Frank's term

As we start with a new slate of officers and directors, a big thank you goes out to outgoing President Frank Skala,  Here is a summary of the programs under his term.  

• Sept. 2010 - Meiring Borcherds, FOEC web site update
• October 2010 - Claire Posius, Barb Holtz, watershed issues 
• November 2010 - Dianne Bickett, Director of Solid Waste District, recycling 
• December 2010 - Barb Pophal, holiday party/fund raiser
• Jan. 2011 - Claire Posius, Watershed Planning Guide review
• Feb. 2011 - Ginny Avemi, mapping future watershed projects
• March 2011 - Tom Evans, URS, watershed planning
• April 2011 - Claire Posius, Cuyahoga Soil and Water Conservation update
• May 2011 - Cleveland Metroparks Staff, Master Plan update
• June 2011 - Ken Messinger-Rapport, gas well drilling, Gasland
• July 2011 - Summer picnic, Euclid Creek Reservation 
• August 2011 - Lou Rifici, water quality monitoring in Euclid Creek 
• September 2011 - Joe Logan, Ohio Environmental Council, water quality
• October 2011 -Tour of Mayfair Country Club
• November 2011 - Larry McFadden, photography contest recognition 
• December 2011 - Barb Pophol, holiday party/fund raiser
• January 2012 - Jim Bell, Park Manager, Euclid Creek Metro Parks, upcoming plans 
• February 2012 - Meiring Borcherds, Cuyahoga County Dept. of Health, climate change
• March 2012 - Frank Greenland, Regional Sewer District, upcoming plans
• April 2012 - Member to member talks - Barb Holtz, Christi Carlson, Lou Drasler, Rick Evans, Connie Herron
• May 2012 - Barb Holtz, Cleveland Metroparks, Euclid Creek Metroparks spring wildflower and vegetation walk  
• June 2012  - Nidia Arguedas, Ph.D., Cleveland Metroparks Conservation Planner, Metroparks capital improvement plans for Euclid Creek Reservation
• July 2012 - Annual picnic, Rear Quarry Reserved Area, Euclid Creek Metroparks

Victory in Highland Heights

Note to readers:  Ken Messinger Rapport wrote this article for Euclid Creek Chronicles, the newsletter of the Friends of Euclid Creek.    

    

As some of you may be aware, for the past five years, the residents of Highland Heights, including many past and present officers and board members of the Friends of Euclid Creek, have been doing battle to prevent oil and gas wells from being drilled in the Highland Heights Community Park. 

The entrance to the park is located off of Wilson Mills Road west of Lander, and it contains vital portions of the Euclid Creek Watershed as it is composed of nearly 35 acres,  approximately a quarter of which remains heavily wooded.  

These woods, as you read in your last newsletter, are critical to catching rain and allowing it to percolate slowly into the ground, recharging underground aquifers, and preventing surging stormwater runoffs which are a primary cause of raw sewage overflows into the creek, and thence into Lake Erie.  So it is that the park and its wooded areas comprise one of the last remaining natural sources of water for the Euclid Creek, and thus drinking water from Lake Erie.  Unfortunately, it was precisely these wooded areas that would have borne the greatest impact from the installation of two hydraulically fractured oil and gas wells as planned by the Highland Heights City Council under a lease contract with Bass Energy. 

The City entered into the contract late in 2006 with plans to erect the wells in 2007, but nearby residents, and fate, intervened. 

Initially neighbors of the park organized to oppose the final authorization of the wells by City Council, but in the midst of that process a gas well explosion in Bainbridge, Ohio caused the Highland Heights Mayor, Scott Coleman, and the members of City Council to reconsider the wisdom of placing wells in the City’s park so close to residents’ homes. 

Thereupon the City attempted to rescind the lease with Bass but eight months later a lawsuit was filed by Bass alleging breach of contract.    In the meantime, city residents organized with the help of FOEC President, Frank Skala; and, Treasurer, Ken Messinger-Rapport; and local activist Amy Feran placed a Charter Amendment on the 2008 general election ballot to clearly ban oil and gas development in the City’s parks. 

That ballot initiative passed by a whopping 73% margin sending a strong, clear message to the Mayor and City Council that residents overwhelmingly opposed oil and gas wells in the Community Park.   

Despite this victory, the lawsuit dragged on—the suit had been filed prior to the passage of the Charter Amendment and therefore, the Amendment could not legally affect the rights of the parties to the suit.  

Thus, although residents generally regarded the matter as resolved they were surprised to learn after this most recent fall election, that in fact it was not.   City leaders proposed a settlement with Bass that would have allowed two hydraulically fractured wells to be drilled in the park.   Once again residents responded with unbounded opposition to the plan for wells. 

The Friends of Euclid Creek presented a letter to Council and the Mayor outlining the many hazards of oil and gas drilling, and particularly fracking, in such an environmentally critical area.  

Among the speakers,  Ken Messinger-Rapport explained that given the proposed locations of these wells any escape of fracking fluid would inevitably end up flowing into Euclid Creek and then into Lake Erie the primary source of drinking water for northeastern Ohio. 

At a later meeting, past FOEC president and current board member (and past Highland Heights Mayor)Fran Hogg demonstrated before Council how just a small amount of fracking fluid contamination can completely taint the drinking water sources we all depend on for our survival. 

With overwhelming opposition to the proposed settlement again apparent, Council voted unanimously on March 27th to oppose the installation of wells in the Park sending the matter back to the legal arena, this time for arbitration.  The matter is once again negotiations, and reportedly, a monetary settlement is near.   

With the wells blocked once and for all, this is a victory for citizens who demonstrated that when determined and organized, they can get politicians to pay attention and act for the environment and the public good rather than the lure of monetary gain. 

Additional note to readers: Ken notes that the $600,000 settlement has been finalized.   

Steering committee

Present at the May 15 meeting were Frank, Rick, Jeanette, Carolyn, Christi, Lou, Larry, Meiring, Fran Hogg, Steve Albro, Ginny, and Ken.  Frank called the meeting to order around 7:00PM at the South Euclid Library. 

June 5 meeting

We discussed speakers.  Larry explained about the water quality monitoring program presentation prepared by the students of Lou Rifici at Tri-C. These students expressed an interest in attending our June meeting but have not yet confirmed. 

Nominations and proposed organizational changes

Frank led the discussion of the nomination for the upcoming term and his proposed organizational changes. 

LEAF donation

We voted to provide $150 to support the Cleveland Natural History Museum Conservation Symposium speaker’s fund. The event is September 8.  The speaker would discuss research on devastation done by non-native earth worms.

Adopt-a-Beach

We voted to provide $100 as budgeted to support native plant acquisition, with the recommendation from Meiring that the purchase is for plants in containers that are smaller than one gallon.

Scholarship

We agreed that Ken should place $500 into the upcoming budget for the scholarship.

Emails with listing of volunteer hours 

Larry requested that everyone provide him with estimates of our volunteer hours, starting with last January.

Bishop Road property

We discussed options and the proposal that we work with West Creek to bid on the property.