by Peter R. Griesinger

With the Port Authority once again declaring that they intend to purchase (or take?) the Whiskey Island Marina from Cuyahoga County for bulk stone storage, we are faced with yet another counterintuitive, myopic attempt to wrest away from the citizens of Northeast Ohio one of the best chances that we have had in decades to define ourselves as one of the great freshwater destinations in the nation.

In an age of profoundly competitive and dedicated international efforts to improve and restore any one region’s natural capital assets, it is inexcusable to pretend that the Port’s ‘expedient’ industrial plan to bury an existing lakefront marina with piles of stone trumps the aesthetic, recreational, social, environmental, and economic values that all three Whiskey Island properties, together, bring to our region. The 500 boat Whiskey Island Marina, the uniquely spectacular 20 acre Wendy Park, and the historic art-moderne Coast Guard Station are for real, not pretend. They are the VERY place in downtown Cleveland where we can escape to the lake; where we can relax, picnic, and play; where we can sail, motor, or paddle a boat; and where, most of all, we can simply refresh and recharge in an atmosphere of spectacular scenic lore and beauty.

For the estimated 30 million dollars that the Port would have to spend to convert the marina into an industrial bulk stone facility, we could restore ALL of the properties on Whiskey Island AND do a bold, Cleveland first. To access the multiple treasures at Whiskey Island and to satisfy the current and future need for recreation on and along the lakeshore from the Rock Hall to Edgewater Park, we could build a signature, “Hands Across the River”, 90 foot high pedestrian and bicycle bridge that would gently arch across the mouth of the river just north of the existing rail bridge, symbolically crossing and finally uniting the great East/West divide that has plagued Cleveland for so many years.

By joining both sides of our great city at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, we could, for the first time, actually celebrate our diversity, our maritime heritage, and our internationally coveted environmental resources at Whiskey Island. To provide even greater public access to the waterfront, the new ped/bike bridge could configure with the elevated loop of the RTA Waterfront Line so that families could travel by rail, get off at the new ‘Whiskey Island’ rapid stop, and walk across the river for a Sunday picnic at Wendy Park; a boat ride from the Whiskey Island Marina; or a tour of the restored Coast Guard Station.

There are millions of dollars of investment opportunities at our fingertips as the residential and commercial development proposals at the harborfront and along the riverbank get under way. With wisdom, an eye to the future, and the Port Authority’s partnership, we could, together, transform our city, our county, and our region by investing in what already stands before us – a magnificent lakefront gateway to the on-going restoration projects in downtown Cleveland, the Flats, and the Cuyahoga River valley to the south.

The Tow Path Trail is coming to Whiskey Island; the Cleveland Metroparks is looking to permanently secure the property; the 5th Annual River Day event will return May 20th; the Burning River Festival will make its permanent home there beginning with this year’s celebration on August 12th; and the Great Lakes Restoration Conference is coming to Cleveland and touring the properties September 23rd. The world beckons for the restorative health, economic opportunity, and well-being a project like this brings to a waterfront community like ours.

We can do it because we have this very special, irreplaceably beautiful spot on the water we know as Whiskey Island. The Coast Guard Station, Wendy Park, and the Whiskey Island Marina are unsurpassed, world class freshwater recreational resources, whose future, simply, and gratefully, need not be darkened by piles of stone.

Whiskey Island: Will it be Bulk or Beautiful?

You decide…it’s your money and our future – where the river meets the lake.

from Peter R. Griesinger, Ohio Environmental Council Board Member petergATgriesingerfilms.com

Finding the Emerald Necklace’s Waterfront Gem

Come celebrate River Day 2006 at Whiskey Island, Sat 5/20 from 2:00 to 4:00PM and show your support for the acquisition by the Cleveland Metroparks of this uniquely spectacular 60-acre waterfront property.

The Whiskey Island property includes the rough hewn, but newly polished 20-acre Wendy Park, the glittering 500 boat public access Whiskey Island Marina, and the sublimely inviting, indigo blue of the 30-acre adjacent submerged lands of Lake Erie that stretch out into the harbor from the only remaining natural shoreline in downtown Cleveland.

The initial cleanup and restoration efforts of the parkland and the Cuyahoga River Boardwalk out to the historic, art-moderne Cleveland Harbor Coast Guard Station at the mouth of the river are complete. After self-guided tours from 2:00 to 3:00PM, gather at the River Boardwalk at 3:00 and hear speakers discuss the restoration of the parkland; the future of the historic Coast Guard Station and Hulett Ore Unloaders; the Metroparks’ consideration of managing the property; and the continuing threat of losing our Whiskey Island parkland and public access marina.

Please write to the Cleveland Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners, Administrative Offices, 4101 Fulton Park Parkway, Cleveland, OH 44144 in support of their interest in the Whiskey Island properties AND in support of their continuing dedication to completing the Canal Towpath Trail from Harvard Road to the lakefront at Whiskey Island.

This can and will be done – with your active support!

Come explore and experience the magical, alluring beauty, lore, and potential for the Emerald Necklace at this magnificent, waterfront gem - where our American Heritage River meets Great Lake Erie.

Directions: Take the Shoreway (Rt. 2) to the Edgewater Park Exit, take a right turn at the first road and follow the signs to Wendy Park/Whiskey Island Marina.

Contact: Ed Hauser, Friends of Whiskey Island, (216) 651-3476 – ejhauser@ameritech.net, or Peter R. Griesinger, 440/423-1601 – peterg@griesingerfilms.com

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