The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
HIDDEN COST OF LAKEFRONT LIVING
Officials weigh in on elusive funding; Euclid project signals success
“It’s a countywide issue. If we form a group, I think we’ll be a lot stronger in the long run than just individually.”
— North Perry Village Mayor Ed Klco
Local, state and federal officials got a glimpse of the grim reality along Lake County’s coast on a recent visit. Mentor leaders met with U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce, RBainbridge Township, and state Rep. Jamie Callender, R-Concord Township, Aug. 15 in an effort to emphasize the need for financial assistance battling erosion exacerbated by rising Lake Erie. Mentor has 3,300 feet of shoreline abutting its lagoons marina and preserve. It has been well-documented that the city has lost more than 6 acres to erosion in the last decade. Beach, access trails, roadways and other coastal infrastructure have been lost or damaged. Protection projects are hundreds of thousands of dollars, outside funds are hard to come by and every community along the lakeshore is in the same boat. “Obviously, Mentor City officials are doing the best they can under the circumstances,” Joyce said. “We share the coastline; it’s imperative that we share the cost of the solution.” There might be some hope on the horizon with a recent initiative involving area municipalities banding together in a special improvement district aimed at aiding lakefront property owners with erosion-related expenses.
In addition, Euclid proved that, under the right conditions, federal assistance is a real possibility for protecting the shoreline.
Finding funding
While communities like Mentor have had to pour millions in taxpayer money into erosion-control projects within the last few years, Euclid landed the first Pre Disaster Mitigation program funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for an erosion project on the Great Lakes.
The city scored more than $2.67 million toward constructing improvements such as stone revetments to stabilize the coast as part of its $30 million Waterfront Improvement Project.
City Council on Aug. 19 authorized an agreement to accept the funds, for which Euclid applied in fiscal year 2017.
“It was a very involved application with our team at the city, waterfront engineering consultants SmithGroup and the Ohio Emergency Management Office in Columbus,” Euclid Community Projects Manager Allison Lukacsy-Love said. “We were confident it was a competitive candidate for funding because there were other public funds from the state and county already raised, and the plan had been thoroughly engineered and simulated in a wave tank so we could demonstrate the ability to get the project built and prove it would be a benefit.”
The project also was attractive to FEMA because of the number of residents who will gain from the erosion mitigation, she said.
She noted that, while protecting private properties, the waterfront improvement is part of a public access project where long-term easements and city land make up the threequarter-mile stretch of shoreline being stabilized.
“There is very little, if any, public funding out there for private property owners to apply without exchanging use of their land through easements or through a donation to a public entity,” she said.
Hello, SID
Euclid officials are keeping a close eye on the special improvement district in the works in Lake County.
Ohio Senate Bill 51 — cosponsored last year by Sen. John Eklund, R-Munson Township — took effect in March and allows property owners to finance erosion protection through a voluntary special assessment on their property.
Joining the SID would enable contiguous communities to borrow money and pay it back over up to 30 years with an assessment on their property tax bill. The Lake County Ohio Port & Economic Development Authority has engaged leaders in all 12 lakefront communities in the county, but no one has officially signed on yet.
“We’re still formulating those documents,” said Authority Director of Coastal Development Peter Zahirsky. “We still have to identify a lender. The legislation did not create a public pot of money.”
North Perry Village officials plan to designate their village hall property along the lake as part of the SID. The community has lost at least 60 feet of land at village hall alone, Mayor Ed Klco said.
“It’s a countywide issue,” he said. “If we form a group, I think we’ll be a lot stronger in the long run than just individually.”
Other efforts
Along with supporting the SID, the Port Authority has an ongoing partnership with Madison Township to regrade the bluff at Stanton Park to slow the erosion of the shoreline, being lost rapidly.
The city of Willoughby is looking at participating in the SID as well as creating a comprehensive plan for Osborne park in an attempt to obtain funding for emergency repairs identified last winter.
The city got quotes for immediate and temporary repair work totaling about $415,000.
“The cost would have been about half of our 2019 capital budget,” used for police cars, service equipment, etc., Mayor Bob Fiala said.
The city of Mentor twice has sought a Coastal Management Assistance Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to aid in developing a plan to use natural materials such as fallen trees to help preserve shoreline and restore beach habitat at Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve.
“The first time we tried this, we didn’t get funding, so we went (after it) again,” Assistant City Manager Tony Zampedro said.
Buyer beware
Various federal, state and local regulations require residents to comply with certain conditions in order to obtain permission to build structures along the lake, which is under federal jurisdiction.
State officials have been cautious about allocating money for use on private property, noted state Rep. John Rogers, D-Mentor-onthe-Lake.
“There’s an inherent risk with owning lakefront property because of the history of erosion,” he said.
Erosion is a concern not merely for private property owners but also the community at large, Zahirsky said.
“Erosion tends to happen quickly when large chunks of land suddenly fall into the water, which is a safety issue for anyone who happens to be standing on that land at that moment,” he said. “Erosion (also) can put foreign objects in the lake … which can lead to issues of compromised water quality.”
Last year, Rogers attempted to add $500,00 to the state capital budget to place erosion controls at Overlook Beach Park in his community, but it didn’t make the cut.
“I’ll probably do the same thing this year,” he said.