AKRON, Ohio – Jan. 6, 2016 – A project of the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition that aims to make the Towpath Trail in Akron more useful and accessible to residents and businesses has received $510,200 in new support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
Related link
“How improvements to Akron’s Towpath Trail will better connect residents with the city” on Knight Blog by Katelyn Freil, 1/6/2016
The project, iTowpath, was launched in 2015 with $249,900 in Knight support. Its long-term goal is to increase civic engagement in Akron by transforming the Towpath Trail, an 85-mile biking and hiking trail connecting Cuyahoga, Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties, into a hub for community life and recreational activities, as well as an essential link between city neighborhoods. Today, more than 2.5 million visitors use the Towpath Trail for access to recreational amenities, public space and the city’s urban core. The iTowpath project will develop the trail further, advancing community and economic development in Akron.
Initial funding supported a participatory planning process that engaged community members and organizations to get ideas and feedback on ways to improve the Towpath Trail. As part of the process, Alta Planning + Design in Chicago and the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition identified more than 20 projects to enhance the Towpath Trail through Akron.
In 2015, six projects were implemented, including printing and distribution of 1,500 copies of the iTowpath map and plan; installation of Fixit bicycle service stations; outdoor music and a colt sculpture at the Richard Howe House Visitors Center; installation of a bicycle ramp at the Richard Howe House connector steps; and a street/sidewalk connection from the Towpath Trail to the Akron Zoo.
Working with community partners, including the city of Akron and Downtown Akron Partnership, iTowpath will continue to create a more connected and active city in 2016. Future projects will include signage to help people easily navigate the trail; connections to more city assets, including the Akron Art Museum and Northside District; bicycle lanes on Main Street; improving and bringing new vibrancy to Towpath Trail underpasses; and the enhancement of the Quaker and Ash entrance to downtown.
“Along with the city of Akron and our other community partners, we are incredibly grateful for the chance to work toward a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly downtown along the Ohio & Erie Canalway Towpath Trail,” said Dan Rice, president and CEO of the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition. “Support for iTowpath enables us to reach our continued goal of engaging residents and users of the Towpath Trail, while making Akron a great place to live, work and play.”
“The iTowpath project has the potential to not only create a vital central corridor for community life and recreational activities in Akron but also to change the shape of the region’s future development,” said Kyle Kutuchief, Knight Foundation program director for Akron. “The enhanced trail will encourage people to connect with each other and the city, creating deeper attachments and incentives for talented people to live and stay in Akron.”
Support for the iTowpath project forms part of Knight Foundation’s efforts in Akron to attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunity and create a culture of civic engagement. Since 2008 Knight has invested more than $58 million in Akron.
For more information, visit ohioeriecanal.org.
About the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition
The Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition is a nonprofit dedicated to developing the Ohio & Erie Canalway National Heritage Area and the accompanying 101-mile Towpath Trail, reaching communities from Cleveland to New Philadelphia. Visit ohioeriecanal.org.
About the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit knightfoundation.org.
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Contacts:
Katelyn Freil, Communications Coordinator, Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, 330-374-5657, [email protected]
Anusha Alikhan, Director of Communications, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, 305-908-2646, [email protected]