Overview:
This guide is co-published through a partnership with the Cleveland Parks & Greenspace Coalition and Trust for Public Land (TPL). The coalition advocates for an equitable parks and recreation system and supports resident-led stewardship and activation of city parks. TPL works to connect all Ohioans to the outdoors through land conservation, parks, trails and schoolyards. This article is written by Tait Ferguson, coordinator for the coalition. This guide is specifically for City of Cleveland parks, not Cleveland Metroparks.
Are you or a group of neighbors interested in making small improvements to your city-owned park? Maybe painting picnic tables or planting a tree? The City of Cleveland recently released a new, streamlined process for getting your community-led projects approved. It’s called the Community Projects in Parks Program (CP3).
What is a small improvement? Who can apply?
The new CP3 process defines small improvements as projects that will take less than a year to complete and will not cause a serious safety hazard or risk to the public while being completed.
There is no limit on who can apply to complete a project in their city park, whether you are working as an individual or with a group of neighbors.
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What do I need to get my small park project approved?
Right now, you need a project proposal and a certificate of insurance.
- A project proposal should include a description of the individual or group proposing the project, a map of the park demonstrating where the improvement would be, a detailed description of the project, and a maintenance plan.
- Although a certificate of insurance, also known as a COI, is not typically required for small-scale projects, the Cleveland Department of Law is reviewing this. So a COI may be required until a final determination is made. Reach out to the Parks & Greenspace Coalition for assistance navigating this requirement at parkscoalitioncle@gmail.com.
If the park you hope to work in already has an established community group in a stewardship agreement with the city, you will need to get approval from this group first. You should include this approval in the project proposal described above.
How do I submit my Cleveland park project proposal?
The project leader should email the project proposal and any required attachments to the CP3 administrator.
CP3 review meetings occur at 9 a.m. on the first and third Wednesday of every month.
Your CP3 application must be submitted by the close of business (that’s 5 p.m.) the Friday before the next scheduled meeting in order to get on its agenda.
What happens next?
Once submitted, CP3 will review your project proposal at the next scheduled meeting. There are five possible actions:
- Approve the project.
- Deny the project with reasoning provided.
- Hold for more discussion at the next meeting.
- Request more information.
- Request changes.
Once the project is approved by the CP3 Review Committee, it will be forwarded to the Director of Parks & Recreation to either:
- Approve the project.
- Deny the project with reasoning provided.
Approval does not mean you can begin your project immediately. All projects require the project sponsor and the city to enter into a license agreement. These will be drafted by the Division of Real Estate and the law department and will take additional time.
If you have more questions, you can reach out to parkscoalitioncle@gmail.com.
Do you have a question about parks and greenspace in your community? Connect with the Parks and Greenspace Coalition and submit your question here. You can learn more about the Trust for Public Land’s work in Ohio here.