For a small town, there's plenty to see and do

Mansfield's old-time General Store sits across the street from the old Monroe Hotel, which has been converted into apartments, and down the block is an antique store with a hand-painted sign reading "Rose 'n Berry's."

For a meal and nightlife, folks can go to a bar and restaurant called J.P Cool's or the Legion post, which is right across the street from the Village Hall.

Some might consider Mansfield a sleepy little town, but that's okay, says Mayor Steve Gaines. Some people just like it that way.

"It's nice to live in a place where people don't have to lock their doors," he said. "And there's a lot of familiar faces around here. I don't know everybody –occasionally you see someone new – but I do know a lot of people."

Gaines moved to Mansfield 30 years ago after a year of living in Champaign and not enjoying the "city lifestyle."

He has served on the village board for 24 years and has been the mayor for eight. Though Mansfield's population has grown by about 100 people since he moved in, Gaines said he's happy with the community's size.

When someone complains about the trash or grass height in a neighbor's yard, Gaines calls or goes to the person's house to get the problem solved.

Though most of Mansfield's residents commute to Champaign-Urbana to work, several businesses in town employ community members.

The General Store, Nusbaum Custom Carpentry, Inc., Sherman Small Motors, Tan Your Hide tanning salon and Up Your Look hair salon have operated in Mansfield for several years.

"We like having this location because people come in here with a purpose, we don't get the mall-walkers," said Dave Sherman, who owns Sherman Small Motors, which opened its Mansfield location in 1976. "But things have changed. People are in much more of a hurry these days, there's so much more hustle-bustle."

Changes continue in Mansfield with the building of a new subdivision on the south side of town. Fifteen new houses are in the process of being built. The new homes are bigger than many in Mansfield and will have higher property taxes, Gaines said, but Mansfield is open to growth.

"We're certainly willing to work with anyone who wants to have business here," he said.

The next big change in Mansfield will be in the water system. The EPA will raise standards in 2008 and village board members are worried that Mansfield water won't meet standards. Gaines and the trustees are looking into a water filtration system that could raise water bills from the current rate of $22 a month. But Gaines said he already spends money to run a water softening system in his house, so it probably won't cost much more than what he already pays.

John Weaver, the principal of Mansfield Elementary and Blue Ridge Junior High, grew up in Urbana and taught in Champaign schools. He said though Mansfield is a small town, its school produces successful people.

"We see kids come out of these schools and become doctors and lawyers," he said.

While Gaines said he sees the merit of living in towns like Champaign for young or single people, he said the pace of life in a town like Mansfield really suits a lot of people.

"There's just a more laid-back attitude here," he said.