EUCLID, Ohio — In Euclid, we've been bringing you updates on the waterfront improvement project. $20 million has been spent to open up public access to Lake Erie. Now, phase three of the project is well underway. That will create "Kenny Yuko Park" right off Lakeshore Boulevard. The lakeshore walking trail will connect the future park to Sims Park.
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This summer, the construction on Lakeshore Boulevard will be a vibrant park, a new place for the community to gather.
"We've been working on opening up our access to the waterfront for years, depending on who you talk to, decades," said Euclid Mayor Kirsten Gail.
News 5 has been checking in what city officials for years as they worked to bring ideas to life, "there will be large green spaces that are open for people to kick a soccer ball or throw a football around, play some baseball, or catch or anything like that. But, there will also be benches for people to just sit back and enjoy the beautiful vistas," said Patrick Grogan-Myers, director of planning and development City of Euclid.
The future "Kenny Yuko Park," named after a former state senator, sits between two large apartment buildings. Some neighbors were not sure what the construction site would become.
"I didn't know all I see is them doing something one day and then it's nothing like today, no activity. I just didn't know what they were doing over there," said neighbor Alton Kizer.
Kizer thinks the development will bring some new energy to his neighborhood.
"I might walk through there on a nice day and see how everything looks after they finish," said Kizer.
Marlin Scott is looking forward to taking his young daughter this summer, "I think it's a great thing, a lot of kids around here they don't have anything to do, so this will bring more activities," said Scott.
Mayor Gail said the project has been used as a model throughout the county for lakeshore development.
"We really want the community to be able to come down, enjoy the lake, see a sunset, come walk on the trail, and then dream about what it can be in phase four," said Mayor Gail.
The future green space will be a place for all to enjoy, with ADA accessibility to the lakeshore and the walking trail.
"Playing football with someone you didn't know before, making friends with someone you didn't know who maybe lives a block over. That's the power of a community gathering space like this," said Grogan-Myers.
The park is expected to be completed in June or July of 2024. Phase four will include the building of a restaurant called "The Beach House." That project at the park site is expected to cost $10 million.
