Cuyahoga County’s biggest winner dollar-wise in the Ohio capital budget was the North Coast Connector land bridge. It got a $20 million boost for the $230 million project that could improve linkages between Downtown Cleveland, its Lake Erie waterfront, a future multimodal transportation hub and possibly a renovated stadium (FO). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
A list of the many projects countywide
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he is eager to sign the largest capital budget in the state’s history. This $4.2 billion goody bag of Senators’ and Representatives’ gifts to their constituents was passed yesterday, resulting from a strong economy and robust tax revenues that fed a record budget surplus. In that goody bag are things ranging in size from $2,250 for the Solon Innovation Center to $20 million for Downtown Cleveland’s North Coast Connector land bridge.
The amount of construction due from this two-year capital program could be substantial, if construction companies can increase their hiring and fix their supply issues. Ever since the pandemic, material supply problems have plagued the construction industry, delaying many projects. That could be the biggest downside in this state capital program which, if not addressed, could see unspent appropriations pulled back in two years if the economy dips.
In government, just because a law has an appropriation with your project’s name on it, doesn’t mean you get the money. It still has to be administered by the designated department or agency before June 30, 2026. And with most of the appropriations in this capital budget, it is being backed by bonds from the state which still have to be issued and sold.
Ohio’s capital projects goody bag was itemized in a 343-page Senate bill 292 that was not organized by city or county but by departments and fund type. So finding all of the amounts applicable to Cuyahoga County wasn’t simple. But NEOtrans sifted through that bill and pulled out most of the budgeted amounts, called appropriations.
Another Downtown Cleveland waterfront got $10 million worth of love from the state’s capital budget, with two budgeted amounts for Bedrock’s Tower City-Riverfront development (Adjaye Associates).
This article is actually more of a list of what amounts we’ve found in Cuyahoga County, minus some small stuff. And it should be noted that the amounts shown here aren’t necessarily the total cost of each project. Rather, it is how much funding the state is directing to each project. For example, the North Coast Connector land bridge is estimated to be a $230 million project, so the state’s contribution, however large, will still fund less than 10 percent of it.
Higher Education Improvement Fund-1
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY (reappropriations from the 2023-24 capital budget)
Basic Renovations $700,000
Science Research Building Renovation and Expansion $21,000,000
IT Security Upgrade and Data Center Restructuring $451,106
Tower City/City Block $2,000,000
Anatomy Laboratory Renovation $3,000,000
Rhodes Tower Renewal Phase I $3,195,697
MetroHealth Senior Health and Wellness Center $450,000
MacDonald Women’s Hospital Healthy Women Initiative $200,000
United Way of Greater Cleveland Building Renovations $150,000
Kenmore Commons Improvements $150,000
Goodwill Industries Training Center $50,000
UH Perrico Health Center Rainbow Babies $750,000
CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY (new appropriations)
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Improvements $10,500,000
Campus-Wide Building Envelopes Rehabilitation and Stabilization $4,000,000
Life Safety, IT, and Security Projects $1,279,731
Bellefaire Child and Youth Services Center $750,000
The building with the green roof along Euclid Avenue is Cleveland State University’s planned $21 million Corporate Connector building which fronts the science building that will be renovated (Sasaki).
CUYAHOGA COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Basic Renovations $7,465,941
Wayfinding Signage Upgrades $1,500,000
Enrollment, Financial Aid, Advising Center Renovations $3,500,000
Corporate College Renovations $1,200,000
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Cleveland Christian Home – Child Wellness Campus $1,500,000
Applewood Centers Inc. $425,000
May Dugan Center Renovation $400,000
Higher Education Improvement Fund-2
Ohio University
CWRU Dental Clinic Relocation $200,000
Cleveland State University
MetroHealth Senior Health and Wellness Center $450,000
MacDonald Women’s Hospital Healthy Women Initiative $200,000
United Way of Greater Cleveland Building Renovations $150,000
Kenmore Commons Improvements $150,000
At lower right is the 5115 The Rising development on Broadway Avenue in Cleveland’s Slavic Village with Downtown Cleveland in the distance. The University Settlement, a neighborhood social services center, is raising capital to relocate into The Rising from its nearby, decrepit home of the past 36 years (RDL).
Kent State University
Severance Music Center $500,000
Kulas Hall Renovation – Cleveland Institute of Music $500,000
Cuyahoga Community College
University Settlement Broadway Rising Project $150,000
The Lyric Center $75,000
Greater Cleveland Foodbank $750,000
Shoes 4Kids $175,000
West Side Catholic Center – Housing Self-Sufficiency Program $150,000
The Cleveland Institute of Art $550,000
Construction Based Trades Academy $200,000
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Cleveland Tower City and Bedrock Development Activities $2,000,000
Downtown Cleveland Lakefront Access Project $5,000,000
Irishtown Bend and Canal Basin Park $850,000
Scranton Trail Project (Cleveland) $750,000
Solon to Chagrin Falls Multi-Purpose Trail $400,000
Solon-Chagrin Falls Multi-Purpose Trail $300,000
Chagrin River Trail $300,000
Mandel Jewish Community Center Preston’s H.O.P.E Playground $210,000
Bradstreet’s Landing Pier, Lakefront Access and Resiliency Improvements $200,000
Center Gateway Improvement Project – Rocky River $200,000
Restore Rockefeller (Park) $150,000
In Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood, the city-owned but independently managed West Side Market is eligible to receive up to $2.9 million from the state for continued renovations of the 112-year-old market house at Lorain Avenue and West 25th Street (Google).
Cultural and Sports Facilities Building Fund
Variety Theater $85,000
Cleveland Music Hall $400,000
Variety Theatre $250,000
West Side Market Renovation $500,000 (more funding noted later)
Cultural and Sports Facilities Projects
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Great Lakes Science Center $1,750,000
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Expansion $1,000,000
Playhouse Square $1,000,000
Cleveland Museum of Art Horace Kelley Art Foundation Lobby Renovation Phase II $900,000
Cleveland Museum of Art $750,000
Lake Erie Nature and Science Center Wildlife Gardens Education Project $450,000
Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology $325,000
Children’s Museum of Cleveland $307,500
Beck Center $200,000
Cleveland Majestic Hall $100,000
Chagrin Falls Historical Society $100,000
Levi Scofield Mansion Transformation $100,000
Cleveland Museum of Art $1,000,000
Cleveland Museum of Natural History $1,000,000
Playhouse Square – Transformational Greyhound Project $1,000,000
Severance Music Center $1,000,000
Cleveland Institute of Music – Kulas Hall $500,000
Cleveland Public Theatre Improvements $500,000
Great Lakes Science Center – Water Technology Exhibition $500,000
Karamu House Capstone Capital Improvements $500,000
Museum of Contemporary Art Improvements $500,000
Western Reserve Historical Society – Saving American History $500,000
Lakeview Cemetery – James Garfield Memorial $300,000
Beck Center for the Arts $250,000
Funds from the current fiscal year unspent by June 30, 2024 for Local Parks, Recreation, and Conservation Projects are earmarked to the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Fitzwater Train Yard Operations Building renovation project. The amount is unknown.
The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Fitzwater Yards and Shop complex in Independence is due to receive capital improvement funding from the state. But the amount won’t be known until after the current state fiscal year ends on June 30 (Fred Stuckmann).
One-Time Strategic Community Investments
Cuyahoga County Northcoast Connector $20,000,000
Bedrock Riverfront Development $8,000,000
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum Expansion and Renovation Project $7,000,000
Cleveland Port Bulk Terminal Modernization $5,000,000
Flats River Development $3,500,000
West Side Market in Cleveland $2,400,000
Cahoon Park $2,000,000
Cleveland Zoo Primate Forest $2,000,000
Irishtown Bend Park $2,000,000
Valor Acres Brecksville Veterans Affairs Hospital Site Redevelopment $2,000,000
Blue Abyss (Brook Park) $1,800,000
Two Foundation Building Purchase and Renovation $1,625,000
Park Synagogue $1,500,000
The Music Settlement – Gries House Redevelopment $1,500,000
Brook Park Community Center Restoration $1,000,000
Cleveland Women’s Soccer Stadium $1,000,000
Electric Building Renovation $1,000,000
Independence Selig Drive Emergency Access $1,000,000
Shaker Heights Doan Brook Park $1,000,000
YMCA of Greater Cleveland – New Facility Construction $1,000,000
Argonaut Project – Advancing Aviation and Maritime Pipeline $800,000
Birthing Beautiful Communities Birth Center $800,000
Connecting the Circle $800,000
Glenville YMCA $800,000
Saint Edwards High School Sustainable Urban Agriculture $800,000
Cleveland Public Square Improvements $750,000
University Heights Municipal Sewer Project $700,000
University Hospitals Breast Center – Parma $700,000
Cleveland Habitat Building Project $507,500
Cleveland Airport NEOFIX $500,000
Euclid Public Library Green Branch Improvements $500,000
Hospice of the Western Reserve Center for Community Engagement and Hospice Care $500,000
JumpStart Northern Ohio Operations $500,000
Ohio Aerospace Institute Sensitive Information Research Facility $500,000
Rocky River Fire Station Improvements $500,000
Saint Casimir Parish Improvements $500,000
Blue Abyss Diving Ltd., a Cornwall, UK-based company, plans a $250 million commercial astronaut training facility and hotel on land it acquired in late-December 2023 in Brook Park. The site is next to the NASA Glenn Research Center (Blue Abyss).
Seven Hills Fire Department $500,000
Vocational Guidance Services Renovation Cleveland Facility $500,000
YWCA of Greater Cleveland $500,000
Boys and Girls Club of Broadway in Cuyahoga County $485,005
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage $480,000
Richmond Heights Salt Bin $450,000
Magnolia Clubhouse $400,000
Middleburg Heights Central Park Phase 1 $400,000
Cleveland Institute of Art – Interactive Media Lab $365,000
Greenstone Lifeline Connection Improvements $327,867
Chagrin Valley Volunteer Fire Station $300,000
Berea City Hall and Police Station Upgrades $250,000
Jenning’s Center for Older Adults $250,000
Journey Center for Safety and Healing/Domestic Violence Shelter $200,000
Lyndhurst Community Center Audio Visual Project $200,000
MetroHealth Emergency Department Refresh $200,000
Northeast Ohio Music Arts Development Hub $200,000
Olmsted Falls Visibility Project $200,000
Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities
Vocational Guidance Services Workforce Center $300,000
Christine’s Hope $100,000
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Cleveland Zoo Primate Rainforest $1,700,000
Euclid Waterfront Improvement Plan – Phase III $1,000,000
Irishtown Bend and Canal Basin Park $850,000
Strongsville Town Center Enhancement and Walkability Initiative $725,000
The Foundry $500,000
Chagrin Meadows Preserve $400,000
Solon to Chagrin Falls Multi-Purpose Trail $400,000
Olmsted Township Nature Trail and Bark Park $300,000
Center Gateway Improvement Project – Rocky River $200,000
Memorial Park All-Purpose Trail – North Royalton $200,000
MAGNET’s Manufacturing Innovation, Technology and Job Center Park $150,000
North Olmsted Community Park Improvements $150,000
A 140,000-square-foot transformation and expansion of The RainForest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is planned to create the Primate Forest, a new home for some of the most endangered primate species including gorillas, orangutans as well as hundreds of other animal and plant species from around the globe (Van Auken Akins).
Olmsted Falls East River Road Park $150,000
Restore Rockefeller $150,000
Seven Hills Calvin Park Drainage Improvements $150,000
Middleburg Heights Memorial Hall Courtyard $104,000
Bay Village Green Improvements $100,000
Brecksville Field House $100,000
Highland Heights Park Connector $100,000
Police and Fire Dedication Playground – Lyndhurst $100,000
Village of Bentleyville Riverview Community Park $100,000
Parma Park Improvements $90,000
Brook Park Central Park $75,000
Cuyahoga Heights Willowbrook Connector Trail $75,000
Fairview Park Bain Park $75,000
Independence Pool Facility Improvements $75,000
Cleveland Botanical Garden Public Accessible Garden Path $50,000
Richmond Heights Community Park Gazebo $50,000
Tinker’s Creek Trail $50,000
Walton Hills Thomas Young Park $48,000
Gates Mills Community House Improvements $40,000
Ohio Facilities Construction Commission
Eric Mendelsohn Park Synagogue Campus Restoration $1,000,000
Playhouse Square $1,000,000
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Expansion $1,000,000
Cleveland Museum of Art Horace Kelley Art Foundation Lobby Renovation Phase II $900,000
Cleveland Museum of Natural History $900,000
James A. Garfield Memorial Preservation $750,000
Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum $500,000
Ohio Aerospace Institute Building Repair Project $500,000
The signature dome of the Eric Mendelsohn Park Synagogue and its 28-acre campus in Cleveland Heights were designated in the state’s capital budget to receive up to $2.5 million in separate line items. Developer Sustainable Community Associates is seeking to redevelop the site in a $143 million project with a mix of uses (SCA-Ardon Bar-Hama).
Cleveland Center for Arts and Technology $325,000
Beck Center $200,000
Complete Cozad – Health Hospitality Campus $200,000
Karamu House Educational Wing Renovations $175,000
Chagrin Falls Historical Society $100,000
Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial $100,000
Lilly Weston House $100,000
Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Cuyahoga Commission Restoration of Mental Health Diversion Center $1,000,000
Bellefaire Jewish Children’s Bureau Child and Youth Service Center $1,000,000
Cleveland Christian Home $700,000
Providence House East Side Campus Community Hub $700,000
May Dugan Building Renovation and Expansion $350,000
Sisters of Charity Health System and Sisters of Charity Foundation of Cleveland $250,000
Walt Collins Veterans Housing Facility $200,000
Comprehensive Health Care at the Centers, Gordon Square $100,000
Y Haven $100,000
Cornerstone of Hope $50,000
Note that this is not a complete list and that some small-project amounts were omitted for brevity. And, again, the the amounts shown here aren’t the total cost of each project but the amount of money the state capital budget has dedicated to each. In many cases, it is interesting to see what projects are being considered and how much funding they attracted.
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