Hotel Bruce

Welcome to the Bruce blog—a weekly update on news, events and issues affecting life in Cleveland. Reporting as it happens on transit, development, planning, environment and arts & culture.

Basically, we write about creative ideas forming, talk to the people who have an inside track on the issues, and sometimes offer a commentary of our own. (For disclosure purposes, Bruce blog is a local, independent writer who also works part-time with nonprofit organization EcoCity Cleveland. The opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of EcoCity or any other organization).

Since last December, when rumors began to circulate that Cleveland officials were caving in to pressure and would allow more contaminated river dredging to be deposited at Dike 14, environmental groups have lined up to give the city a few lumps. Leading the charge of accountability for the future of this 88-acre spit of land at the end of MLK Blvd and converting it to a public park is the Dike 14 Committee. The citizen’s advocacy group has been outspoken in its criticism, sometimes, it may be argued, to the point of being counterproductive.

The volume of concern did pressure the city to produce documents that state its position— that it intends to hold up its promise of making Dike 14 one of the two parks in two years. Recently, the city coughed up a letter to the regional director of the Army Corps. Of Engineers (which controls the river dredge and disposal for the lower Cuyahoga River). In it, Mayor Campbell seeks to “reaffirm the City’s commitment to Dike 14 as a public park and ask that you strongly consider this in your work to find suitable interim and long-term dredge deposit alternatives…”

The city also announced shortly after the rumors surfaced that it had applied for a grant from the Coastal Management program of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to study the accessibility and determine the future use of Dike 14.

But, in leading the charge, the Dike 14 Committee appears to have monopolized the discourse to the exclusion of other groups. Other environmental groups argue that there’s a middle road for Dike 14’s future.

Leading the charge is the Environmental Education Collaborative, which includes former Cuyahoga County brownfields expert Virginia Aveni; Chris Trepal, co-director of Earth Day Coalition; and Nancy King Smith, director of the Nature Center at Shaker Lakes. The group says that Dike 14, by design, contains contaminants, and that a plan for public access needs to address this reality, within cost constraints.

The collaborative’s plan straddles the Dike 14 Committee’s, which would rely on existing plants to clean the soil, and suggestions of bioaccumulation (plants growing there now are tapping into cadmium, lead, PCBs and are bringing toxins through roots to berries and leaf). In the latter camp are groups such as Western Cuyahoga Audubon, which cites concern about long term health of birds while supporting a plan to scrape off all of the surface vegetation and ‘cap’ the entire area.

The collaborative seeks a compromise. The long term focus of Dike 14 will be a nature preserve, bird sanctuary, and passive recreation as quite a few people have suggested. But, because of the contamination, the preserve could happen in limited capacity—i.e., a trail loop around the perimeter that can be cleaned and made safe. The goal behind this plan is to set aside concerns about the entire site, which may take years to reach consensus, and provide access to the lakefront in the short term. Apparently, the Cleveland MetroParks are interested in hearing more about this plan.

It should be noted that the idea of passive recreation and nature preserves has not been fully embraced by the St. Clair-Superior and Wade Park neighborhoods, including Cleveland Councilwoman Sabra Scott Pierce, who sees Dike 14 as an opportunity for more active recreation.

Will the environmental education group’s plan be seen by the city as a more attractive compromise, one in which it can take immediate action (such as a Phase One environmental study) and fulfill an election year promise?

As thousands of voters head to the polls in Ohio on Tuesday, expect a barrage of pundits reporting on who holds an edge in the Super Tuesday Democratic primary. One political science Web site, Commonwealth, has an interesting way of aggregating regions through past election results that may grab the interest of Senator John Edwards' backers.

Commonwealth found that the Northeast Ohio area aligns more often with fellow Great Lakes urban centers Detroit and Pittsburgh than our fellow Buckeyes. The site also looks at trends in Democratic primaries and notes that Dems in this Great Lakes Region support moderate Democrats from the South, when given the opportunity. Given this plus with a more moderate democratic base down state and Kucinich possibly splitting more votes here, will Ohio swing to Edwards?

The Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) released its latest Euclid Corridor newsletter, which announced that Congress is granting the first $12 million for the final design and first stages of construction of the 9.4 mile, $220 million transit project. Before building the new streetscape and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), RTA plans to acquire eight properties and secure some 500 easements in the corridor. The latter includes a massive donation by the Cleveland Clinic of 152 permanent easements, or 10 ft. wide swaths of land needed to fit wide sidewalks, bike lanes, parking, two general travel lanes and the BRT lanes.

RTA will also need to purchase seven properties in Midtown. In order to squeeze all of the above through the area around E. 55th and Euclid, RTA plans to purchase one of the last remaining stretches of pre-war Cleveland—the storefronts on the south side of the street— and demolish the entire block. No word yet on the fate of the Cobb & Bradley buildings and the smaller row of storefronts on the north side of Euclid & E. 55th St.

Bruce blog feels inclined to ask: At what expense progress?

Bruce blog received a tip from a member of popular east side gym One To One, located on the campus of Case, that management tried to boot the Food Co-op Café from its spot in the loft above the gym last week. Management was seeking to replace the lightly trafficked but healthy café with a Starbucks or similar chain, according to the member.

A letter writing campaign and, apparently, an agreement between the Co-op and Case on rent might have saved the café. The café is open to the public, serves freshly prepared organic lunches and juice smoothies daily, and parking is free in the garage next door at the corner of Adelbert and Cornell when you eat there. For more information, email.

March 3
A community meeting on the Euclid Corridor Transportation Project. Each meeting will include a presentation by RTA and ample time for questions. Last month, ODOT attempted to remove bike lanes from the Euclid Corridor. While the district office of ODOT is now retreating from its position, the lanes are not yet back in the design. If you want to see bike lanes included in the project, this meeting, at 5:30-7 p.m. RTA's Hayden Garage, 1661 Hayden Ave, E. Cleveland, is an excellent place to get on the record and strengthen the city's resolve, and to address design and development issues in the Euclid Corridor.

March 5
"Big Fish, No Menu" an exhibit of recent prints by Jennifer Haack and Helen Lardner at Zygote Press, 72nd and St. Clair. Two long time friends, Cleveland's Lardner and Chicagoan Haack, explore fish to platelets in this sharp but humorous body of work. Opening reception from 6-9 p.m. Exhibition continues through April 16. Call 216-881-4000 for information.

Share your opinion of bike lanes in Euclid Corridor with ODOT
In February, ODOT District 12 staff objected to the Euclid Corridor's proposed design for bike lanes. More specifically, local ODOT officials didn't like a detail which ends the stripe for bike lane markings well back from each intersection whenever a "choice lane" exists (straight or right turn allowed). It was the reason stated for pulling the lanes from the project.

Cycling advocates responded by pointing to an option in the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials guide which was absent from ODOT's manual. The advocates’ move was seen as instrumental in getting ODOT to retreat from its position, even though the lanes are not yet back in the design.

If you want to see bike lanes included in the Euclid Corridor project, the set of upcoming public meetings are an excellent place for you to get on the record and strengthen the City's resolve. Your participation will make a difference.

If you cannot attend a meeting but want to take action, consider writing a letter to the director of ODOT District 12 and copying Mayor Campbell (addresses below).

Cycling advocates note that the City of Cleveland is actively defending the bike lanes, and that RTA is at least neutral (simply want to keep the project moving forward). ODOT officials are the only ones who have advocated the removal of bike lanes from the Euclid Corridor.

Send letters to:

David J. Coyle
Director,ODOT District 12
5500 Transportation Blvd
Garfield Hts, OH 44125