Will you commit to developing parks and greenspaces in your Ward so that 100% of Clevelanders have access to a high-quality park within a 10-minute walk from their home? If yes, how would you do this?

According to The Trust for Public Land’s 2021 ParkScore(R) rankings, 83% of Clevelanders currently live within a 10-minute walk from a park. You can learn more about the 10 minute walk campaign and Cleveland’s overall ParkScore(R) at www.tpl.org/city/cleveland-ohio

Jenny Spencer: I have a good deal of experience in this work thanks to the decade I spent at Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization (DSCDO). I am committed to developing parks and greenspaces in Ward 15 and would utilize two primary approaches in order to do so: the City of Cleveland’s capital budget and public/private/non-profit partnerships.

The City of Cleveland’s capital budget has yielded beautiful and beneficial outcomes in Ward 15 over the 13 years I have lived here. The Michael J. Zone Recreation Center greenspace improvements (2010) were thoughtfully completed with both heavily utilized amenities (including splash park, soccer fields, a handball court, and basketball courts) as well as native plants and bioswales to capture stormwater runoff. Improvements at Zone Rec continue to this day, with a recent community tree planting in partnership with the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, as well as a trailhead connection to the Metroparks’ brand-new Red Line Greenway. The Miriam Ortiz-Rush Park improvements, completed in 2019, have been a highlight of my career. Formerly called Lawn-Madison, the park was viewed as a detriment to the community. DSCDO helped to acquire contiguous vacant parcels to expand the park’s footprint. This, in conjunction with a $500,000+ capital investment by the City and combined with resident feedback, resulted in a rejuvenated park, complete with public art by a neighborhood artist, improved sight lines and lighting, and a joyful play space for kids. Miriam Ortiz-Rush is the first City of Cleveland park to be named for a Latina and its importance cannot be understated, since it is the only major greenspace within walking distance for a large segment of the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood (streets south of Madison Avenue and west of West 73rd). Within the next few years, both Lake Pool Park and Herman Park in Ward 15 are slated for capital improvements. It will be essential that residents are meaningfully involved in planning for those two parks.

Public/private/non-profit partnerships have resulted in unique spaces in Ward 15 that provide a sense of pride and identity. Examples include the Dudley Triangle Pocket Park at West 73rd and Elton, the Franklin Reading Garden at 65th and Franklin, and the new “sunrise steps” adjacent to Garrett Morgan High School, which was a collaboration between the Trust for Public Land, the City of Cleveland, DSCDO, LAND Studio, Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD), and neighborhood residents.

In planning and developing greenspace, equity, access and maintenance must be kept at the forefront. Although Ward 15 is anchored to the north by Edgewater Park, there have not always been safe routes for families, pedestrians and cyclists to access the lakefront. The West 65th Street improvements (underway) are an important way that poor access is being remedied. Especially for pocket parks or non-publicly owned greenspaces, it is very important to have a post-improvement maintenance plan in place to provide stewardship and “eyes” on the space. I have learned the hard way that community assets can turn into detriments without proper care and maintenance.

In your role as councilperson, would you commit to conducting an independent, third-party quality assessment of city parks during the first year in office? If yes, how will you measure equity while performing this assessment?

We define equity as “just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Unlocking the promise of the nation by unleashing the promise in us all.”

Jenny Spencer: Yes, I would be supportive of such an assessment. In assessing our parks, it’s important to also assess the conditions around them. Demographic data should be studied within a 10-minute walking radius of the park to understand racial makeup and economic conditions. Safe routes to access the greenspace should be considered, including ADA accessibility. Finally, public health data could be used to target or identify health disparities in the immediate area: increased tree canopy coverage, for example, can go a long way towards addressing conditions such as asthma or heart disease.

How would you specifically prioritize racial equity while investing in the Cleveland parks system?

Neighborhood parks support residents through improving physical and mental health outcomes, providing safe and welcoming spaces for recreation, promoting economic activity, and improving air quality.  Many residents, especially those who are predominately black and brown- do not have access to these benefits because of lack of or poor quality greenspaces in their neighborhoods.

Jenny Spencer: Data should be disaggregated by race so we can have an honest conversation around who is benefiting from existing greenspaces, and who is suffering from lack of quality greenspaces. It’s tempting to look at Ward 15 and think that because we’re home to Edgewater Park, we do not have an equity issue when it comes to park access. While residents from all over Ward 15 can and do use Edgewater Park, many residents still do not have day-to-day access to a quality greenspace for healthy recreation.

We can and should think creatively about opportunities to increase community access to greenspace. For example, CMSD will soon renovate Joseph M. Gallagher School and its grounds as part of the Segment 8 facility improvements. While Gallagher is a schoolyard by day, after hours and on weekends it’s a heavily utilized community greenspace within walking distance of a diverse cross-section of Ward 15. In planning for Gallagher site improvements, community access and use must be incorporated into planning and design. (My dream is to ensure that site plans include a magnificent playground for both students and neighborhood kids.)

How would you ensure that parks and greenspaces are physically accessible for all Clevelanders?

Park amenities as well as paths and routes to the parks impact residents ability to use and enjoy our parks system. 

Jenny Spencer: As cited above, not only should park design be inclusive of all ages and abilities, but safe routes to parks and greenspaces for all ages and abilities are equally important. A recent, significant “win” in Ward 15 is the Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program (PSIP) grant awarded to the City of Cleveland by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). The PSIP grant will implement 62 pedestrian safety improvements across the City of Cleveland, including 8 locations in Ward 15. At Miriam Ortiz-Rush Park (mentioned above), a new crosswalk will be installed at West 74th Street, allowing for a long-overdue, safe north-west crossing across Madison Avenue.

How would you specifically ensure community input was a part of the planning, development, and improvement of parks and greenspaces in your Ward?

Jenny Spencer: Using Miriam Ortiz-Rush Park as an example, many layers of community process took place over time. The Southwest Detroit Shoreway Neighborhood Plan lay out the community’s needs and vision and elevated the priority of park renovations at that site. As the City of Cleveland was designing the park itself, on-site design sessions and charettes were held to capture community ideas and priorities, with lots of legwork (door knocking and flyering) to ensure that nearby neighbors were aware of the opportunity to participate. Finally, the public art selection process for the park included two residents on the committee. The only thing I would change or improve about the above process would be to ensure that it is completely bilingual, with all materials in English and Spanish, incorporating other languages for newcomers where possible.

How would you provide resources to residents so they can advocate and care for neighborhood parks through programming, maintenance, and ongoing stewardship?

It is vital that residents be empowered with the information and tools necessary to care for their local parks. For example, programs like Philadelphia’s Parks & Recreation Summer Youth Employment Program help create a pipeline of park advocates. 

Jenny Spencer: The maintenance plan for the Dudley Triangle Pocket Park in Ward 15 includes a resident-led group called Team:Work, which crowdsources dollars from neighbors in order to pay and employ youth, with adult oversight, to cut grass, mulch, trim trees, remove litter and keep the park generally maintained. I would love to incorporate additional programs and create a pipeline of park advocates. Many Ward 15 residents have already become Tree Stewards through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, and it would be terrific to recruit more. Ward 15 resident Alex Robertson started Lawn Life Cleveland. While Lawn Life is no longer active, it’s a model worth exploring for replication.

Will you commit to partnering with relevant agencies to create a coordinated and transparent parks and greenspace master plan that prioritizes both neighborhood and destination parks? How would you go about this process?

Jenny Spencer: I commit to partnering with relevant agencies and would be enthusiastic to participate in such a plan. In the near future, Northwest Neighborhoods CDC (the merged organization of the former DSCDO and Cudell Improvement, Inc.) will undergo planning for all three of the neighborhoods it serves, which encompasses most of Ward 15. Creating and improving greenspace will certainly be a priority of the plan, and equity should be at the forefront: both resident access to destination parks and equitable investment in neighborhood parks.

As a member of Council, would you commit to the creation of a standalone Parks & Recreation Department, with cabinet-level leadership and experienced staff? How would you ensure this department was adequately staffed and funded?

Currently the parks and recreation services must compete with several other citywide services within the Division of Public works.

Jenny Spencer: I am very interested in informing and educating myself about this topic. If elected to City Council, I hope to cultivate an active and heathy relationship with the new Mayor’s administration and to be an ally in restructuring City services to achieve desired outcomes. In addition to the Parks & Recreation Department, I’d like to see an infusion of resources into the City’s Division of Urban Forestry.

How will you increase transparency around this funding process and ensure that funding is invested equitably?

Throughout our engagement with 100+ stakeholders, it was consistently mentioned that people lack clarity around the City of Cleveland’s parks investment process for park improvement and maintenance. This was even true amongst professionals who work on public space investment.

Jenny Spencer: While transparency around the City of Cleveland’s capital budget has increased in recent years, there is significant room for improvement. Cleveland City Council is uniquely positioned to use its budget approval and oversight function and responsibilities in order to ask tough questions and understand how funding streams are allocated. I would anticipate that Council will work collaboratively with the new Mayor’s administration, while simultaneously keeping transparency and accountability at the forefront.