City holds parks and rec open houses, seeks community input

The Mayor’s Office of Capital Projects (MOCAP) is seeking input this week from community members for the first phase of its new parks and recreation planning process. The plan is the first of its kind in the city’s history and “will look at the city’s Neighborhood Resource and Recreation Centers (NRRCs), parks, pools, playgrounds and similar spaces across the city as well as the quantity and the quality of programs provided,” according to a press release. 

The planning process has also been championed by parks and greenspace advocates such as the Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Coalition, a group of organizations that have been advocating for a standalone parks department at the city level, increased funding for parks, and a planning process that is more responsive to the needs of residents. 

The first four of the city’s open houses are scheduled for:

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• Wednesday, July 26, at Gunning Park Recreation Center at 16700 Puritas Ave., 6-8 p.m.
• Thursday, July 27, at Zelma Watson George Recreation Center at 3155 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., 12-2 p.m. 
• Thursday, July 27, at Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center at 8611 Hough Ave., 6-8 p.m. 
• Saturday, July 29, at South Branch Public Library at 3096 Scranton Rd., 10-12 p.m.

In a press release, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said the meetings are an opportunity to speak directly with Clevelanders about revitalizing public spaces across the city. “We are leading a public-centric planning process, one that is collaborative and engages residents, community groups, and other stakeholders,” said Bibb. “Their feedback will help inform the future of our parks and recreation.”

“We strongly encourage all of our residents to get involved and attend one of these open house sessions to ensure that their voice is heard,” he added. “It is critical that we hear directly from our residents so that their input can be incorporated into future phases of this planning process.”

The city of Cleveland currently operates 179 unique parks and recreation sites, including 155 city parks, 23 recreation centers, and one golf course that totals close to 1,760 acres. These sites include 111 baseball fields, 108 playgrounds, 88 basketball courts, 70 tennis courts, 40 indoor or outdoor swimming pools, and hundreds of other public amenities and programs. 

The city says this three-phase planning process is expected to take 18 months to complete. Led by MOCAP, the goal is to create “a roadmap that ensures just and fair capital investment in parks and recreation, provides equitable connections to quality parks and recreation activities while meeting the needs of city residents, community groups, and other stakeholders,” according to the press release. The first phase will look at current and future needs, the second phase will create a long-range plan, and the third phase will create a strategic plan outlining the best methods to finance and implement the long-range plan.

The open houses are being organized by OLIN, the Philadelphia-based landscape architecture firm selected to guide the planning process, along with local community partners including ThirdSpace Action Lab, Neighborhood Connections, designExplorr, OHM Advisors, and others. Two pop-up engagements will be held, as well, during Wade Oval Wednesday on July 26 at 5:30 p.m. and at Public Square on July 28 at noon.

“This plan will provide a playbook for the City to follow over the coming decade,” said OLIN CEO Lucinda Sanders. “For that playbook to be responsive to the needs of Clevelanders, we are hosting these open houses as one way to hear directly from residents what they would like parks and recreation in the City to look like in the future.”

Cleveland residents who are unable to attend any of the sessions but want to share feedback can do so at cleparksrecplan.com.