Swimming could be returning to Euclid Beach this summer after Cleveland Metroparks commissioners approved $569,000 in improvements there.
The beach has been off-limits to swimmers since last summer, following the discovery of metal and other debris underwater. The plan is to start removing the debris, and connecting three of the breakwalls, in April. MetroParks' Chief Planning and Design Officer Sean McDermott says the goal is for Euclid Beach to be ready for swimmers by early June, with more work in the future on nearby Villa Angela beach.
“We will continue this effort in connecting these off-shore breakwaters, so that one day that entire stretch of beach is sustainable and acceptable to have swimming.”
The breakwaters are the rock formations jutting out of the water, which are in-place to reduce beach erosion. The Euclid Beach project will also replace the pier that was once part of Euclid Beach Amusement Park, but McDermott says that will take years, not months.
“Unfortunately, because of the way the original pier was constructed, it’s beyond its useful life. It’s reached its functional obsolescence. What we do propose will pay homage to the history of the park and the history of Euclid Beach. But unfortunately, that does mean replacing and razing the current pier.”
McDermott adds that three of the beach’s breakwalls will be connected this spring, with the rest being connected in the future. The breakwalls are the rock formations jutting out of the water, which are in-place to reduce beach erosion. The gaps in-between the walls created cross currents that led to unpredictable rises and drop-offs in the lake floor.