by Doug LivingstonAkron Beacon Journal

No one came knocking on Sandra Saulsberry’s door for approval six years ago when “a guy from California” wanted to paint a mural and make Summit Lake more friendly to a mostly younger crowd.

Saulsberry and her neighbors balked at the plan after a long history of well-intentioned visionaries swooping into their Akron neighborhood talking about what’s best for them. But in the six years since, the 30-year resident of Summit Lake has been on a journey with the Civic Commons, a Knight Foundation-funded collaborative that engages residents on reimagining public spaces and fostering community.

Saulsberry was initially leery of these latest philanthropists, architects and civic leaders. She even said she Googled for dirt on Dan Rice, who’s overseeing the project as president and CEO of the Ohio and Erie Canal Coalition. Eventually, Saulsberry said Wednesday from the eastern shore of Summit Lake, she trusted them and, more importantly, let them trust her.

“You know,” she said with Rice, Mayor Dan Horrigan, Council President Margo Sommerville (whose ward includes the lake) and Akron Program Director Kyle Kutuchief with the Knight Foundation all sitting behind her, “when the Civic Commons did do this park right where we’re standing, I came down one evening and just sat on a swing at sunset.

“It was such a beautiful day,” she said. “In the midst of it, a large bird flew over the sunset and I thought, wow, if I had a camera and took that picture and put it on Facebook and asked someone, ‘Where do you think I was vacationing at?’ they would have never dreamed that was a scene from Summit Lake.”

That’s a still frame from the photo album that has become the community-led vision for reimagining Summit Lake. And with $2 million in support announced by Horrigan on Wednesday, that vision has never been clearer now that the first two phases of this $10 million-plus project are fully funded.

City Council has been asked this month to approve the $2 million allocation from the federal American Rescue Plan Act as part of an annual spending measure that funds city government for the first three months of 2022, until the entire annual budget is ready.

Last year, council unanimously approved $3 million for the Summit Lake renewal project, which includes a $3 million trail around the lake that spins off the Towpath Trail, a bridge from the community center playground to a new north shore boathouse, canoe launch area and pavilion, and a full extension of the floating boardwalk to span the width of the lake, connecting Summit Lake and Kenmore while allowing boats to pass under an arched walkway.

Building bridges, building trust

Residents like Saulsberry say they see the plan as truly for and by people who’ve stayed near Summit Lake for decades, enduring urban renewal projects that cut them off from economic opportunity and private disinvestment that’s led to more demolitions and empty lots than there are standing houses on some streets.

A century since the upper class flocked to a Ferris wheel, boardwalk and tiled swimming pool of “Akron’s Million Dollar Playground” at Summit Lake, the next chapter of recreation — of place-making and community-connecting, of bringing people of various walks of life together to foster empathy and understanding — is being written with local residents instead being handed to them.

“I learned so much about trust,” Saulsberry said. “Do I allow people to come into my space and see who I am as a resident? And that’s still an issue in this neighborhood, that we don’t trust people. Well, trusting people who come to your community and open their hearts and ask, ‘Well, what do you want?’ and not ‘what I want to give you’ — that’s invitation right there to know that ‘I’m not out to take anything from you. I’m coming to bring. And I’m going to bring what you like, what your family will enjoy.’”

Rice and architects with City Architecture presented preliminary designs Wednesday. Wayfinding markers staked around the lake that morning flapped in the breeze, allowing the more than 100 community stakeholders in attendance, including County Councilwoman Veronica Sims and City Council members Jeff Fusco and Ginger Baylor, to place the location of the new pavilion and boathouse or the bridge that will carry people off the Towpath Trail to the north shore.

Juleian Curtis with City Architecture led the many community meetings that shaped, and reshaped, the planning. For example, a west shoreline amphitheater that might have been a destination for people living elsewhere was rejected by local residents, whose opinions took priority.

Curtis recalled that as an undergraduate at Kent State, he was assigned to reimagine Summit Lake. It was 2011, before the Reach Community Center was built, before a studied declared the water clean enough to boat and fish (and getting cleaner), before Civic Commons got involved and installed benches, picnic tables and a public space that fills with farmers markets, bands and festivities in warmer weather.

“It’s even better than we imagined it would be,” Curtis said, looking at a giant poster board of the preliminary plans he helped design.

Timeline for construction

Rice and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, along with the city and other partners in the Civic Commons, are overseeing a total of $40 million in improvements at Summit Lake and Lock 3, a downtown park set for a complete overhaul next year.

At Summit Lake, the $3 million trail is in the final design stage, Rice said. The plan is to bid the work in early 2022 and break ground in the spring or early summer.

The rest of the Phase I and II improvements at Summit Lake — the boathouse, a parking lot for boat trailers and another for guests, a bridge and pavilion, and an open lawn area for community events — will undergo nine more months of design. The plan is to leave as many trees as possible to serve as a natural sound barrier with the interstate not far away.

Construction would commence in 2023 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony toward the end of the year.

Phase III of the Summit Lake Vision Plan will then shift focus to the Kenmore shore, where Rice said $5 million to $7 million in potential upgrades are still being sorted out by residents.

Reach Doug Livingston at dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com or 330-996-3792.

Taylor Rahe is a Kenmore resident and stay at home mom to two young children she and her husband Ben, a business owner, are raising. Since moving to Kenmore about a decade ago, Taylor and Ben have been actively engaged in the community – particularly with Friends of Chestnut Ridge Park and Project Shine.

1. How long have you lived in Kenmore and what attracted your family to the neighborhood?

We moved to Kenmore eight or nine years ago when Ben was on staff at First Glance. We have since purchased both our first and second home here. We have stayed for the community and seeking the welfare of our neighborhood. The affordable cost of living in Kenmore has also provided us with opportunities to invest and pursue business ventures.

2. You and your husband are active with the Friends of Chestnut Ridge Park, how did you become involved in that group and why is Chestnut Ridge Park special to you?

We live very close to Chestnut Ridge Park and take our two young kids to play there nearly every day! When we moved in three and a half years ago there was already a movement to make improvements and maintain the park and we jumped in to support however we could. We just started showing up to meetings and availed ourselves however we could.

3. You also got a disc golf course installed at Chestnut Ridge Park, what’s your advice for people who have never played, but want to learn, and what do people need to know in order to go play at Chestnut Ridge?

Chestnut Ridge is the perfect place to check out disc golf if you are new to the sport! It was designed with new people in mind. Discs can be purchased for $10 or less at Play it Again Sports. We are still working on getting signs in at the park and until then the best way to navigate the course is through the UDisc app. We would also be more than willing to show people around and lend a disc!

4. What is your favorite spot in Kenmore? What do you love about it?

Besides Chestnut Ridge we love Old 97! It’s such a gem. I love the unique drinks they have and the atmosphere.

5. You and your husband worked with Project Shine to renovate the exterior of elderly resident’s homes with teens. What can you tell us about Project Shine, why it’s important to you, and how others can become involved?

Ben and I became involved with Project Shine through First Glance when we would take students to participate. I served on the board of Project Shine from 2017-2019. I love Project Shine for the two fold aspect of the ministry – not only is it a service to the community, but it is teaching local teenagers how to serve in their community! It’s awesome to drive through the neighborhood and see the homes that have been painted throughout the years and be reminded of the good memories and friendships we have through Shine.

6. What is your favorite Kenmore memory or story to share with people?

I don’t have one specific moment in mind, but I love when we all come together for First Friday or other community events when the BLVD is packed with people we love and we can bounce from person to person catching up. [Editors Note: Light The BLVD is coming December 3!]

7. You can only pick one Kenmore Pizza – Pierre’s, Rocco’s, Regina’s, or Talamo’s – which one is it going to be and why?

Pierre’s! His Pierre’s Pizza is my all-time favorite. Pure garlicky goodness.

8. What concert or event would you love to see at The Rialto Theatre?

As far as bands go- I would love to see Needtobreathe there! Also either a showing or performance of It’s a Wonderful Life at Christmas time would be so fun!

9. As a resident, where do you see Kenmore in ten years?

I see a vibrant boulevard with thriving shops and businesses.

10. What do you want the world to know about Kenmore?

We are a true community here. We are a part of a bigger city, but we have the community aspect of a small town. People have roots here. We have festivals/events like a small town- community Thanksgiving, Christmas on the Boulevard, Easter on the Boulevard, First Fridays.

Interested in joining Friends of Chestnut Ridge? Connect with Chestnut Ridge Park on Facebook or email chestnutridge@akronparks.org for more information.

by Charlee Harris

Kenmore Boulevard is quickly becoming Akron’s hotspot for fun and safe nightlife and The Nite Owl Restaurant, located at 992 Kenmore Blvd., is a major contributor to this new fun scene.

Owner Sharness Dowdy is a devoted mother and passionate entrepreneur. The Nite Owl was located in Barberton before moving to the Kenmore location in September of this year. September also marked The Nite Owl’s two year anniversary of being in operation, a milestone Sharness is truly proud of.

“I wanted to quit so many times but I am a Capricorn, a true GOAT reaching the top of every mountain I encounter”, Sharness writes in a recent Facebook post.

The Nite Owl boasts a truly diverse menu with soul food classics such as shrimp and grits but also has Italian staples like Alfredo. The menu has a pleasant rotation, with new exciting dishes being added and seasonal favorites being retired until next year. The Nite Owl menu offers great lunch and dinner options with affordable price points. The Nite Owl really lives up to its name, with menu options available until twelve am on weekdays and two am on weekends.

The Nite Owl staff offer warm, friendly, and quick service. My order of chicken wings was ready within twenty minutes of ordering and had a perfect balance of sauce and crispness. The fried green tomatoes I ordered were so delicious and authentic they took me back to my summers spent with family down south. The restaurant was immaculately clean and the staff all had personal protective equipment.

With a google rating of 4.9, it’s no wonder why The Nite Owl is quickly becoming Kenmore’s go-to eatery. So if you are on the boulevard patronizing one of the many local businesses, be sure to give The Nite Owl a try, they will not disappoint.

The Nite Owl is open Tuesday – Thursday from noon until midnight, Friday from noon until 2am, and Saturday from 4pm-2am for dine-in or takeout orders. The Nite Owl updates its menu on its Facebook page and orders may be called in at 234-678-7488.