Updated: Sep 29, 2020

By MARK AREHART & ABIGAIL BOTTAR

Posted Sep 22, 2020

 

The Knight Foundation is committing $8 million in grants to help revamp some of Akron’s public spaces.

The Knight Foundation grants will enhance two public spaces in Akron: Summit Lake and Lock 3. Half the money will go toward rebuilding Summit Lake’s north shore into a community-focused park and recreation area.

Kyle Kutuchief, director of the Knight Foundation’s Akron Program, said this is the right time to be making a substantial investment like this.

As the pandemic has worn on, national trends have shown more people are using public spaces and parks.

“One of the advantages of being in Northeast Ohio is that we have amazing public spaces,” Kutuchief said. “However, not everyone has equal access to a great park in close proximity to their home.” 

Summit Lake Park

The Knight Foundation plans to invest $4 million to create Summit Lake Park on 35 acres on the lake’s north shore. Currently, the plot is an abandoned piece of land. However, Kutuchief says it will become a destination park. 

The hope is to start the $10 million project next year. 

The city of Akron committed $3 million to the project, leaving $3 million left to fund. Kutuchief believes this money can be raised through public funding, other philanthropic support and a fundraising campaign targeting individuals in the next year. 

Hear the stories of early canal-era residents and workers as Hey Mavis performs Oct. 2 at Kenmore First Fridays.

A Residents-first Approach

The project aims to create a space for the residents of Summit Lake. Summit Lake is the largest body of water in the City of Akron, and Kutuchief said it has rarely been used. 

“We see this park as returning the lake to the people that live in the neighborhood, giving them access to this amazing physical asset that’s in close proximity to their house,” he said.

Since 2016, the Knight Foundation has been working through a process called Reimagining the Civic Commons, through which it tests various elements of the park, such as trails, playgrounds, and picnic tables. The foundation has received very positive feedback from the community members, Kutuchief said.

“An important part of the process is that this is not a foundation or city leaders or fancy consultants coming into a neighborhood and telling people what they need,” he said. “We have been very intentional over the past four years about engaging the residents, starting to build trust, and asking them about what they want to see in their park.”

Kutuchief calls it a residents-first approach, which he has led to a better planning process and in the end, he hopes, a better park. 

Unifying Two Shores

The park will be going into a very diverse neighborhood. 

“Summit Lake neighborhood is a majority minority, primarily African American neighborhood, and the Kenmore neighborhood tends to be more blue-collar Caucasian,” Kutuchief said. 

Summit Lake has historically been two places, two shores. Kutuchief believes the new park will unify the neighborhoods and bring people together. 

“It’s investment in neighborhoods that don’t always get it and certainly haven’t gotten investment historically,” he said.  

Akron’s Central Park

Redesigning Lock 3, which Kutuchief calls downtown Akron’s Central Park, to make it more accessible for everyday use will take $2 million of the investment. In its current form, he says, Lock 3 is mostly a special event venue.

“There’s very little shade. There’s very little comfortable seating. And there’s a fence currently on Main Street. It doesn’t exactly invite casual use,” he said.

Lock 3 will become both a special event venue and an everyday park, with expanded seating and shaded areas for people to congregate, Kutuchief said. The project also will upgrade Lock 3’s performance space.

The Knight Foundation is also investing more than $1.3 million to support Downtown Akron Partnership and more than $600,000 to remodel the historic John S. Knight house in West Akron, which will become the new headquarters of the Summit County Land Bank.

Copyright 2020 WKSU. To see more, visit WKSU.

For his most recent mural, Kenmore artist Caleb Aronhalt went underground: well, under a bridge, at least.

The Summit Metro Parks commissioned Caleb to create a large-scale mural under the Kenmore Boulevard bridge where the Summit Lake Loop Trail connects with the west shore. “They wanted to make the space more inviting, “ Caleb said. They also wanted to be sure it was created by an artist from the neighborhood.

Bringing color to the community is very important to Caleb “because it shows that people actually care,” he explained. “I’m all about investing my time and talent in my neighborhood to help make my community better.”

Caleb has lived in Kenmore for eight years and has worked on several mural projects throughout the neighborhood. His most notable work can be found at the southwest corner of Kenmore Blvd. and 15th St., a collaboration between Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, Art X Love and the University of Akron Art Bomb Brigade.

“This project was different because I did not have a team; I’ve been doing it solo,” Caleb said. He estimates it took him about 80 hours in all, adding “every day was different” depending on the canal levels.

As more opportunities open up in Kenmore, look to see more from Caleb Aronhalt Art in the near future. We are grateful for his work toward our goal of bringing the beautiful neighborhoods of Kenmore and Summit Lake together.

By Craig Webb

Akron Beacon Journal

https://www.beaconjournal.com/news/20200622/akronrsquos-kenmore-neighborhood-to-host-drive-in-concert

Music is returning to Kenmore’s First Fridays.

But like most everything amid the coronavirus pandemic, it will take a bit of a different form. The Akron concert ( https://www.facebook.com/events/607648246773094/ ) from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. July 3 will take the format of a drive-in movie.

The neighborhood event sponsored by the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance and the

Kenmore Chamber of Commerce will host the concert in the Kenmore South Alley parking lots behind businesses like Lay’s Guitar Shop and Live Music Now.

Participants will be able to listen to the performances from the comfort of their own cars. Those slated to perform include Zach, Marc Lee Shannon, Jim Ballard, and The Rialto Theatre co-owner and A Band Named Ashes frontman Nate Vaill.

Some Kenmore Boulevard restaurants, including Lil’ Bit Café and Pierre’s Brooklyn Pizza, will offer delivery to the parking lot. There is room for 62 vehicles, with a suggested donation of $5 per car. Tina Boyes, the executive director of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, said the First Friday events, which started in 2018, have been held virtually on Facebook since the start of the global pandemic. “People are hungry for some normalcy and miss things like concerts and festivals,” Boyes said. “We have adapted Kenmore First Fridays so people can come together, enjoy local music and support small businesses in a way that’s safe and comfortable for all.”

Music lovers are invited to listen from inside of the vehicle with either the windows down or from an FM radio signal or bring along chairs and sit outside.

Some Kenmore Boulevard businesses will be offering specials that night. The concert will also be livestreamed on the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance Facebook page.

Kenmore Boulevard’s Historic District is home to five recording studios, two guitar shops and The Rialto Theatre — which hosts local and national acts.

Craig Webb can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.

Updated: May 14, 2020

Even Coronavirus couldn’t squelch Kenmore Boulevard’s fighting spirit. The key to our survival? Creativity. Here are ways our businesses have adapted to serve customers safely throughout Ohio’s Stay at Home Order, and now the Stay Safe Ohio Order

The Dragon’s Mantle owner Carrie Acree used her daily store check-ins to offer virtual product tours on her Facebook page, plus and online ordering by phone, email and website.

“Our biggest concern is our customers’ safety,” she said, adding they continue to offer ‘purple door’ pickup.

Other stores like Kenmore Komics & Games and The Guitar Department continue to offer the same as well as in-store shopping, while The Rialto Theatre is selling discounted gift certificates at www.therialto.com/tickets ahead of their soft reopening in June.

Weeks-old Lil’ Bit Cafe ramped up curbside pickup and delivery options, offering payment over the phone and no-contact food drop-offs. The Kenmore Eastern Sports Bar is offering food and beer takeout specials 5-9 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday through May 20 and will reopen May 21 with safety and social distancing protocols enforced.

After a month long closure, Pierre’s Brooklyn Pizza & Deli reopened April 21 with abbreviated hours for takeout. They have since resumed regular hours Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m. and noon-8 p.m. Saturday.

See an updated list of Boulevard businesses open as of May 15

With public gatherings on hold, KNA also got creative, holding our first-ever Kenmore Virtual First Friday event on Facebook. The event mimicked the content and options of a typical Boulevard street parties. The May 1 event featured live music from The Guitar Department and The Rialto Theatre, a variety of useful demonstrations from Lay’s Guitar Shop, Lil’ Bit Cafe and Kenmore Branch Library. You can still check out the May First Friday videos on the KNA Facebook page.

The June 5 Kenmore Virtual First Friday will feature music from Kenmore’s own Mr. Pink, Facy Legs’ Corey Jenkins, Ben Gage and Rialto co-owner Nate Vaill of A Band Named Ashes. There will also be virtual tour of Summit Lake and a bicycle repair demonstration to get you and your family ready for the Boulevard bike lanes and Towpath Trail.

For more information about Kenmore First Fridays, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/betterkenmore. To receive weekly updates, register for our enewsletter.

By Katie Byard

Beacon Journal/ Ohio.com

Posted Feb 12, 2020 at 6:05 PM

Updated Feb 12, 2020 at 10:00 PM

A whole lot of effort went into getting the 25-seat Lil’ Bit Cafe off the ground in Akron’s Kenmore area.

“This is real, and when it’s real it gives you a lot of hope for the neighborhood,” said Tina Boyes, who is working to revitalize the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District, a roughly five-block commercial area where about a quarter of the storefronts are vacant.

Boyes, executive director of the nonprofit Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, talked about the effort at Wednesday’s grand opening ceremony for the eatery at 992 Kenmore Blvd.

The restaurant, which opened late last month and serves sandwiches and made-from-scratch soups and salads, is in a redeveloped former office building.

It is the first sit-down lunch and dinner restaurant to open in years in the area. It’s near the boulevard’s Rialto Theatre, and plans to stay open later during Rialto events.

The restaurant opened thanks to financial incentives and a vision shared by the café’s owner, Akron developer Todd Ederer, Boyes and others.

Wednesday’s ceremony — which included Ederer, café employees and various city officials — moved outside as Akron Mayor Don Horrigan cut red ribbon with oversize scissors.

Among those holding the ribbon was the head of Lil’ Bit’s kitchen and the creator of its menu, Micah Townsend, a resident of Kenmore. Townsend, a 20-plus-year veteran of commercial kitchens, previously worked at Mr. Zub’s Deli in Akron’s Highland Square, where he invented various customer favorites.

At Lil’ Bit, his menu includes Whole Hog (pulled pork, ham, bacon, cheddar cheese and house slaw on a Kaiser bun) and Mac Daddy (panko-crusted fried mac and cheese). There’s also more traditional fare, such as a Pub Burger (with a kaiser bun), egg salad on a croissant and turkey club.

The space has an industrial feel, with its buffed cement floor and unpainted, heavy-duty corrugated steel ceiling. Edison bulbs hang over the tables.

Big step

Sure, Lil Bit is an unassuming place, but Boyes, Ederer and others say it’s a big, eagerly awaited step forward in efforts to revitalize the boulevard.

The café is a training ground for mothers involved with a culinary training program run by JOBS (Jump on Board for Success), a nonprofit that operates out of space in Kenmore’s Park United Methodist Church.

CareSource Foundation of Dayton awarded a $150,000 grant to Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, part of which will go toward paying wages of JOBS workers at the café. The wage subsidy is available to other food-related businesses in the neighborhood that hire JOBS graduates, Boyes said.

Ederer, the owner of the Lil’ Bit business and building, said the idea for the café was hatched more than two years ago at a weekend-long Better Block event on the boulevard organized by the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance.

The Better Block happenings — part of a national program — bring temporary, pop-up businesses and activities to help underused business districts envision a better future.

At the Kenmore Better Block in May 2017, Ederer got to talking with Townsend, the kitchen veteran, about their boulevard dreams.

By that time, Ederer had bought a few storefronts on the boulevard, inspired by work that the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance was doing.

Ederer noted Wednesday in an interview that Akron Councilman Mike Freeman, who was at the grand opening and represents Kenmore in Ward 9, helped persuade him to invest in the area.

Ederer also recalled that as a child he went with his father, developer Alan Ederer, to the now-closed Kenmore Tailors on the boulevard.

“It made me appreciate local neighborhood business districts … over the years, I’ve really become a new urbanist,” Ederer said, referring to those who find inspiration from the way cities developed years ago.

Ederer then found out about Jennifer Herrick, a friend of Townsend, who runs the culinary training program for the JOBS initiative for young mothers.

Herrick said three graduates from the JOBS program are working at Lil’ Bit. Herrick, who ran a cupcake shop on Romig Road in Akron a few years back, runs the front of the house, while Townsend runs the back of the house.

Incentives

In addition to the CareSource grant, the project received a $100,000 loan from the nonprofit Western Reserve Community Fund, which finances ventures in economically distressed neighborhoods.

The project also received a $30,000 facade grant from the city. Ederer used some of the money to install large storefront windows, replacing a single small window. The brick facade has been painted a cream color. A Lil’ Bit Café sign will soon go up outside.

A Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance-commissioned study focusing on retail revitalization was key, Ederer said, in helping convince him to go forward with the restaurant plan.

The study found Kenmore “was leaking restaurant traffic,” with residents going to the Montrose area and other spots to eat out, Boyes said.

She said the study showed demand for up to five additional food-related businesses on the boulevard, roughly five blocks of which were named to the National Register of Historic Places last year. The café is in a 1968 structure, which means it is too young to be included in properties that could land historic tax credits to help developers finance redevelopment projects.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. A walk-up window is available. Phone is 234-718-2233.

Contact reporter Katie Byard at 330-996-3781 or kbyard@thebeaconjournal.com.

Updated: Jan 31, 2020

Kenmore Boulevard is home to a new sit-down and carryout restaurant for hungry lunch and dinner-goers. Lil’ Bit Cafe serves up a variety of delicacies, from unique sandwiches to salads and more at the corner of Kenmore Boulevard and 15th St.

No matter what your taste, Lil’ Bit’s menu is sure to satisfy. Signature dishes include the Phillbilly Cheesesteak, Falafel Waffle and Grilled Portabella Sammy: they’re all the creation of Chef Micah Townsend, a 24-year kitchen veteran, lifelong Kenmore resident, and inventor of your favorite pop culture-themed sandwiches at a well known Akron deli and bar.

“Kenmore is home, and one thing the Boulevard has lacked for a while has been a place to sit down and grab dinner,” Townsend said. “I love cooking and I wanted to put my passion back into my neighborhood.”

But Townsend isn’t the only Kenmore-friendly face behind the counter. Lil’ Bit is a collaboration between Townsend, Boulevard property owner Todd Ederer and Kenmore-native pastry chef Jennifer Herrick, who also serves as the lead instructor for the JOBS culinary training program.

“We call the place Lil’ Bit Cafe not only because the building is a bit small, our menu is a lil’ bit of this and a lil’ bit of that,” Townsend explained. He expects the menu to grow over time to become a one-of-a-kind operation in the Akron area.

Another unique aspect of the cafe: Herrick’s JOBS trainees are a part of Lil’ Bit’s day to day operations. The JOBS program offers young mothers culinary skills, time and money management, and one-on-one mentorship. Now, Lil’ Bit Cafe provides them with hands-on training in food service operations, which sets JOBS trainees apart.

In 2018, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance was awarded a $150,000 Caresource Foundation grant to fund the culinary training program and to provide employment subsidies that encourage local restaurants to hire JOBS trainees.

According to Ederer, these incentives combined with the local demand for sit-down restaurants are what ultimately convinced this developer to try his hand in the restaurant business. A 2019 Retail Revitalization Strategy by KM Date Community Planning uncovered demand for up to five additional food-related businesses on Kenmore Boulevard, including a coffee shop and a fast-casual restaurant like Lil’ Bit Cafe. The lack of Boulevard options meant that residents and their food dollars that could be spent within the district were leaving the neighborhood along their jobs.

“Through this study we see opportunity on The Boulevard,” Ederer said. “We are optimistic Lil’ Bit Cafe will help keep people, jobs, and dollars circulating within the community.”

Lil’ Bit Cafe is open at 992 Kenmore Blvd. Monday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. with expanded hours on certain nights. For info, catering and to-go orders, call 234-718-2233.

Updated: Dec 31, 2019

This year has been one of history, creativity and fun on Kenmore Boulevard, and we have the donors and volunteers of Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance to thank. From cleanups and beautification efforts to street festivals and district marketing, this diverse group of residents is working hard to create an enjoyable, engaging Boulevard experience. Here are a few of the highlights.

#5 HISTORIC DISTRICT & URBAN OVERLAY

On September 6, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance achieved a major goal: the National Park Service added the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District to the National Register of Historic Places. It was the result of a yearlong effort by KNA with support from the Kenmore Historical Society, City of Akron, State Historic Preservation Office and architects Chambers Murphy & Burge. The goal: to instill pride of place among residents and Boulevard property owners, encourage investment and improve people’s perceptions of our community.

KNA’s volunteer Design & Beautification Committee also partnered with the City of Akron Department of Comprehensive Planning to create special zoning that will preserve the historic scale and charm of the Boulevard. This Urban Overlay also prevents new empty street-fronting spaces like new open-air car lots and out-of-character construction that can detract from the district. We are grateful for their hard work.

#4 “KENMORE OHIO” MURAL

In July, Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance commissioned a mural by Kenmore resident Caleb Aronhalt called “Kenmore Ohio,” which brought color and community pride to the side of 998 Kenmore Blvd. The mural was created in partnership with the University of Akron Art Bomb Brigade, including Kenmore residents Arlie & Paula Sandusky Holman and dozens of local art students. It has quickly become a point of pride and de facto selfie spot for residents and visitors alike. So if you haven’t already done so, snap a selfie and post it to your social media accounts with the hashtag #kenmorerocks. Our social media team loves sharing.

#3 KENMORE CLEAN TEAM

We are grateful to neighborhood groups like Kenmore Kiwanis, First Glance Man Up, Youth2Adults, Girl Scout Service Unit 926 and Church on the Boulevard, as well as volunteers Ryan Boyes and Randy & Debbie Blake for working hard to keep the Boulevard and 18th Street Prayer Garden clean and inviting. Are you looking for an easy service project? KNA is always looking for individuals and groups to help with trash pickup and landscaping help for our Clean Team. Let us know!

#2 BOULEVARD DISTRICT BRANDING

In June, KNA worked with the city to install light pole banners in the Kenmore Boulevard median. This is thanks to KNA’s Promotions Committee, which works to brand Kenmore Boulevard as the center of commerce, culture and community for residents and visitors alike. The banners each represent an aspect of Kenmore, from our musical present, trolley car past and coffee and culinary future. We are grateful to TRIAD Communications Design4Good program for donating their banner design services and to resident Jason Chamberlain for the logo concept.

#1 KENMORE FIRST FRIDAYS

This summer, more than 1,500 people returned to Kenmore Boulevard for live music, food, shopping and free family fun during Kenmore First Fridays. An all-volunteer committee organized an outdoor marketplace, free hands-on activities like art-making, ukulele-playing and golf instruction, food trucks and live performances from some of the region’s best musicians. Artists like Floco Torres, Marc Lee Shannon, Colin John and hometown boys Mr. Pink entertained folks on nearly every corner of Kenmore Boulevard from 13th to 16th St. Food from Flamingo Jack’s Food Truck and Johnny Lotes Latin Street Corn, plus Pierre’s Brooklyn Pizza & Deli, the Kenmore Eastern Sports Bar and Live Music Now Beer Garden made Kenmore Boulevard the place to be for great music, eats and local brews. With your help, the KNA Promotions & Events Committee hopes to make these events bigger and better in 2020.

TOGETHER, WE CAN DO MORE

Thanks to our volunteers, supporters, funders and you, we accomplished much together in 2019. But as we all know, much work remains to be done. Here’s how you can help.

1. Volunteer: Have time or a talent you’d like to contribute to the community? Does your organization or teen need community service hours? Let us know.

2. Donate: All gifts, big and small, can make a huge difference. KNA is a 501(c)(3) charity, so gifts are tax deductible. You can give online or make your checks payable to Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance, 1014 Kenmore Blvd. Akron, OH 44314.

Photo: Jesse Barton

On Sept. 6, the National Park Service added the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District to its National Register of Historic Places. Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance Executive Director Tina Boyes announced the designation during the organization’s final Kenmore First Friday event of 2019. It is the first such designation for a neighborhood business district in Akron.

National Register inclusion makes Kenmore Boulevard Historic District properties eligible for historic tax credits, which according to the state’s Office of Strategic Business Investments can have “catalytic economic impact.” When combined with Kenmore Boulevard’s Opportunity Zones, which delay tax on capital gains when invested in properties or businesses the district, Boyes said the impact could be even greater. One project, 952 and 956 Kenmore Blvd., is already in the works by Ederer & Associates, she said.

“We know how daunting commercial revitalization can be, but when you factor in all the city, state and federal incentives and the increased neighborhood retail demand coming with Romig Road development, Kenmore Boulevard suddenly becomes an attractive place to invest your money,” Boyes said.

KNA began pursuing the National Registry designation in 2018, the same year the city of Akron named Kenmore one of 11 Great Streets Districts eligible for competitive façade grants and infrastructure investments. The designation won support from both the Kenmore Historical Society and Kenmore Boulevard property owners and received funding from the City of Akron and Ohio Historic Preservation Pipeline Initiative. The state’s historic preservation office approved the nomination March 22. The

Kenmore Boulevard Historic District runs roughly 872-1030 Kenmore Blvd. and includes 2181 14th St. SW, 2200 15th St. SW and 940 Florida Ave. The district’s properties reflect the architecture of the early 20th century, with entrances built to the sidewalk to accommodate pedestrians and street car users, said historic architect Lauren Burge, principal at Perspectus Historic Architecture, the Chambers, Murphy, & Burge Studio and author of the district’s nomination.

“The district retains its sense of scale and feeling,” she explained. “Most of the contributing buildings to the Kenmore Boulevard Historic District were constructed within a 20-year period between 1908 and 1928 and retain their materials and workmanship, imparting the overall feeling of an early 20th century ‘streetcar suburb’ commercial district.”

In 1901, the Northern Ohio Traction and Light Company developed street car lines to connect new suburban developments to factories. The Kenmore Boulevard line was sited down the center of Kenmore Boulevard, creating a connection between rubber factories in Akron and neighboring industry in Barberton. That same year, the Akron Realty Company began developing Kenmore to be what they termed “the choicest residence section for both the busy cities, as well as for all the factories between them.”

Kenmore’s street car line stopped operating in 1947, but its impact can be seen in the tree-lined center median in its former location and in the growth of the neighborhood, which grew from 1,561 residents in 1910 to 12,683 in 1920 to – today – more than 18,000 residents, making Kenmore the second largest of Akron’s 24 neighborhoods.

ABOUT KENMORE NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance is a community development corporation formed in 2016 to preserve, enhance, promote and develop the Kenmore neighborhood in southwest Akron by engaging residents and stakeholders in effecting physical, cultural, artistic, recreational and business revitalization. For more information, visit www.betterkenmore.org or follow KNA on Facebook (facebook.com/knacares), Twitter or Instagram (@kenmoreohio).