Planning under way for changes to Memorial Park
One of the sites considered for reuse by the Memorial Park planning committee is the former putt-putt course by the closed Strike Zone batting cages.
Memorial Park, Euclid’s sprawling 52-acre public park bordered by Babbitt Road and East 222nd Street, is the topic of ongoing discussions among a 15-member visioning team appointed by City leaders. Over the past several months the group has been meeting and talking about ways to update and potentially upgrade the park, which has been serving Euclid for more than 50 years.
The group comprises members of city council, recreation department employees and several active users of the park, including representatives from the men’s softball league, Euclid Youth Soccer Organization, Euclid High school students, representatives from the senior community and other community activists. Formation of the task force occurred after a $20,000 request to install new basketball courts in the park received initial approval. Members of city council, prodded by Council President Kirsten Holtzheimer-Gail and John Wojtila, formed a committee to look at how any new additions to the park would fit into the overall scheme of things.
“I had a chance to meet with Kathy Will and Mac Stephens to talk about the park and spoke with Kirsten. I told her that a concept plan for the park is what we should be putting together,” said Wojtila, councilman for Euclid’s Ward 6. Wojtila, a civil engineer, developed a working plan with the goal of developing a graphical plan of what any potential changes might look like. The overall goal of the plan would be to prioritize any upgrades to the park while also outlining funding options.
“The 1996 master plan addressed Memorial Park, but it never detailed anything,” added Wojtila.
The city provided the all-volunteer working group with prior studies that the city had conducted concerning Memorial Park. This included a plan outlined by then Councilman Ed Gudenas to revitalize the park. That plan called for a major overhaul but was never approved by city council.
To date, the group has developed a list of 20 improvements or areas of focus for Memorial Park. Number one on the list is the addition of a basketball park. Other improvements call for an all-purpose walking trail throughout the park, updated restroom facilities, improved signage and potentially a new pool house for Memorial Pool. Under the plan C.E. Orr Ice Arena would stay open with targeted improvements.
“It’s tough because our planning process has zero budget to work with right now,” said Wojtila.
Concern about security in the park had become an issue this past summer as vandalism hit Memorial Park several times, in spite of the park’s close proximity to Euclid’s police station. Recreation Director Kathy Will believes by updating and potentially reconfiguring parts of Memorial Park, more people will use it and make the park even safer while minimizing any vandalism.
“Sim’s Park used to be vandalized quite often. Now with all the multi-use options, it’s down to a nearly zero vandalism site,” said Will who credited the Frisbee golf course, upgraded lakefront access and Henn Mansion activities for helping increase foot traffic at that park.
“We are mapping it out as a five-year plan,” said Will. “Realistically, can it happen? In order to fund any significant changes we would have to borrow, or put on a recreation levy. In these times, I don’t think a levy is realistic.” Others view the timeline as closer to 10 years.
In spite of tight budgets, the city was able to install a new toddler-friendly playground at Memorial Park this year thanks in part to a large grant from Kaboom!, a non-profit organization that supports community park projects. City leaders may have to continue to get creative and aggressive in seeking out similar funding sources to initiate any changes to the park.
While funding of any upgrades to the park is a significant hurdle, outlining a plan for initiating any changes is critical according to committee member Fraser Hamilton. “We’re really creating a document that is designed to become part of the master plan that then provides guidance for what the park can be,” said Hamilton.
To accomplish this goal, the group will have to agree to a plan, submit it to city council that would then refer the document to the Planning and Zoning Committee. After public discussion of the plan, it would then be eligible for adoption into the city’s master plan. This is the process the lakefront development committee followed in adding their plan to Euclid’s master plan. If successful, the document then provides guidance to city leaders in addressing future initiatives.
According to committee members, it is important to have a documented plan for the park to avoid wasteful spending while ensuring that any changes to the park make sense within the context of the park’s entire layout.
The work group is behind on meeting their self-imposed timeline, but continues to push forward with volunteer support from several individuals including Susan Hamilton, the wife of committee member Fraser Hamilton. Susan Hamilton is a partner in a local engineering firm and has been helping to refine the graphical plan started by one of the high school team members who was interning at a landscape design firm.
While the group tried to get broader public input into the plan, an open meeting for citizens resulted in only four Euclid citizens attending. Members agreed that before any plan was accepted by council, public feedback will be an important part of the process. Deciding how to gather this feedback has not been determined, but citizen feedback will need to be included in ensure council’s support.
“The overall goal of our group is to increase usage of Memorial Park through new and improved facilities and amenities,” said Wojtila. “The concept plan ensures these improvements are comprehensive and take into account the diverse interests and activities of all our citizens. The plan also allows for improvements to be completed in a multi-phased approach since the long-term concept is already created at the onset.”