Next Steps for Theiss Woods and ACORN Partners
Words by Sophie Vaughan
In Part 1 of this series, we introduced you to the City of Akron’s Project ACORN, 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.
The City of Akron is funding the cleanup of the property, as well as installation of infrastructure, so these costs will not come out of the $1 million grant. While Glowczewski says she doesn’t yet have the “cash in hand” for these investments, she’s confident that under the new Shammas Malik mayoral administration, the money will be there.
“We’ve been given some pretty positive support so far for this program’” says Glowczewski. “I think that everybody wants to see it succeed.”
She says the program will be run as cost effectively as possible, with the hope that keeping a low budget will ensure the program will be able to expand and grow over the course of the five year project and then beyond.
Once the revised grant has been officially approved, there will be a kickoff meeting to include a four to five hour workshop with all the financial partners, including the contract partners chosen after the bidding process.
Then TRY Ministries, Akron Zoo, and the City of Akron will work together to map out roles and responsibilities, in order to have clearly defined partner roles.
After the call for proposals has closed and contractors have been submitted to the USDA for approval and then have been selected, the second meeting will begin to put the grant to work. Partners will begin scheduling for the Forestry Academy and finding participants for the program, and they will also begin working on community relations communications to the public.
Program Details and How They Changed for the Revised Grant
The first Forestry Academy session is expected to take place in April of 2025, with a total of six sessions to take place over three years. For this paid eight-week program, the trainees will be split between TRY Ministries and Akron Zoo, with one group of six to attend classes in Spring and another group of six to attend in the Fall.
This was one of the hardest cuts Glowczewski had to make to the program. The original grant proposal included classes for all five years of the program, instead of only for three years, and each session was to include 12 participants in each class instead of just six. The sessions were supposed to be 12 weeks long and had to be cut down to only eight weeks.
“I really wish that we could have more people,” says Glowczewski. “I want this to be successful, and I want to reach as many people as possible.”
Participants will work 25 hours per week on training that will include planting, mulching, pruning, tree identification and management, invasive species identification and management, nursery and young plant cultivation, and more.
Additionally, participants will learn soft skills like interviewing, written and verbal communication, conflict management, job application strategies, etc. The program includes certification testing and the cost to obtain a pesticide/herbicide operator license through the Department of Agriculture (such licensing can help a resume stand out in the Urban Forestry job market).
Akron Public Schools has agreed to do GED tutoring for program participants who have not yet graduated high school, and all associated GED costs will be covered. The program will pay the participant for their time spent studying for and taking the GED. Electronic equipment for computer-based learning will be included in the grant funding.
As far as job placement once the program is complete, the grant will fund a one-day job-fair style engagement to help participants make connections in the local industry, and Glowczewski says the City of Akron has the capacity to absorb some of the participants if they are successful in their work at the Forestry Academy.
Glowczewski says that the City of Akron has been facing hiring challenges, so this elevator system of hiring from within the Forestry Academy could help develop the City’s future workforce by reaching groups of people who might not necessarily think to apply for a job with the City.
Outreach and Engagement Opportunities
The public education component will be ongoing throughout the project and will include public meetings, festivals, and communications outreach. Project ACORN will host staffed booths and interactive activities at the City of Akron Blue Heron Homecoming Festival and the Akron Zoo’s Party for the Planet. Public meetings will allow residents to get involved in critical decision making on forestry initiatives that will impact their communities. Communications will include newsletters, social media campaigns, City Council meetings, Akron Tree Commission meetings, press releases and more.
Glowczewski had to cut the number of trees to be planted, which went from 5,000 trees over the duration of the five year program to only 1,500 over a period of 3 years. As a result, all tree plantings will take place in the five aforementioned target neighborhoods; some will be planted by the Forestry Academy and some will be given to residents through local events to be planted in their neighborhoods.
These tree plantings are expected to reduce heat islands, improve air quality, improve community aesthetics, and provide food sources such as low maintenance fruit and nut trees and shrubs. The Summit County Health Department will use Purple air monitors to gauge air quality. Project ACORN will encourage residents to adopt greenspace locations and will educate them on proper care and maintenance to ensure longevity of these spaces.
The final year of the program will include obtaining feedback from program partners, collecting and analyzing data, and assessing successes and setbacks with the program.
Read Part 3 Beyond the Five-Year Grant here