Welcome Home - Public-Private Deal Structure.

We are extremely fortunate to have West Creek Conservancy and Zaclon LLC as partners in the project. The Zaclon site has been a chemical processing facility since the 1850's. We are working with the WRLC and Zaclon to create a 2.76 acre park, public access boat launch, and boathouse for CWRU Crew.

Environmentally Sound.

The ownership of Zaclon has worked for a number of years to environmentally remediate the site in order to activate the site for other uses. Large chunks of their 36 acre site was remediated and the parcel for Zaclon River Landing was deemed the best for a public park and boathouse. Other nearby remediated parcels will remain in commercial/industrial use for the time being.

WCC - Conservation Partner.

The West Creek Conservancy mission is to:

protect local natural areas, open spaces, streams and waterways right here in our community. We�re reclaiming vacant urban lands and restoring streams, wetlands, woods and natural habitats. And we�re establishing trails and greenways to link people and neighborhoods not only to these special places, but to each other as well.

With more detail here.

The WCC functions as a "land bank" for all intents and purposes. They partner with a non-profit to acquire land to preserve into prpetuity said land for use as a park, public space, habitat protection, etc. They work with land owners and often act as a pre-acquisition agent to support a public partner - of which, SARA is one. They then connect public and private funding sources to acquire land on behalf of the public partner.

For Zaclon River Landing, WCC will acquire the site and once acquired transfer ownership to SARA to run as a public park and boathouse.

Temporary Tenants, Long Term Owners.

WCC took full ownership of the property in December 2023. The purchase agreement includes the land and the three buildings on the 2.76 acre parcel. SARA currently leases the site and both parties are working together to remediate and develop the site. Both WCC and SARA have access to different pools of potential donors. WCC is focused on acquiring the site, remediating asbestos, creating greenspace, and building out the public access ramp to the river via public funds and grants. SARA is primarily focused on overall project management, providing boathouse ammenities and the floating dock via private and corporate grants.

At the conclusion of the remediation and build-out of the site, WCC will turn over ownership of the site to SARA. Short term tenants, eventual owners!!!

As owners of the site, we now have numerous revenue generating options to fund the ongoing expenses of the site and ultimately pay for a full time coaching staff.

SARA's Committment.

SARA's primary commitment is to improve the site and turn it into a boathouse and public space. Even though the site acquisition costs will be borne by the WCC, we still need to raise considerable funds to activate the site as a boathouse. WCC's willingness to support the project is directly related to our ability to realize the project's scope and vision.

The great news is via early conversations with the City of Cleveland, Metroparks and Vision for the Valley, there will be significant support for the project. Many grants are potentially available for many of the public aspects of the project. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has many grants available for paddle sport access and safety. Keep an eye on the "News" section for more details.

Even though the WCC's track record for completing projects with full funding is exceptional, if for some reason they could not complete the full funding round to acquire the property SARA may need to dip into our own resources to fill the gap. The goal of the project is to have all of our fundraising to go into site improvements, but providing a back stop is part of our commitment.