CLEVELAND — Some Cleveland homeowners shared their last-minute concerns about the construction of a new Marion C. Seltzer school building on a significant portion of green space at Cudell Park and Recreation Center.
The planning and meetings on the project to replace the school building have been ongoing for several years, but some homeowners living across the street from the school, like Marlene Medley and Jamie Brazier, told News 5 they only learned about the project a few months ago.
“I was actually never notified until somebody in the neighborhood mentioned to me that the school was going to be torn down. This happened probably two months ago," Medley said. “In the City of Cleveland, if you go east, west, north or south of here, you will not see another park, I think this space is very, very important.”
Brazier showed News 5 a copy of the will submitted by prominent Cleveland Architect Frank Cudell, giving the park property to the City of Cleveland upon his death in 1916. Brazier read from a section of the will she believes instructs the city to keep the property as a park indefinitely.
“They never told us they wanted to build a totally new building; we would be fine with a refurbished building," Brazier said. "The will reads this land would then become the property of the City of Cleveland forever for park purposes and a part of Cudell Park Group.”
But Cleveland Metropolitan School District leaders said the deed for the park property did not carry any deed restrictions, and homeowners were assured during a July 11 meeting organized by Cleveland Councilwoman Jenny Spencer that a significant number of park trees would be saved during the new school construction.
The school district made it clear multiple community meetings were held over the past several years on the segment 8 master building plans to construct a new Marion C. Seltzer school for students K through 8.
The school district told News 5 that preliminary construction on the project will start this August, with the new school having a targeted completion date of August 2025. The school district told homeowners it couldn't build a new school on the existing school site because it did not have another location to conduct classes for students during the two-year building process.
Still, homeowners living near Cudell Park are hoping the district will live up to its promise to preserve trees and rebuild the green space for students and families. Medley is still hoping the school district will change its plan just weeks before the start of construction.
“They need to rethink this,” Medley said. “I think it’s a good idea to revamp the school, but I don’t think that taking the park is anywhere close to an agreeable situation.
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