwood Cultural Center, 7645 Little Mountain Road, Mentor, Ohio 44060.

The notice directs project questions by email to Megan Dougherty and Arie Swirsky, who are associated with Burgess & Niple, a Columbus, Ohio-based engineering and architecture firm. Swirsky is a senior architect at Burgess & Niple.

Bid documents are available from Lake Blue Inc. for a nonrefundable $300 fee plus shipping and can be obtained through lakeblueplanroom.com or by contacting Lake Blue Inc. at (440) 205-0050 or [email protected]. Most residents, however, would not purchase construction blueprints simply to learn what their tax dollars are funding.

The lack of detail is notable given Wildwood's place in Mentor's cultural life. The historic estate and manor house were built in 1908 by the John G. Oliver family and are an early example of English Tudor Revival architecture in Northeast Ohio. Mentor purchased the property in 1980 for $300,000, and it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.

Today, Wildwood Cultural Center offers classes and activities for preschoolers through adults, including painting, drawing, ceramics, photography, cooking, vocal and instrument lessons, dance, and drama. Its 34-acre park includes about 2 miles of winding trails. The center also hosted its 45th Annual Wildwood Arts & Wine Fest from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 20, 2026.

The city recently completed a separate, smaller capital project at Wildwood that replaced the rear patio and gazebo. "Wildwood Cultural Center's rear patio and gazebo were replaced, creating about 3,600 square feet of new space for larger events and outdoor activities," City Manager Kenneth J. Filipiak said. Bids for that project were issued in 2025 with an estimated construction cost of $184,000 and a scheduled completion date of May 31, 2025. In 2026, the center launched a free Summer Nights series on the newly constructed patio, featuring outdoor movies, live music, and themed events such as Polka & Pints Night and Blues, Brews & BBQ between late June and early August.

The limited disclosure also contrasts with the city's public treatment of other major capital investments. Mentor City Council approved multiple 2026 projects, including the Concrete Road Repair Program, the Asphalt Road Repair Program, and the Sidewalk Repair/Pedestrian Safety Program – Zone 1F, as well as a $10 million Civic Center Park pool makeover and a $6 million Garfield Park splash pad project.

City Council meets on the first and third Tuesday of each month, typically at 7 p.m., although several summer 2026 meetings — June 2, June 16, July 7, and Aug. 18 — were scheduled for 5:30 p.m. On July 7, 2026, council approved the city's tax budget for fiscal year 2027 through Ordinance 26-O-061.

The Aug. 21 pre-bid meeting leaves just over two weeks before the Sept. 4 bid deadline. They can also attend upcoming City Council meetings to ask when the project was approved and what the nearly $1 million investment will deliver.