Good Place Akron

Akron Welcomes Project ACORN to City-Owned Theiss Woods Property, Part 3

Posted on May 16, 2024 by goodplaceakron | Comments Off

Beyond the Five-Year Grant

*Project ACORN Target Neighborhoods* / Image courtesy of City of Akron

by Sophie Vaughan

In Part 1 of this series, we introduced the City of Akron’s ACORN Project, a $1 million Urban Forestry and Workforce Development program funded by a grant from the USDA Forest Service. In Part 2 [1] , we detailed the next steps that the ACORN project’s partners need to take to get the program started, as well the cuts that had to be made to the original $6.7 million grant proposal to fit the budget for the $1 million award. This final part of the series addresses the future of the program beyond the five-year grant.

City of Akron Watershed Superintendent Jessica Glowczewski — who developed this project with Akron Zoo and Truly Reaching You (TRY) Ministries — hopes that if this program is successful, it could continue with subsequent rounds of grant funding, or that the City could adopt the program in some fashion.

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Posted in Neighborhoods

Tagged ACORN Project, Akron Park s, Akron Public Schools, Akron Watershed, Akron Zoo, City of Akron, Community, Merriman Valley, Neighborhoods, social justice, USDA Forest Service

Akron Welcomes Project ACORN to City-Owned Theiss Woods Property, Part 2

Posted on May 9, 2024 by goodplaceakron | Comments Off

Next Steps for Theiss Woods and ACORN Partners

*Theiss Woods Property / Image courtesy of the City of Akron*

by Sophie Vaughan

In Part 1 of this series, we introduced you to the City of Akron’s ACORN Project, providing details on what it is, who is involved, and how this project came to be. So, what’s next for this $1 million program, funded by a USDA Forest Service grant?

Over the next year, the priority will be preparing the Theiss Road property for Project ACORN. Currently, the project partners are working on a plan for what that preparation looks like. There is a lot of work to be done. Foundation remnants and construction debris from demolished buildings need to be removed. A water well will need to be dropped, and electricity and internet will need to be installed.

A new building will need to be constructed, which Glowczewski says most likely will be a pole barn or a large shed. The building will be large enough to hold classes and store tools and equipment. A greenhouse will need to be constructed. A City street tree farm will be slowly installed. The Education Center will also include on-site forestry, invasive species, and wetland management installations.

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Posted in Neighborhoods

Tagged ACORN Project, Akron, Akron Public Schools, Akron Zoo, City of Akron, Community, Department of Agriculture, Education Center, Neighborhoods, Summit County Health Department, Theiss Woods, Trees, TRY Ministries, USDA, USDA Forest Service

Akron Welcomes Project ACORN to City-Owned Theiss Woods Property

Posted on May 2, 2024 by goodplaceakron | Leave a comment

by Sophie Vaughan

Theiss Woods is a treasured triangle of land located in the Merriman Valley. This 45-acre parcel of woodland and wetland is owned by the City of Akron and was saved from development by the will of concerned citizens, some of whom eventually formed the volunteer citizen action coalition, Preserve the Valley. Even though Theiss Woods was preserved, its fate was still up in the air, until the City of Akron recently announced that this lush green space will become the site of Project ACORN: Akron Community Owned Reforestation Network.

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Good Place Akron

Akron Welcomes Project ACORN to City-Owned Theiss Woods Property, Part 2

Next Steps for Theiss Woods and ACORN Partners

Akron Welcomes Project ACORN to City-Owned Theiss Woods Property

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