"Citizen" Ed Hauser Replies

I was very flattered when Kelly Ferjutz contacted me to do an interview for Cool Cleveland. I spent a significant amount of time with her on the interview traveling the Cleveland shoreline and sharing my thoughts about the past, present and future plans for our waterfront. She got it, and I want to thank her and Cool Cleveland for the opportunity to tell my story and encourage people to get involved in the things that are important to them -or- others will make those decisions for you. Kelly was also very creative in how she portrayed an alternative to the Port Authority’s “all or nothing” billion-dollar relocation plan.

Additionally, I wanted to elaborate on what I feel is the most urgent lakefront news that is not being discussed or mentioned, which is the port authority’s latest attempt to acquire Whiskey Island - AGAIN! Here is what I would like to share with you and hopefully get our public servants to put the Whiskey Island saga to rest once and for all!

For ten years, since the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority Maritime Master Plan in 1998, the Port Authority has been attempting to acquire what are now Cuyahoga County’s Whiskey Island Marina and Wendy Park. In 2006, the Port Authority’s Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for an expansion and relocation study stated the following: “It shall include the possible acquisition of the adjacent marina, presently owned by Cuyahoga County, and all costs associated with the development of the marina into a cargo-handling facility, including the cost of the obligation of the county regarding the installation of a two lane bridge to service the park east of the marina.”

The result of the Port Authority’s Relocation/Expansion Study dated February 16, 2007 depicts Whiskey Island Marina filled in for the expansion of the adjacent ore dock. It shows the cement silos (ESSROC facility) and the gravel piles (Construction Limestone) relocated from the eastside docks to Whiskey Island Marina.

The Port Authority is currently negotiating to finalize a land deal with the Flats East Bank project’s developer to build a $150 million office complex for Eaton Corporation. The cement silos and gravel piles that are shown in the expansion plans to Whiskey Island Marina, would surround the proposed office complex to the north and west. I don’t believe that Eaton Corporation would move there with the cement silos and gravel piles blocking views of the lake and river.

Port Authority expansion to Whiskey Island Marina would eliminate public access to the 500 recreational boat marina. The huge negative impact on the adjacent 20-acre Wendy Park would make the park so unattractive that few citizens would visit and it will fail!

In March 2008, all three Cuyahoga County Commissioners signed a letter addressed to the Cleveland Metroparks asking for their staffs to get together and begin discussing the acquisition and operation of Wendy Park and Whiskey Island Marina by the Metroparks.

It also states that the city of Cleveland and the Port Authority are in agreement. The document is awaiting the signatures of the mayor, council president, port authority chair and port authority president. All have refused to sign at this time.

The city’s and the port authority's public servants need to sign this document to get the Metroparks to begin negotiations for Whiskey Island Reservation. The Whiskey Island public properties must be held in trust for waterfront public access, recreation and culture, in perpetuity.

If the Port Authority is still looking to acquire any of our Whiskey Island properties, it must justify the acquisition and make it part of the public process and discussion.

By Cool Cleveland reader and interview subject, "Citizen" Ed Hauser ejhauserATameritech.net
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