Akron officials and community members celebrated the reopening of Reservoir Park Community Center in the city's Goodyear Heights neighborhood Tuesday. The renovations included completely redoing the pool and expanding the community center.
The park is home to one of the city's two public pools. The other, Perkins Woods Pool, also underwent a massive renovation in recent years, reopening to the public in 2023.
The namesake reservoir at the park was built in 1913, said Councilmember Sharon Connor, whose ward includes the park.
"In the mid 30s, the Goodyear Heights Recreation Association proposed turning this 10-acre wasteland into a model playset," she said.
A stone house was built on the property in 1933, and in 1968, a pool was built, Director of Neighborhood Assistance Eufrancia Lash said. The building has been largely the same since then, save for an addition in 1990.
The city began looking at renovating the park in 2019, Mayor Shammas Malik said.
"We heard loud and clear that you wanted a new and improved pool, with a 15-foot slide, a shallow waterplay space, 25-meter lap lines, a climbing wall, shaded areas and an updated bathhouse - right there," he said. "It's an unbelievable transformation."
The city tore down the 1990 addition to the community center, leaving the original building in tact with updated bathrooms, and adding an additional 4,000 square feet, including a multipurpose meeting room, kitchen, art room, game room and gathering space, Malik said.
"The outdoor renovations have added more greenspace, more seating areas, improved pavement which is our specialty in Akron and an advanced firepit area," Malik said.
The renovation is a gift to the community, Goodyear Heights CDC President Jon Ashley said.
"You don't need a car, and you don't need to purchase the expensive membership to a pool somewhere across town," he said. "You can swim, play, learn and grow right here with your neighbors."
D'Arrius King grew up in Goodyear Heights playing at Reservoir Park.
"They did a good job spreading it out but keeping it memorable, keeping it authentic of what it was," he said. "Even the pool, they added that stuff, but you can still visualize what it looked like a little bit."
King hopes the neighborhood kids take advantage of the upgraded park.
"They should be up here way more than we was," he said, "and we was up here every day. I would be."
Gary Phillips also grew up in Goodyear Heights and has many fond memories at the park.
"They had the greatest monkey bars. The old fashioned, where kids break their arms - monkey bars," he said, "and they had two slides, the metal slides that you burned yourself going down."
His wife, Mary Phillips, is excited about the renovated pool.
"I wanna do laps. That's what I always wanted to do," she said. "In the old one, you couldn't do that very easy. Now, there'll be time, and I can do it."
She can't wait to bring her grandkids to play in the pool in the summer.
Reservoir Park is a special place for the community, said Visitation of Mary Parish Father Dismas Byarugaba, who lives in Goodyear Heights.
"I've been coming here before it was transformed the way it is. I do my walking here, I do my jogging here," he said. "I just enjoy nature here, and now I will enjoy it more. Because it's been transformed to the best I have known.
The renovations were funded by American Rescue Plan Act dollars, according to the city.
