Two Akron neighborhoods are celebrating makeovers of community parks this week thanks to the hard work of community volunteers and the inspiration of kids.
Morgan Park in South Akron and Jewett Park in Middlebury were both in need of improvement after years of disinvestment and neglect. Neighborhood residents had pursued grants to fix them up.
Each year, the Akron Parks Collaborative holds a competition to select parks to receive grant money. The initiative also allows for people in the community to come together and create something that is their own.
Jewett Park in Middlebury was a recipient of the Akron Park Challenge grant in September of 2022
Community members mapped out the renovations they thought the park needed.
Bridget Ambrisco, the Executive Director of Akron Parks Collaborative, said the process of rebuilding the park took many months of planning and hard work,
“We feel like the final finishing touches were put in and we are excited to kind of show that final product to the rest of the community,” Ambrisco said.
Since 2018, the Akron Parks Challenge has funded the renovation of nine parks throughout Akron.
The official opening of Jewett Park is Saturday July 15th with a ribbon cutting ceremony at 1:30pm. There will also be games, live music and other activities at the park from 1-3pm.
The Akron Parks Collaborative also assisted with the update of the playground in South Akron’s Morgan Park. Community members had been advocating for Morgan Park to get a makeover, providing kids with a safe place to play and everyone a vibrant community center in the neighborhood
“This playground is the first step toward a much-needed community-requested makeover of Morgan Park,” said Ambrisco. She said the neighborhood was historically redlined and the Akron Parks Collaborative was excited to work with the community.
Ambrisco and her team heard about the history of Morgan Park from long-time residents and felt it was an important part of Akron’s story.
“So it’s short of just this continual movement and loss of some really quality spaces that were the neighborhoods and where they have memories of their childhood and family picnics and things like that”, Ambrisco said.
While the playground project in Morgan Park was not a recipient of an Akron Parks Challenge grant, Ambrisco says they were able to tap the CarMax Foundation through its partnership with KABOOM! a national nonprofit working to end play space inequity, for funding for the renovations.
In a press release, KABOOM! CEO Lysa Ratliff called the park a place for kids to make connections and develop crucial skills to nurture their mental and physical well-being. “KABOOM! is thrilled to work with our partners to being to life a new play space at Morgan Park and ensure that kids in Akron have a place designed just for them, where they can play, learn and unlock their greatest potential,” Ratliff said.
Since launching the Akron Parks Challenge, the Akron Parks Collaborative has invested over $2 million in grants through the challenge to improve parks. The initiative is meant to bring communities together to better their neighborhoods and create something to call their own.
“it’s just that catalyst for positive change in the neighborhood,” said Ambrisco.
