Whiskey Island
Plans
A public-private partnership is working on two projects to connect Wendy Park on Whiskey Island to the west bank of the Flats and the future Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. Each partner brings their unique skills to the group and the team relies on each partner to lead when their skills are called for. Team members are:
- Cuyahoga County Planning Commission
- Building Cleveland by Design, a partnership of ParkWorks, Inc. and Cleveland Public Art
- The Wendy Park Foundation
- The K&D Group
- The Trust for Public Land
The projects being worked on are the Lake Link Trail and Greenway and the Lakefront Connector Bridge.
Lake Link Trail and Greenway
With the help of the Trust for Public Land, in December 2009, ParkWorks, Inc. took ownership of a 1.3 mile swath of abandoned railroad right-of-way and an easement on land along the Cuyahoga River. This land, located on the west bank of the Flats, will someday become the Lake Link Trial. Clean Ohio Fund Green Space Conservation funds were used to acquire the land for the trail and greenway.
As shown in the map below, the Lake Link Trail, shown in red, is planned to connect to the future Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail, shown in orange. The Lake Link Trail's western route to Wendy Park compliments the Towpath Trail's eastern alignment through the Flats to Canal Basin Park.
To make the Lake Link Trail a reality, funds need to be raised for design and construction of the Trail.
Lakefront Connector Bridge
In 2009, the Board of Cuyahoga County Commissioners was awarded a $159,237 grant from the federal Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration to design a pedestrian and bicycle bridge to connect the west bank of the Flats to Wendy Park. The Wendy Park Foundation donated the required match for this grant.
The bridge that will be designed will start on a parcel of land owned by the City of Cleveland just north and west of the Willow Street Bridge. Next, the bridge will be designed to traverse over an industrial roadway and other industrial property and, the Norfolk Southern Railroad tracks. Finally, the bridge will land at Wendy Park.
The Cuyahoga County Planning Commission is working with engineering firms and the local design community to guide the pedestrian and bicycle bridge plans through the design and regulatory processes.
Wendy Park Management Plan
The number of visitors to Wendy Park has grown from 7,500 visitors in 2005 to 150,000 in 2010. In order to plan for the Park's future, a Management Plan for Wendy Park is currently being developed. This process includes many friends and neighbors of Wendy Park. Through this work, the County and community partners will work to define an overall program of use for the Park in its role as one public area along the shore of Lake Erie. Further, this work will inventory natural assets of the Park, organize Park amenities, and define ways to accommodate the needs of visitors to the Lakefront. The plan will build upon the Whiskey Island Programmatic Concept prepared by Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens in 2003. The County's partner in this effort is Parkworks, Inc. If you would like to share an idea for the Wendy Park Management Plan, please contact Justin Glanville at ParkWorks.
Old Coast Guard Station
Coast Guard Station
The Cleveland Coast Guard Station is a vacant architectural gem that stands at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, north of Wendy Park. The Station was owned and operated by the U.S. Coast Guard until they vacated the property in 1976. For a brief period in the 1990's, the facility operated as a bar and dance club and was accessible only by boat. In recent years, the Coast Guard station has been vacant and subject to Mother Nature, birds, vandals and curious trespassers.
The station was built in 1940 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by J. Milton Dyer, the same architect who designed Cleveland City Hall, the Cleveland Coast Guard Station is a white-washed art deco structure with a five-story lookout. A three-car garage and boat house and ramp are also located on site.
The City of Cleveland took ownership of the site in 2003. In 2006, the City conducted a Rehabilitation Study to solicit public feedback on the optimal future use for the site. Three alternative scenarios were explored and included commercial and public uses, a environmental museum, and passive recreation site.
While discussions are on-going about the future use of the site, in 2010, the City of Cleveland began restoration of the building by funding the reconstruction of the roof.
For more information, please contact the Cleveland City Planning Commission.
