May 2023

Community Announcements

week 4

The Akron Art Museum has TWO FREE Family Days scheduled in the next few weeks:

Join us Sunday, June 4th for Pride with tie-dying, poster-making, flag-making, and more: https://akronartmuseum.org/media/events/family-day-pride/

Join us on Saturday, July 8th for a Keith Haring-themed special Family Day: https://akronartmuseum.org/.../family-day-keith-haring/ Also,Thursdays are FREE at the Akron Art Museum! Come down to view art and hang out in our space.

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Reservoir Pool will open Wednesday, June 7th, for the season! Make your check-in seamless and register for your FREE Open Swim Membership today! Every person entering the pool will need to register for the membership.

To register visit: https://akron.recdesk.com/Community/Membership/Detail...

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City Of Akron To Conduct Hydrant Flushing

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Akron, Ohio, May 19, 2023 — The City of Akron, Water Distribution Division will be continuing a water main flushing program within the Akron, Bath, Coventry, Fairlawn, Hudson, Mogadore, Montrose, and other water retail service areas to help maintain the water quality and to increase and evaluate the amount of water available for firefighting purposes. The Water Department will be flowing hydrants from 7:00AM TO 4:00PM on MONDAYs through FRIDAYs. The week of May 22, 2023, the fire hydrant flushing crews will begin flushing hydrants in the North Akron Area.

The North Akron Area is bounded approximately by:

City limits to the North

North St to the South

City limits to the East

Cuyahoga St to the West

Water discoloration is not uncommon after hydrant flushing. If residents notice discolored water, they should not use it for cooking or washing clothes until they’ve flushed the discoloration from the line by letting the water run until clear. Once the water is clear again, residents can resume using water for cooking and washing.  

Steps to take to check if water is clearing:

1.  Turn on cold water faucet only

2. Let the water run for about 5 minutes.  This brings the water from the water main into the house and clears the line from the main to the faucet.

3. If the water is still discolored, turn off the water and re-check in an hour.

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Community Announcements

week 3

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On May 25 from 11am-1pm, Greenleaf Family Center will be hosting a resume writing class!

Professional and individual assistance will be available to all who attend! There will also be snacks and childcare available during the class.

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There some fantastic special events lined up for kids this summer at Main Library! Enjoy storytelling, music, dancing, magic, exotic animals, and more. All events are FREE and family-friendly. Get in touch with The Akron Public library for more information

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Also The library has free hands-on computer classes. Learn how to use the mouse, keyboard, Windows 10, folders, the Internet, and more. Attend one class or the entire series. Register by phone at 330.643.9145 or online: https://bit.ly/3BspxKB

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Dates, times, topics:

Intro to Computers: basic mouse and keyboard skills and Windows 10 | Monday, May 15 | 10:30 am

Organizing File Folders: create/organize folders, cut/move/copy folders | Tuesday, May 16th | 10:30 am

Internet Basics: basic Internet searching | Wednesday, May 17th | 10:30 am

Gmail Basics: create Gmail account, learn to send/receive emails | Thursday, May 18th | 10:30 am

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This program requires registration. Register online, in person, or by phone at 330.643.9145. Please cancel if you cannot attend the class after registration. You can do so online via the email confirmation received at the time of registration or by calling Electronic Services Division at 330.643.9145. ​

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City Of Akron Promotes New Director Of Planning And Urban Development

Mayor Horrigan announced that Thomas A. Tatum has been appointed as Director of Planning and Urban Development for the City of Akron. Former Planning Director Jason Segedy took on a new position with the University of Akron on its Polsky Building project on Main Street downtown. Tatum will begin his new position with the City effective May 15, 2023.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Thomas graduated from Clark College (now Clark-Atlanta University) in 1983. In 1991, Thomas graduated from the University of Akron with a Masters in Urban Planning. The City of Akron has employed Thomas since October 1989 and he has served in several roles in his time with the City including Housing Rehabilitation, Senior City Planner and most recently as Division Manager for the Department of Neighborhood Services. Thomas has overseen a variety of neighborhood revitalization projects including most recently the ARPA Home Repair Program. Thomas excels in community development, project planning & evaluation and leadership development.

“The role of Planning Director is an extremely important one for the City of Akron. To be able to retain Thomas until the end of the year to fill this vacancy is crucial. He will provide the exact type of leadership we need in this position to ensure continuity of services during this period of transition for the City. I thank Thomas for his continued commitment to Akron. I know he’s the right man for the job at this critical juncture,” said Mayor Horrigan.

Other Cabinet level changes include the departure of Catey Breck, who served as Director of Strategic Development in the City’s Office of Integrated Development. Catey has taken on a new opportunity as Director of Economic Development at inSITE Advisory Group. The City plans to leave this role vacant for the time being and her job duties will be covered by a variety of staff in the Office of Integrated Development.

“I thank both Jason and Catey for their service to the City of Akron and its residents,” said Mayor Horrigan. “They each played an important role in my Cabinet, and I wish them well on their future endeavors.”

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Community Announcements

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week 1

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May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month!

We appreciate our AAPI friends, family, and neighbors who call Akron home and make it a better place every single day.

 

May 1st is the first day of Jewish American Heritage Month! Let's celebrate the rich history and culture with our Jewish-American community members this month.

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Need more information about Reimagine METRO? Visit the RKP Transit Center on select dates in May to speak with METRO team members about upcoming changes.

You can also go to reimagine-metro.com to compare your old route with your new route or yourmetrobus.org for a detailed breakdown of route changes.

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This week (May 1 - May 7) is Deaf Awareness Week, an annual celebration of the Deaf Community.

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Mayor Horrigan To Host 7th Annual Health Equity Summit On May 17

Akron, Ohio, April 25, 2023 — Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan will host his 7th Annual Health Equity Summit at the John S. Knight Center, on May 17 from 9:00am-4:00pm. This year’s Summit will discuss issues such as gun violence, suicide awareness, mental health, youth opportunity, and more. Additionally, during the Summit, the City plans to release the Youth Violence Intervention & Prevention Strategic Plan to reduce the number of violent crimes committed by Akron youth ages 13-24.

Each year, the Health Equity Summit brings together healthcare leaders and workers, employers, social service agencies, grass roots groups, and citizen advocates to discuss tackling racial disparities in healthcare and finding equitable solutions to help those who have been historically disenfranchised.

“This year’s Summit will focus on systemic racism’s effects on mental health, youth violence intervention and prevention, and continuing collaboration to enhance healthcare for our underserved communities,” said Mayor Horrigan. “This annual summit has grown and evolved each year and I’m proud to once again bring this important event to the Akron community.”

The featured keynote speaker is Juard Barnes, Senior Advisor for Communities of Practice at The Health Alliance for Violence Intervention (The HAVI).  He has nearly 40 years of experience as a community builder and violence prevention specialist helping organizations and cities nationwide to achieve community safety. Specializing in advocacy, training, and Technical Assistance in the CVI Ecosystem, Juard recently served as a lead for the White House Community Violence Intervention Collaborative, helping to create powerful CVI leadership for 16 jurisdictions nationwide.

A full schedule of speakers and discussions will be released in the coming weeks. Registration for the Health Equity Summit is free and available here. This year’s Summit will take place at the John S. Knight Center. Attendees will be served complimentary breakfast and lunch. There are a limited number of seats available.

This year’s Health Equity Summit is generously supported by Summit ADM Board, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, and Summit County Public Health.

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City Of Akron To Restrict Access To City Hall And Harold K. Stubbs Building

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 April 13, 2023 — Today, the City of Akron has announced that beginning tomorrow, Friday, April 14 at 5pm public access to the City’s Municipal Building (166 S. High St.) and the Harold K. Stubbs Building (217 S. High St.) will be suspended until further notice.

City services will continue as normal without interruption. As the City prepares for the upcoming decisions from the grand jury seated in the Jayland Walker case, this decision was made for both the safety of city employees and the public, as well as continuity of city operations.

This change in access will also impact Akron City Council who typically meet in person at the Akron Municipal Building on Mondays. Those meetings will be held virtually until the building reopens for public access. For more information on how to sign up for public comment or to watch city council meetings, please visit akroncitycouncil.org.

As our community prepares for the outcomes of the grand jury decisions, we encourage anyone in need of mental health resources to please click here or call 2-1-1 to get connected to support options.

The City’s AkronUpdates.com site now includes a sign up to receive email notifications for any updates to the page including safety information, road closures, and more.

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