Coventry PEACE Park Redesign

See the FFHL’s PEACE Park campaign brochure to learn more about Coventry PEACE Park fundraising efforts. Click here to donate to the Coventry PEACE Park campaign.

Read the PEACE Park FAQ.

October 2023 – Library will begin PEACE Park renovation in November with playground demolition

At its October 16 public meeting, the Heights Libraries board of trustees gave the green light to Regency Construction to begin the first phase of the Coventry PEACE Park renovation project.

This first phase, which will cost $743,955, will begin with the demolition of the current PEACE Park playground, scheduled to begin Monday November, 13, and last roughly one week.

“It will be bittersweet,” said Heights Libraries Director Nancy Levin. “It is at the end of its life, and it holds such wonderful memories for the community. But we are looking forward to the new playground, and the new life it will breathe into not only the library’s programming and activities, but the neighborhood as a whole.”

Part of the demo will involve moving and storing the brick pavers that were installed at the top of the first playground, when it was built 30 years ago. The pavers feature the names of donors, and will be reused in the park’s new hardscape design.

“We want to honor the people who built the first playground,” said Levin. “Without their vision, the PEACE Park as we know it really would not exist.”
This first phase will also include the purchase and installation of the Cardinal play structure and performance pavilion, both of which need 6-8 month lead times for ordering and assembling.

After demolition, the playground area will be cleared of all debris and fenced off to await installation of the Cardinal play structure and pavilion in the spring. The sled riding hill will still be accessible over the winter.

August 2023 – Heights Libraries shares newest PEACE Park designs at public meeting

At a public meeting on Thursday, August 10, at the Heights Libraries Coventry branch, landscape architect Andrew Sargeant shared the latest designs for the new Coventry PEACE park with community members. The event marks the sixth time the Library has solicited feedback on park designs. 

Heights Libraries contracted with Sargeant in June 2021 to begin working on a design for a new park and playground that would better accommodate community members of all abilities and ages, and the newest designs are the results of public feedback gathered at public events held since the summer of 2021. 

If you were unable to attend the meeting, please see the presentation here. Contact director@heightslibrary.org if you have any feedback or questions about the design.

July 2023 – Heights Libraries Hires Construction Manager for PEACE Park and Playground Renovation

At its Monday, July 17, public meeting, the Heights Libraries Board of Trustees unanimously voted to hire Regency Construction Services Inc. as the Construction Manager at Risk (CMR) for the Coventry PEACE park and playground renovation and construction.

The park will officially close in early October, and the current playground structures will be torn down soon after. Construction of the new playground is tentatively scheduled to be finished in late spring or early summer of 2024.

Read more here.

May 2023 – Cleveland Heights Planning Commission approves revised PEACE Park plans

Heights Libraries is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, May 10, the City of Cleveland Heights Planning Commission approved the Library’s revised conditional use permit for renovations to the Coventry PEACE Park. This allows Heights Libraries to move ahead with its construction timeline for the public park, with the understanding that it will provide the Commission with additional plans for lighting, the walking path, and the new trees at a future date.

Click images below to see updated designs.

March 2023- Design Work Continues

The Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries (FFHL) is working with Earthscape Play for the PEACE Park playground design process. The following images are preliminary designs of some of the play structures that will be featured in the new playground.

The cardinal image shows the main play structure on the renovated playground, featuring a large wooden cardinal, a climbing nest, and a slide. The “Junior Area” image depicts some of the components that will be a part of the toddler play area. The playground is part of Phase 1 of the library’s 3-year plan to renovate Coventry PEACE Park.

January 2023

On January 11, 2023, around 30 PEACE Park Founders and friends of the park gathered to learn more about the PEACE Park design and fundraising updates. At the time of the event, The Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries (FFHL) was over halfway to their $1.2 million goal. Based on public feedback from the early design concepts, the new park designs include over 60 new trees, a large pollinator garden, half-court basketball, an accessible quarter-mile trail, a performance stage, and an updated playground featuring a large cardinal structure.

See the PEACE Park Founders’ Reception presentation here, and look at the preliminary designs and before/after renderings of the park below.

 

What do you think? Early Design Concepts

On July 24, 2021, landscape architects Andrew Sargeant and Jim McKnight presented their preliminary designs for a renovated PEACE Park and playground to the public at an open house at the Coventry branch. If you were unable to attend and give your feedback, you can do so here, below, at step 3.

1. Watch a recording of the presentation.

2. Look at and/or download design drawings

 

 

3. The survey is now closed. Please reach out to director@heightslibrary.org if you have feedback or questions about the playground design.

 

June 2021

In May, Heights Libraries contracted with landscape architects Andrew Sargeant and Jim McKnight, at $9,000 each, to prepare sketches and develop an overall plan for the property, including cost estimates. The park design could include an accessible playground, a walking storybook loop, an amphitheater, and outdoor seating areas. Fundraising for this project will be needed before any construction can begin, and will be handled by the nonprofit Fund for the Future of Heights Libraries.

The original playground was built in 1993 on the steep hillside site by volunteers from the community, organized by the Coventry School PTO. Over the years, maintenance on the playground has been done by volunteers, the school district, and now the Library.

Sargeant and McKnight will  coordinate and gather public input about the park through public meetings.

The first event was  the Coventry PEACE Park Design Jam on Sunday, June 27. Community members were invited to visit five stations and engage in activities that will help Sargeant and McKnight determine what the community wants from the popular public space.

The second event, on Saturday, July 24, also from 1 – 4 p.m., will be an open house at the Coventry Village branch, where Sargeant and McKnight will display preliminary design proposals and answer questions from the community about the potential designs.

The third event will take place on Monday, September 20, at 7:30 p.m. Sargeant and McKnight will present final plans for the park, including costs, which could include an accessible playground, a walking storybook loop, an amphitheater, and outdoor seating areas.

Coventry PEACE Campus Project