About a year or two from now,  as this park opens and projects like SW, City Club are open and lit up at night, I think visitors to Cleveland will be very surprised  at how the city has changed - for the better! 

I agree, @CleveFan . I believe this new park, offering beautiful views of the river and city, will move the needle forward toward establishing a far more positive narrative for the city. Visitors will see Cleveland as a rust belt city that has successfully remade itself into a beautiful mixture of old and new architecture and a positive vibe that’s infectious. Hopefully, by then there will be new cranes in the sky, including across the river at Tower City/Bedrock.

Between this, Sherwin building, and the Scranton Peninsula projects, a huge chunk of empty land in the immediate vicinity of downtown will have been taken off the board. Would love to see a satellite comparison from a few years ago to after it's all done to see just how much more space got developed. 

On 10/7/2023 at 10:19 AM, ArtMasterCLE said:

@ragarcia, I agree with the first two of your “squint-eyed” suggestions, but wholeheartedly disagree with the third. Where else can a park goer sit down to take a break, people-watch and get a spectacularly unobstructed view of the skyline? These will be immensely more popular than the Solstice Steps in Lakewood, for locals and tourists alike.

 

Appreciate your worries about blocking the city views and I would offer this perspective on that matter: this park is going to be absolutely huge/massive, so much so that you could put two dozen Cloud Gates (Chicago Bean) and still not obstruct any views of the city. Also, public art not only makes places better (as long as the art is cool/inviting), but they also generate $$ for the artistic community.

 

EDIT: my apologies, did not see your subsequent reply. Let’s get some public art incorporated into the park!

Edited November 16, 20231 yr by ragarcia

1 hour ago, ragarcia said:

 

Appreciate your worries about blocking the city views and I would offer this perspective on that matter: this park is going to be absolutely huge/massive, so much so that you could put two dozen Cloud Gates (Chicago Bean) and still not obstruct any views of the city. Also, public art not only makes places better (as long as the art is cool/inviting), but they also generate $$ for the artistic community.

 

EDIT: my apologies, did not see your subsequent reply. Let’s get some public art incorporated into the park!

No worries.  It was my mistake in the beginning.
I fully agree with you. By the way, I love public art- or art in any form. I am a practicing professional artist with local and national presence as well as a professor of art.

This city really hates letting anyone know what's going on behind the chain link fences. How about some beautiful graphics and photos of the park that's to come. It gives people hope and a purpose.

I'm sorry but it had to be done 🥸

35 minutes ago, freethink said:

This city really hates letting anyone know what's going on behind the chain link fences. How about some beautiful graphics and photos of the park that's to come. It gives people hope and a purpose.

Friendly reminder this isn’t a private development with private funds. The primary function of this fencing is to keep people from trespassing in the interest of risk management, along with obstructing views of construction equipment which is always a concern for theft. I don’t disagree that it would be nice to see something like the renderings but I’d rather taxpayer money be spent on getting the job done. 

Fair point about taxpayer funds, but I wager the majority of folks don’t know what’s happening down there. People I’ve met certainly don’t. 
 

But I also work in marketing and acknowledge that signs on the fence might not actually change that!

1 hour ago, Geowizical said:

I'm sorry but it had to be done 🥸

Of all the wonderful work you’ve done, this might be the best.

47 minutes ago, marty15 said:

Of all the wonderful work you’ve done, this might be the best.

 

🙏

14 hours ago, Geowizical said:

 

🙏

Seriously though, if that was the actual sign, how cool would our city be? 

9 hours ago, Henke said:

Fair point about taxpayer funds, but I wager the majority of folks don’t know what’s happening down there. People I’ve met certainly don’t. 
 

But I also work in marketing and acknowledge that signs on the fence might not actually change that!

Speaking as a jaded Gen X’r who is an early riser but not a morning person who’s only had half a cup of coffee, and someone who has been in the marketing world for over 30 years, you couldn’t be more correct with your last statement. There are a lot of stupi … dum… ehhh, let’s just say poorly informed people out there. 😉

11 hours ago, Geowizical said:

I'm sorry but it had to be done 🥸

 

10 hours ago, marty15 said:

Of all the wonderful work you’ve done, this might be the best.

This feels like a graffiti opportunity. 

It's more likely one will find no trespassing signs.   

 

I understand there is still quite a lot of soil stabilization work to be done, so it's possible (even likely) that areas which appear safe, are not.

On 10/6/2023 at 4:19 PM, ragarcia said:

2. Artificial Water Features - there will be plenty of natural water features with the river so close, but fountains are ways to engage the visitors, help suppress unwanted sounds and wildlife interact with them.

I love fountains, but they are a maintenance nightmare.  And Cleveland's weather doesn't help.  So like the public restroom -- a very good idea if the funding is there for above-average maintenance.

On 11/16/2023 at 7:50 AM, ragarcia said:

 

Appreciate your worries about blocking the city views and I would offer this perspective on that matter: this park is going to be absolutely huge/massive, so much so that you could put two dozen Cloud Gates (Chicago Bean) and still not obstruct any views of the city. Also, public art not only makes places better (as long as the art is cool/inviting), but they also generate $$ for the artistic community.

 

EDIT: my apologies, did not see your subsequent reply. Let’s get some public art incorporated into the park!

I can assure you as a former employee without a shadow of a doubt that LANDStudio is already in full swing with competitions underway to install art in this park as soon as it opens! 

The sledding/ski hill is really taking shape.

Today from the Red Line bridge:

On 12/5/2023 at 7:16 AM, MayDay said:

Speaking as a jaded Gen X’r who is an early riser but not a morning person who’s only had half a cup of coffee, and someone who has been in the marketing world for over 30 years, you couldn’t be more correct with your last statement. There are a lot of stupi … dum… ehhh, let’s just say poorly informed people out there. 😉

 

i’m all for saving the money, but some cities do generic banners like, ‘we’re hard at work improving X city’ and ‘good things happening here’ and the like to hang around town on worksites like this. they can be reused.

On 12/5/2023 at 11:14 AM, Foraker said:

I love fountains, but they are a maintenance nightmare.  And Cleveland's weather doesn't help.  So like the public restroom -- a very good idea if the funding is there for above-average maintenance.

My experience has been that this city really does an amazing job maintaining its fountains, public art, statues and parks. I would expect them to do the same at Irishtown Bend.

7 hours ago, ragarcia said:

My experience has been that this city really does an amazing job maintaining its fountains, public art, statues and parks. I would expect them to do the same at Irishtown Bend.

Are we talking about the same city?  😜

On 12/10/2023 at 12:58 AM, mrnyc said:

 

i’m all for saving the money, but some cities do generic banners like, ‘we’re hard at work improving X city’ and ‘good things happening here’ and the like to hang around town on worksites like this. they can be reused.

 

Annoyingly this would have all the current politicians on it. It would turn into free campaign fodder just like our resurfacing signs - BROUGHT TO YOU BY MAYOR BIBB, COUNCIL PRESIDENT GRIFFIN, AND <insert council member here>. They'd have to redo it for the next politicians that come through.

Edited December 11, 20231 yr by GISguy

23 minutes ago, GISguy said:

 

Annoyingly this would have all the current politicians on it. It would turn into free campaign fodder just like our resurfacing signs - BROUGHT TO YOU BY MAYOR BIBB, COUNCIL PRESIDENT GRIFFIN, AND <insert council member here>. They'd have to redo it for the next politicians that come through.

 

i suppose it could turn into that, its a worry, but i have seen them plain/generic.

 

for an example, i guess there were some funny one's in akron awhile back --

 

https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/state/2019/05/20/signs-lighten-up-akron-construction/5114282007/

 

 

 

Can't even tell where the Erie Railroad was to the Riverbed Docks.

 

I wonder if enough soil has now been removed so that the risk of collapse has been averted.

On 12/31/2023 at 9:38 AM, JohnSummit said:

I wonder if enough soil has now been removed so that the risk of collapse has been averted.

 

Almost - still a concern though. Stopped by and just BS'd with a worker this week and asked lol

line of trucks picking up dirt all morning today.

 

l

From last week (from the Metroparks' newly acquired Grain Craft Flour Site):

 

 

 

Bonus looking towards the city:

 

 

I know it doesn't look like much progress but as someone who has a window facing this hillside I can tell you they are working every day out there which is great to see. Things have been moving forward just not sure how much visible progress we'd be able to see with the hillside remediation. 

10 minutes ago, dwolfi01 said:

I know it doesn't look like much progress but as someone who has a window facing this hillside I can tell you they are working every day out there which is great to see. Things have been moving forward just not sure how much visible progress we'd be able to see with the hillside remediation. 

Yeah I think given the condition of the existing hillside the full extent of the progress probably wont be visible until the entire hillside is graded.

A flyover from lanceaerial on IG

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4CJW7qpFMj/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

1 hour ago, freethink said:

A flyover from lanceaerial on IG

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4CJW7qpFMj/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA==

 

^ "The Park will be the missing link to connect the National Park to Lake Erie."

 

Wow I've never thought of it like that. 

11 hours ago, surfohio said:

 

^ "The Park will be the missing link to connect the National Park to Lake Erie."

 

Wow I've never thought of it like that. 

I hadn't either.  Makes for good marketing, as well as another argument for the extension of CVSR into downtown Cleveland. 

 

Irishtown Bend Park design features unveiled
By Ken Prendergast / March 20, 2024

 

Tomorrow, the board of the Cleveland Metroparks is expected to authorize requesting a $10.8 million grant from the state to pay a significant portion of the construction costs of the planned Irishtown Bend Park in Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. The proposed improvements and their projected costs are based on designs that were released today.

 

MORE:

https://neo-trans.blog/2024/03/20/irishtown-bend-park-design-features-unveiled/

Features that pay homage to the city and area's past is pretty cool. I especially love the front door feature.

I like their plans for the cultural elements; I'm mostly just hoping they don't change anything about the rest of their plan from their initial proposal to the planning commission. The commission made a lot of stupid comments, so hopefully those have all been ignored. 

All looks wonderful. My concern as always is the maintenance. But if the metro parks are involved, that gives me some confidence this won’t be weed-strewn, broken down wasteland in 5 years. 

The wetland concepts were my favorite. I hope they survive 

48 minutes ago, surfohio said:

The wetland concepts were my favorite. I hope they survive 

I dunno. All I see is a mosquito incubator.

This design is seriously awesome. Love that it's able to show off both the history and nature of the area at the same time.

On 3/20/2024 at 8:34 PM, marty15 said:

I dunno. All I see is a mosquito incubator.

 

Listen you!!!!! 

 

(I like turtles....) 

Edited March 23, 20241 yr by surfohio

From Merwins Wharf.

Anyone happen to know if they are performing the cut/fill grading for the proposed park as they stabilize the hillside or will that come later after all the bulkheads and stuff are complete? I could see it going either way...

8 hours ago, Geowizical said:

Anyone happen to know if they are performing the cut/fill grading for the proposed park as they stabilize the hillside or will that come later after all the bulkheads and stuff are complete? I could see it going either way...

 

I believe that is after the bulkheads. From what I remember they had to remove a ton of dirt to start the stabilization work so that's what we saw and why some of it is graded but this won't be the final grading. 

 

That's totally from memory when I watched one of the presentations 

 

was jogging on w 25th, snuck a photo

Someone posted in another thread that they heard the hillside work may force the river channel to close for months. I asked Port Authority CEO William Friedman about it. Here is his reply:

 

"Shipping on the Cuyahoga will not be closed. The contractor is working with navigation stakeholders to determine the best method for installing the bulkhead while keeping shipping traffic moving. The Port places the highest priority on uninterrupted shipping to the steel mill and other maritime-dependent industries. Which is, after all, the reason for the stabilization along with ensuring the safety of people and other critical infrastructure in the vicinity of the hillside."

Will Friedman
Port of Cleveland

30 minutes ago, KJP said:

Someone posted in another thread that they heard the hillside work may force the river channel to close for months. I asked Port Authority CEO William Friedman about it. Here is his reply:

 

"Shipping on the Cuyahoga will not be closed. The contractor is working with navigation stakeholders to determine the best method for installing the bulkhead while keeping shipping traffic moving. The Port places the highest priority on uninterrupted shipping to the steel mill and other maritime-dependent industries. Which is, after all, the reason for the stabilization along with ensuring the safety of people and other critical infrastructure in the vicinity of the hillside."

Will Friedman
Port of Cleveland

 

KJP, ever the resource!   Thank you! 

On 4/21/2024 at 4:40 PM, Cleburger said:

 

KJP, ever the resource!   Thank you! 

 

Turns out there's more to the story. Stay tuned....