Dear friends and neighbors,
 
Oakwood Club, a 144-acre golf course on the South Euclid/Cleveland Heights border, is being put on the market in April.  It is bordered by Warrensville Center Road on the east and runs from just south of Mayfield to just north of Cedar.  You can see a satellite map that shows the size of the golf course by inputting 1516 Warrensville Center Road, Cleveland, OH 44121.  http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl 
 
Oakwood Club has been in existence for over 100 years, but the membership has combined with another club to the east and the newly-combined organization will be using that property instead.  They need to sell their property in South Euclid/Cleveland Heights.  http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/01/oakwood_mayfield_golf_clubs_to.html
 
Will this land - a huge oasis of green space - be developed, or could it become a park for our residents instead? 
 
The local Sun Newspaper's editorial this week called for the golf course to become a park.
http://www.cleveland.com/sun/all/index.ssf/2010/01/sun_news_editorial_keep_golf_c.html
 
There are many reasons why a park would greatly benefit our community - and many resources to help us make it possible.  We have already contacted or are contacting the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Trust for Public Land, Cuyahoga County Soil and Water, Ohio Environmental Council, the Cleveland Metroparks, and conservation specialists from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History's Natural Areas Program.  We will also investigate the possibility of a NatureServe grant to help with park trails.  We have received a great deal of helpful information and resources - and several offers of assistance.
 
As older, inner-ring suburbs, we don't have any other options for more green space in our area.  This is it - and if it's developed, we've lost our last chance.  144 acres in the inner ring suburbs is not something to let go without trying everything we can to preserve it. 
 
Cleveland Heights/South Euclid redevelopment projects currently underway such as Cedar Center should be supported, but our local area certainly can't sustain futher new development.  A large park in Cleveland Heights/South Euclid, however, could be a powerful asset that makes our suburbs look more attractive to potential residents and improves the quality of life for those of us who already live here.  
 
Please come to a meeting sponsored by the Severance Neighborhood Organization (www.heightsSNO.org) at the  Cleveland Heights Community Center on Wednesday, February 3rd from 7:30 - 9:00 PM.  I will be one of the speakers on the panel, and there will be community discussion after a short presentation. 
 
Lisa Rainsong