Euclid’s Water Reclamation Facility plant is not something that is easy to miss. Sitting a few meters underground, its towers and buildings that process the water from five communities, seem to still tower over the nearby Walgreens and the senior center, which, built behind it, have their own view of the busy facility. In front of the plant is a small field with tiny flowers and tightly cut grass. Some might not know that the field, which is right off of Bliss Lane and Lakeshore Boulevard, is a 15-million-gallon secret. The secret is a massive equalization tank, which, when finished in 2021, left a half-acre open space covering its top. Situated right in Euclid’s downtown commercial district, the park- which is part of the city’s “Top of the Tank” project- envisioned by the city will have an amphitheater, walking trails and benches. Also, there is potential to add commercial retail space in the future. The planned area that will be turned into a park, underground is a 15-million-gallon equalization tank used by Euclid’s wastewater treatment plant. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) Now, after going through three public meetings in 2021, as well as reviews with engineers and other stakeholders, the first phase of the design for the park project dubbed by the city as “Top of the Tank”, which features walking trails and other smaller elements, will go out for public bidding for its construction. Ports that are outside of the underground equalization tank that will have a park built on top of it. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) Euclid City Council officially started the process by approving Director of Planning and Development Patrick Grogan-Myers and his team to seek bidders for the contract. At the Sept. 16 City Council meeting where council approved the ordinance, Grogan-Myers said that, because of the park’s location, it came with challenges that parks would not normally have to consider, including making sure the tank could support the weight of the completed park. A car heads to Euclid’s Senior Center, which is next to the city’s wastewater treatment plant. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) He said that right now, because they were constructing just lightweight trails and other surface features, they were not too concerned about overloading the tank but would have to be more considerate of those limitations when they started the other phases of the project. “The first phase of the construction was developed in partnership with our wastewater treatment team and our service team. I wanted to make sure to thank them for spending such a significant amount of time (with us) because it is such an unusual project,” Grogan-Myers said. “Being on top of the equalization tank, we had load considerations, which is very unusual in a park-planning process. “The first phase of construction, we focused on the circular walking trail, the landscaping around the perimeter, as well as the grading and the bench sitting around the trail,” he said. “We remain committed to the master plan we adopted, but as always, we want to make sure that we are working in partnership with our neighbors, particularly the Walgreens in the east, who has a direct connection to the park.” Buildings that support machinery connected to Euclid’s wastewater treatment plant are shown. (Frank Mecham- The News-Herald.) In response to a question from Ward 8 City Councilmember Angela Steele, on what she viewed as an inadequate amount of parking on the location if the park was highly attended during a concert or other event, Grogan-Myers said that the downtown area was already saturated with parking and that people will be able to walk from other locations. “Ultimately, City Planning and Zoning and City Council approved the plan, given the existing parking configuration, and one of the considerations is the municipally owned lot that’s just about a five-minute walk away,” he said. “Downtown itself is over-parked, in terms of the total number of parking spots. “Part of what we would focus on, before we would start holding any programming here, is being sure that signage is taken care of,” he continued. “Be it temporary signage or part of our signage program that will direct people where it is and (keep them from parking in other lots). According to planning documents, and comments at council, construction should begin in the fall.