Note to readers:
The following item is a written record of the Akron City Council Ward 10 meeting from Jan. 20, compiled by Akron Documenter Fenna Blue. It is not a reported story.
Documenters are residents who are trained to observe and document local government meetings. Their notes are edited before publication for clarity and accuracy — unless quotation marks are used, all text is paraphrased.
If you believe anything in these notes is inaccurate, please email us at documenters@signalakron.org with "Correction Request" in the subject line.
Summary
- A city engineer updated attendees on the 112-year-old Reservoir Park Akron water reservoir demolition and rebuild in Goodyear Heights, which began in December and should be finished by 2028.
- L.I.N.K.S. Board Member Carla Wood spoke about the L.I.N.K.S. Community and Family Services, a non-profit organization that has worked in Middlebury for 17 years.
- Stancy Sykes spoke for Unify Akron, Akron‘s first-ever civic assembly to shape local housing solutions. Sykes said the group is looking for Akronites, chosen by lottery to reflect the whole city, to meet weekly from March 14 to May 14 to recommend next steps. You can apply here.
Documenter follow-up questions
- Ward meetings have such low attendance compared to the population of the ward. How can we be sure the community is actually getting this information?
- Why isn’t the reservoir project at Reservoir Park outlined somewhere for all to access?
Akron water reservoir update
Bill Marchand, a senior engineer with Akron Water Supply Bureau, provided updates on the construction of the reservoir at Reservoir Park in Goodyear Heights. The reservoir is more than 100 years old. The roof collapsed at the beginning of construction, within three hours.
The reservoir holds about 20 million gallons of water. City officials inspect the reservoir every day. In 1996, someone managed to open a manhole at the top of the reservoir. When that happened, they had to empty it and clean it out to make sure there were no contaminants in the drinking water. Now there is much tighter security.
The new reservoir will be built at the same location, but its elevation will be adjusted to be level with the other reservoirs in Tallmadge. This will ensure that the water system is more balanced and easier to manage.
Crews began demolition work in December and a rebuilt reservoir is expected to be completed by 2028.
Join the movement for transparency
Civic power can start with you! We train and pay Documenters to take notes at local government meetings and share them here. Learn more about becoming a Documenter.
Summit Metro Parks removing invasive trees
Rob Curtis, biologist with Summit Metro Parks, gave updates on a project with Summit Metro Parks to remove invasive trees in the Goodyear Heights Metro Park. These trees, such as Norway Maple, are common ornamental trees that spread (usually through birds carrying seeds) to nearby yards and invade parks and natural areas. Because of their non-native status, they tend to take over portions of the natural forest. Over the course of this week, officials will be removing the invasive trees in the western corner of Goodyear Heights Metro Park to allow the forest to naturally fill in the space with native plants.
Middlebury non-profit supports families, seniors
Board Member Carla Wood gave an update about L. I. N. K. S Community and Family Services is a 17-year-old nonprofit in the Middlebury neighborhood of Akron. It offers a variety of services, including distributing free diapers, senior home visits, senior programming and outreach, child development initiatives, neighborhood watch, afterschool homework programs and an ambassador program program for teens.
Officials are looking to expand the buildings they own. They currently have two separate buildings but want to consolidate to house the entire nonprofit in one building.
They are also seeking input from the neighborhood on the services they need so they can expand to better meet those needs.
Others from the group included: Patricia Brown-Sales, president; Keysha Myers, treasurer; and Charles Martin, marketing specialist
First-ever Akron civic assembly to address housing
Stancy Sykes, with Unify Akron, said the group is initiating Akron‘s first-ever civic assembly to shape local housing solutions. They are looking for a group of Akronites, chosen by lottery to reflect the whole city, to meet weekly from March 14 to May 14 to recommend next steps. You can apply here.
Updates from Ward 10 Council Member Sharon Connor
- Updated the ward on Akron’s public art catalog and maintenance.
- Spoke about the capital budget with two major things for Ward 10 and $50,000 for a community development corporation; Middlebury Run Park and Case/Kent Park.
- She is looking for community input on what to do with both green spaces and how to engage the community and will provide updates later.
