Parma homeowners who live near the old Parmadale property will soon have a park in their neighborhood when Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland sells the site to the non-profit West Creek Conservancy.
The Conservancy is spending $1.75 million to buy roughly 80 acres of the former Parmadale facility. The diocese will retain 13 acres to operate its addiction and recovery services for adults.
The Conservancy will oversee construction of biking and hiking trails and other recreational amenities. Once those are completed, Cleveland Metroparks will manage the new park as part of its West Creek Water Shed Reservation, says conservancy head Derek Shafer.
“The property is adjacent to West Creek Reservation, so in a city that has less than 6 percent green space, we find this is a prime opportunity to not only reclaim some developed land, but also to add a new dynamic to the park.
Parmadale opened as an orphanage in 1925. More recently, it operated as a residential treatment facility for troubled youth, but closed in 2014, amid allegations of sexual relations between a worker and a young girl.