By Hollie Gibbs
After years of planning, fund-raising and development, the city is ready to break ground on a groundbreaking greenspace.
The Ohio Canal Corridor, the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and the Cleveland Metroparks will host the groundbreaking of the first publicly funded section of the Towpath Trail Mon 7/30, at 11 a.m. at Scranton Peninsula (1871 Scranton Rd.). The hour-long event will feature speakers Senator Sherrod Brown, Mayor Frank Jackson, Cuyahoga County Executive Edward FitzGerald, Executive Director of the Cleveland Metroparks Brian Zimmerman and Executive Director of the Ohio Canal Corridor Tim Donovan.
Donovan said he expects to see 250 to 300 people there, depending on weather. A large public turn-out would signify the importance of the towpath to the community. Community members are invited to break some ground themselves after the official ceremony. People are asked to bring their own shovels and dig in. Those who cannot attend the event can send their support via shoveling photographs submitted to trutti@ohiocanal.org. Event organizers had also passed the shovel around photo stations at various local events. They will award one BYOS (bring your own shovel) participant (including photo entries) a $100 Lockkeepers gift certificate via a random drawing on Friday, August 1.
If it’s not easy being green, creating it is even more difficult, and the celebration follows a significant amount of hard work to get the groundbreaking off the ground. Great Lakes Restoration Initiative fund awarded the Scranton Peninsula project two grants that totaled $3 million. The project also received a Clean Ohio land acquisition award totaling $3.175 million, a Clean Ohio Trail grant totaling $425,000, and an Ohio State Capital grant from the Cultural Arts Facilities of $500,000.
“Although each segment is important to the ultimate product, this is the rare opportunity to align the Towpath Trail alongside of the Cuyahoga River,” Donovan explained. “It also serves as a hub, where two connector trails intersect — The Lake Link Trail following an abandoned rail line that extends across the throat of the Scranton Peninsula and follows the Cuyahoga River through Irishtown Bend before turning north towards Lake Erie and Wendy Park. The Walworth Run follows Scranton Road south to Train Avenue heading west through Michael Zone Recreation Center on its way to Lake Erie.”
Addressing the issue of public access, this 2/3 mile of Towpath Trail will lead people to the Cuyahoga River.
“The Towpath Trail currently attracts more than 3 million users in Cuyahoga County,” Donovan said. “We anticipate that once completed, that number could double as it connects to the densely populated neighborhoods along Cleveland’s stretch that includes downtown. This construction project will lead to a series of groundbreaking / ribbon cutting moments as we head toward a completion date in 2016. We are concurrently working on 3 separate segments of the Towpath Trail, from its terminus at lower Harvard Avenue to its destination of Canal Basin Park below the Detroit-Superior Bridge. We estimate the length to be 5 to 6 miles. Since we are using federal funding, we must follow a very regimented process involving 14 steps.”
Designated as one of 24 National Heritage Areas by Congress in 1996, the Ohio & Erie Canalway is affiliated with the National Park Service and runs through Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties. It was designed to help preserve and celebrate the rails, trails, landscapes, towns and sites that grew up along the canal.
“The River Restoration components will bring a naturalized riverbank, which will support fish habit, a remaining beneficial use impairment (BUI) that prohibits the Cuyahoga River from being delisted as an Area of Concern,” Donovan explained.
When complete, the greenway system will stretch 110 miles from Cleveland’s lakefront south to Dover, Ohio. Meant to inspire people to explore stories of development along the canal, the canalway will feature canalway centers, journey gateways and landings and offer three complimentary transportation options: the Towpath Trail, Canalway Ohio National Scenic Byway, and Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad.
When finished (only six more miles to go), the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad will be the only excursion railroad in America that serves three major cities- Cleveland, Akron and Canton- with regular passenger service. More than 100,000 have already hopped on that train for two consecutive years now. One of 62 America’s Byways, the Ohio & Erie Canalway Byway provides an auto route for those who still cannot part with their vehicles but want to visit various attractions, parks, museums, train stations, trailheads and historic districts along the canalway.
Integrating public art and mixed media with heritage education at the intersections of the Towpath Trail, Scenic Byway and Scenic Railroad, canalway centers are more than just average parks. Canal Basin Park will be the canalway center in the Flats.
The Canal Basin District Park Plan will connect over 140 miles of contiguous parkway, bike paths and trails through downtown and surrounding communities, including University Circle, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo & Rainforest, Edgewater Park, Gordon Park, and numerous historic districts. On the banks of the Cuyahoga River, the park will be the northern terminus of both the Towpath Trail and the Ohio & Erie Canalway. A model of sustainable design, it will integrate a network of support amenities such as bike rentals and lockers. Marrying current function with historical significance, Canal Basin Park will also act as an event site for concerts and festivals.
The Ohio Canal Corridor and other organizations involved have raised in excess of $45 million for the project.
“We have site control for a solid majority of the land needed for the completion of the Towpath Trail and construction of Canal Basin Park,” Donovan said. “I’d ballpark that percentage at 75%. Following the rules of the road involving federal transportation funds, you can purchase property only after all environmental concerns are cleared. Because of this stipulation — and since we are still working through that environmental assessment process — we have some private parcels yet to acquire.”
However, in four more years, he expects the project to be complete and ready for many future generations to enjoy.
Grab a shovel and join the fun Mon 7/30, at 11 a.m. at Scranton Peninsula (1871 Scranton Road). Click here for event info or visit http://OhioCanal.org.
Hollie Gibbs has a BS in journalism from Kent State University and studied photography at School of the Visual Arts in Manhattan. Her articles and photographs have appeared in numerous local and national publications. She can also be found playing guitar with various bands and building life-size monster props.Cleveland, OH 44113