AKRON, Ohio — Excitement fills the hearts of many like Shareefah Wahid for the grand re-opening of Akron’s Ed Davis Community Center.
“I’m thrilled. I’m happy. I just don’t know how to act right now,” said Wahid.
During Tuesday’s celebration, dozens of people gathered to get a first look at the upgraded facility, which includes a new gym, an indoor walking track, a playground and multiple teen rooms.
There’s even a renewed sense of hope.
“With Lebron James doing what he’s doing and now we have our beautiful community center, the children feel like there’s hope now,” said Wahid.
Six months ago, a mass shooting in East Akron rocked the community after 30 people were shot, including one man who was shot and killed.
RELATED: One month after Akron mass shooting, police now say there were 30 victims
Since then, Council President Margo Sommerville said the focus has been to heal Akron, and she believes the grand re-opening of this center is a step in the right direction.
“We’ve got to really figure out how we can utilize this center, how we can make sure this center stays open later so that we can continue to make sure that young people have even safe spaces later into the night,” said Sommerville.
Mayor Shammas Malik’s office shared the following statement with News 5:
“This case remains one of our top priorities. We continue to follow up on leads and we remain committed to seeing the person or persons responsible brought to justice. We of course wish that we had more to announce currently but complex cases like this can take time and we want our community to know that we have not forgotten about all those who have been impacted by the events of June 2nd.”
In the meantime, Malik, who attended Tuesday’s grand re-opening, said he was hopeful this center would serve as a safe space for the city.
“This investment reflects that we have to invest in our people. We have to invest in our people,” said Malik.
The completion of this project happened after Akron launched a community-wide assessment in 2019, and this center was found to be one of three in need of significant repair.
The city then began community engagement, received $11.5M in American Rescue Plan funding and broke ground in February 2023.
Now, after more than a year and a half of work, there’s a feeling of pride once again.
“It starts with hope, and I think that’s what our community needs just a space that we can be proud of,” said Sommerville.
The center will officially open to the public on Monday at 8 a.m.
