The Akron Cleveland Association of REALTORS® (ACAR) will award a $5,000 placemaking grant to help transform and update a community amenity in the West Hill Neighborhood of Akron into a vibrant, public destination for community use and enjoyment.
The grant allows ACAR to partner with organizations to plan, organize, implement, and maintain lighter, quicker, cheaper placemaking projects in their communities.
Funds will be used to install electric service for lights, speakers, PA systems, food trucks, and more; weatherproof picnic tables; café lighting; repair existing fences; and general landscape beautification. ACAR will partner with the project lead, West Hill Neighborhood Organization, on this placemaking upgrade, who will oversee the improvements and maintenance moving forward. Volunteer support comes from organizations such as the Church of Our Saviour, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, I Promise School graduates, St. Vincent Catholic Church, Progress Through Preservation, and Summit County Master Gardeners. Rubber City Refuse is donating compost, with numerous other organizations providing support as well.
A second $5,000 grant will help transform and update a community amenity on the east side of Rockefeller Park, between Superior Avenue and Wade Park Avenue, of Cleveland into a vibrant, public destination for community use and enjoyment.
Funds will be used to uncover and clean up a historic trail leading from the intersection of Superior Ave. and East Boulevard along Doan Brook. The historic trail exists on an 1898 map, but not more recent ones. Work will include grading, excavation, and installation of a pea-gravel trail; landscaping; benches along the trail; trailhead entrance signs; a wayfinding kiosk; and interpretive signs including one marking the place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech on July 28, 1967. ACAR will partner with the project lead, Famicos Foundation, on this placemaking upgrade, who will oversee the improvements and maintenance moving forward. Volunteer and other support comes from organizations such as the Cleveland Restoration Society, Doan Brook Watershed Partnership, Key Bank, Republic Services, Hawken School, the City of Cleveland, University Circle Inc., Rockefeller Park Coalition, and Cultural Gardens Federation.
“REALTORS® live, work, and volunteer in their communities and take immense pride in our work to make all of our neighborhoods better places to live, work, and raise a family,” said Mike Valerino, CEO of ACAR. “This grant gives us a tangible, immediate opportunity to identify and address areas that need enhancement and revitalization and can be used for the greater good.”
“Placemaking can help foster healthier, more social and economically viable communities, and creates places where people feel a strong stake in their neighborhoods and are committed to making things better,” added Mark Vittardi, 2024 President. “As the area becomes more attractive and welcoming, nearby properties may also increase in value.”
To find out more about ACAR’s placemaking program visit, https://akronclevelandrealtors.com/.
