April 15, 20205 yr I went for a ride through Edgewater today and couldn't help but notice the increase in pedestrian traffic (for a weekday). In some ways this reminds me of Europe, where you tend to see families out walking, hiking or biking together more than you do here in the US. If there is one good to come out of the Coronavirus pandemic is it appears that families are spending more time outdoors together. When the downtime ends, I do hope they continue to shut off the TV for a couple hours and go on walks or rides together.
April 15, 20205 yr 16 minutes ago, Cleburger said: I went for a ride through Edgewater today and couldn't help but notice the increase in pedestrian traffic (for a weekday). In some ways this reminds me of Europe, where you tend to see families out walking, hiking or biking together more than you do here in the US. If there is one good to come out of the Coronavirus pandemic is it appears that families are spending more time outdoors together. When the downtime ends, I do hope they continue to shut off the TV for a couple hours and go on walks or rides together. They are hurting themselves in the suburbs, apparently to be politically correct by the new definition. They are closing roads and parking lots in order to give pedestrians more room. But the vast majority of visitors get there by car and they are closing people tighter in or near the lots. They should probably (even temporarily) revert to the 70s and 80s era of peak usage and let people park on roadsides and even the grass.
April 15, 20205 yr I went to Brecksville Reservation last Saturday. Most of the parking lots were blocked off. I found one parking lot that was open and it was nearly filled to capacity. A lot of cars were parked on the side of the road.
April 15, 20205 yr 1 minute ago, skiwest said: I went to Brecksville Reservation last Saturday. Most of the parking lots were blocked off. I found one parking lot that was open and it was nearly filled to capacity. A lot of cars were parked on the side of the road. That's where we go and it's become common. Heading south on Riverview into the national park can loosen things up. It's stupid and counterproductive. People aren't going to stay home no matter how many karens karen. Best to give them safe options, which maybe they remember at bond issue time....
June 19, 20204 yr Cleveland Metroparks plans Brighton Park atop Old Brooklyn landfill By Steven Litt, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Metroparks will soon plug a major gap in access to the regional Towpath Trail from the city’s West Side by creating a new park atop a landfill south of Big Creek in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood. Metroparks Commissioners voted Thursday to spend $696,000 to build a trailhead at the landfill with a 16-space parking lot off Pearl Road at Henninger Road, plus a half-mile trail that will create a stronger connection between the Towpath and the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/06/cleveland-metroparks-approves-plan-to-turn-old-brooklyn-landfill-into-26-acre-park-with-towpath-link.html Edited June 19, 20204 yr by MuRrAy HiLL
October 20, 20204 yr Why did Cleveland never get its own Central park? I mean at one point we had a pretty large population and the Metroparks were around back then. I’ve always thought there should be something like that here in downtown (obviously not on the scale on Ny’s Central Park.)
October 20, 20204 yr 15 minutes ago, nate said: Why did Cleveland never get its own Central park? I mean at one point we had a pretty large population and the Metroparks were around back then. I’ve always thought there should be something like that here in downtown (obviously not on the scale on Ny’s Central Park.) The fine arts garden and Rockefeller Park were definitely designed as a sort of Central Park. They’re just not really used like that today.
December 31, 20204 yr Cleveland Metroparks acquires 52 additional acres in West Creek Reservation https://www.wkyc.com/mobile/article/news/local/northeast-ohio/cleveland-metroparks-adds-52-acres-west-creek-reservation/95-91e27c44-922f-4d17-8d9c-3fc23664ff87 Edited December 31, 20204 yr by MuRrAy HiLL
March 5, 20214 yr Quote Viewed as ‘last piece of the big puzzle,’ West Creek Conservancy purchases Parma’s Padua Park By John Benson, special to cleveland.com PARMA, Ohio -- Acquiring greenspace in fully built-out communities is a difficult proposition; however, over the past 15 years the West Creek Conservancy has done just that in Parma. The latest acquisition announced on Thursday (March 4) by the nonprofit, which has a mission to conserve greenspace and manage stormwater, is the $1.2 million purchase of the 18.67-acre Padua Park located at 2901 W. Ridgewood Drive in Parma. It's really amazing to me how a large, mature park system like Metroparks is still able to find ways to grow in an almost fully built out county.
April 20, 20214 yr CLEVELAND METROPARKS LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN AND MOBILE APP FOLLOWING RECORD BREAKING PARK VISITATION https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/news-press/2021/april-2021/cleveland-metroparks-launches-new-campaign-and-mob Cleveland Metroparks today announced the launch of Find Your Path, a new campaign to encourage exploration and inclusivity across the Park District’s more than 24,000 acres through a new mobile app. The campaign follows record-breaking visitation to the award-winning park system in 2020 of over 19.7 million recreational visitors. The new Cleveland Metroparks mobile app, which is now available for download on all Apple and Android devices, will offer new ways to explore and connect with nature. ... App users will immediately have access to new maps of all 18 park reservations to find trails, attractions and hidden gems, as well as upcoming programming and events across Cleveland Metroparks reservations, golf courses, restaurants, retail locations and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. ... The launch of the new campaign and app come on the heels of record-breaking visitation in 2020. The new record exceeds the previous record set in Cleveland Metroparks centennial year by over 1.2 million visitors, despite the significant impacts of COVID-19 last year. ... Download the Cleveland Metroparks mobile app today at http://clevelandmetroparks.com/app When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 12, 20214 yr $6M Red Line Greenway opens after more than a decade of planning https://www.thelandcle.org/stories/6m-red-line-greenway-project-open-after-a-decade-of-planning "Beginning at the eastern edge of Zone Recreation Center and threading through Ohio City before connecting to the Centennial Lake Link Trail, the $6 million Red line Greenway connects the near west side to downtown Cleveland while offering views of industry, nature and the city along the way. After more than a decade of planning and construction, fences were removed Monday, and Cleveland Metroparks is planning a press conference and ribbon cutting event on Wednesday, May 12th at 11 am and the trailhead near Abbey and Columbus Roads in Ohio City."
May 16, 20214 yr It struck me as I was walking around downtown and the west side how beautiful and well maintained all the Metroparks properties are, particularly in comparison to the parks and green spaces not managed by the Metroparks. I'd love to see the city transfer control of more parks and green spaces to the Metroparks.
May 16, 20214 yr 18 hours ago, Ethan said: It struck me as I was walking around downtown and the west side how beautiful and well maintained all the Metroparks properties are, particularly in comparison to the parks and green spaces not managed by the Metroparks. I'd love to see the city transfer control of more parks and green spaces to the Metroparks. They're the flavor of the month. Remember when Cleveland transferred Edgewater Park to state ownership when it couldn't afford to maintain it? Or when the the state transferred ownership to the Metroparks when the state couldn't afford to maintain it? Someday, so many properties will have been transferred to the Metroparks and/or there will be a leadership change that the Metroparks won't be able to maintain its properties. But we love them for now. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 16, 20214 yr Come on! Metroparks has been one of the most respected governmental organizations (maybe the most respected) in our region for many decades. It's also one of the top park systems in the nation- and has been for many decades. Any organization can have it's ups and eventual downs. But you should give them the credit they deserve for a very long history of running their organization and their parks very well.
May 16, 20214 yr 4 hours ago, KJP said: They're the flavor of the month. Remember when Cleveland transferred Edgewater Park to state ownership when it couldn't afford to maintain it? Or when the the state transferred ownership to the Metroparks when the state couldn't afford to maintain it? Someday, so many properties will have been transferred to the Metroparks and/or there will be a leadership change that the Metroparks won't be able to maintain its properties. But we love them for now. I disagree--the Metroparks have had solid and consistent maintenance since as long as I can remember as a young child. The City of Cleveland is the exact opposite. They have more than enough manpower to maintain their property, but the toxic environment between rank and file and management makes for a dysfunctional workplace. One of the starkest examples is near you at West Blvd and Lake Ave. The northwest and southwest corners are maintained by private owners (even though it is city-owned property). The Northeast is maintained by the Metroparks. All three corners are well groomed and kept nice. The southeast corner is constantly overgrown and strewn with litter--and yes you can guess that the City of Cleveland maintains that patch.
May 19, 20214 yr I don’t know much about mountain biking, but this looks cool: Cleveland Metroparks today revealed plans to add a pump track at Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation that will be the first of its kind in Northeast Ohio. The Park District is also partnering with the Student Conservation Association (SCA) to collaborate on the expansion of the existing mountain bike trail at Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation through hands-on conservation and natural resource management training for urban youth. The pump track as well as the enhanced mountain bike trail network at Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation will be located just north of Canalway Center, connecting to the nearby Towpath Trail that runs through the reservation and providing trail access directly to and from downtown Cleveland. “This pump track will be the first of its kind in Northeast Ohio, offering a new challenge and amenity for our biking community,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian M. Zimmerman. “We’re also excited to partner with the Student Conservation Association on the expansion of our original mountain bike trail at Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation. These projects build upon our mission of conservation, education and recreation, and support youth conservation leaders in our community.” When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
May 29, 20214 yr ideastream: Cleveland Parks Ranked 24th In Annual ParkScore Index. "Cleveland's ranking improved significantly in a national nonprofit's annual assessment of park systems in the 100 most populous U.S. cities. The Trust for Public Land’s ParkScore index report ranks park systems on various metrics such as access, acreage and equity, which was measured for the first time this year. Cleveland placed 24th, a jump from being No. 29 in last year’s report. Part of Cleveland’s success was in the new park equity measure, said Sean Terry with the Trust for Public Land, as 83 percent of Cleveland residents are within a 10-minute walk of a park, well above the national average of 75 percent. And Terry said that stat doesn’t change when just looking at minority communities." https://www.ideastream.org/news/cleveland-parks-ranked-24th-in-annual-parkscore-index
May 29, 20214 yr Ideastream: Jesse Owens Olympic Oak Tree Planted At Rockefeller Pond. https://www.ideastream.org/news/jesse-owens-olympic-oak-tree-planted-at-rockefeller-pond https://youtu.be/x5GAtquecOY
June 22, 20213 yr More good news! Brighton Park officially opens! Can't wait to check it out! https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/news-press/2021/june-2021/cleveland-metroparks-and-partners-celebrate-the-op
June 22, 20213 yr 14 hours ago, Ethan said: Some nice, good news! Always glad to see native animals return! Fun Yabo fact: I got my wife to Rocky River Reservation by promising there'd be otters three years ago - though I knew there wouldn't be. Then I proposed. Hope this isn't an omen.
June 23, 20213 yr 8 hours ago, YABO713 said: Fun Yabo fact: I got my wife to Rocky River Reservation by promising there'd be otters three years ago - though I knew there wouldn't be. Then I proposed. Hope this isn't an omen. I think it is an omen. A good one. Take her back there to see the otters and see what happens.
June 25, 20213 yr On that score, you should take her to see the shining towers of nuCLEus!😛 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
September 17, 20213 yr The CEO of the Metroparks was recently on the Lay of the Land podcast. It was great to hear his enthusiasm as well as his perspective on the state of the Metroparks. Interesting listen. https://open.spotify.com/show/6I9cADlgjW5lGAf6XkwOYF https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lay-of-the-land/id1539921799
September 22, 20213 yr After traveling all over the country, there could not be a better recipient of this award!
September 22, 20213 yr Great to see the recognition from its peers. And it verifies what we Clevelanders already knew, namely that the MetroPark's organization is the best run governmental agency in town. It should serve as a model for others.
December 5, 20213 yr Quote Western Reserve Land Conservancy buys Euclid Beach mobile home park to ensure public role in future of a key lakefront property By Steven Litt, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Western Reserve Land Conservancy announced Sunday that it has purchased the 28.5-acre Euclid Beach Mobile Home Community overlooking Lake Erie to ensure a strong public role in planning the future of the property, and to avert the possibility of additional heavy private development on an already crowded section of lakefront. The $5.8 million purchase from a subsidiary of Dallas-based Moore Enterprises, could lead to the expansion and consolidation of fragmented Cleveland Metroparks units in the Euclid Creek Reservation that flank the mobile home park to the east and west. The park units include remnants of the once-legendary Euclid Beach amusement park, which operated from 1895 to 1969. Technically this isn't Metroparks, yet, but it sounds like that's going to the be the plan. I think this is a bigger deal than it at first appears. Turning the trailer park over to Metroparks will allow consolidation of a few smaller parks into one large, regional scale lakefront park. It will be as large as Gordon Park or Edgewater Park when it's combined into one. That should have a huge positive impact on North Collinwood.
December 5, 20213 yr There's also some potential development that will be occurring in that area. I thought the trailer park was going to be a part of it, but I'm glad to hear it is not. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 7, 20222 yr On the subject of dam removal, anyone know of any plans to remove the other dams/fords upstream on the Rocky River? CLEVELAND METROPARKS AND OHIO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY CELEBRATE IMPROVEMENTS AT BONNIE PARK News & Press | July 2022 "Cleveland Metroparks was joined today by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) to celebrate the completion of the Bonnie Park Restoration Project in Mill Stream Run Reservation. The project, which began in 2018, improved water quality and habitat in the East Branch of the Rocky River, restored nearly five acres of vital wetlands, permanently protected 65 acres of existing high-quality wetlands adjacent Bonnie Park, and added a new accessible riverside overlook." https://www.clevelandmetroparks.com/news-press/2022/july-2022/cleveland-metroparks-and-ohio-environmental-protec
July 8, 20222 yr I heard a rumor that the city government in East Cleveland voted to ask the Metroparks to manage the East Cleveland portion of Forest Hills Park. Can anyone confirm/provide more information? Edited July 8, 20222 yr by Foraker clarity
July 8, 20222 yr 38 minutes ago, Whipjacka said: why? was everyone waiting to get going, but jackson was gumming up the works? This is probably the only instance in which that isn't true.
July 8, 20222 yr 59 minutes ago, Whipjacka said: why? was everyone waiting to get going, but jackson was gumming up the works? Not sure. East Cleveland made some ridiculous demands. Maybe Jackson just said forget it at that point instead of negotiating.
July 9, 20222 yr On 7/7/2022 at 2:48 PM, Luke_S said: On the subject of dam removal, anyone know of any plans to remove the other dams/fords upstream on the Rocky River? Friend with NEORSD said "Yes." "Next couple of years on Baldwin Creek in Berea. Maybe 5-10 years on the larger dam in Berea. Nothing in Olmsted Falls yet."
August 4, 20222 yr This looks fun: Cleveland Metroparks annual Touch-a-Truck event is coming to Brookside Reservation on August 21! Kids can get behind the wheel of approximately 50 vehicles, including construction trucks and equipment used to maintain and preserve Cleveland Metroparks at this unique, free outdoor event. Touch-a-Truck runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. August 21, 2022. Free parking is available. Visit clevelandmetroparks.com/touchatruck for more information. When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
September 14, 20222 yr The Metroparks is planning to add the Hawthorn Valley Country Club to the Emerald Necklace, adding 149 acres to the park system.
September 16, 20222 yr Cleveland Metroparks to seek 10-year 2.7-mill replacement levy. Will appear as Issue 5 in Cuyahoga County and Issue 10 in Hinkley Township. This would increase property taxes by ~$27 for every $100k of home valuation. If passed the current contribution of $67.38 would increase to $94.50 per $100k of valuation, raising an additional $12-$14m in revenue for Metroparks. Quote “We’re really looking forward towards that next century of stewardship,” [Brian Zimmerman, Metroparks CEO] said. “And what the money will be used for going forward is continuing to enhance opportunities on the East Side, connecting not only our riverfront but our waterfront, including Lake Erie.” i.e. CHEERS, purchasing East Cleveland's portion of Forest Hills Park, and expansion of the Zoo's rainforest building. https://www.ideastream.org/news/cleveland-metroparks-seeks-property-tax-increase-for-east-side-green-space-zoo-expansion
September 16, 20222 yr I also noticed that the city is released a RFP for Highland Park Golf Course. This seems like a great opportunity to improve land use, increase tree canopy, improve air quality and park access especially on the SE side.
September 16, 20222 yr 2 hours ago, Clefan14 said: I also noticed that the city is released a RFP for Highland Park Golf Course. This seems like a great opportunity to improve land use, increase tree canopy, improve air quality and park access especially on the SE side. It looks like the plan is to keep it as a golf course, but hopefully they plant a few more trees. https://www.crainscleveland.com/sports-business/cleveland-seeks-proposals-revitalizing-highland-park-golf-course https://www.clevescene.com/news/city-of-cleveland-wants-to-make-highland-park-a-tournament-ready-golf-course-40442201
September 16, 20222 yr Metroparks is also taking over the old Parmadale property for expansion of West Creek Reservation.
October 13, 20222 yr CHEERS PROJECT ADVANCES TO DESIGN PHASE Quote The Cleveland Harbor Eastern Embayment Resilience Strategy (CHEERS) project partners today announced that the transformational project is entering its design phase. In its October board meeting on Thursday, the Port of Cleveland’s Board of Directors approved a $3.75 million contract with Arup Engineering to undertake the design and permitting services needed to proceed with the transformational CHEERS project.
October 13, 20222 yr I was praying they would choose an engineer with actual coastal experience. Seems like a huge firm. Here's a couple of articles that are a good sign they know what's up: https://www.arup.com/perspectives/publications/research/section/coastal-cities-and-the-blue-economy The term ‘blue economy’ seeks to promote economic growth, responsible production and consumption, social inclusion, and the preservation or improvement of livelihoods from ocean resources, while at the same time ensuring environmental sustainability of oceans, coastal areas, and other waterfront spaces.... https://www.arup.com/news-and-events/arup-supports-natural-resources-wales-with-launch-of-new-guidance-to-improve-coastal-biodiversity The newly published guidance promotes ecological enhancements, which reintroduce some complexity to coastal structures to improve biodiversity. These enhancements can include creating microhabitats such as rock pools and textured surfaces on structures to help them to function more like natural reefs. Arup’s multidisciplinary team of maritime engineers, ecologists and consultants...
October 19, 20222 yr New trail and bridge in Euclid Creek Reservation When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
October 21, 20222 yr 23 hours ago, Ethan said: Official opening of new bike park. Wow, that is a HUGE expansion. I took my kids there several months ago to try out the pump track. It was too much for my kids (or me, lol). My 8 year old bit it hard just rolling down a hill and trying to turn on gravel. But at that time, it was just the area in the red highlighted circle at the top. And even though I absolutely could not handle it, it was very cool. But now it’s at least six times the size as before. More pix: When is the last time I-71 turned a profit?
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