BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — The Cuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP) has started to remove more than a dozen vacant buildings throughout the park to restore natural landscapes for visitors, a spokesperson for the park announced Thursday.
The CVNP received $2 million in funding from the Great American Outdoors Act to allow the removal of non-historic buildings and increase recreational opportunities for visitors.
The 33 non-historic buildings and their surrounding areas were acquired decades ago with the intention of dismantling the structures and restoring the land for public use, the park said.
"CVNP was created to protect and restore the Cuyahoga River valley and provide recreational open space for people,” said Lisa Petit, Cuyahoga Valley National Park superintendent. “This project will revitalize 12 acres of parkland by returning it to its natural condition and help us provide visitors with a safer, more enjoyable experience.”
The Beaver Marsh, which is noted as one of the most diverse natural communities in the park, started as a similar clean-up effort. The area had previously been a farm and then after that a junkyard, which was cleaned and restored, and now it’s a popular destination for visitors. Read more about it here.
The project is expected to be completed in spring 2022.
The contractor selected for the project is a veteran-owned, local business.
The CVNP said by removing the buildings, some of which have been vandalized and pose a safety risk, will eliminate more than $7 million of maintenance backlog for the facilities in charge of overseeing them.
The buildings are throughout the park, so they are not concentrating on any one area.
"It should not interfere with visitors' experience, although they may see some of the work as they drive through the park," a park spokesperson said.
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