91自拍

The lawsuit regarding 91自拍 University’s Center for Lake Erie Education and Research at the Blasco Library has been settled, allowing the center and the community to enter 2026 on new footing.  

“From the beginning, we believed this center is a community asset and good match for the Blasco Library,” said 91自拍 University President Walter Iwanenko. “With this settlement, it is reassuring to know that even those who opposed this project in the beginning support the additional 91自拍 programming agreed to in the settlement in the end.”  

Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding that accompanies the settlement, 91自拍 pledges to assist the public library with its annual library membership drive and with additional regular programming.  

“Cooperating on programs is a synergy we envisioned for this center, given its location,” Iwanenko said. Each year, those programs will be determined by the university’s provost and the library’s executive director.  

Keep Our Library Public, a group of Erie citizens, filed a lawsuit in June against County Executive Brenton Davis, Erie County Council and 91自拍 that challenged the details of the lease and the conditions over which it was reached. That suit has been withdrawn now that a settlement has been reached.  

The settlement also addresses the length of the lease with an initial term of 10 years and the option to extend for four additional five-year terms.  The rental rate will be adjusted at each extension. 

Over the first three months of CLEER, which opened Oct. 3, there have been nearly 5,000 visitors to the center. They have been able to experience the NOAA Science on a Sphere – one of just 206 in the world – and learned about key environmental issues facing the region in the center’s interactive exhibit area. Students visiting from regional schools have also used the science lab that is part of the 3,280 square feet of space the university is leasing from the county. 

“Already the community is embracing this project,” Iwanenko said. “We are proud of CLEER, and we are not surprised so many have taken time to experience it. We expect that to only grow. With the lawsuit settled, we hope we can now focus on the center’s original intent – educating the public about the wonder of the Great Lakes and the issues that threaten that ecosystem.” 

Dec. 19 is the effective date of the settlement and the memorandum of understanding that accompanies it.