Residents urge city to oppose sewer district plans that would alter Shaker Lakes

Multiple residents told Cleveland Heights City Council on Aug. 4 they oppose plans by the Northeast Ohio Sewer District that they say would remove or drastically alter Lower Lake and Horseshoe Lake in the Shaker Lakes park system. Corby Roberts said the sewer district “is not to turn it into a natural space at all, but rather they're turning it into a sewer, space,” and accused the district of planning a maintenance road, removing trees and failing to perform archaeological studies of Native American artifacts. “They are not going to retain the Shaker artifacts that are there,” Roberts said. Penny Allen, president of Friends of Horseshoe Lake, and other speakers disputed the sewer district’s cost estimates and engineering claims. Allen said earlier district estimates put Lower Lake repair at about $13.6 million in 2021 and later at roughly $43.4 million, and she called for realistic cost estimates and for local remediation options that she said would be less expensive. Other residents — including Melody Joy Hart, Erin Flanagan and Jennifer Wintner — urged the city to pursue preservation funding and to demand access to the sewer district’s studies and cost estimates. Flanagan, who identified herself as having a degree in environmental management and experience in finance, told council, “There is nothing that the Northeast Ohio Sewer District needs to do with our lakes.” Mayor Saren and President Cuda announced two public sessions in the coming weeks: a joint meeting with Shaker Heights and the sewer district on Aug. 11 and a sewer-district session in Cleveland Heights on Aug. 20 with both an afternoon and evening session. President Cuda asked that public commenters keep remarks to two minutes and said the Aug. 11 session would accept questions. No legislative action on the sewer district’s proposals was before council on Aug. 4. Several speakers recommended the city obtain independent engineering reviews or pursue historic and conservation grant funding to preserve the lakes. Council members said they would consider independent review options when they hear the sewer district’s presentation at the joint meeting.