To the Editor:

(Plain Press February 2024)

Dear Mayor Bibb and Area Leaders:

     We are writing to you to voice our concerns about Cleveland Metropolitan School District’s plans to build a new Marion Seltzer Elementary School on what is now parkland at Cudell Commons Park, land that was gifted to the City of Cleveland by renowned architect Frank Cudell over 100 years ago to be used for park and boulevard purposes forever. (a copy of the 1906 deed was included in the correspondence with the mayor). CMSD’s plans for a sprawling school will destroy 40 trees and eat up nearly half of the park’s green space, replacing the current school site with a parking lot.

     Despite hearing numerous concerns from people living near the park about the loss of green space and mature trees, CMSD declined to alter their plans in any way, repeatedly touting their “community engagement process” that never really took any of the community’s concerns into consideration.

     We would like to hear from you, Mayor Bibb, regarding how this development supports your vision of ensuring equitable access to quality public parks. Cudell Commons Park is the only park in the Cudell neighborhood. Wiping it out with the construction of this school will force nearby residents to walk 30 minutes or more to reach the type of quality green space you have been promising as part of your Citywide Parks & Recreation Master Plan. While Cities like East Cleveland are looking to the future by turning the current blacktop schoolyard at Caledonia Elementary School into a dynamic community green space and outdoor classroom, Cleveland is stuck in the past and dead set on eliminating Cudell’s legacy park, which will also irreparably damage the neighborhood’s already suffering tree canopy.

     It is hard to reconcile what is happening at Cudell Park with the goals of the Citywide Parks and Recreation Master Plan, ironically spearheaded by Jamie DeRosa, who facilitated the trading of Cudell Park for land in other parts of the city that will be or already has been sold to developers. And while we are fortunate to have the support of the Northeast Ohio Sierra Club, it is also hard to wrap one’s head around the lack of public support from groups like the Trust for Public Land and the Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Coalition, groups who believe “everyone should have access to the outdoors” and whose stated missions are to “create parks and protect land for people” and “represent residents and organizations.…to collectively and equitably empower resident change-makers.” Why aren’t these groups representing and empowering the residents trying to save Cudell Park?

     The Cleveland Parks and Greenspace Coalition was created to ensure that parks and greenspaces in Cleveland are considered critical civic infrastructure because access to quality greenspace is a human right, not a privilege. They also believe that resident ownership is vital for successful community parks, and that transparency in greenspace investment is mandatory. Why would this group, who should be perfectly poised to support the residents in this David vs. Goliath battle with CMSD over a neighborhood park, decline to intervene? What could be more important than acting on their own stated mission and beliefs?

     This isn’t the first time Cleveland tried to build on Cudell Commons Park. In 1954, residents living near Cudell Park declared war on the City’s proposal to build a new fire station in the park at West Boulevard and Detroit Avenue. (Cleveland Plain Dealer, February 19, 1954, page 24). The situation from nearly 70 years ago is eerily similar to what’s going on today, with then City Councilman Richard Masterson taking a tongue lashing from residents who said the city passed the ordinance to build the fire station without notifying them, saying that had they known they would have shown up to object. Ultimately, Mayor Anthony J. Celebrezze instructed the Safety Department to look for an alternate site for the fire station, (Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 2, 1954, page 19) and it was built at its current location at W. 99th and Madison. As the saying goes, those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. (Winston Churchill)

     During the Michael R. White administration, City Councilman Martin J. Sweeney was in favor of a church being built at Emery Park, which would require a significant portion of the park be sold to the church. Mayor White told Councilman Sweeney simply that, “The City doesn’t sell park property.” A few years later, under the administration of Jane Campbell, the church was built.

     Our final question for you, Mayor Bibb, is what type of mayor do you want to be? One who prioritizes development over the health and well-being of its citizens, allowing parks to be sold or traded away, or one who stands for protecting valuable greenspace and mature, legacy trees that provide shade, clean air, and help combat climate change?

     Please don’t set this precedent, Mayor Bibb. Save Cudell Park.

The Friends of Cudell Commons Park