Reclaiming Dike 14

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources owns some property on Cleveland's rocky Lake Erie coastline. Now a rare layover for migratory birds, polluted Dike 14 has the potential to become a model park for the city.

1 minute read

April 22, 2006, 5:00 AM PDT

By David Gest


"The area is not easily accessible now. But if environmentalists and city planners have their way, Dike 14, as it's known, may become a new park on Lake Erie. For more than 20 years the dike, located in Cleveland's Glenville neighborhood just north of I-90 and MLK Drive, was a disposal site for silt dredged from the Cuyahoga River. Now that it's full, advocates and city planners are pushing for a park. This outcropping of land, which offers views of downtown and a rare stopping point for migratory birds, could become Cleveland's biggest lakefront park -- a crucial step toward reclaiming Cleveland's long-barricaded lakefront."

"Although everyone agrees that Dike 14 presents an opportunity, not everyone agrees on what to do with it. The questions are among the most pressing that face older, urban areas. How do you clean up polluted land? What kind of lakefront access do people want? Should the city cater to mountain bikers, bird watchers or both? How do you get massive entities, including the city and the state, to collaborate?"

Thursday, April 20, 2006 in Ohio Free Times

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