Kent State University Urban Design CollaborativeA rendering of the proposed Rivergate Park.
The Cleveland Rowing Foundation's project to create a riverfront park in Cleveland scored its third big grant in two days today with a $200,000 donation from the George Gund Foundation. The grant follows $550,000 in donations announced Tuesday by Peter Lewis and the Cleveland Foundation.
Gund Foundation trustees voted around 2 p.m. to make the gift, said senior program officer John Mitterholzer. The money will be channeled to the project through the non-profit Trust for Public Land, Mitterholzer said.
The goal of Rivergate is to turn 7 acres owned by the former Commodore's Club Marina on Columbus Road Peninsula into a cluster of boathouses for rowing shells, caneos, kayaks and dragon boats. The rowing foundation, an umbrella organization for high school, collegiate and adult rowing organizations with 850 members, currently occupies rented facilities on Scranton Road Peninsula, one river-bend south of the Commodore's Club site.
Jon Adams, co-chairman of the Rivergate Fund, said he was elated by the Gund announcement.
Adams said the Gund grant brings the Rivergate project to within $700,000 of the $3.2 million price for the property. Rivergate advocates have a purchase option that expires July 31.
"It's just wonderful to get this broad-based community support for the project," he said. "It speaks to the fact that people see the vision and benefit of creating a riverfront park and preserving public access for canoeing, kayaking, rowing – healthy, human-powered sports."
In the case of the Gund foundation, Adams' description of "seeing" the vision was literally true.
Mitterholzer said members of the Gund family who serve on the foundation board could look out of the organization's officers in the Guildhall Building at 45 Prospect Ave., and see the site on Columbus Road Peninsula.
"We think it's a transformative project, because we can see what's happening down there, and it was fun because we could show the board through the window," Mitterholzer said.
Adams said Rivergate advocates are confident they'll complete fundraising or obtain a bridge loan in time to meet the July 31 deadline on the purchase option, and will be able to open for business in August.
"Because the site already has two buildings, one of which is perfect for our current boathouse storage needs, we can be up and running very quickly," he said.