Except there is no shortage of parking at Edgewater with the lone exception maybe being the 4th of July.

 

The shoreway has on off ramps directly into the parking lot.  It is not difficult going from driving on the shoreway to parking in edgewater, it is exceedingly easy to do this.

 

As a matter of fact for almost everybody it is quicker and easier to drive to the shoreway and then park at edgewater than it is to walk or bike there...that is being partially  corrected with the new tunnels and the bike path, but the ease of driving into edgewater is unaffected.

 

K-Sonic, those are all valid points under present circumstances. I'm thinking of a bigger picture, and coming from the standpoint that Edgewater, in its current state, is grossly underutilized.

 

It should be the most attractive, most desirable space in the city. Yet, as in something out of bizarro-world, it continues to be a financial drain on the city and state.

 

I've had the luxury of living in some of the best coastal areas in America. Now, I live here, and Edgewater Park is my beach and Lake Erie my ocean. I can tell you that as much as I love the place, it is probably the most disappointing, neglected, trash-filled, uninspired beach in the U.S. 

 

The reality is, however, that with some good planning and selective development, all of those negatives could be erased.

 

With the shoreway project, any measures that make that stretch of highway a less hostile environment are a great first step. Making the street itself more amenable to cyclists and pedestrians  should be encouraged.

It should be the most attractive, most desirable space in the city. Yet, as in something out of bizarro-world, it continues to be a financial drain on the city and state.

 

Edgewater Park is my beach and Lake Erie my ocean. I can tell you that as much as I love the place, it is probably the most disappointing, neglected, trash-filled, uninspired beach in the U.S. 

 

Ditto.  Getting off topic of the Shoreway now, but I would gladly pay some type of daily/monthly/seasonal user pass if it meant seeing the place cleaned up and maintained better

Wow, whenever I go to Edgewater it seems very active to me, with a wide range of people.  And while it could be cleaner, it's nowhere near the filth-strewn wasteland people are making it out to be.

Except there is no shortage of parking at Edgewater with the lone exception maybe being the 4th of July.

 

The shoreway has on off ramps directly into the parking lot.  It is not difficult going from driving on the shoreway to parking in edgewater, it is exceedingly easy to do this.

 

As a matter of fact for almost everybody it is quicker and easier to drive to the shoreway and then park at edgewater than it is to walk or bike there...that is being partially  corrected with the new tunnels and the bike path, but the ease of driving into edgewater is unaffected.

 

K-Sonic, those are all valid points under present circumstances. I'm thinking of a bigger picture, and coming from the standpoint that Edgewater, in its current state, is grossly underutilized.

 

It should be the most attractive, most desirable space in the city. Yet, as in something out of bizarro-world, it continues to be a financial drain on the city and state.

 

I've had the luxury of living in some of the best coastal areas in America. Now, I live here, and Edgewater Park is my beach and Lake Erie my ocean. I can tell you that as much as I love the place, it is probably the most disappointing, neglected, trash-filled, uninspired beach in the U.S. 

 

The reality is, however, that with some good planning and selective development, all of those negatives could be erased.

 

With the shoreway project, any measures that make that stretch of highway a less hostile environment are a great first step. Making the street itself more amenable to cyclists and pedestrians  should be encouraged.

 

i agree 100%.  making this beach what it can be would, imo, lead to increased demand for more waterfront development.  as it stands, it is really lacking.  this place should be a jewel.  it is certainly "ok" in many respects, but having visited and lived on beaches around the world, a few in colder climates, this beach and park has a long way to go.

Yeah-- I don't think that there has ever been any notion that Edgewater park would be "developed" in any significant manner as part of the Shoreway Boulevard project.  Now that the "boulevard" part is pretty much out of the picture (at least in the short/mid term), any thought of development along this stretch of road is simply wishful thinking.

 

It will simply be a simply slightly nicer looking stretch with bettter access for cars, pedestrians, and bikes with some trail thrown in. That's it.

Re: motorized traffic in the greater Battery Park neighborhood (~W78 to ~W65) and the termination of Father Caruso at W73, Councilman Matt Zone informed me that Father Frascati, which currently terminates at W73 will be extended to W70 upon construction of the W73rd underpass.

Well now, that's the best of both worlds for us 69th and Father Caruso-ites.  :)

One example of the State of Ohio's disregard for the maintenance of Edgewater Park is illustrated by this:  Large tree limbs fell this Spring, but instead of removing them the "landscaping" crew just mows around them.  I wonder if these limbs will be left for as many years as the huge pile of debris at the bottom of the hill.  Last year I pulled tall weeds growing around tree trunks the crew let grow the whole season.  A little care shouldn't cost that much.

One example of the State of Ohio's disregard for the maintenance of Edgewater Park is illustrated by this:  Large tree limbs fell this Spring, but instead of removing them the "landscaping" crew just mows around them.  I wonder if these limbs will be left for as many years as the huge pile of debris at the bottom of the hill.  Last year I pulled tall weeds growing around tree trunks the crew let grow the whole season.  A little care shouldn't cost that much.

 

This is horrible.  Have you reported it to park authorities?

You know what, instead of muttering to myself everytime I pass the park, I will look up their number & call Monday morning.  BTW, this is only the tip of my rant.

I was out at Edgewater on Saturday morning with the Friends of Edgewater and the Sierra Club for a beach cleanup. There was a good 60-70 people out there cleaning litter off the beach and it looked superb when I left. BTW, I have made contact with person who runs Edgewater Beach, I was petitioning that they more regularly comb the beach to clear drift wood and litter, his response was that there is nothing they can do, they share one comber with 4 beaches in the area and they're short handed.

^ i saw that yesterday on a run through edgewater...i was wondering if they were going to clean it up..

interesting article today on Judge Russo pushing to make Edgewater part of the Cleveland Metroparks system...

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/probate_judge_anthony_russo_us.html

 

I personally don't care who runs it, as long as it gets better attention than what it's getting now

I was out at Edgewater on Saturday morning with the Friends of Edgewater and the Sierra Club for a beach cleanup. There was a good 60-70 people out there cleaning litter off the beach and it looked superb when I left. BTW, I have made contact with person who runs Edgewater Beach, I was petitioning that they more regularly comb the beach to clear drift wood and litter, his response was that there is nothing they can do, they share one comber with 4 beaches in the area and they're short handed.

 

Not to go off on a SB-5 political tangent here...but this is one thing I hate about the union mentality of some of our government employees.  They have guys who cut grass.  That is their job description.  If they come upon a downed limb they go around it.  Because that's what they do.  There is no picking up or moving limbs in their job description (let alone reporting them).  Grrrrrr....

I've never worked in a union business, but I have worked in lots of places where workers knew more about what wasn't their job than what was.

 

Moving on......

We were at Edgewater during Memorial Day weekend ; we usually visit Edgewater everytime we visit Cleveland. Anyway, the park and the beach were packed, but I found the beach to be really dirty. Each time I go there, the beach always seems to be be less than stellar, but this time, the sand was loaded with sticks, twigs, and even a few bits of glass. The water was also nasty, with a lot of debris and trash floating in the edge of the water. I noticed there were a lot of people on the sand, but not many people in the water. Edgewater Park provides some really nice views of the Cleveland skyline, but the beach certainly needs to be cleaned up.

Not to go off on a SB-5 political tangent here...but this is one thing I hate about the union mentality of some of our government employees.  They have guys who cut grass.  That is their job description.  If they come upon a downed limb they go around it.  Because that's what they do.  There is no picking up or moving limbs in their job description (let alone reporting them).  Grrrrrr....

 

What does this have to do with whether you're in a union or not?  People pull this crap in any company big enough where you can pass the buck to someone else.  I see it all the time at the company I work for, which employs over 20,000 non-union employees.

We were at Edgewater during Memorial Day weekend ; we usually visit Edgewater everytime we visit Cleveland. Anyway, the park and the beach were packed, but I found the beach to be really dirty. Each time I go there, the beach always seems to be be less than stellar, but this time, the sand was loaded with sticks, twigs, and even a few bits of glass. The water was also nasty, with a lot of debris and trash floating in the edge of the water. I noticed there were a lot of people on the sand, but not many people in the water. Edgewater Park provides some really nice views of the Cleveland skyline, but the beach certainly needs to be cleaned up.

 

Yes it does need to be cleaned up, petition the people who run the park. The friends of Edgewater and the Sierra Club were out on the Beach Saturday cleaning the beach up and it looked great, but unfortunately people litter and it gets dirty again. What that beach really needs is a comber to clean up litter/drift wood on a regular basis. Right now the beach only gets combed a measly 4 times a year.

What the beach needs is a higher ratio of people that care about not littering.

^ Good luck on that... Maybe it needs a higher ratio of people willing to volunteer to clean it up.  :wink:

^ Good luck on that... Maybe it needs a higher ratio of people willing to volunteer to clean it up.  :wink:

 

It could use both I suppose.  But from my experience, there's a much higher ratio of pigs to non-pigs at Edgewater than many other beaches I have been to.

^ Good luck on that... Maybe it needs a higher ratio of people willing to volunteer to clean it up.  :wink:

 

It could use both I suppose.  But from my experience, there's a much higher ratio of pigs to non-pigs at Edgewater than many other beaches I have been to.

 

Funny way to put it, but from my few experiences there, I would have to agree.

Is there a volunteer group to clean-up and when do they meet?  I am interested.  I will be spending more time in this area and would love to have this be a green space that rivals other cities urban beaches.

interesting article today on Judge Russo pushing to make Edgewater part of the Cleveland Metroparks system...

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2011/06/probate_judge_anthony_russo_us.html

 

I personally don't care who runs it, as long as it gets better attention than what it's getting now

 

Makes sense that Edgewater would go to the Metroparks at the same time as Wendy Park at Whiskey goes.

Not to go off on a SB-5 political tangent here...but this is one thing I hate about the union mentality of some of our government employees.  They have guys who cut grass.  That is their job description.  If they come upon a downed limb they go around it.  Because that's what they do.  There is no picking up or moving limbs in their job description (let alone reporting them).  Grrrrrr....

 

What does this have to do with whether you're in a union or not?  People pull this crap in any company big enough where you can pass the buck to someone else.  I see it all the time at the company I work for, which employs over 20,000 non-union employees.

 

If the landscaping was privatized at Edgewater with a single supervisor from the state to make sure the work was done properly and timely, it wouldn't be an issue.  If the work was done crappy, get a new company next year or withhold payment till it's done properly.  Instead we're stuck with state workers who know their job is secure forever regardless....

Not to go off on a SB-5 political tangent here...but this is one thing I hate about the union mentality of some of our government employees.  They have guys who cut grass.  That is their job description.  If they come upon a downed limb they go around it.  Because that's what they do.  There is no picking up or moving limbs in their job description (let alone reporting them).  Grrrrrr....

 

What does this have to do with whether you're in a union or not?  People pull this crap in any company big enough where you can pass the buck to someone else.  I see it all the time at the company I work for, which employs over 20,000 non-union employees.

 

If the landscaping was privatized at Edgewater with a single supervisor from the state to make sure the work was done properly and timely, it wouldn't be an issue.  If the work was done crappy, get a new company next year or withhold payment till it's done properly.  Instead we're stuck with state workers who know their job is secure forever regardless....

 

Sure, but then that company would probably get a bulk contract to do other parks, and then the supervisor would be overseeing a ton of workers, just as he is now, and then you'd have the same problems, just now with a private company.

 

The problem is more a lack of oversight, which comes with any organization too large (public or private) to properly manage itself.  Hey, I'm for smaller businesses, too!  I believe I've posted my preference before: (1) small businesses, (2) government, (3) large corporations.

 

But anyway, this is off topic.

As for people not being in the water on memorial day weekend. I believe the lake was below 60 degrees.

 

The state seems to not maintain it as well as their other parks, the agreement between the city and the state has to play into it.

Is there a volunteer group to clean-up and when do they meet?  I am interested.  I will be spending more time in this area and would love to have this be a green space that rivals other cities urban beaches.

 

I've been trying to share my "Clean Up Cleveland" idea with ParkWorks where bars or other organizations would sponsor clean up events at areas like Edgewater Park. I'm meeting with them this week. Feel free to message me if interested in volunteering or if you have any other thoughts!

I would love to be the park police that would be allowed to go around shouting at people as they drop their litter. "Hey! Pick up your fookin trash! There's a barrel right there!" I would TOTALLY do that.

I would love to be the park police that would be allowed to go around shouting at people as they drop their litter. "Hey! Pick up your fookin trash! There's a barrel right there!" I would TOTALLY do that.

 

I like that idea.  I also think it'd be funny to yell "fookin" out loud.

I would love to be the park police that would be allowed to go around tazering shouting at people as they drop their litter. "Hey! Pick up your fookin trash! There's a barrel right there!" I would TOTALLY do that.

 

Fixed that for you. Just Kidding. Sort of...

I had to look hard for your correction. Use the strikethrough font next time so I don't have to look for "tazering" :)

Fixed it KJP. Sorry I was at lunch and using the forum through Tap A Talk, which I am still getting used to. Does anybody here know the terms of the agreement between the State and the city? Is the city still responsible for Capital budget dollars? Or does that all fall on the state?

I'm not sure what the agreement says, but I'd be surprised if Cleveland has any role. My understanding was that Edgewater became a full state park when Cleveland turned it over to them in the 1970s.

To make a comment about the trash at Edgewater ...

 

A good chunk of the trash is unfortunately junk that washes up on shore. There are countless tampon applicators strewn about the beach, bottles, and tons of other plastic junk that ends up down people's toilets or fall into sewers after heavy rains from almost any location from Detroit to Buffalo. This trash is not pretty, but it's obvious it didn't originate from beach goers by its weathered nature.

 

Unfortunately, because of this, Edgewater Park is heavily affected by a sort of broken windows theory. All of this trash that ends up in sewers that isn't biodegradeable washes up along the shore, and because of Edgewater's geographical/hyrdological position, almost any wind direction from 270 to 45 degrees will funnel this trash to the shore. When a person goes to a pristine beach they are more likely to put their picnic items in a proper receptacle or run and grab a piece of trash that blows away from their towel. But at Edgewater, because the beach has so much trash that washes to shore everyday people don't bother to pick up their own litter because, "hey, the beach is already trashed, what's another plastic bag or pop bottle?" Of course this only exacerbates the situation.

 

Next time you are at Edgewater, take a moment to look at each piece of trash along the shore, it definitely makes you realize how terrible plastic is on our ecosystem...

 

 

And to follow up some very good points made by WestBLVD....

 

SAT JUNE 18th Beach Cleanup at Wendy Park. 10am to 12pm.

 

Everyone is welcome to help out. Bring gloves if you like, trash bags will be provided. Please spread the word.

 

Thanks,

Scott

 

Sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation in celebration of International Surfing Day.

"Our mission is the protection and enjoyment of oceans, waves and beaches through a powerful activist network"

www.surfrider.org

 

Thanks for posting that Scott, unfortunately I will be out of town that weekend.

 

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is often brought up  as a successful waterfront revitalization when the Cleveland Lakefront development is discussed.They have the same problem with all of the trash being dumped into the harbor via the storm sewers. They have gone as far as to put nets across the small tributaries and to use trash barges such as the one below, and floating booms to collect the floating trash. Basically its a barge with a conveyor that collects anything floating. Not that it could be used at Edgewater specifically  but I just thought I would bring it up as a way other cities are combating the problem.

 

It's a shame that we've had so much rain this past week with the hot weather. Edgewater beach just hasn't been safe because of all the contaminant run-off (Chicago's beaches are facing the same problems with the heavy rains). For example the E Coli levels earlier in the week were 5,200 cfu/100 ml, a safe level is generally below 100.

I believe the Water Dept. overhaul of the sewer system will help with the overflow caused by the rains...

I was at Edgewater Beach last Thursday and watched as the crews removed large branches and debris from the water and beach.  Then on Friday I went swimming along with lots of other people and had a great time.  On Sunday, back with my guy. We cooked out.  The water quality was listed as poor so we didn't go in the water. There were lots of swimmers unterred by the Nowcast though enjoying themselves in the water.

The park was filled with a group of drummers, people playing chess, women doing some advanced hula hoop moves, families picknicking, walkers, runners, people fishing.

 

We saw the most spectacular sunset on Sunday.

 

As far as park clean up go. Taxes pay for park maintenance. You get what you pay for. All the anti tax people don't realize they can't have it both ways.  I'd rather everyone paid their fair share of taxes and we have excellent public services including beaches.

^ Taxes do pay for the work done at the park, but I believe that Edgewater is operated by the State, not the City. Also, if you love the beach/park and love seeing it clean I would invite you to join Friends of Edgewater on Facebook and get involved in the monthly cleanups!

I'd actually be in favor of some type of daily/monthly/yearly user pass if it could be shown that it would boost maintenance without hurting attendance.  Michigan does this with most of their state parks.  On the flip side, people might be more inclined to use the park regularly once they paid for a seasonal pass...

Thanks for posting that Scott, unfortunately I will be out of town that weekend.

 

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is often brought up  as a successful waterfront revitalization when the Cleveland Lakefront development is discussed.They have the same problem with all of the trash being dumped into the harbor via the storm sewers. They have gone as far as to put nets across the small tributaries and to use trash barges such as the one below, and floating booms to collect the floating trash. Basically its a barge with a conveyor that collects anything floating. Not that it could be used at Edgewater specifically  but I just thought I would bring it up as a way other cities are combating the problem.

 

 

We need that contraption here asap!!

 

p.s. I do love the walkability of Baltimore's Harbor

Although for urban parks such as Edgewater there would be a big argument about a user fee limiting access for the poor.

 

It will likely eventually be maintained by the Metroparks. 

I'd actually be in favor of some type of daily/monthly/yearly user pass if it could be shown that it would boost maintenance without hurting attendance.  Michigan does this with most of their state parks.  On the flip side, people might be more inclined to use the park regularly once they paid for a seasonal pass...

 

I wouldn't mind paying a 10 dollar yearly user pass for Edgewater. However it would be hard to enforce. You'd almost have to go with a parking decal prepurchased versus entry gates. Charging pedestrians and bicyclists at point of entry would be difficult and unnecessary.

 

But as stated above, it could be viewed as a tax on the poor. I bet a voluntary donation for clean up efforts would be just as effective without being political.

The state of Edgewater Park right now is an utter mess. As we enter a major holiday weekend, its appearance is an embarrassment to the city.

 

It's been more than a week since the storm that downed several trees has passed, but it appears that we will be left with huge limbs and tree segments scattered about, (as was noted before, limbs that had fallen in late winter/spring sat for months untouched with weeds growing all around them)

 

The lack of physical maintenance in the park, coupled with the lack of ecological/landscaping maintenance, really exacerbates the broken windows theory with regards to trash. Tall weeds, dead limbs rotting for weeks, mounds of wood chips and mulch sitting in the corners of the parking lots makes the park look dirty beyond the trash problem. When something already looks dirty, people don't take as good care of it. Couple that with general trash that floats ashore, and the litter problem overtakes the park.

 

The problems with the beach/park are numerous

 

* Litter. No further explanation needed, number one priority for the park, IMO.

* Dog poop. While I love dogs and hate to say it, but please enforce the no pets on beach rule. The signs are everywhere, but no one obeys. The piles of dog poop everywhere are just disgusting. People would like to lay in the grass and on the beach where your dog is taking a cr@p or pis$ing!

* Cruising the park for action. Please take your acts of backseat pleasure elsewhere.

* Petty theft. Don't even consider taking anything to the beach that you would hate to have stolen. Hoodlums have the galls to run up and steal bags and items from beach towels while you are 20 feet away in the water watching them, of course unable to run to shore in time to catch them.

* Drug use. Once again, please take it elsewhere.

* Homeless people who live on the beach and in the wooded areas on the beachcliff. There are a handful of homeless who take up residence in the park and will occasionally harass beach goers.

* Sewage overflows. This summer has had record rainfall and subsequently every time it rains, the E coli levels in the park become too high.

* Junk that flows ashore, not only plastic junk, but leaves, driftwood, branches, dead fish, etc

* Personal Watercrafts/boats and diesel. Some days the smell of fuel is so nauseating it feels like you are laying on a towel on a runway at Hopkins. You can also see a thin film of oil on the water and a haze wafting above during the busiest/hottest of days.

* Algae blooms. I've been noticing a lot of nasty areas pop up close to shore recently. Western Lake Erie is really feeling this problem as of late.

 

So yeah, that's just my short list of things that I can think of off the top of my head that really need to be fixed. It's daunting.

 

I also think the resources at the park are not allocated correctly. How many times have you seen a park ranger walking on the beach patrolling? How many times have you seen a park ranger riding a bike on the trails patrolling? How many times have you seen a ranger driving a vehicle along the shoreway pulling someone over or giving someone a ticket on an offramp? BINGO! That right there sends a huge red flag to me. I really wish there was an actual foot presence of rangers/police in the park, rather than this ridiculous presence on the nearby roads that happen to intersect park property.

 

It'd be nice also if we could allocate some of this park road patrol nonsense to a full time person who just cleans up trash through the park. Sort of a park janitor. If adding that person to the payrolls is that out of the question, how about encouraging job skills to the homeless that live in the park to help clean it up? What about a summer internship to college students and turn the trash collection into a Great Lakes research project? I feel that there is a wealth of knowledge to be learned about the density of trash that comes ashore, weight of materials, where materials come from, type of material matter, etc. Not only does it clean the park up, it contributes to finding point sources, and gives students some experience.

 

So that's my end of summer rant/suggestions for Edgewater Park. I hope that at summer's unofficial end next year, our lakeside gem doesn't look like the pit that it does now.

hmm, i was just there and walked the whole beachfront. obvs i am not there on a regular basis, but i thought it was ok, no better or worse than usual. the beachfront was fairly clean, not sure about further back off that. more storm debris on the western end maybe, yeah, but thats common. could that be cleaned? yeah, keeping in mind thats a regular battle. it was fairly crowded on the eastern end around the lifeguards of course, but also random groups of sunbathers to the west. no, not homeless!! i did see some homeless on the beachcliff, but also a lot of others fishing right around them. several groups playing chess near the beachhouse. many picknickers as well. dogwalkers. the usual. it was a beautiful day and overall i thought it was quite pleasant. if anything, edgewater really needs a modern, large and iconic new beachhouse, but thats always been my pet peeve about it. hell even lorain got a nice new one a couple years ago. again, thats just my two cents from an infrequent visit.

 

The storm damage that's been left to litter the park is an obvious visual example of neglect. Even I can see that as I speed by on the West Shoreway.

 

Maybe it's time the city took back Edgewater Park from the state!!

The state of Edgewater Park right now is an utter mess. As we enter a major holiday weekend, its appearance is an embarrassment to the city.

 

It's been more than a week since the storm that downed several trees has passed, but it appears that we will be left with huge limbs and tree segments scattered about, (as was noted before, limbs that had fallen in late winter/spring sat for months untouched with weeds growing all around them)

 

The lack of physical maintenance in the park, coupled with the lack of ecological/landscaping maintenance, really exacerbates the broken windows theory with regards to trash. Tall weeds, dead limbs rotting for weeks, mounds of wood chips and mulch sitting in the corners of the parking lots makes the park look dirty beyond the trash problem. When something already looks dirty, people don't take as good care of it. Couple that with general trash that floats ashore, and the litter problem overtakes the park.

 

The problems with the beach/park are numerous

 

* Litter. No further explanation needed, number one priority for the park, IMO.

* Dog poop. While I love dogs and hate to say it, but please enforce the no pets on beach rule. The signs are everywhere, but no one obeys. The piles of dog poop everywhere are just disgusting. People would like to lay in the grass and on the beach where your dog is taking a cr@p or pis$ing!

* Cruising the park for action. Please take your acts of backseat pleasure elsewhere.

* Petty theft. Don't even consider taking anything to the beach that you would hate to have stolen. Hoodlums have the galls to run up and steal bags and items from beach towels while you are 20 feet away in the water watching them, of course unable to run to shore in time to catch them.

* Drug use. Once again, please take it elsewhere.

* Homeless people who live on the beach and in the wooded areas on the beachcliff. There are a handful of homeless who take up residence in the park and will occasionally harass beach goers.

* Sewage overflows. This summer has had record rainfall and subsequently every time it rains, the E coli levels in the park become too high.

* Junk that flows ashore, not only plastic junk, but leaves, driftwood, branches, dead fish, etc

* Personal Watercrafts/boats and diesel. Some days the smell of fuel is so nauseating it feels like you are laying on a towel on a runway at Hopkins. You can also see a thin film of oil on the water and a haze wafting above during the busiest/hottest of days.

* Algae blooms. I've been noticing a lot of nasty areas pop up close to shore recently. Western Lake Erie is really feeling this problem as of late.

 

So yeah, that's just my short list of things that I can think of off the top of my head that really need to be fixed. It's daunting.

 

I also think the resources at the park are not allocated correctly. How many times have you seen a park ranger walking on the beach patrolling? How many times have you seen a park ranger riding a bike on the trails patrolling? How many times have you seen a ranger driving a vehicle along the shoreway pulling someone over or giving someone a ticket on an offramp? BINGO! That right there sends a huge red flag to me. I really wish there was an actual foot presence of rangers/police in the park, rather than this ridiculous presence on the nearby roads that happen to intersect park property.

 

It'd be nice also if we could allocate some of this park road patrol nonsense to a full time person who just cleans up trash through the park. Sort of a park janitor. If adding that person to the payrolls is that out of the question, how about encouraging job skills to the homeless that live in the park to help clean it up? What about a summer internship to college students and turn the trash collection into a Great Lakes research project? I feel that there is a wealth of knowledge to be learned about the density of trash that comes ashore, weight of materials, where materials come from, type of material matter, etc. Not only does it clean the park up, it contributes to finding point sources, and gives students some experience.

 

So that's my end of summer rant/suggestions for Edgewater Park. I hope that at summer's unofficial end next year, our lakeside gem doesn't look like the pit that it does now.

 

 

All valid points. All problems. There is not much to do about leaf litter. This is actually from trees and other than a visual aspect, it pales in comparison to the other issues you mention that are top priority. Clean up after a storm is a must, but general leaf control along the shore by nature taking its course is another thing. Part of the reason we have trees toppling into the water in the first place is due to shoreline abuse which results in erosion. So, let's focus on those many other issues you bring up immediately.

 

I doubt the city would be much better with the stewardship of this park based on how I see other public spaces under their watch maintained. They cannot even adequately deal with all the butt and other litter on the S.W. corner of the square, Let alone a 13 mile park system (couple that with the east side portion that current staff is responsible for as well). I actually would hate to see them get their hands on this park. If the Metro-Parks take over, as is possible as I have heard....that would be the better situation.

 

This current state park crew is down to a skeleton staff. Resources parks need to be able to deal with these issues have, like public transportation, have been eroding for years. It is really bad when you get a guy like Kasich in office now. If Cleveland wants to "re-connect" wit its waterfront, it would be nice that we demonstrate current excellent care in places where we DO have access.

 

Albeit, this park has also experienced a less than enthusiastic care crew in the last few years. But there IS new management that is working close with volunteers to address these issues. I like the fact that you pointed out issues like inappropriate behavior. This is often overlooked but has been addressed at meetings. This place should shine like a crown jewel in our area park system, but obviously it is not. The good news is that more participation to address and correct these issues is coming into the spotlight.

 

For now, I'm afraid there is no magic wand or savior of this place other than neighbors and other concerned people getting involved in the clean-ups,  writing or calling your elected officials and ask them to not vote to slash anymore funding for parks management..... Come to a Friends Of Edgewater meeting....  just get involved once a month. Power in numbers.... If this does not happen, the place will be lost to all the above you write about.

 

Just the activity you mention is a first sign of the broken window theory. In many parks they'd be escorted out immediately. Much of what you state is already in the works to correct... It is good to see someone care enough to itemize issues they encounter. I will share them. 

 

Stay positive meanwhile....The best way, right now, to make a difference is to get physically involved with these efforts. Hope to see all those concerned, who live here,  get involved.  Clean-up Saturday, September 10th. Many are concerned about this place but too few actually get involved. The efforts could use help.

Thanks for posting that Scott, unfortunately I will be out of town that weekend.

 

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is often brought up  as a successful waterfront revitalization when the Cleveland Lakefront development is discussed.They have the same problem with all of the trash being dumped into the harbor via the storm sewers. They have gone as far as to put nets across the small tributaries and to use trash barges such as the one below, and floating booms to collect the floating trash. Basically its a barge with a conveyor that collects anything floating. Not that it could be used at Edgewater specifically  but I just thought I would bring it up as a way other cities are combating the problem.

 

 

 

 

If we'd make better choices as consumers such as reducing plastic, this would make a difference. A great book on the harms of using plastic and Styrofoam type materials (one big component of trash/litter debris) in the food system is called "Slow Death By Rubber Duck". Clean-ups alone, without reducing use of these materials in society when simply not necessary,  can be futile...sort of like bailing water out of a boat with a bucket full of holes. Refuse, Reduce, Re-Use, Recycle...in that order.

Just got a response to my monthly email to ODOT regarding the W. 76th pedestrian tunnel to Edgewater.  Previously posted in the Shoreway thread, but I don't want to reopen that can of worms.  Project was on hold due to redesign & budget issues for retaining wall foundations along the railroad tracks.  ODOT has the project out to bid, bids due in June, awarding in July.  Hoping to start & finish the work yet this year.  No way that happens.

 

In other news, the State actually bulldozed the sand on the beach to level it for the first time in a few years, also brought in a grinder & ground up the massive pile of logs & junk left from last year.