Solon To Chagrin Falls Trail Takes Step Forward With Huge Grant

SOLON, OH — A $500,000 grant has been awarded to the city for the purpose of making the Solon to Chagrin Falls multipurpose trail a reality. When completed, the trail would be a direct connection between downtown Solon and downtown Chagrin Falls.

The city said the trail would be a 10 feet wide, paved, fully ADA accessible pathway. The path would be perfect for hiking, biking, or strolling. Amenities like benches, rest areas, bike racks and pet stations would dot the pathway.

“A major goal of this administration is to create a more walkable and connected city. This includes more opportunities to access multi-purpose paths for our residents and to draw more people to our commercial retail areas. This grant is another momentum builder for improving opportunities for social interaction and promoting a healthy lifestyle for families in Solon and Chagrin Falls,” said Solon Mayor Ed Kraus.

The grant was awarded to Solon by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The money was given out under the Clean Ohio Trails Fund grant program. Solon already received $300,000 from the Ohio Capital Budget Program earlier this year.

The support from the state will help ease the financial burden of the initial construction phase, which will focus on a two-mile trail segment from downtown Solon, at SOM Center, to the Bentleyville border. Eventually, the trail will connect downtown Solon and downtown Chagrin Falls, and link both cities to the broader Cleveland Metroparks system.

“This is a great step in building trail connections that will help enhance the health and wellness
of the community of Solon and beyond,” said Cleveland Metroparks CEO Brian Zimmerman.
"We look forward to working with the City of Solon on continued development of the trail."

“There is much work yet to be done. The city will be engaging with residents closest to the trail
and citywide to continue to address concerns and questions and to collaboratively evaluate and
implement solutions,” Kraus said. “But with the help of our partners and residents, the
“Solon to Chagrin Falls Trail” is well on the way to becoming yet another jewel for our City and
our region.”

The Solon to Chagrin Falls pathway first came to public attention in late March and April of this year, when the city began gathering resident input on the proposal. The city said at that time the project would cost just shy of $1 million.

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