City of Akron and Akron Parks Collaborative Announce the Akron Parks Challenge 2026 Park Recipient

Today, the City of Akron and Akron Parks Collaborative are happy to announce that the 2026 Akron Parks Challenge recipient is Heintz Hillcrest Park (Ward 7), which will receive $150,000 in city-funded capital improvements with community engagement and design support from Akron Parks Collaborative.

This eighth installment of the Akron Parks Challenge, which launched in February, invited residents to pitch their vision for how to improve their favorite Akron park by collaborating with their neighborhood to support design, implementation and upkeep. The Akron Parks Challenge program began in 2018 in partnership with the City, Akron Parks Collaborative, the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.  Heintz Hillcrest Park is the 15^th Akron Parks Challenge recipient. 

“The Akron Parks Challenge has been a huge success, improving parks by putting residents in the driver’s seat to decide the future of their park,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik. “It’s essential to neighborhood health and safety to have engaged and active groups involved in solutions toward a more vibrant Akron.”

Located in the Firestone Park neighborhood, Heintz Hillcrest is the first park to receive the award in Ward 7.  Applicants are members of Friends of Firestone Park, a group that seeks to support all of the city parks in the neighborhood. 

Park improvement ideas that will be vetted with the rest of the neighborhood include new teen play equipment, improved landscaping, fruit trees, more seating, disc golf and more.

Member of Friends of Firestone Park, Heaven DiMartino said, “We are incredibly excited and honored to have been selected as a winner of the Akron Parks Challenge. These improvements at Heintz Hillcrest Park will help create a more beautiful, welcoming, and accessible space for everyone who lives, works, and plays nearby. Parks are vital to the health and strength of our communities, and this investment will enhance opportunities for recreation, connection, and enjoyment for residents and visitors alike. We are proud to partner with Ward 7 Councilman Donnie Kammer, community stakeholders, and local residents to bring these improvements to life and enhance the park for everyone." 

The goal of the Challenge is to engage communities around neighborhood parks to create active and vibrant public spaces. The Challenge requires interested neighborhood residents and organizations to show how they will help engage their community around the process.

“This year’s applications showed yet again the passion and willingness that people have across Akron to improve their neighborhood. It also showed how great the need is in so many of our city parks. While we could only select one recipient this year, we are looking forward to working with all of the applicants to firmly establish Friends groups and support their efforts in activating their park and implementing small improvements,” said Bridget Ambrisco, Executive Director of Akron Parks Collaborative.

Submissions were reviewed by the Akron Parks Collaborative and were judged based on measures of community engagement, feasibility and equity.

The City of Akron and the Akron Parks Collaborative will begin working with the applicants to develop a plan for community engagement activities over the next several months—including public meetings, events, surveys and discussion with neighborhood stakeholders. Neighborhood designed capital improvements could begin as quickly as a year from now but typically take 2 years to come to fruition.

For more information on Akron’s Park Challenge, please visit akronparks.org.