January 2026

Weekly Community Announcements​​​​​

​

​​​Week  4

Tuesday Jan. 27 10:20am Update - If you have a residential street which has not been plowed, now is the time to enter a 3-1-1 request. Crews made one pass on every public, City of Akron street last night so if we missed you (we're sorry!) please enter a request. You can call 3-1-1, go online to akronohio.gov/311, or download the Akron 311 app. Any request that was entered during the storm has been cleared so if you entered a request yesterday and it's still not done, please enter a new request.

Crews are currently in primaries and secondaries clearing the streets from curb to curb. They will get back into residentials this evening to open up the streets more but please be advised that by opening up the residentials further, it is going to put more snow into driveways. With approximately 66,000 driveways in the city, there's no way to avoid that unfortunately. Crews will do their best to keep the plows straight to keep it to a minimum but with as much snow as we got, it will naturally fill in open spaces as we continue to open the streets.

We continue to have all 57 trucks out and the parking ban remains in place today. We're getting there, Akron!

​

We've extended the hours at Summit Lake Community Center (380 W. Crosier St.) to last all week. The center will be open Monday, Jan. 26 through Sunday, Feb. 1 to provide a warming center for residents in need. The Summit Lake Community Center will be open between 8:00am and 7:00pm during those days. All other City of Akron community centers will be open during their normal business hours.

The Akron Emergency Overnight Warming Center will be open nightly through Jan. 30 from 7:00pm to 8:00am for anyone needing a warm place to go overnight. You can learn more at akronemergencycenter.org.

The city will continue to monitor temperatures and will extend community center hours as necessary. Unless otherwise specified, the center will return to normal business hours starting Monday, Feb. 2. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4k2usaj

​

​

​​​Week  3

City of Akron Provides Update on 1200 Firestone

 Today, the City of Akron is sharing an update on the planned demolition of 1200 Firestone. The city has nearly completed asbestos remediation of the property and is waiting to begin demolition until outstanding issues with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) have been fully resolved. After a productive meeting with SHPO late last week, the City is exploring a variety of options to present to the Urban Design and Historic Preservation Committee (UDHPC) at a special meeting to be convened on Feb. 17. The City has requested an extension from SHPO to respond to their dispute letter given that the UDHPC cannot consider these options until Feb. 17.

Until an updated memorandum of understanding (MOU) can be approved by SHPO or until the City is in alignment with the former MOU, the City is not eligible for reimbursement from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) funds which the city was previously awarded for demolition of the structure.

Akron is considering the following options for Firestone:

• Retention of the “1910” part of the easternmost building including the clock tower.

  • This alternative would evaluate the structural feasibility of keeping the 1910 part of the easternmost structure including the clock tower. Cost estimates will include options for roof repair, as well as blocking in the windows of lower floors to attempt to reduce challenges with security and vandalism. Key challenges include cost, structural integrity, additional cost to mitigate vandalism, ongoing ability to secure the site/structure from vandalism, nuisance behavior and safety/liability, ability to redevelop building structure given environmental considerations/limitations.

• Retention of full easternmost structure and clock tower.

  • Key challenges include cost, feasibility of regaining structural integrity of entire easternmost structure, additional cost to mitigate vandalism, ongoing ability to secure the site/structure from vandalism, nuisance behavior and safety/liability, ability to redevelop building structure given environmental considerations/limitations.

• Retention of clock tower only on-site.

  • Key challenges include cost, feasibility of regaining structural integrity of tower alone as a free-standing structure, and developability of site.

• Preservation of clock tower elements within a new structure built in homage to 1200 Firestone.

  • This concept could be constructed at a location on site at 1200 Firestone, or in an alternate location of significance like Firestone Park or Firestone Stadium (where the Firestone signage is preserved). Key challenges include cost depending on scope; ambiguity of design and time to develop with community.

  • This strategy has a second option with incorporation of historic elements within a new clock tower honoring the past with historic elements in combination with a more modern tower.

• Preservation of clock elements for inclusion in a new development yet to be determined on-site at 1200 Firestone.

  • This concept includes preserving elements of the existing structure and inclusion of those elements in a future development. Key challenges include unknown timeline for site redevelopment, unknown cost, and ambiguity with the community.  

The City has been working with SHPO since the summer to come to an updated agreement on the demolition of the Firestone property given the cost estimates for retention of the full front bay which made the project as initially imagined unfeasible. In November, SHPO sent a letter of dispute with the current MOU. In December, Akron City Council passed a resolution urging the city to continue exploring options to save some or all portions of the clock tower. Akron has continued to explore all possible options, understanding the historical significance of the structure to the community and also the cost challenges involved.

“I want to thank our Economic Development and Planning teams for the sheer number of hours they have dedicated to finding a solution to this complex issue. I also want to thank both ODOD and SHPO for their continued collaboration as we have been exploring all available opportunities,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik. “I am optimistic there is a solution that finds the right balance between addressing a nuisance property and preserving our history.”

Akron has contracted with Hasenstab Architects to develop cost analyses for the proposed options. After internally determining feasibility for each option, the city plans to present to the UDHPC meeting on Feb. 17. While the commission will meet on Feb. 3, the time to add new agenda items has already passed.

​​​Week  2

​

If you have a residential road in need of salt or plowing please enter a request at akronohio.gov/311 or by downoading the Akron 311 app but have some patience with our teams. If you plan to drink tonight, please make a plan ahead of time to get home safely.

Big thank you to all of the men and women on our snow and ice team. They are spending their holiday tonight making sure you can get home safely to your families. Stay safe Akron and give the plows room to work.

​

In case you missed it: Akron is officially completely lead service line free!

This effort began back in the 1960s, when Akron Water leadership began the removal process long before it was best practice to do so. Because of this proactive approach, Akron is one of the first cities of our age and size to reach this historic milestone!

Our goal in the Together for Akron plan was to remove the last lead line before the end of 2025, and we're thrilled to have accomplished that. You can check out these photos from the final lead line removal or head over to https://bit.ly/4qtI4gZ to learn more.

​

​​​Week  1

​

We're pleased to announce the recipients of our 2025 Great Streets Neighborhood Business District Micro Enterprise Business Improvement Grant and Façade/Building Improvement Grants! 14 properties will be receiving matching funding to improve their spaces and 40 entrepreneurs will receive funds to support general operations and business development. See the full list of recipients and learn more here: https://bit.ly/4q04Yg9

Since the Great Streets program began in 2018, the City of Akron has awarded over $2 million in support to local small businesses. As part of our Working Together pillar, we plan to continue to support our local neighborhood businesses through this program as long as funding allows. You can read the full Together for Akron plan at akronohio.gov/togetherforakron.