City of Akron breaks ground on $10 million improvements to Reservoir Park

Akron city officials and community representatives broke ground Tuesday on renovations to Reservoir Park's pool and community center.

City officials are aiming to complete the project in summer 2025. It is being paid for by about $10 million in American Rescue Plan Act funding, according to a news release from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik's office.

Infinity Construction will perform the work at the park, located at 1735 Hillside Terrace in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood, Malik told the crowd at the groundbreaking.

A new pool will include a 15-foot slide, 25-meter lap lanes and a shallow water play space, Malik said, adding that the bathhouse will be updated and a climbing wall and shaded areas will also be built.

New features of the community center will include a new entrance, gathering space, kitchen, multipurpose meeting room, art room and game room, he said.

The community center, which was built in 1933, will undergo a 4,800-square-foot expansion, city Deputy Service Director Eufrancia Lash told the crowd. In the process, an 1,800-square-foot portion that was added in 1990 will be demolished.

The pool and bathhouse were constructed in 1968, Lash said.

City officials decided to renovate Reservoir Park, Ed Davis Community Center and Perkins Woods Pool — and determined which features to include at each — based on community outreach, conversations and surveys over the past five years, Malik said.

"I think the result is that we're going to see some pretty significantly upgraded facilities," he said.

The Perkins Woods Pool project was completed in August.

Ed Davis Community Center renovations are underway.

The Patterson Park Community Center is also undergoing renovations.

Other project facilitators who spoke at the Reservoir Park renovation groundbreaking were Councilwoman Sharon Connor, who serves Goodyear Heights in Ward 10; Mac Love, co-founder and chief catalyst at creative agency Art x Love; and Mike Herhold, president of the RIGHT (Residents Improving Goodyear Heights Together) Committee.

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 15-foot slide, 25-meter lap lanes among $10M Reservoir Park upgrades