Mayor Don Plusquellic and Director of the Akron-Summit County Public Library,
Steven Hawk, broke ground this morning for Akron’s 14th neighborhood
community center and the public library’s newest branch. The mayor held his weekly
news conference at the site of the new Northwest Akron Family Recreation Center and
Northwest Akron/Ayers Branch of the Akron-Summit County Public Library. The two community
resources will be physically linked on property at the corner of Shatto and Western
avenues off North Hawkins Avenue.
Construction on the community center will be completed next May at a cost of $2.4
million. The center will cover 12,000 square feet and feature: a large multi-purpose room,
meeting room, kitchens, exercise room, craft room, a pre-school, computers, an outdoor
covered picnic area with grills and picnic tables and restrooms, storage rooms, softball
field, soccer field, walking track, outdoor play equipment for toddlers and equipment for
young children, and 140 parking spaces.
The new library will replace the Ayers Branch currently on West Market Street in the
Wallhaven neighborhood. The library will be approximately 12,000 square feet and cost
about $2 million and will more than triple the space available for library programs and
services. It is being funded by taxpayer monies generated through Issue #4.
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