A quartet of projects intended to improve Lake Erie watershed water quality and-or provide public access to the region, has received $400,050 funding approval through a federal competitive grant program.
The Coastal Management Assistance Grant program. is facilitated in Ohio by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources through its Office of Coastal Management.
Specifically, the approved projects are:
* Ashtabula County Metroparks - Red Brook Metropark Estuary & Creek Habitat Restoration. $60,000 with $65,000 local match.
This design/build project will result in improved water quality and habitat as a
result of stream-bank stabilization and habitat improvements along over 500 feet
of Red Brook, a direct Lake Erie tributary. The project will also restore one acre
of wetland, and nine acres of floodplain will be planted in native meadow
plantings as well as upland reforestation.
* City of Rossford - Rossford Marina/ Veterans Park Waterfront Planning. $25,000 with $25,000 local match.
This feasibility study will examine and recommend preventative measures for
both flooding and ice damage, enhance water quality through “Living Shoreline”
methodologies, as well as create opportunities for enhanced public access
through the Rossford Marina/Veteran's Park to the Maumee River.
* City of Mentor - Mentor Marsh Public Access Project. $115,000 with $115,050 local match.
This design/build project will enhance the understanding of the Mentor Marsh
ecosystem through educational signage and increase access ultimately through the construction of an ADA-compliant 340-foot-long boardwalk/25-foot-square observation deck, and separate 50-foot-square observation tower. The park is heavily used by birders who have frequently requested observation amenities.
Note that the grant is subject to the match being approved by the voters of Mentor in November. The city’s charter requires a vote by the public for projects as they relate to the Mentor Lagoons Park which is adjacent to the Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve. The boardwalk and observation components would be accessed via the city’s Mentor Lagoons Park. The city anticipates the project to be done in three phases.
* City of Euclid - Euclid Waterfront Improvements Plan/Wetlands Plaza. $100,000 with $125,000 local match,
This project will enhance water quality through the implementation of green
infrastructure and public education. This project will construct five connected
stormwater treatment / wetlands planters of various sizes totaling over 8,000 SF
and provide interpretive signage explaining the nutrient reduction, habitat and air
quality benefits of the native vegetataion to be placed in the planters.
* City of Rocky River - Bradstreet's Landing Pedestrian Bridge. $100,000 with $172,700 local match.
This project will remove and replace a pedestrian bridge over Spencer Creek at
Bradstreet's Landing Park providing ADA-compliant to the shore and Lake Erie.
The federally funded grant program is a voluntary partnership between the federal government and U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states and territories. It was authorized by the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 to address national coastal issues.
According to the Department of Commerce-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coast Management, “the act provides the basis for protecting, restoring, and responsibly developing our nation’s diverse coastal communities and resources.
To meet the goals of the CZMA, the “national program takes a comprehensive approach to coastal resource management—balancing the often competing and occasionally conflicting demands of coastal resource use, economic development, and conservation.”
In short, the program “provides the basis for protecting, restoring, and responsibly developing our nation’s diverse coastal communities and resources… balancing the often competing and occasionally conflicting demands of coastal resource use, economic development, and conservation,” the federal Commerce Department says.
Since its inception in 1998, The federally backed program has provided more than $6 million for 146 projects in Ohio, says Ohio Natural Resources spokeswoman Sarah Wickham.
- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn
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