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For Immediate Release
Release Date:Wednesday, January 11, 2023
National Park Service Contact:Pamela Barnes,pamela_barnes@nps.gov, 440-241-5857
Conservancy for CVNP Contact: Jennifer Bako,jbako@forcvnp.org, 330-657-2909 ext. 136
Former golf course property. Photo by Jack McCormick
National ParkServicepurchases198acres in the heart of Cuyahoga Valley National Park(CVNP) from Conservancy
Conservancy for CVNPtobeginenvironmental remediationin early 2023
BRECKSVILLE, Ohio -The National Park Service closed on the purchase of 198acres of the 213-acre former Brandywine Golf Course property on Dec. 28, 2022,from the Conservancy forCuyahoga Valley National Park (CVNP). This land purchase in the heart ofCVNP is an important part of the park’s long-term plan for improved public access and habitat restoration in the area. The remaining 15 acres of the property is retained by the Conservancy for CVNP.
“We aredelightedthat the transfer of the formerBrandywine Golf Course property to the National Park Service is now complete, officially adding this beautiful acreage to Cuyahoga Valley National Park for the benefit and enjoyment of our visitors and our communities now and into the future,”saidLisa Petit, Superintendent of Cuyahoga Valley National Park.“We are especially grateful to our partner, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park,for their tireless efforts to protect and remediate this property for the American public.”
Remediation work on the propertyis set to begin earlyin2023. The Conservancy for CVNP willoverseethe project withHZW Environmental Consultants of Mentor, Ohio, to assist in the execution and management of the remediationwork.This phase of the project is funded by an Ohio Brownfield Remediation Program grant awardfrom the Ohio Department of Development. As this important work continues, the property remains closed to the public for safety reasons.
“Since 2019, the Conservancy worked diligently to save this property in the heart of our park to protect habitat as well as create a space for all to enjoy the land and Cuyahoga River,” saidDebYandala, president and CEO, Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park. “We are grateful to the community, especially the individuals and foundations who stepped up to join us in our efforts to preserve this land for the National Park Service.”
Once the remediation phase is completelaterthis year,a site plan, including visitor amenities,will beestablishedin coordination with community/public input, especially the Village of Peninsula.Forprojectupdates, visitwww.forcvnp.org/riverfront.
Remediation, in this case, means the removal of contaminated soil. Sampling on the property identified the presence of mercury in the shallow soil of the tee boxes, putting greens and some fairways. The use of fungicides and herbicides containing mercury dates to the 1950s and continued through the 1990s. These products were routinely applied using industry-standard practices.
Mercury in this form is relatively immobile and there is no threat to humans on the property. The contaminated soil will be taken to a landfill equipped and approved to oversee this kind of soil and will be managed there in perpetuity.
CVNP encompassesover33,000 acresalong the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland and Akron, Ohio. Managed by the National Park Service, CVNP combines cultural, historical, recreational, and natural resources in one setting. For more information, visit us atwww.nps.gov/cuvaonFacebook,TwitterorInstagram,or call 440-717-3890.
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