Some of our West Creek residents

The West Creek Preservation Committee, the City of Parma, and the Cleveland Metroparks have recently joined forces in the effort to create Cleveland’s 16th Metropark Reservation at the West Creek Preserve. As a West Creek member and supporter, your involvement has made the West Creek Preserve possible, and we wanted you to be among the first to know the details of this exciting project.

It started out with representatives from the City of Parma, including Mayor Dean Depiero, West Creek Preservation Committee, and the Cleveland Metroparks’ Board of Commissioners announcing discussions regarding the lease of the West Creek Preserve to the Metroparks, which would mean that about 400 contiguous acres of protected open space would become the 16th Cleveland Metropark. The Metroparks already operate more than 20,000 acres within 15 different reservations. Land preservation initiatives like this are consistent with their mission of conservation, education, and recreation.

Currently, this collaboration of partners is identifying certain initiatives to preserve and restore the natural habitat, stream corridors, and forested areas of the Preserve, while also identifying specific reservation boundaries, management practices and park policies.

A public process has been initiated and ongoing to create a park master plan with appropriate conservation, education, and recreation ideals. The West Creek Preservation Committee will be involved in the development of the new Metropark Reservation, and will continue to play and active and integral role in both the growth of the park, as well as the Greenway connection trails in the years to come.

We look forward to working together to create a special place for future generations to enjoy. Follow the links below for further information regarding the Metroparks Project.

Project Committees:

• Natural Resources – Charged with the task of creating a management plan with critical recommendations on how to conserve, protect, and restore the areas natural resources.
• Education – Charged with the task of creating a management plan with critical recommendations on how to implement and integrate educational and interpretational aspects of the Preserve.
• Facility/Site Management – Charged with the task of defining a plan for sit layout and facility improvements.

Each of the committees is composed of:

• West Creek Preservation Committee Board Members/Volunteers
• Cleveland Metroparks staff
• Representatives from the City of Parma
• Other outside resources

The project committees meet on a regular basis to ensure that the creation of a park management plan is conducted in a cooperative and efficient manner while also acting in accordance with such stated missions or purpose.

Public Meetings Held to Date:

• April 6 - Read summary
• June 22 - Read summary
• June 23 - Read summary
• June 24 - Read summary
• August 17 - Read summary
• October 13 - Read summary
• January 12, 2005 - Read summary

Survey About West Creek:

In July, 2004, a survey of Parma community residents was conducted to find out what they thought about the development of the West Creek Preserve and the proposed Metroparks involvement. You may read a summary of the survey results.

In order to do so, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. If you do not already have it, you can download it for free at the Adobe Acrobat website.