Pavilion, trees, gardens, ice skating rinks: Inside the $17.5M renovation of Lock 3 Park

Scheduled for an autumn 2024 completion, the new Lock 3 is one segment of an ongoing canal and towpath revitalization that stakeholders envision as serving locals and visitors from all walks of life.

“I think it's going to be very unique — something that you will definitely see in a magazine that I think people are going to come from out of state, to come specifically just to see this park,” said NeShaunda Lockett, construction inspector at Anser Advisory and the project inspector.

The Lock 3 renovation is a collaboration between the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition and the city of Akron through the Akron Civic Commons initiative and is being funded by $17.5 million from individual donors, nonprofits and city, county and federal government.

Anser Advisory is overseeing the project. Akron-based Kenmore Construction is general contractor and has brought on multiple subcontractors. The design firm is Olin Studio.

“This is a project that you would see in London, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Tokyo — and for a city the size of Akron to have this phenomenal facility — it's just incredible,” said Jim Weber, director of construction for Anser Advisory’s Northeast Ohio territory.

What will the new Lock 3 Park include?

Dan Rice is president and chief executive officer of the Ohio & Erie Canalway Coalition, serving Summit, Stark and Tuscarawas counties, and co-executive director of the Ohio & Erie Canalway Association, which represents the canal’s National Heritage Area extending to Lake Erie.

He said a goal for the park is to attract visitors every day of the year.

The under-construction Maynard Performance Pavilion, named after Akron logistics titan and philanthropist Philip Maynard, will host concerts, events and festivals, Rice said.

Last week, project stakeholders held a “topping off” ceremony to place the final steel beam on top of the pavilion and honored Maynard.

Kathryn DeMuesy, director of construction at Anser Advisory, is project manager for the Lock 3 renovations. She said the pavilion is unique because all of the steel is curved instead of straight.

“To be able to fabricate that from straight steel is going to be really neat to see,” DeMuesy said.

Rice said the park will have “a nice meandering walkway, about 4% grade” for accessibility, two gardens called the Hemlock Walk and the Bloom Garden and a “game patio” that will transform into an ice skating rink in the winter. There will also be a second ice skating rink.

Renderings of the completed project also depict a food truck, tables and chairs, and an abundance of shaded areas compared to Lock 3’s former iteration.

DeMuesy said contractors will lay down sod; plant shrubs, bushes and 101 trees; and install custom-fabricated benches buttressing the “serpentine wall” that will line the walkway.

What's next? Lock 2 renovations and a new 'Play Loop' connecting Akron’s locks

Akron Civic Commons has raised another $2 million to renovate Lock 2 to the south, Rice said.

There is a park at Lock 2 right now, but Rice said it is somewhat hidden and that the goal is to make it more visible.

That’s where a project called the Play Loop will come in, he said, adding that the loop will incorporate “beautiful design” and “green spaces” that are “inviting for families to spend time outdoors together.”

The Play Loop will connect Locks 3 and 4 to Lock 2 and Akron Children’s Hospital behind Canal Park.

For the loop, concepts have been set forth, but there are currently no drawings or firm plans, Rice said.

When will the new Lock 3 Park open in Akron?

While Lock 3 is on track to be complete in the fall, DeMuesy said events will start there this winter to give the sod and plants time to root.

In the meantime, summer Lock 3 programming will take place at the Lock 3 Backyard off of West Bowery Street

DeMuesy said she has been working in and around Akron for about 11 years and has noticed a change for the better with various developments.

“Just to see the city transform, even Main Street, Lock 3, Lock 4, the potential for Lock 2 in the future, even the vision to get residents living downtown — I think it's great for the city,” she said. “I think it will bring in new life to the city.”

Lockett, who is from Akron, said she hasn’t historically spent a lot of time outdoors in the city but plans to in the future with renovations at various parks, including Lock 3.

“Seeing the renovations makes me want to get out more and make those memories with my daughter,” she said.

Patrick Williams covers growth and development for the Akron Beacon Journal. He can be reached by email at pwilliams@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @pwilliamsOH.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron Lock 3 renovations on track to finish this fall