Re: Forest Hill Park-East Cleveland Restoration

When Cleveland.com revealed that Cleveland Metroparks was stepping away from East Cleveland’s Forest Hill Park restoration agreement, many residents were very disheartened and embarrassed. As devoted residents and friends of the city of East Cleveland, the restoration of our beloved Forest Hill Park is the type of foundational civic investment we have dreamed of for generations.

Forest Hill Park has been the center of many memories. At Forest Hill, we’ve enjoyed first-hand encounters with wildlife; participated in intergenerational volunteer cleanup efforts and playground builds; played baseball, basketball, kickball, and football; and we’ve even gone sledding down ‘Grand Pappy Hill’ (a nickname used for the site of the former Rockefeller home). At Forest Hill Park, we hold an annual alumni picnic, celebrating the best of Shaw High School, past and present, drawing hundreds of alumni back to their hometown… and their childhood park.

These core memories and experiences are those we share with family and friends, and the East Cleveland community at large. However, even with a host of successful past volunteer efforts, our park needs robust and coordinated efforts, paired with industry expertise, and civic solidarity and engagement. Restoration also calls for targeted funding to secure the future of the historic Forest Hill Park for East Cleveland residents and neighboring communities.

For 80 years, Forest Hill has offered natural beauty, biodiversity and rich history, as evidenced by its 1998 listing on the National 
Register of Historic Places. And there’s still so much left to explore. We want to be on the right side of history. As a band of committed residents, elected representatives, and environmental advocates, we must lean on each other’s expertise, with mutual respect, for mutual benefit.

We are not casting blame or judgement. We are writing with an urgent invitation from all of us to reset the conversation about the lease agreement and subsequent investment and partnership in restoring the largest single greenspace on the east side of Greater Cleveland. Families still proudly choose East Cleveland as their home, despite the challenges that we, and other similar cities face. And East Cleveland families desire equitable access to quality greenspace, just like all other communities.

Forest Hill Park is the crown jewel of East Cleveland, and the outcome of John D. Rockefeller Jr’s intentional park preservation. With just a bit more polish, it is poised to shine bright as an example of a catalytic investment that will yield cultural cohesion, social connectivity and mental and physical wellness. The residents deserve this, you deserve this, WE deserve this! Let’s get this done – for us all.