The final step in the development of the Elek Springs property project has begun. The City of North Royalton and the Cleveland Metroparks have joined to provide this recreational opportunity for local residents. Elek Springs is located near the southwest area of Royalton and Bennett Roads.
In 2008, the City purchased the 14.8 acre property, called the “Old A. Elek Springs property,” located south of Rt. 82, west of Bennett Road and north of Akins Road. It was purchased for about $225,000, the money coming from the City’s recreation capital improvement fund, which was partially funded from a $200,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources for recreation. The area has a ravine and streams, as well as a natural spring. Two stone buildings, a small house and garage are also located on the property. There once was a pump house where spring water was sold in the mid-1900s. There are also some very old trees on the property. The City then transferred the property to the Metroparks in 2019.
Kelly Coffman, Metroparks Senior Strategic Park Planner, had stated that the proposed Elek Springs property plan will include a natural foot trail, will measure a couple of feet wide, which would loop within the interior of the property, and continue up to Royalton Road. She said that it would be about one-half mile in length. The trail will be run closer to the middle of the property, in an effort to give those on the path the full experience of being in the woods by not seeing the backs of the abutting houses. It also allows for more privacy for those homeowners.
In 2019, the Cleveland Metroparks purchased the approximate 3.1-acre property at 14702 Bennett Road for about $185,000. The purchase of the Bennett Road property then gave the park a more natural access point. The property is located next to an all-purpose path that runs along the western side of Bennett Road south to Valley Parkway, which ultimately provides a connection to the Brecksville Reservation and beyond. The Brecksville Reservation is the largest reservation in the Metroparks, with nearly 4,000 acres. The house was then demolished in 2021.
At the time of the Bennett Road property purchase, the path stopped at South Akins. The City then completed the Bennett Road path in 2023, as part of an agreement with the Metroparks.
Community Development Director Tom Jordan was happy to report that “they are finally implementing the plan.” He said that the Metroparks was doing the project in-house. “They had a gap, so they put their construction into place.”
Jim Rodstrom, Metroparks Director of Construction, said that a gravel parking lot will be formed on Bennett Road that will lead to the natural foot trail, totaling a half-mile length, and will have a combination of natural trail and about 450 total of a wooden boardwalk. According to Rodstrom, the Elek Springs property will connect Rt. 82 to Bennett at that driveway, which then connects to Valley Parkway, via the pathway that currently runs down Bennett Road on the west side of the street. “We will have a very modest 3-5 car parking lot with trail signage that shows the layout of the trail. Rodstrom indicated that “we should be wrapping up construction by the end of the year to unveil it in the early spring.”
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer
