City of Stow to Create Community Gathering Space

Photography: Jess Fishel

By Grace Carter

This summer, a new initiative from the City of Stow is advancing the Akron Cultural Plan’s priorities of Education (Priority 3) and Placemaking (Priority 8). The City of Stow’s City Center Project is a development plan for a community gathering space on the site of the former SKiP Playground and adjacent property. The rebuilt SKiP Playground, which opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 2, will create an abundance of fun and easily accessible opportunities for families and children.

This community amenity will serve as an anchor project for a comprehensive, long-term plan to develop a focal center for the City of Stow, successfully combining culture, recreation, leisure, education, wellness, inclusion, and more. The project will engage residents and visitors alike.

Through a Visioning Workshop with input from the Parks and Recreation Board, Arts Commission, Commission on Inclusion, Senior Citizens Commission, and residents, the City of Stow landed on the mission of the project: “To create a welcoming, safe outdoor gathering space custom-tailored by the community for the community that encourages interactive, healthy play and independence for people of all ages and abilities.”

The City of Stow, in collaboration with local artists and the Stow-Munroe Falls Public Library, will be installing 7-foot-tall aluminum trees, each of which will have an "art box" attached for children to use supplies and create. Final projects will be displayed at the Library.

This project is aligned with Priority 3- Education and Priority 8- Placemaking of the Akron/Summit Cultural Plan. In particular, it integrates learning opportunities into public spaces and breaks down the barriers to learning. The City of Stow is building on the efforts of the County of Summit and its partners as they continue to create designs for public spaces, such as playgrounds, parks, splash pads, and other placemaking efforts. Additionally, access to beautiful public space is a basic human right. Placemaking builds connections, creates civic engagement, and empowers citizens, and the arts are a crucial component of placemaking.

“I could not be more excited about the positive response that has come from the new SKiP Playground, both from our community and from the region,” stated Stow Mayor John Pribonic. “It truly is a destination amenity and a popular community gathering space that is bringing people together to learn, play, connect, and engage. We look forward to strengthening and fostering activity at the Stow City Center as we move forward. It is also a huge economic development driver for our community.”