AKRON, Ohio — Children in Akron will soon have another place to play outside as construction crews are putting the finishing touches on a revamped playground at Talbot Whitney Park.
“For years we’ve known that this playground was not a welcoming place for the kids in the neighborhood,” said Vince Adamum of the East Akron Neighborhood Development Corporation.
The City of Akron partnered with EANDC and Kaboom for a months-long collaboration to provide safe spaces for kids while investing in communities of color.
“think that when we were looking at Talbot, Whitney Park we were looking at a park that had not received a lot of love in the past,” said Mark Greer, Akron’s Small Business Program Manager. “We wanted to make sure that children had a safe space to play and converse.”
Kaboom is a national non-profit that takes aim at ending play space inequality. Together, the organizations worked to bring more than $150,000 worth of new equipment to the park. The community also took some suggestions from local children who submitted drawings and sketches of what they’d like to see in the park.
“If the community doesn’t write the story, then the results and the impact will not be as lasting,” Greer said. “Obviously kids are going to be the ones using the resource, so why shouldn’t they control that?”
The original playground and equipment were dedicated in October 1978. The facility had seen little renovations over the years. Now state-of-the-art slides and swings will greet kids and serve as an anchor for the community.
“For decades we have focused on backyards, we’ve focused on the last couple decades digital play for kids and even adults,” Adamum said. “To get them outside and engaging with each other in the community is so important.”
Construction crews are working on a retaining wall and finishing up the landscaping before the park opens to the public in approximately two weeks.
