PARMA, Ohio -- Shouts of “Fore” not about an errant little white ball but instead that of a wrecking ball will soon be heard at the Ridgewood Golf Course.
Cuyahoga County Council last week approved $175,000 from its Community Development Fund -- which is tied to gross casino revenues distributed to the county -- to demolish the Parma-owned Ridge Road course’s nearly 100-year-old clubhouse. Demolition is set for the spring.
“I believe these funds are being utilized exactly as they were intended, which is to help municipalities build a greater sense of community and drive economic success in the process,” said District 4 Cuyahoga County Councilman Scott Tuma, who as a former Parma City Council member said the project has been on his radar for years.
“Last February, I happened to be driving down Ridge Road and noticed the patchwork of discolored shingles on the roof. I couldn’t help but think that as the seventh-largest city in Ohio our residents deserved better.”
That’s when Tuma, who growing up in Parma remembers his grandfather loved playing the course, started talking to city officials. They agreed the building needed to be replaced but didn’t have the funding to complete the project.
“I then began investigating potential alternative funding sources that could be used to assist the city of Parma,” Tuma said. “After much work, I was fortunate to able to procure enough funding through the county’s Community Development Fund to hopefully cover the entire cost of demolition.”
Ridgewood Golf Course clubhouse in Parma. (John Benson/cleveland.com)
Also last week Parma City Council unanimously approved legislation authorizing an agreement with the county and County Land Bank for demolition of the facility.
“We’re grateful for the hard work of County Council member Scott Tuma to secure funds -- at zero cost to the city -- to move forward with the future excitement for our Ridgewood Golf Course,” Parma Mayor Tim DeGeeter said. “This project is long overdue going back decades. Our current building has been on borrowed time.
“It’s is a very exciting time for the future of Parma and Ridgewood Golf Course with a new activities center for both non-golfers and golfers.”
The demotion of the clubhouse is the first of many dominoes that need to fall before the city can move forward with construction of a modern facility that can also double as a rental venue.
The goal for the city is to build its own version of North Olmsted’s Springvale Golf Course & Ballroom facility; however, no timeline or cost of the new venue has been announced.
“There is much more work ahead, but this is a great first step towards providing Parma residents with the amenities they deserve,” Tuma said.
“Hopefully, we can build a clubhouse/community center that we can proudly call our own; one that can be used for decades by our children and grandchildren; one that can help generate increased economic activity in our town center; and one that will better serve the needs of our entire community.”
The golf course will remain open during the demolition and eventual construction of the new facility.
“At the good advice of Law Director Tim Dobeck, right before the demolition occurs we will invite county and city elected officials to celebrate our Ridgewood Golf Course clubhouse past and the wonderful opportunities for our future,” DeGeeter said.
“It’s an exciting time.”
Read more news from the Parma Sun Post here.
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February 28, 2022 at 07:52PM
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Cuyahoga County Council approves Parma’s Ridgewood Golf Course Clubhouse demolition funding - cleveland.com
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