South Main Street Parking

The meeting was requested by the Police Department to discuss parking restrictions on South Main Street. South Main Street is a two-lane street and parking is allowed on most the western (southbound) side of the street. No parking is allowed on the eastern (northbound) side. Lt. Weiskopf explained that there have been seven documented crashes on South Main Street between 2019 and today. Parked vehicles were not contributing factors to those crashes. However, the department still believes that parked vehicles create a dangerous situation on certain stretches of the road where the slope makes it difficult for drivers to see oncoming traffic when attempting to pass a parked vehicle. They are not recommending a complete ban on parking on South Main Street – only specific areas and times of day when a parked vehicle is most likely to create a safety issue.

This is the intersection of East Orange, North, and Mill Streets in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. The speed limit on all three streets is 25 mph. There is a single crosswalk on Mill Street connecting the eastern sidewalk on North Street to the south (and only) sidewalk on Mill Street. This sidewalk flows uninterrupted to the southern sidewalk on East Orange Street. Within 500 feet of this intersection you’ll find a library, a church, a preschool, a village park, a walking trail, an arboretum, the Chagrin River, and about a dozen residences. We are reviewing this intersection in response to residents’ concerns regarding the safety of the pedestrian crosswalk and the intersection in general. We also anticipate increased vehicle traffic at this intersection during the impending Main Street bridge construction.

Park Events

Jocelynn Ray would like to host kids yoga in Triangle Park on the third Saturday of the month at 10:00am from May through September. We voted to recommend it to council.

The 34th Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure will bring 1,000 cyclist to Chagrin Falls as a Wednesday morning stop on a 400-mile, week-long bicycle tour of Northeast Ohio. We had a few questions about the timing and logistics of the event that we’re following up on, so we didn’t actually vote on this one.

Stroll Gates Mill submitted an application for an outing to ETalian and Bell Street Park, but I didn’t see anything in it that indicated the need for an event permit. It’s just a group of people visiting a park. Nevertheless, we voted to recommend it to council.

Little Free Library in Whitesburg

There was some more discussion about the Little Free Library being proposed for Whitesburg Nature Preserve. There are some doubts about the usefulness of a library in this location and some concern about setting a precedent for individual-initiated projects in village parks. However consensus seemed to be that there was little risk in letting this one move forward, and it’s at least consistent with the existing Little Free Libraries in River Run and Riverside Parks.

But first, we approved two park events, for Chagrin Valley Little Theatre’s Shakespeare By the Falls (August 12 & 13) and Chagrin Documentary Film Fest (October 3 - 8).

Riverside Park Pavilion

As I’ve mentioned before, the old skating shelter in Riverside Park has reached the end of its useful life. Council voted to approve its demolition in time for Blossom and Art By The Falls.

On Apr 5, 2023, at 8:54 am, Sue Reid wrote:

Hi Brian: Can you explain exactly where you are suggesting the Skating Shelter be?

Thank you,

Sue Reid
CVT

We had a full agenda for Wednesday’s meeting, including two park event applications, multiple proposed park projects, and a decision on the Riverside Park pavilion location.

Park Events

Shakespeare By the Falls (August 12 & 13) and the Chagrin Documentary Film Fest (October 3 - 8) will both return this year. The film fest requested the option to screen documentaries in Triangle Park if Riverside is inaccessible due to the the Main Street Bridge project. The commission voted to recommend both events to council.

Little Free Library in Whitesburg

Chagrin Falls resident Allison Siegel has requested to install a Little Free Library in Whitesburg Nature Preserve in memory of Alex Chavez. Some concerns were raised about the possibility of damage from vandalism and/or weather in such a remote location, but we agreed that the risks were minor and the worst-case scenario would only be having to replace or remove it. The commission voted in favor of recommending it to village council.

Park Events

We reviewed three park event applications and passed each without much discussion, as they are all familiar annual events. The Chagrin Valley Jaycees will hold the Blossom Time Festival from May 24 – 28 in Riverside Park. Chagrin Yoga is once again offering Yoga By the Falls in Triangle Park from 9:00 – 10:00am on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays in June, July, and August. And the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce will host the Simple Summer Concert Series in Triangle Park from 6:00 – 8:00pm on Thursday nights from June 15 – August 10.

Skating Shelter

If you’ve been in Riverside Park lately you might have noticed that the shelter is fenced off. In early August it was determined to be unstable and unsafe for use. The village administration has been working with contractors and currently has one proposal with three options ranging from a rehabilitation of the current structure to a complete rebuild with the addition of a brick floor and wood-shingled roof.

Valley Art Center proposed a public art installation in Riverside Park from World Art Day to Earth Day (April 15 - 22, 2023). The project – by Cleveland artist Ron Shelton – will be comprised of recycled material installed on the chain link fence overlooking the waterfall.

The plan also calls for the installation to continue on to and up the large sycamore tree. Chairwoman Anne deConingh and I were not in favor of this aspect of the project and preferred that the artist use the nearby lamp post instead, but others Commission members were less concerned. Representatives from the village administration and services department had no objections, based on the fact that the art will be attached with picture wire (no nails or screws) and only remain for one week. I asked that the village inspect and sign off on the installation once it was complete, and the commission voted unanimously to recommend the event to village council at our next meeting.