Lock 3 Park Update: June 3, 2024

Akron Civic Commons will be releasing regular "hard hat" video updates regarding the ongoing construction for the Akron Civic Commons 2.0 Lock 3 Park Project. We are excited for the transformed park to reopen in the Fall of 2024. The redevelopment of Lock 3 Park will include shaded seating, landscaped gardens, artwork, skating areas, and the world-class Maynard Performance Pavilion. Located in the center of Akron, and along the 101-mile Ohio & Erie Canalway and Towpath Trail, Lock 3 Park will be transformed into a premier park that is accessible, equitable, and welcoming for residents and visitors through the Lock 3 Vision Plan. The Lock 3 Vision Plan is a key component of the resident-led Akron Civic Commons 2.0 project that plans to build on the success of Lock 3 Park as an event, concert, and festival public space and develop a year-round park that is a destination for residents, guests, hikers, and bicyclists along the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail.

The spring weather has been a cooperative factor in the Lock 3 Park Project continuing on schedule and on budget. The Frances and Richard Buchholzer Balcony off of Main Street is coming to fruition with the subbase concrete in progress, where 16 trees will be planted throughout. The Bloom Garden and Hemlock Walk pathways will connect the Frances and Richard Buchholzer Balcony down to the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail. The final structural steel beam of the Maynard Performance Pavilion was set in a Topping Out Ceremony on May 7, 2024 with the City of Akron, Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, construction crew, ironworkers, and Akron Civic Commons 2.0 donors and partners. To learn more about Akron Civic Commons and how to support this initiative, visit www.akronciviccommons.org or contact Dan Rice at drice@ohioeriecanal.org.