Cleveland Flats Project Navigates Fish Stocking Delay and City Hall Challenges

About ten months ago, the Port of Cleveland symbolically embarked on the transformation of the Ohio City hillside overlooking the Flats, a pivotal project set to catalyze extensive development valued at tens of millions of dollars.

Despite its progress towards completion targeted for September 2025, this initiative recently faced a temporary setback prompted by a remarkable event – the inaugural stocking of fish in the once-infamous Cuyahoga River. In late April, the Ohio Division of Wildlife ceremoniously introduced thousands of steelhead trout, measuring 7 to 9 inches, into the historic river known for its erstwhile pollution challenges.

The introduction of steelhead required a temporary suspension of stabilization efforts in the river for two weeks to enable the fish to acclimate to their new habitat before migrating to Lake Erie.

As per reports, an official informed a Flats block club that the project encountered a slight delay due to the work pause necessitated by the fish stocking.

Andy Jarrett, the superintendent of the renowned Castalia Fish Hatchery overseeing the stocking, revealed that the designated area was to remain undisturbed until May 15 to facilitate the successful transition of the fish into Lake Erie. Notably, ten of these fish were equipped with transmitters for tracking purposes.

The Port of Cleveland clarified that while the stocking activities briefly halted in-water work on the project, it did not considerably impact the overall timeline, remaining on schedule for completion as planned.

Meanwhile, Cleveland City Hall endured a tumultuous week, grappling with a cyber incident that necessitated the disconnection of its computer systems and a subsequent closure of main city offices for public operations.

In another unexpected turn, Mayor Justin Bibb was involved in a traffic collision when his vehicle, with police lights activated, collided with another car at a downtown intersection. Both Mayor Bibb and his driver underwent precautionary medical evaluation, with assurances of their physical well-being.

Subsequently, the city disclosed that the cyber event was identified as a ransomware attack, impacting several computer systems. While employees were advised of limited internet access, essential city services including emergency response via 911 and service requests through 311 remain operational.

In light of the situation, residents are encouraged to reach out for necessary assistance despite the ongoing challenges, including access to key documents such as birth and death certificates.