INSIDE AKRON: Akron Documenters are fanning out across the city’s 24 neighborhoods to elevate places, faces, voices and vibes — as shared by the people who live there. Expect a new profile every day through October.
Home of the “comeback lake,” the Summit Lake neighborhood is arguably undergoing its own renaissance as it becomes a hub of recreational activity with millions of dollars in new investments from a variety of partners.
Historically a white, segregated neighborhood and home to the (also segregated) Summit Beach Amusement Park until 1958, the natural, glacial lake at its center was part of the portage route followed by Indigenous peoples between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas rivers. It was also used to help manage water levels along the Ohio & Erie Canal.
Redlining cut off investment into the area, and the construction of Interstate 76 physically split the community that lived around the lake. Industrial pollution from the area’s booming rubber plants in the 20th century ravaged the environmental health of the lake. For years, officials warned residents not to swim in it or eat the fish they caught in its waters.
Akron Documenter Djuan Wash is the primary contributor for this story. He’s a resident of Cascade Valley and has been a Documenter since October of 2024. Learn more about Documenters, including how to join.
New nature center, parks add outdoor options
More recently, the City of Akron and the Akron Civic Commons have focused on programming and redevelopment in the area — residents receive strong support from area agencies such as the Peter Maurin and Reach Opportunity centers.
These efforts are leading to a diverse neighborhood with lots of recreation options nearby. These include the Summit Lake Nature Center and the soon-to-be-finished $7.5 million Summit Lake NorthShore Park, part of the Summit Lake Vision Plan. It will feature picnic areas, a fishing pier and boardwalk, a covered pavilion, a boat, kayak and canoe launch and concession areas along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.
Akron Documenter Djuan Wash talked with a Summit Lake resident and a manager at a small business about this neighborhood where they live and work.
Voice of the People: Shirley Finney
Shirley is no stranger to Signal Akron, as she is a member of its local advisory board. And she is certainly not a stranger to the Summit Lake neighborhood. Calling herself a “community connector,” Shirley has lived in the neighborhood since 1963.
What is the most interesting thing about Summit Lake?
“The most interesting thing is the Reach Center. That’s underutilized,” she said. “There’s not enough programs over there to help the young people in the community.”
She said, though, that Akron has been doing more at Summit Lake since the COVID-19 pandemic, creating programs to help people, especially young people, with basketball and other programs.
Not every child is going to be a sports child, she said, so other options need to be available. Former Ohio Rep. Vernon Sykes started a fishing program to help young people learn about fishing and about boating.
She also said that South Street Ministries helps kids get bicycles by investing their time and learning how to repair them.
How has the neighborhood changed over the time you’ve lived there?
A longtime neighborhood resident, Shirley and her family have built a legacy in the area. They’ve built generational wealth as well with Shirley and family members owning multiple homes on Princeton Street, she said.
After being displaced from South Akron during the construction of the I77/I76 freeway, the family relocated to Summit Lake.
The National Interstate and Defense Act, passed under the Eisenhower Administration in 1956 to establish an interstate highway system, displaced hundreds of thousands of Black residents across the country, uprooting businesses and entire communities.
Where is the Summit Lake neighborhood in Akron?
The Summit Lake neighborhood is located directly south of the downtown area and is home to a natural lake of the same name that was part of the Ohio & Erie Canal system. This neighborhood is undergoing a renaissance and offers numerous recreational activities, including kayak trips around the historic lake.
At the time, Summit Lake, also known as “the comeback lake” was a predominantly white area. Shirley said that, over time, Black residents gained a sense of belonging in the neighborhood.
She said that the neighborhood today has a broad appeal and is more diverse with more Hispanic and Asian immigrants living in the area. She said the changes are a “good thing” and wants newcomers to the neighborhood to feel welcome among the longtime residents.
Shirley said she knows that some newer residents may not always feel safe around predominantly Black residents. As a community connector and prominent volunteer with the Peter Maurin Center, Shirley pushes against perceived narratives through service. She helps her neighbors with access to toiletries, backpacks, bicycles, school supplies, bus passes and food cards to build relationships with immigrants moving into the area and to support those already there.
What’s the biggest challenge facing Summit Lake, and how do you think it can be solved?
Shirley said access to resources is a challenge, especially for help with home repairs.
“We have people that own property but need help,” she said. As homeowners age, issues like overgrown trees become difficult to manage. Shirley said she would like to see the City of Akron honor its commitment and help the seniors in the area with housing repairs.
She said that, in 2022, then-Mayor Dan Horrigan’s administration promised to utilize American Rescue Plan Act funding to provide grants of up to $25,000 to Akron residents for home repairs. With $15 million allotted to the program, Shirley asked, “Where is the money?” She doesn’t feel as though the city has done enough to honor the commitment and to assist elderly homeowners like herself with necessary repairs.
She also said a fire station would be a good addition and she would like to see a police substation and a gas station in the neighborhood.
What else do you want people to know about your neighborhood?
Other than the occasional speeder or stop-sign runner, Shirley said that she loves the Summit Lake neighborhood and its residents.
“It’s not as bad, notorious, as they think, we’re quiet over here,” she said. “We’re friendly, and it’s people helping people.”
What is one organization in the area that does a great job of serving the Summit Lake community?
Shirley said a number of organizations assist residents in the neighborhood, including the Peter Maurin Center, which helps with unhoused residents. The REACH Opportunity Center offers many resources, and Catholic Charities of Summit County also offers help with housing. She said these organizations add value to the neighborhood.
Small business perspective
Lethas Kids Care, 340 Ira Ave., 330-701-5323
Rasheed Moore, assistant director
What is the purpose of your business, and how does it fit into the Summit Lake neighborhood?
Lethas Kids Care is a child care center in the Summit Lake neighborhood. It is owned by Letha Whitfield and co-run by her son, Rasheed, who serves as assistant director. The center has four locations across Akron in the Kenmore, downtown, and Goodyear Heights neighborhoods. The center is open from 7 a.m to 7 p.m. seven days a week and is available for around-the-clock care. The business is currently enrolling children.
What is the most interesting thing about Summit Lake?
Rasheed said that the most interesting aspect of the neighborhood is its children. He enjoys seeing them enjoy the area and loves watching them running around and playing.
How has the neighborhood changed over the time you’ve lived here?
Rasheed has lived in Summit Lake since 2009 and said that the neighborhood has changed over the years in both positive and negative ways.
The area has improved during his time there, he said, with the addition of green space, more areas for children to play and added safety signage throughout the neighborhood.
Rasheed said kids don’t go outside as much now and the area has become quieter. He attributes this to violence in the neighborhood.
As a day care operator, his central concern is for the safety of the neighborhood kids. He wants the area to feel safe for parents and their families.
Summit Lake “has its good and bad days,” he said.
What’s the biggest challenge facing Summit Lake, and how do you think it can be solved?
Traffic control is one aspect of the neighborhood that Rasheed would like to see improved.
He often sits on the front porch of his house and said it scares him watching cars “blow through” the stop sign at the intersection of Ira Avenue and Lakeshore Boulevard.
The city has attempted to address traffic concerns in the past, he noted, by painting the sidewalk, but the problems still persist. With the new Summit Lake Nature Center on Ira Avenue, traffic in the area has increased.
The city has provided more signage to help direct the traffic as people enjoy the greenspace, but Rasheed would like to see more.
What else do you want people to know about your neighborhood?
“It’s improving. They’re trying to do things around it to make it a safer, better area,” Rasheed said. He talked about having more places for children to live and play and the Ohio & Erie Canal Summit Lake Trail that encircles the lake.
Public space shoutout
Summit Lake Nature Center
In its fourth year of operation, the Summit Lake Nature Center serves as a connector to nature in an urban lake ecosystem. Managed by Summit Metro Parks, the facility boasts meeting spaces both indoors and out. It includes numerous raised garden beds that residents can enjoy in partnership with Let’s Grow Akron, whose headquarters is in the neighborhood.
True to Akron form, the center hosts a remnant of a 1911 pumphouse pump, which sits right out front. The pier behind the center serves as a fishing spot for residents in Summit Lake Apartments and surrounding areas. Visitors boast of catching seven-pound bass as well as crappie, bluegill and carp.
Inside, the nature center offers exhibits that include local small fish and amphibians. Photos of neighborhood residents are also on display. The center connects to the soon-to-be-completed Summit Lake NorthShore Park via the Ohio & Erie Canal Trail. The REACH Opportunity Center calls it home as well. The group offers programming to residents including sports, after-school activities for youth and services for adults including job readiness, computer access and education.
