What Akron's $9.4 million project to upgrade Ed Davis Community Center will do
City officials and community members held a groundbreaking Saturday to mark the start of improvements to the Ed Davis Community Center in Akron's Sherbondy Hill neighborhood.
Why Saturday's event was significant
The city is spending a substantial chunk of American Rescue Plan Act and Community Development Block Grants on the $9.4 million project. General operating funds will cover the rest.
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The renovations come after a community engagement session was held online in February 2021. Residents indicated a new gymnasium and other improvements were needed at the Perkins Park Drive center.
Improvements to community center will take a little over a year
In addition to the gym, the center will be adding or upgrading an e-sports room, an indoor walking track, multipurpose rooms and an improved outside playground area.
Part of a wider parks and recreation strategic plan
The exterior appearance of the Ed Davis Community Center structure will also be upgraded with a new design.
In 2019, a survey of more than 1,500 residents indicated a strong need for upgrading community centers, playgrounds and the city's outdoor pools.
A 2020 survey of 500 residents found that the Ed Davis Community Center was one of three in Akron that needed repairs.
Community input was key to upgrade decisions
Both Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan and City Council President Margo Sommerville said community feedback was essential to the planning process.
"When the ribbon on the new community center is cut next spring, it’ll celebrate much needed improvements and I can’t wait to see the end result,” the mayor said in prepared comments.
On Saturday, Horrigan expanded on those remarks.
"This was at the top of my list to get things done," he said. "There was a lot of community engagement around this."
"Akron deserves fun, safe and accessible public spaces and this is a big step in making that a reality," said Margo Sommerville.
Dedication to a community resource
Rochelle Rowland, widow of Jerry Rowland, who was director of the center for four decades, called the plans "beautiful."
"I think it's wonderful," she said. "It's all about the kids and the community."
Shareefah Wahid, president of Jerry Rowland Seniors, said the walking track and other improvements will help her step up the senior program she runs there.
Retha Portis runs Totalee Girls, a program for young girls, two times a month at the center. She'll have to operate from other facilities during the renovation, but said it will be worth the wait.
"I used to come to this center as a kid," she said. "... I'm happy. If we don't upgrade then how are we able to make an impact in the community?"
Who is the center named after?
Ed Davis was elected to the Akron City Council in the late 1950s. He became council president in 1970 and clerk of council in 1976.
Leave a message for Alan Ashworth at 330-996-3859 or email him at aashworth@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @newsalanbeaconj.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: What Akron's $9.4 million Ed Davis Community Center project will do
