NEWS RELEASE

August 26, 1999 Release #4

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARCHITECTS AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS FOR CLEVELAND METROPARKS' OHIO & ERIE CANAL RESERVATION JOIN IN BUILDING DEDICATION AND RIBBON CUTTING CEREMONIES

Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens is proud to be a part of this unique project for the Cleveland Metroparks' Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation Towpath, Trails and Leonard Krieger CanalWay Center. As the lead consultant for master planning and consultants for architecture and landscape architecture throughout implementation of the design phase, Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens was involved with the site selection, site planning, facility design, and landscape architectural plans for the Reservation.

"It has been an honor for our firm to work with the Cleveland Metroparks and all of the other groups and organizations that have come together to make this project possible," said Gregory A. Copeland, Principal of Landscape Architecture. "For the past 25 years, our firm has been involved in the design of recreation and education facilities for private and public organizations throughout the United States. The opportunity to bring our knowledge and experience home is a real joy for us."

As master planning consultants, Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens assembled a multi-disciplined team of scientists, designers and planners to collaborate through a responsive process structured around community and stakeholder participation.

This team melded local and national expertise in park planning, public participation, interpretive strategies, environmental analysis, marketing and economic planning with specific project experience in heritage areas, industrial interpretation, and ecological restoration.

The Reservation and CanalWay Center are unique to Cleveland and the nation in that this project is one of the first parks of its kind to be placed in the midst of the Northeast's industrial heartland. While most parks are seen as a refuge from the daily hustle and bustle of urban life, the Ohio & Erie Canal reservation provides an urban cultural park that celebrates the union of the industrial character and natural environment of the Cuyahoga River Valley.

"As I stand in front of the completed visitor's center and look back to where we were five years ago, it is remarkable to see what a positive effect this reservation is going to have on the community, environment, and people that will use and enjoy this facility," said Patricia J. Stevens, Principal of Environmental Planning and Design. "From small children to the elderly, this facility really has something for everyone."

Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens is motivated by a mission to design places of recreation and education that build community, respect the environment, and enrich the individual. Since its founding in 1973, the firm has been dedicated to providing comprehensive architectural, landscape architectural, planning, and interior architectural services to a diverse group of public and private organizations.

"We are enthusiastic about this project as it represents our firm's belief in the natural outdoor environment's unlimited potential for influencing human development and personal growth," said Copeland. "The urban industrial nature of this project is unique and exciting to work on. It brings together nature, people and industry; all things that over time, have come together to make Cleveland the city it is today."

BACKGROUND

Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens is a national firm composed of architects, landscape architects and planners. Based in Cleveland Ohio, the majority of the firm's projects are in the areas of large scale recreation planning and design. Although 75 percent of the firm's clients are based outside of Ohio, Schmidt Copeland Parker Stevens is dedicated to the preservation and development of projects throughout Northeastern Ohio. Additional local park and recreation projects completed by the firm include: Cleveland Metroparks Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation Towpath and CanalWay Center, Cuyahoga Valley Association November Lodge, Cascade Locks Park Association and Mustill House and Store Renovation in Akron, Shaker Lakes Nature Center, Lake County School House and Nature Park, Case Barlow Farm Park in Hudson, and several projects in association with Environmental Design Group (EDG) of Akron, Ohio. County wide Trail and Greenway Plans for Summit and Stark counties, Valleyview Bicycle & Pedestrian Trail, Barberton Canal Corridor Master Plan, and Stark County Canal Corridor Master Plan.