Yup - your friendly neighborhood elevator man

OMG.  I...I.... I'm verklempt.

Yup - your friendly neighborhood elevator man

OMG.  I...I.... I'm verklempt.

 

Now I suspect who stole all my Love and Rockets tapes out of my Chevy Cavalier...it was Musky!!!!

Yup - your friendly neighborhood elevator man

OMG.  I...I.... I'm verklempt.

 

Now I suspect who stole all my Love and Rockets tapes out of my Chevy Cavalier...it was Musky!!!!

ROFLMAO!  I think I've been on the elevator with him at the original Aquilon.  I have admission passes to the original!  ahhhhhh..........the memories (cue Barbra!)

 

Cleveland Foundation gives $5-million boost to Lake Link Trail

By James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer

on August 19, 2014 at 11:00 AM, updated August 19, 2014 at 11:07 AM

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland Foundation today announced a $5-million gift to the Trust for Public Land to underwrite the Cleveland Metroparks' project to build the Lake Link Trail that will join the Flats to the Lakefront.

 

The Trust for Public Land is a nationwide private non-profit conservancy that helps to build public parks and to protect land from development.

 

Bob Eckardt, the Cleveland Foundation's executive vice president, said, "We thought about our special gifts in recognition of our centennial, and thought of helping to complete some long-unfinished efforts like getting Public Square done and helping with trails and connections."

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/08/lake_link_trail_map_test_do_no.html#incart_river

Wow, that's awesome news.  I hadn't realized work was already underway for Phase I.  Can't wait to use this trail network in a few years.  will be amazing for Tremont and Ohio City bikers, joggers, and walkers to have a continuous trail to the Lakefront.

The Columbus Road bridge isn't a flat lift bridge. It lifts from an angled position. Thus it has to be set in place from the barge into an angled position. That means having to jack the bridge while setting on the barge. Some engineer better be earning his money on this job......

 

Marvin Fong ‏@FotosByFong  18m

@FotosByFong image

 

When was this done? Is this an entirely new super structure?

When was this done? Is this an entirely new super structure?

 

Date of the posting/picture. The existing span was rehabbed.

The towers at either end were rehabbed, but the bridge deck span is entirely new.

The towers at either end were rehabbed, but the bridge deck span is entirely new.

 

Really? I thought they floated it down to near the rowing club, rehabbed it and returned it to the current site.

The towers at either end were rehabbed, but the bridge deck span is entirely new.

 

Really? I thought they floated it down to near the rowing club, rehabbed it and returned it to the current site.

 

Nope, it was actually being constructed next to Carter Road before the original span was removed.  Not sure if there are photos anywhere.

 

EDIT: Article on the original span being removed.  By this point, construction of the new span was well underway.

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/06/clevelands_columbus_road_bridg_1.html

I think the Lake Link Trail/Towpath and proposed Canal Basin Park are huge for the Flats and surrounding areas. This will set the foundation for some significant development. I was reading the following article regarding Lake Link and had a couple questions maybe someone here can answer:

 

Cleveland Foundation gift helps Metroparks link to the lake (slideshow): http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/08/new_lake_test.html

 

Slide No. 12 in the link (also was on the PD front page today) states: "One problem that needs to be solved in order to take the Lake Link Trail from Scranton peninsula to Whiskey Island is the historic cereal mill, which is built right up to the river's edge."  Am I missing something here? The map in the article shows the trail on the west bank and the mill is on the east bank. So, how is it a hurdle? On a side note, does anyone know how far that mill dates back? It is in every 19th century photo of the Flats so I am guessing it is pre Civil War.

 

Also, the trail seems to traverse the unstable land (under W.25th) that is currently in danger of sliding into the river. I assume this does not to be fixed if you are only putting a trail on it? Riverbed St. is in that area and is badly falling apart.

 

From the article: "Zimmerman said it will be built in as many as four phases. The first phase from Scranton to Columbia roads is underway." Where is Columbia? Does he mean Columbus?

 

 

 

I think the Lake Link Trail/Towpath and proposed Canal Basin Park are huge for the Flats and surrounding areas. This will set the foundation for some significant development. I was reading the following article regarding Lake Link and had a couple questions maybe someone here can answer:

 

Cleveland Foundation gift helps Metroparks link to the lake (slideshow): http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/08/new_lake_test.html

 

Slide No. 12 in the link (also was on the PD front page today) states: "One problem that needs to be solved in order to take the Lake Link Trail from Scranton peninsula to Whiskey Island is the historic cereal mill, which is built right up to the river's edge."  Am I missing something here? The map in the article shows the trail on the west bank and the mill is on the east bank. So, how is it a hurdle? On a side note, does anyone know how far that mill dates back? It is in every 19th century photo of the Flats so I am guessing it is pre Civil War.

 

Also, the trail seems to traverse the unstable land (under W.25th) that is currently in danger of sliding into the river. I assume this does not to be fixed if you are only putting a trail on it? Riverbed St. is in that area and is badly falling apart.

 

From the article: "Zimmerman said it will be built in as many as four phases. The first phase from Scranton to Columbia roads is underway." Where is Columbia? Does he mean Columbus?

 

The Cereal Mill thing is a mistake, or at least out of place. But the Metroparks are working separately of the Lake Link Trail to connect Rivergate Park with FEB via a riverside trail/boardwalk.

OC_Charlie - the mill is extremely old.  I've always thought it looked like something out of the Lorax and it has been a particular fascination of mine.  The oldest photo I have of the current structure dates back to the 1870's, but from research I've done, there has been a mill at this site since the earliest days of Cleveland...

I haven't been around in a while so I forgot the forum rules, and I think I can't post a Cleveland.com link, correct? Well holy moley Doug Price got finally had justice served to the tune of 12 million plus turning over his remaining 49 units the stonebridge condo association. All because he failed to deal with problems at Stonebridge Towers that were his responsibility. This is now going to be as wonderful a building as the neighborhood!  :clap: heck one day I might even be about to sell! Here I though this would be my retirement home in 25 years  :-P

Here we go. http://www.cleveland.com/court-justice/index.ssf/2014/08/the_kd_group_ceo_douglas_price.html#incart_river

Does anyone know if there is anyplace I can read the agreement between the City of Cleveland and K&D granting them use of the Stonebridge Viaduct?

I'm new to the discussion board and I have only begun to look back over all of the forum pages, so my apologies if I'm asking for something alrady covered.

Does anyone know if there is anyplace I can read the agreement between the City of Cleveland and K&D granting them use of the Stonebridge Viaduct?

I'm new to the discussion board and I have only begun to look back over all of the forum pages, so my apologies if I'm asking for something alrady covered.

 

Welcome TonkaMuscle (love the name!). I don't believe the agreement has been posted here. Besides, I would think the agreement would be between K&D and Cuyahoga County which owns most of the high-level bridges over the Cuyahoga River valley (the only exceptions I know of are the RTA and ODOT bridges).

 

EDIT: the agreement is a public document. You should be able to get it by contacting the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Works.

THANK YOU!!

 

Currently K&D is using the Stonebridge as a parking lot, which I really doubt was the intent of the agreement.

 

Tonka, there's a small chance the document is recorded in the land records, which means it would be available if you searched under the parcel ID on the county web site.  You can find the parcel ID using the county GIS site. 

Actually I have found out that the Superior Viaduct (I call it Stonebridge is City owned)

Also unable to locate Parcel ID using County GIS map, but there's a very good chance I'm just not using it correctly.

 

I think my next step is to go to the Mayor's Action Center and figure out who my council man is and contact them.

PARCEL ID	003-18-027
OWNERS NAME	CITY OF CLEVELAND
ADDRESS	00000 SUPERIOR VIADUCT
CITY	CLEVELAND
ZIP	44113

Actually it is four different parcels. Three are owned by the City and one is owned by, interestingly, ParkWorks

 

 

^I think the Parkworks parcel is part of the the old rail ROW they purchased a couple years back for the Lake Link Trail.

 

And as I think this over more, the parcels shown there may just be for the land underneath the viaduct, not the viaduct itself.

That very well could be true

When I look it up on Google Earth Pro (Parcel overlay), it does not show the same info as I previously posted. Only shows it as a ROW. There is likely an easement of some sort in that case

The parkworks parcel is indeed a ~10' wide easement through what is now a Stonebridge parking lot that will go under one of the bridge's arches to be used for the Lake Link trail.

You still have 5 minutes to get there!

 

Downtown Residents ‏@DCRA1  2m

@FlatsForward Master Plan unveiling 9/25, 4:30 @ Music Box Supper Club http://on.uli.org/1wglurk

Cool vid of freighters and boaters by Merwins Wharf.

New brewery opening by Rivergate Park next month...nice to see more investment down there!:

 

"Brick and Barrel, a new brewery, winery and taproom at 1844 Columbus Road in the Flats, is finally set to open its doors after months of delays. The tentative opening date is Tuesday, October 21st, the same day the new Columbus Road bridge is expected to open to traffic. Partner Jason Henkel promises that at the very least, the venue will roll up its garage doors and start pouring pints by the end of the month."

 

http://freshwatercleveland.com/devnews/brickandbarrel092414.aspx

http://www.cleveland.com/architecture/index.ssf/2014/09/new_plan_for_the_flats_is_desi.html#incart_m-rpt-1

 

A new Framework Plan for Cleveland's Flats district is intended to show that a bitter, slow-motion war over land use has ended in the waterfront zone along the Cuyahoga River.

 

Instead, the plan identifies a shared vision about how industry, nightclubs, residents and visitors can coexist peacefully in the city's historic and visually striking riverfront neighborhood.

 

So what kind of an impact are we to expect from this?  How will this plan materialize and when can we start seeing progress?

It's good to see the Columbus Road peninsula(?) seeing more activity with the brewery. That area would be perfect for new mixed-use development were it not for active industries still dotting the place. Its proximity to downtown and other parts of the Flats makes it feel more connected to those areas than the Scranton peninsula, IMO.

 

My dream would be Columbus Road lined with high density residences and businesses from Canal Road all the way up to Abbey Avenue in Ohio City.

It's good to see the Columbus Road peninsula(?) seeing more activity with the brewery. Were it not for active industries still dotting the place, the peninsula's proximity to downtown and other parts of the Flats would make it a perfect spot for a new mixed-use development.

 

Definitely -- essentially a blank slate to fit in a lot of people/neighborhood amenities. 

 

Downtown has it's first dog park. Now a couple more and each area of downtown would be covered.

 

That wasn't ruff: Downtown Cleveland Alliance, partners raise enough funds to build downtown's first outdoor dog park

 

"Construction on the park began this week. DCA estimates it will be complete “within a few weeks.” It will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 13, for dogs and their humans.

 

The dog park is in Settler’s Landing Park, an open area adjacent to the RTA station on the eastern bank of the Cuyahoga River. It has 4,500 square feet of play area and will be equipped with pea gravel, fencing, a gated entrance and benches for humans."

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140930/FREE/140939926/that-wasnt-ruff-downtown-cleveland-alliance-partners-raise-enough

It has 4,500 square feet of play area and will be equipped with pea gravel, fencing, a gated entrance and benches for humans."

 

More like PEE gravel! Amirite?!!

 

Hello....is this thing on?

It has 4,500 square feet of play area and will be equipped with pea gravel, fencing, a gated entrance and benches for humans."

 

More like PEE gravel! Amirite?!!

 

Hello....is this thing on?

LOL I'm pretty sure they hire elementary school students to write these pieces anymore.

Pea gravel is correct. It's the shape and size of peas.

Leave it to KJP to school us haha.

Historic apartments enter new era with N.Y. investor's purchase

By STAN BULLARD

October 11, 2014 4:30 AM

 

A Rochester, N.Y.-based apartment ownership and operations group is the new owner of the four- and seven-story Left Bank apartments, long known as a Cuyahoga River-view home for artists with low rents in the Flats.

Through 1250 Riverbed St. LLC., which takes its name from the address of the two-building complex, the investors on Sept. 30 paid $875,000 for the 28-suite property. The county values the site at $414,000 for tax purchases, but the price is far below the seller’s original $3 million asking price.

Peter Hungerford, managing member of 1250 Riverbed, said his firm’s first order of business is to tackle substantial deferred maintenance on the building and retain its current 25 tenants. He said the budget for improvements is “six figures,” although he would not disclose it specifically.

 

http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20141011/FREE/141019970/historic-apartments-enter-new-era-with-n-y-investors-purchase

^ Great news. If I recall correctly, weren't these in danger from being torn down?

Cleveland's new skate park to open in November

 

CLEVELAND - Cleveland’s new skate park, The Crooked River Skate Park, will open next month.

 

Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman said the goal is to have a ribbon cutting and party on Nov. 15.

 

Cleveland has not had a skate park since the park behind the Rock Hall was removed in 2010. That park was gift from the Gravity Games.

 

Grindline Skateparks of Seattle designed the new park, which is at Rivergate Park on the banks of the Cuyahoga River near Columbus Road.

 

http://www.newsnet5.com/news/local-news/cleveland-metro/clevelands-new-skate-park-to-open-in-november

 

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/designreview/drcagenda/2014/10172014/index.php

 

City Planning Commission

Agenda for October 17, 2014

 

2. DF2014-100 - Cleveland Rowing Foundation Temporary Building

Project Address: 1003 British Street

Project Representative: Kirk Lang, Cleveland Rowing Foundation

 

 

 

 

Cleveland Metroparks will revive water-taxi service

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Cleveland Metroparks commissioners approved purchase of a 26-foot boat today that will become a water taxi on the Cuyahoga River next year.

 

The purchase would mark the return of a service that was popular in the 1980s and '90s, when the restaurants and bars in the Flats were at the zenith of their popularity.

 

According to the park-board agenda, the vessel should go into service by Memorial Day 2015, ferrying people between the east and west banks of the river, with additional stops added "as opportunities develop."

 

The idea was a joint proposal advanced earlier this year by Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman, Kate Brown, Metrohealth Systems' vice president of foundation and system philanthropy, and other members of Leadership Cleveland.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2014/10/cleveland_metroparks_will_revi.html#incart_m-rpt-1

It'd be cool to see the taxi take people up to Wendy Park and down to Settler's Landing and Rivergate Park as well.

I'm glad to see the Metroparks being so proactive, especially for quasi-governmental agency.    They've always been a vital part of our community, but it seems recently that everything they touch turns to gold.  Edgewater park is a game changer now thanks to them.  Glad to see they are looking to the future rather than reacting to the present!

As I read the PD article, it appears Metroparks is contracting water taxi service with only this one boat.  Seems they would need more than one boat to offer true, and frequent, water taxi service.  The old rather poorly run (though still fun) Holy Moses Water Taxi ran at least 2 boats, and even then many people were standing at WT "stations" waiting for the rides... Surely 1 boat won't cut it.

 

In the olden days (circla the late 1990s) Holy Moses even had an agreement with RTA whereby, if you had an RTA ticket or pass for that day, you could ride the Water Taxi for just $1.  This was very forward thinking and encouraged Flats patrons to park their cars and take the Waterfront Line which, in those days, ran until 2:15a on summer weekend nights... Fat chance we'd ever get this kind of arrangement with the current anti-rail RTA management. 

Remember RTA's Flats Flyer bus?? It got stuck in the traffic same as all the cars. It was faster to walk. I say we put a Zip Line across the river.

Remember RTA's Flats Flyer bus?? It got stuck in the traffic same as all the cars. It was faster to walk. I say we put a Zip Line across the river.

 

That was a waste of time.  When I was at SOHIO suggested closing all the streets to vehicular traffic and using shuttle from the West 25 and West 9 to move visitor to the area.

That was a waste of time.  When I was at SOHIO suggested closing all the streets to vehicular traffic and using shuttle from the West 25 and West 9 to move visitor to the area.

 

I disagree.  It was the first acknowledgement by RTA that transit was a desirable connection from Public Square to the Flats. This thinking paved the way to the Waterfront Line a decade or so later.

Flats Forward ‏@FlatsForward  9m9 minutes ago

Excited to see the final pieces in place @ Crooked River Skate Park @psgee