News & Events . . . . . . . . . . . .
Big Creek Watershed Management Plan
Meeting 4
August 26, 2008
Brook Park City Hall
6161 Engle Road
Brook Park, OH 44142
The goal of this meeting is to summarize work to date. We are encouraging
any and all city representatives to use this meeting as a “catch
up.” This is a perfect opportunity to get up to speed on the project
if you missed any of the meetings. Also, we will be discussing site
specific areas (i.e. greenspace) in each community and we will need
local assistance to discuss any issues. How we strategize and manage
these remnant greenspaces is a quality of life issue for each city.
Your input will ensure that these areas are understood, well managed
and appreciated. We will eventually prioritize these areas for preservation,
restoration and to leverage funding dollars.
AGENDA
- Summarize Work to Date
- Chevy Branch Restoration ProjectCase Study
Big Creek Greenway Trail Alignment and Neighborhood Connector
Plan
Public Meeting 2
6:30 pm., Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Brooklyn City Hall
7619 Memphis Avenue
Brooklyn, Ohio 44144
The City of Brooklyn and project partners are seeking public input
on the Big Creek Trail and Neighborhood Connector Plan. The study will
develop preferred alignments for a 3-mile all-purpose trail expansion
through the city that will seek to connect the Metroparks Zoo and Brookside
Reservation to the Big Creek Reservation south of Brookpark Road. It
will examine connecting parks, neighborhoods, civic and commercial areas
throughout the city while identifying opportunities for interpretive
exhibits and ecological restoration.
The $75,000 study is being funded by a $60,000 Federal Transportation
for Livable Communities Initiative grant program administered through
the Northeast Ohio Coordinating Agency with local matches from the cities
of Brooklyn, Cleveland and Parma, Cleveland Metroparks, and Friends
of Big Creek.
Provide input at the second public meeting at Brooklyn City Hall on
Wednesday, August 27th at 6:30 pm. Come voice your ideas, desired outcomes
and concerns. Substantial public input is critical to this process.
For more information about the benefits and concerns of adding a trail
through the community see Bike
and Trail Greenways FAQ.
For information on the public meeting call Donna Thompson at 216-635-4224.
See also Brooklyn
Today 3rd quarter 2008 newsletter .
Urban
Wetlands Symposium
Valuing, prioritizing and protecting wetlands.
Progress reports on current urban wetland projects in the Cleveland
area.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
6:00 - 9:00 PM
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Reinberger Education Center
3900 Wildlife Way (Next to the Zoo's Main Entrance), Cleveland 44109
Details...
Lower Big Creek Valley Greenway Redevelopment & Restoration
Plan
prepared by Floyd Browne Group in association with schmidtcopelandparkerstevens,
June 2008. Project partners: Cleveland Metroparks, City of Cleveland,
Ohio Canal Corridor, Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation.
The plan presents "a new vision for the Valley Greenway. The creation
of this vision incorporates detailed future land use, public access,
infrastructure, ecological restoration and environmental regeneration,
open space and trail linkages and economic development concepts."
Download
report [pdf]. Please note large file size - 79MB. For faster viewing,
download specific sections:
Section
One: 1. Introduction; 2. Valley Resources; 3. Public Involvement;
4. Trail Route Alternatives; 5. Trail & Greenway Concept (Upland
& Valley Trail Descriptions (19MB)
Section
Two: 7. Environmental Regeneration Efforts; 8. Suggested Land
Use Changes (Camping Site, Adventure Sports Site, Harshaw Chemical
Site, Ecological Restoration - Henninger Landfill, Martin Enterprises
Aggregates, Brookside Auto Recycling Yard); 8. Priorities & Next
Steps; 9. Funding Strategies (34MB)
Appendix
A - Development Guidelines (384K)
Appendix
B - Master Plan Maps (27MB)
Appendix
C - Cost Estimate (230K)
Appendix
D - Public Meetings (160K)
Recent study grants:
August 10, 2007 - Trail Alignment Study - TLCI Grant awarded
FOBC and project partners were awarded funding for a feasibility study
to connect the Cleveland Metroparks Brookside and Big Creek Reservations
with a trail alignment through the City of Brooklyn. FOBC, Cleveland
Metroparks, and the cities of Cleveland and Parma join the City of Brooklyn
as co-sponsors for the $75,000 study ($60,000 grant with a $15,000 local
match) funded by the federal Transportation for Livable Communities
Initiative (TLCI) grant program.
The Big Creek Greenway Trail Alignment and Neighborhood Connector Plan
will examine potential linkages with surrounding neighborhoods as well
as Brooklyn municipal/office/retail areas. The all purpose trail network
will provide a safe alternative mode of transportation for its users
and identify opportunities for interpretive exhibits and ecological
restoration.
- Brooklyn Sun Journal
Aug. 23, 2007 [pdf]
- FOBC News release
[pdf]
May 7, 2007 - Watershed Management Plan - CMAG Grant awarded
Big Creek watershed communities of Brooklyn, Parma, Parma Heights, Brook
Park, and the southwest wards of Cleveland partner with FOBC and the
Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan (RAP) to develop a comprehensive
community plan for the Big Creek Watershed. The RAP was awarded a $20,000
(with 50% local match) Ohio Coastal Management Assistance Grant to develop
the first phase of a Watershed Management Plan—data collection
and analysis of information for Watershed Inventory, Assessment and
Problem Definition.
- Coastal Management Assistance Grants award news release:
www.ohiodnr.com/news/may07/0522coastalgrants.htm
- FOBC
news release [pdf]
Old Brooklyn News June
2008 [pdf 8.6MB]
Archive coverage in the Sun News:
Brooklyn Sun Journal
Dec. 8, 2005 "Towpath, park links eyed"
Brooklyn Sun Journal
Dec. 29, 2005 "City will not use eminent domain to create bike
trail"
Brooklyn Sun Journal
Apr. 27, 2006 "Group helps protect Big Creek"
Brooklyn Sun Journal
Jul. 20, 2006 "'Friends' explore city's 'Kingdom' for trail
links"
Conceptual plans for proposed trail alignments
Recent FOBC Events . . .
. . . . . . . .
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo & Friends of Big Creek
Big Creek Clean Up
August 13, 2008
Metroparks Zoo
60 Metroparks staff, volunteers, members of Friends of Big Creek and
employees of Alcoa and US Bank collected and recycled 2,100 lbs. (that's
1.05 tons) of rusty scrap metal, less than 100 bottles and cans, a small
pile of scrap wood, a few rusty lawn mowers and about 8 bags of garbage!
Also, a good dent was made in an invasive phragmities patch in Brookside
Reservation by cutting off the seed heads in preparation for herbicide
application.
FOBC tent at Brookstock - A Celebration of Music & Nature
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Brookside Valley Event Site
Big Creek Trail and Neighborhood Connector Plan
Public Meeting
June 25, 2008
Brooklyn City Hall
The City of Brooklyn and project partners are seeking public input
on the Big Creek Trail and Neighborhood Connector Plan. The study will
develop preferred alignments for a 3-mile all-purpose trail expansion
through the city that will seek to connect the Metroparks Zoo and Brookside
Reservation to the Big Creek Reservation south of Brookpark Road. It
will examine connecting parks, neighborhoods, civic and commercial areas
throughout the city while identifying opportunities for interpretive
exhibits and ecological restoration.
The $75,000 study is being funded by a $60,000 Federal Transportation
for Livable Communities Initiative grant program administered through
the Northeast Ohio Coordinating Agency with local matches from the cities
of Brooklyn, Cleveland and Parma, Cleveland Metroparks, and Friends
of Big Creek. For more information contact Donna Thompson, City of Brooklyn
at 216-635-4224.
Big Creek Watershed Management Plan Meeting 3
June 24, 2008
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Agenda Summary:
Analysis of:
- Demographics
- Impervious Coverage
- Land Cover & Land Use
- Critical Natural Features by Large Tracts
- Survey to Rank Restoration Options
10th Annual Big Creek Watershed Cleanup
Big/Stickney Creek
June 7, 2008
Three locations:
- Archmere Park, Archmere Ave., west of State Rd.
- Brookfield Park, Brookfield Ave., between Bellaire & W. 130th
- NEW location in Brooklyn: Brookridge Elementary School, 4500 Ridge
Rd.
Big Creek Cleanup
May 28, 2008
Fern Hill Picnic Area (off Big Creek Parkway, just south of Brookpark
Road)
Big Creek stewards included City of Parma Council member Mary Galinas,
Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District, Friends of Big Creek
and members of the United Church of Christ
RiverDay 2008
May 17, 2008
Big Creek Event: Where the Waters Meet
Attendees discovered the hidden beauty of Big Creek at its confluence
with the Cuyahoga River and learned about planning underway to enhance
the area and connect it with all-purpose trails from the Towpath Trail
to the Metroparks Zoo and beyond.
Watershed Management Plan Meeting 2
April 29, 2008
Parma Senior Center
Presentations: Dan Meaney, Cuyahoga Co. Planning Commission - Natural
Resources of the Watershed; Chuck Hambly, project coordinator, from
the Cuyahoga River Remedial Action Plan - Big Creek characteristics
and water quality; Lester Stumpe, NEORSD, - the RIDE (Regional Intercommunity
Drainage Evaluation) Study. Representatives from the Big Creek watershed
communities broke into work groups to begin identifying key preservation/restoration
areas.
Meeting Dates
& Work Program [pdf]
Big Creek Watershed
Management Plan Fact Sheet for Communities [pdf]
Watershed
Management Plan Meeting 1
February 26, 2008
Brooklyn Senior-Community Center
Big Creek Watershed Management Plan introductory meeting. Representatives
from Big Creek watershed communities listen as Jim White from the Cuyahoga
River RAP explains the important features of watersheds and the effects
of urbanization. Participants will meet every other month through October
of 2008.
Informal Opening of Treadway Creek Greenway
December 1, 2007
Harmody Park/Treadway Creek Greenway Entrance
1700 Mayview Ave
Cleveland, Ohio 44109
The Treadway
Creek Greenway Restoration Project restores and preserves 21 acres
of riparian corridor and open space, two-thirds of a mile long, through
conservation easements along Treadway Creek, a tributary to the Cuyahoga
River and part of the Lower Big Creek Valley watershed. See photos at
Flickr.
Public Meeting, Nov. 14, 2007
The Importance of Water Quality, Volunteer Monitoring Programs
& the Monitoring of Big Creek.
A joint presentation:
Steve Tuckerman, Ohio EPA Northeast District Office: "Monitoring
Big Creek and Ohio's Volunteer Monitoring Program"
Lindsey Barber, Kayla Giannetti, James Ford Rhodes High School: "Water
Quality Variations of Stickney Creek," results of a student investigation
of the water quality of Stickney Creek, a tributary of the Big Creek
Watershed. Students measured the temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity
and pH at several randomly selected sites along the creek. The project
was part of their Earth/Space science class with teacher James Gazda.
Public Meeting, Oct. 17, 2007
Presentation by Vern Hartenburg, Executive Director of Metroparks
The history of the Metroparks, its present and future in the community,
and opportunities working with its partners on the Big Creek trail expansion
studies.
Lower Big Creek Exploratory Hike, September 9,
2007
Metroparks/FOBC Zoo Clean-up, August 29, 2007
3rd Annual Summer Brooklyn Oxbow Hike, August 12, 2007
9th Annual Big Creek Clean-Up, June 9, 2007
This year volunteers "swept" through two areas: Chevy
Branch at Brookfield Park; Stickney Creek at Archmere Park.
17th Annual RiverDay, May 19, 2007
"Where the Waters Meet" - Confluence of Big Creek
and the Cuyahoga River
Again this year, participants toured the area of Big Creek
at its confluence with the Cuyahoga and learned about planning underway
to enhance the area and connect it with all-purpose trails from the
Towpath Trail to the MetroParks Zoo and beyond.
Ohio Canal Corridor Annual RiverSweep Cleanup,
May 12, 2007
Brookside Garlic Mustard Pull & Clean-up,
May 2007
EarthFest at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, April 22,
2007 - Earth Day
Joint
Public Meeting with West Creek Preservation Committee, March 20, 2007
Presentations and discussion by and about both Watershed groups.
Second Annual Winter Hike: Brooklyn Oxbow, February 18, 2007
General Meeting, February 7, 2007
Lower Big Creek Update
City of Cleveland, Cleveland Metroparks, and Old Brooklyn Community
Development Corporation representatives reported on the status of the
Lower Big Creek Greenway Redevelopment & Restoration project and
the EPA Brownfield Assessment Grant for the Lower Big Creek valley.
General
Meeting, November 29, 2006
Presentation by Elaine Marsh, Project Director, Ohio
Greenways
Open space projects are much more than aesthetically pleasing natural
areas where people can relax and exercise. Strategically selected and
properly designed, open space projects make up the green infrastructure
of a community. Green infrastructure is an interconnected network of
land and water that sustains air and water resources by maintaining
and enhancing natural ecological processes. These processes reduce flooding
and stormwater runoff, absorb air pollution, decrease erosion, and increased
the capacity of streams to take up toxins and other waste products.
Where public access has a role in the projects, green infrastructure
increases a community’s safety for pedestrians and bicyclists
and reduces the health risks of inactivity, a leading cause of premature
death. Elaine Marsh's presentation highlighted green infrastructure
benefits. It was packed with the latest research, illustrations, case
studies and stunning dollar values.
August 19, 2006
Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District
Conservation Day and 57th Annual Meeting
Coe Lake Pavilion behind Berea City Hall
Friends of Big Creek information booth. FOBC Steering Committee members
Kim Swaggard-Svec and James Gazda, teachers in 2005-2006 at James Ford
Rhodes High School were awarded Educators of the Year Award and the
Roger Biemel Memorial Award.
Jan Rybka, District Administrator, presents awards.
July 15, 2006
2nd Annual Summer Brooklyn Oxbow Hike
May 31, 2006
Friends of Big Creek General Meeting
Brooklyn Senior/Community Center
FOBC presentation and discussion about related Big Creek Watershed and
expanded greenway issues.
June 3, 2006
8th Annual Big Creek Clean Up - Chevy Branch - pictures
at Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation District
Brookfield Park - Brookfield Avenue (east off West 130th)
May 20, 2006
16th Annual RiverDay 2006
"Where the Waters Meet" - Confluence of Big Creek
and the Cuyahoga River
Tours started from Cudnik's Tavern parking, 3995 Jennings Road to explore
the hidden beauty of Big Creek at its confluence with the Cuyahoga.
Participants learned about planning underway to enhance the area and
connect it with all-purpose trails from the Towpath Trail to the MetroParks
Zoo and beyond.
Big Creek (left- looking upstream) at confluence with Cuyahoga River
(right - looking downstream)
More RiverDay information
at Friends of the Crooked River.
May
6, 2006
17th Annual RiverSweep
Treadway Creek Ravine/Big Creek clean-up
FOBC members, Rhodes High students and others met at Zeleznik's Tavern
on Jennings Road
FOBC's Greg Cznadel and Bob Gardin "sweep" Big Creek and remove
rubbish.
Earth Day - April 23, 2006
FOBC / Cuyahoga River RAP at EarthFest
Cleveland Metroparks Zoo
Winter
Valentine Hike - Brooklyn "Oxbow"
area
On
Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006 30 hikers met at Brooklyn Memorial Park to discover
the "Oxbow/Kingdom" greenspace area, part of the potential
greenway connection between Brookside Park and the Big Creek Memphis
Reservation. Hot cocoa, hot dogs and sweet treats at the pavilion followed
the walk.
Cleveland
Metroparks Winterrific
FOBC exhibit at the Brookside Reservation Event Site on
the Jan. 21-22, 2006weekend.
Water Quality Investigative Survey
Brookside Reservation area - Jan. 15, 2006; followup - Jan. 30, 2006.
After an initial survey of the area of concern by FOBC members, Bob
Gardin, Jim Gazda and Dennis Petro were joined by Steve Tuckerman of
the Ohio EPA for waterquality sampling and testing. The samples pictured
show green algae, Chlamydamonas. The possibility of a CSO, combined
sewer overflow, is under consideration.
FOBC General Meeting, November 16, 2005
Presentation on the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway and the
Corridor Management Plan by Tim Donovan, Director of the Ohio Canal
Corridor.
Hike-Treadway
Creek
On Sunday, Oct. 16, 2005, nearly twenty hikers explored Old Brooklyn
neighborhood's newly funded trail alignment through the Treadway Ravine.
Bob Gardin gave an introduction to the project. Further details of the
plan were explained by Mike Kannard, Landscape Architect at Schmidt
Copeland Parker Stevens. Mike and Terry Greathouse, Professor of Biology
at Cuyahoga Community College shared their expertise on beneficial vegetation
and invasive species.
See the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation's
information on the Treadway
Creek Greenway Restoration Project.
FOBC General Meeting, September 21, 2005
The meeting featured a Lower Big Creek Study Update led by NOACA's John
Beeker. Progress of the planning strategies outlined in the study were
discussed, including the funded USEPA brownfield land use study and
the Redevelopment and Restoration Plan assessing the feasibility of
a direct connection between the Towpath Trail's Harvard Avenue trailhead
and the Metropark Zoo through the Lower Big Creek Valley. Lower
Big Creek Planning Initiatives Summer 2005 Update (2.321MB pdf-14
pages)
Site Survey - Cascade Crossing Area
On Wednesday, Aug. 24th and Friday, Aug. 26th Steering and Advisory
Committee members (about 16 for both evenings) met at Cascade Crossing
at I-480 and Tiedeman Road. Led by Bob Gardin the following sites were
explored starting with Big Creek at Cascade Crossing: The I-480 entrance
ramp, Big Creek as it flows past Hampton Hotel, a vacant lot (Forest
City), the Railroad Bridge over Big Creek and the surrounding land,
Big Creek next to Sam's Club, Big Creek to Brookpark Road and the end
of the Big Creek Parkway. Detailed notes.
General Meeting, August 17, 2005
Paul Alsenas, Director of Cuyahoga County Planning Commission, gave
a presentation on the Cuyahoga County Greenspace Plan and how it relates
to the existing and potential Big Creek greenway. Visit the Cuyahoga
County Greenprint plan page for more information. Download an audio
version of this presentation: Pt. 1 (62MB)
MP3 - Pt. 2 (45MB) MP3 . These are
very large files and will take some time to download. Not recommeded
for dial-up connections.
Successful
hikes in Brooklyn
Cuyahoga County's Tim McCormack, City of Brooklyn public
officials, and County and Cleveland Metroparks planners joined Friends
of Big Creek on Sunday, July 10, 2005 for a hike to Big Creek north
of the Memphis Road area in the City of Brooklyn.
More than 30 hikers examined the existing "Oxbow"
greenspace area and viewed the potential greenway connection between
Brookside Park and the Big Creek Memphis Reservation.
A repeat hike on Wednesday evening, August 10th, drew
26 hikers.
