Cooperation key to several park projects

Community parks are a great resource that provide visitors with opportunities for relaxation and recreation.

But like many other types of publicly owned properties, parks require maintenance and improvements to stay safe and attractive for users. Performing such upkeep and enhancements can be a costly proposition for communities or groups that own the parks, but these initiatives can become more practical and affordable when the owners can join forces other governmental entities or nonprofit groups.

That spirit of cooperation was evident in two Lake County-based park projects recently featured in News-Herald stories.

The first project will address erosion problems that plague Bill Stanton Community Park in Madison Township.

This initiative is being undertaken through a partnership involving Madison Township, which owns the park, and the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority.

At its most recent meeting, the Lake County authority approved grant agreements with the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources that will makes $785,000 available for the shoreline enhancement project.

For Bill Stanton Community Park, a 32.8-acre site with a 0.5-mile shoreline, a strategy to fight erosion is needed to reverse a longtime trend that shows no signs of abating. This year alone, another 10 to 15 feet of erosion has taken place, said Madison Township Trustee Kenneth Gauntner.

We like the fact that the shoreline enhancement project planned by the Lake County authority and Madison Township will address some of the specific factors contributing to erosion at the park.

Peter Zahirsky, the Lake County authority’s director of coastal development, said the park’s land has a very highpressure water table, which causes blowouts and slumping on the face of the bluff above the lake.

The displaced soil slides to the bottom of the bluff and is then washed away.

To address this, the bluff will be re-sloped at a shallower angle and a drainage system will be installed to divert the ground water. The plan also will incorporate a path from the top of the bluff down to the foot of the hill.

As for project funding, ODOT is providing $491,000, which comes from the Federal Highway Administration allocation that originally was used to purchase the park. ODNR is appropriating $294,000 from a capital budget allocation made by the state legislature last year.

Zahirsky said plans call for awarding the construction contract by March 28, 2018, but it might be a little sooner if they “can move the design process along.”

We believe that this shoreline erosion project is a wellconceived plan and hope that it’s effective in thwarting erosion at Bill Stanton Community Park, which the township acquired in 1998.

In our opinion, the township made a wise decision to partner on this project with the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority, which possesses considerable expertise in financing and planning shoreline projects.

It’s interesting to note that the Lake County authority is involved in another park project, this one involving Erie Road Park in Eastlake.

Efforts to make Erie Road Park more accessible and usable are taking a step forward with a $50,000 grant from the Cleveland Foundation.

The grant applied for by the Chagrin River Watershed Partners will design and install permeable pavers. Funds in the grant are also allocated for plantings on the bank side of the river.

Chagrin River Watershed Partners has worked on enhancing the park along with the city of Eastlake, the Eastlake Port Authority and the Lake County Ohio Port and Economic Development Authority.

Zahirsky said the permeable pavers will be installed in the parking area around the section where the current canoe and kayak launch are located. The pavers are being donated.

The vegetation that will be planted will help stabilize the bank to prevent erosion and increase the aesthetic appeal of the park, he said.

In addition to the parking, Zahirsky said there will be a path to canoe and kayak launch site.

“Nice thing about paving it, is now that area will be more accessible to wheelchairs,” he said.

Although the Erie Road Park enhancements don’t constitute a large-scale or expensive project, we still applaud the parties involved for their teamwork, successfully acquiring a grant for the work and making the park a bit more attractive to all and able to be enjoyed more easily by people in wheelchairs.

Clearly, both projects detailed here are good examples of how communities can improve their parks resourcefully and effectively.