BROOKLYN, Ohio -- The Stickney Creek stream restoration project involving 2,500 linear feet and affecting six acres of flood plain in Memorial Park was recently completed.
“The restoration was important,” Mayor Katie Gallagher said. “A couple of years ago, the gabion walls were falling into the creek, so I had the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD), West Creek Conservancy and Big Creek Connects out there to examine the issue.
“They recommended instead of redoing the gabion walls, to take them out and let the creek naturalize into the direction and the flow it’s supposed to be going,” she said.
“That left us with having to take out the trails and ford near the creek.”
The $761,000 project -- a joint effort among West Creek Conservancy, Big Creek Connects and Brooklyn -- was funded by a $300,000 Ohio EPA Nonpoint Source Program grant and a $461,000 NEORSD matching grant.
The work began in late 2020.
West Creek Conservancy CLE Project Manager Peter Bode, who was involved in the project, said the stretch of Stickney Creek in question had eroding banks compromising park infrastructure before joining the Big Creek mainstem.
“The end product is designed to naturally hold water during storm events, slowing down the flow and reducing the negative impacts of the flashy nature of the creek,” Bode said.
“With the projects by NEORSD on the east side of Ridge Road and the project site complete, sediment loads are significantly reduced downstream, protecting the Big Creek watershed and, most directly, Memphis picnic area.”
The work also included replacing invasive species with hundreds of new trees, shrubs, plugs and plants.
Now for the trails
The second part of the Memorial Park redesign includes restoring and enhancing trails.
The estimated $221,000 project involves the installation of a footbridge and trail extension in the lower portion of the park. Brooklyn is using a $150,000 Ohio Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trails Grant toward the effort, with the city covering the balance.
The project will connect Roadoan Road back to the park with a walking trail, a footbridge over the creek on the east end and connectors to give more residents access to the park.
“That’s to add a trail extension over to the Brooklyn Historical Society on Ridge Road, as well as redo the trail that is connecting to Roadoan Road, which obviously residents have been used to with the ford there,” Gallagher said.
Work is set to begin next month, with the trail extension, new footbridge and trail repaving taking place in 2022.
“I think we’ll see a nice, complete project by the summer of next year,” Gallagher said. “It’s not only updating but improving connections, too, by offering an additional trail connection off Ridge Road to people to access who live on the east side of Brooklyn, just like the people on the west side off Roadoan can access the park.
“I urge residents to go down there and check out the educational boards explaining the project, which long term will be a really good thing for the city.”
Read more news from the Parma Sun Post.
Ad Choices