Everett Road connector can serve Covered Bridge area

For over 40 years, my husband and I with family and friends have enjoyed exploring the Everett Road Covered Bridge area — walking up and down Everett Road, hiking across Furnace Run, and trekking through the woods off Wheatley and Oak Hill roads. All of this is coming to a tragic end. Neither the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the Summit County Metroparks, the Summit County Engineer’s office, nor the Summit County Council were willing to find a way to save the infrastructure that supports this phenomenal recreation area. There is a reason the parking lot east of the Covered Bridge is full every weekend, from spring through fall, resulting in cars overflowing onto a dangerous bend on Wheatley Road. That reason is the hundreds of acres of beautiful parkland that beckons visitors from Northeast Ohio and many states.

More parking is sorely needed to relieve the overflow. The Everett Road Connector is a ready-made solution. It is paved, in excellent condition and runs from Wheatly Road to the bottom of Everett Road hill. It can provide 30 or more parking spaces without disturbing the protected area around the Covered Bridge. May I ask that the parties involved in saving this infrastructure continue meeting to find a way to keep the connector intact, and open it once again to the public?

Over 400 residents signed petitions to keep Everett Road open. Isn’t it time to step back, listen and find a solution that will provide parking and access to this beautiful park area?

Kathleen Butler

Revere Road ∞

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