Friends of Cudell Commons Park will host a rally and candlelight vigil at the park starting at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 3. The rally is part of an ongoing effort to preserve the historic public park and its vital urban green space.
The park is east of Cudell Recreation Center, which is at 1910 West Blvd., at the intersection of Detroit Avenue. It contains many mature trees, which are invaluable to the city’s much-needed tree canopy.
A judge has vacated a temporary restraining order issued last fall that had halted construction of a new Marion C. Seltzer Elementary School. Common Pleas Judge Ashley Kilbane offered little explanation in her court docket filing late Friday.
The Cleveland Metropolitan School District wants to replace the existing Seltzer School at Madison Avenue and West 98th Street with a massive building that would extend all the way to Detroit Avenue. The new building would destroy the much-used community basketball courts, a lawn area used for soccer and recreational football, and nearly 40 mature trees.
“This is incredibly disappointing, especially after the outstanding case presented by our talented attorney, Sam O’Leary,” said Nikki Hudson, one of the plaintiffs who filed the suit in September. “Despite Kilbane’s ruling, our neighborhood group, the Friends of Cudell Commons Park, is still committed to saving our park. Please keep the faith and stay tuned for the next steps.” Another neighbor said, “We all agree we need a new Marion C. Seltzer School, but there is a way to achieve that without destroying our park.”
The neighbor added, “It’s ironic that our public schools want to take a vital and much-utilized urban park away from our children. This park is used every single day by the people who live in one of Cleveland’s most diverse neighborhoods. Our neighbors often aren’t able to travel to parks that are miles away. And why should they? We should save THIS park.”
BACKGROUND: Architect Frank Cudell was a visionary who left property to the City of Cleveland for use as a city park. He died in 1916. His will stated that it “shall become the property of the City of Cleveland, for ever (sic), for park purposes.” Generations of mayors and City Council members kept that promise. But in 2021, the City of Cleveland “swapped” part of Cudell Commons Park for two disused public schools – Watterson-Lake Elementary School on West 74th Street and Harry E. Davis school on the city’s East side. Both schools were demolished to make way for developers’ projects.
To see the 1906 deed to the property, go to: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1CGhEd47_y3KOUmypI8tBsysOdnj6QmIB
To look up the lawsuit docket, go to: https://cpdocket.cp.cuyahogacounty.us/CV_CaseInformation_Docket.aspx?q=G3Ajxaxy6YnpgY7DY8HnxA2 Click on the agreement.
Click CIVIL CASE and 2023, then type in case number 985620.
Vigil Facebook event link at https://www.facebook.com/events/2090535361320254?ref=newsfeed END