Horseshoe Lake when it still was a lake. (Photo by Christine Heggie)

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Today, as we consider the future of Horseshoe Lake, it sits empty, with arbitrary plastic fencing surrounding it. Signs are prominent warning people of dangerous “mud sink holes” should they venture too far. In order to walk around the fencing, one must walk in the street, and there is no way to traverse the area without using traffic-congested Lee road. This is not an enjoyable experience.

Destroying Horseshoe Lake is a destructive process, not progress. Our communities are settling for less: second, third, or fourth best options to beautiful Horseshoe Lake, which has existed for almost two centuries. It is much easier to destroy beauty than to build it.

I worry about the worst-case scenario. Imagine 20 to 30 years into the future, when Horseshoe Lake is gone. The land where Horseshoe Lake once stood has not been adequately maintained. The area is severely overgrown, and the flood plain is an eyesore. The cities of Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights argue that the situation is unsustainable, particularly due to financial constraints, and because use of the park has significantly decreased as its condition deteriorated over the years. A corporation offers to purchase the land for $100 million. The governments of Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights capitulate and sell the land, allowing for development.

Then, 40 years into the future, a young boy and his father enter their car parked on a Superstore lot. The boy tells his father that at school he learned about a lake that used to be at the location of the Superstore. He asks his father if this history is true. His father explains that, “Yes, Horseshoe Lake Park used to exist where the Superstore parking lot is now.” The father describes how people and their dogs used to come to Horseshoe Lake Park for exercise, peace, and tranquility, and to enjoy its aesthetic and historical traditions. “There were birthday celebrations, cookouts, and other festivities at Horseshoe Lake. It was a happy and beautiful place, free and open to the public, enjoyed by all.” The young boy, clearly upset, turns to his father and asks, “Why did you allow a beautiful lake to be turned into a parking lot!?”

The drained Horseshoe Lake today is festooned with warning signs about "sinking mud."

Think this is hyperbole? Think it can’t happen? Think again. I hope I am wrong, but, if history is any indication, for the right price, streams and brooks can be funneled into pipes underground. One need look no further than downstream areas of the same Doan Brook Parkland, including Ambler Park, Wade Park Oval, and Gordon Park. These publicly owned parks, donated to the people, contain portions of Doan Brook that were buried into pipes below ground, despite a deeded promise to keep these waterways part of the natural surroundings. Are you prepared to look into the eyes of your children or grandchildren and tell them why your community didn’t save Horseshoe Lake?

Longtime Cleveland Heights resident Christine Heggie is a member of Friends of Horseshoe Lake.

I urge residents to support the nonprofit Friends of Horseshoe Lake and its alternative plan to save this public ecological treasure. Our communities have an obligation to preserve Horseshoe Lake for future generations of all people, far and wide, who will enjoy and cherish it, too.

Christine Heggie, a longtime resident of Cleveland Heights, is a member of Friends of Horseshoe Lake, and a trustee of the Cleveland Heights Historical Society.

Learn more about Friends of Horseshoe Lake’s plan to save Horseshoe Lake at: www.savehorseshoelake.com.

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