Akron’s New Apartments, Camera Controversy, and Firestone Plant One

It's the Akron Podcast for Wednesday, november

11. Our website is akronpodcast.com. All right, an

update on the leaf removal. Before I was saying they didn't

really have a schedule, and they are still keeping it very loose.

But as I record this today on Tuesday the 10th, they did Ward

Three. Yesterday they did Ward Five, and so if you're listening

to this on Wednesday, that's Ward Nine. Thursday is Ward

Seven, and then Friday is Ward Six, and then I'm going to

assume they're not doing them over the weekend, so Monday

would be Ward Four, Tuesday would be Ward Eight, Wednesday

Ward One, Thursday Ward Two, and then Friday Ward 10. They are

put. If you go to akronohio.gov/leaves, you can

find out a which ward you're in, and then also see kind of how

things are progressing along. What's interesting is the nice

little graphic I saw about this was on Facebook. It's not on

that website, and we are getting closer to that time of giving

and time for being, you know, thankful. And the Akron Police

Department has posted this. They say please join us in supporting

the Akron Canton Food Bank and helping provide food to families

in our area. Donations will be collected in the parking lot of

the community center, making it easier to participate. Simply

drive up, and our officers will be there to accept your

donations. Monetary donations are also welcome, and be sure to

stop by for a special appearance of Safety Pup. Safety Pup! Oh,

I've got to be there. The generosity of you can make a

meaningful difference for local families. We hope to see you

there, so you can drop off non-perishable items at the

Firestone Park Community Center. That's 1480 Gerard Street on

November 21st from 11 to 1. And I'll put a link to this in the

show notes. They have a QR code if you want to donate money

online. You can just scan there and give that way. Akron's love

of nostalgia is helping bring the video store era back to

life. Killer video. This is a quirky video store and museum

that's located at 451 South High Street inside the Cell Generator

Works building near downtown Akron, and it's reached its

fundraising goal to double its space, they did a Kickstarter

campaign, and it brought in $37,319 from 235 backers. How

cool is that? It exceeded their $35,000 goal. Founders Jonathan

Carmichael and Erica Fritz say the support came from both local

residents and movie fans across the country who believe physical

media is still worth preserving. The expansion will take over the

building's entire first floor, and plans include a larger store

selling DVDs, Blu-rays, vinyl records, CDs, cassette tapes,

and other nostalgic merchandise. They'll also expand their

monthly DVD and Blu-ray rental membership program, and there's

going to be more. The project's going to add a small movie

theater or micro cinema for screenings and occasional

discussions, along with a concession stand, lounge area,

and rotating museum exhibits. The relocated store and rental

operation are expected to open in March, with the expanded

museum and theater following afterwards. So apparently, in

Akron, VHS nostalgia, yep, that's still playing, and now

it's getting a much bigger screen. A historic Akron factory

that once produced soap, cereal, and paint has been transformed

into 53 new apartments near downtown. The project is called

the Furnace Street Flats. It's located at 243 Furnace Street in

the Cascade Valley neighborhood. Oriana House invested 14 million

to convert the former 1893 Akron Soap Company factory and an

attached 1919 warehouse into apartments. It's the first time

the Community Corrections and Behavioral Health Agency has

ventured into market-rate housing. The apartments feature

open-floor plans, exposed brick, original architectural details,

and individual washer dryer units. Amenities include storage

units, bicycle storage, and a dog washing station with plans

for a gym. Two apartments are also designed to be accessible

to people with disabilities. So what is it going to cost to live

here? And this is where I go. Apparently, I am out of the

loop. My house is paid for. I'm old. So, and when I was in an

apartment, it was a little over $1,000, and that was up by

Chapel Hill. But now, to live in an old soap factory that's been

renovated, a 646 square. foot one bedroom apartment rents for

you got a guess $1,425 a month.

A 710 square foot one bedroom apartment rents for $1,600 a

month. The 1600 square foot penthouse could rent for $3,500

a month. Two additional units with separate outside entrances

will be used as short term rentals. About a dozen

apartments have already been rented, and the first tenants

are expected to move within weeks. The Oriana House has

acquired the property in 2022, and historic tax credits help

finance the renovation. The agency plans to use rental

income after the project's debt is paid off. Which I kind of go,

wait, you got historic tax credits? Is there a lot of debt?

I guess so. Anyway, they're gonna once the debt's paid off

from all the income to support its correctional services

programs, including initiatives to help clients transition back

into the community, which is good. I mean, it this is Oriana

House, so okay. The project is another example of Akron's

efforts to turn historic industrial buildings into

housing while adding more market-rate rental options. To

which I go, that's the market. I guess I'm out of the loop. And

the whole big thing is this is near downtown. And I guess my

question to you is that a good selling point? Hey, you're

closer to downtown, where you can go see a baseball game. I,

you know, go to concerts in the summer. I don't know about that,

but it's interesting. I'm glad to see that they're taking these

historic old buildings and using them, and I know I've reported

they are building a grocery store in downtown Akron because

that's the other thing they keep making all these apartments in

downtown Akron. I'm like, yeah, people need to park and they

need to eat, so how's that going to work? But this is an

interesting project. All right, some shenanigans going on with

the flock cameras around the city. They have been targets of

vandalism, with 17 cameras damaged or destroyed in Akron.

Police announced the arrest of three people accused of damaging

cameras. 23-year-old Jess Patonic, 20-year-old Jackson

Patonic, and what's nice that they do it in the family, and

22-year-old Mahalia Osborne. Jess Patonic also faces a

separate charge involving vandalism of a flock camera in

Barberton. Meanwhile, a coalition of community

organizations, along with Akron City Council Ward One

Representative Fran Wilson, is asking the mayor to suspend the

camera program until a complete audit can be conducted. Wilson

says residents have legitimate privacy concerns and argues that

the focus should remain on how the technology is being used in

Accra neighborhoods. Police counter that crime victims and

their families support having the cameras available to help

identify suspects and bring people to justice. The debate

continues over balancing the investigative benefits of the

technology against concerns about privacy and surveillance.

But yeah, if you actually go and vandalize the camera, I'm gonna

think it's a pretty good chance they're gonna get your license

plate. The city of Akron is moving closer to demolishing the

historic Firestone Plant One, but it's still working with the

Ohio State Historic Preservation Office to finalize an agreement

on how the building's history will be preserved. The city has

proposed several measures to honor the building's legacy

before demolition. Those include documenting the entire structure

through photographs and architectural records, salvaging

the clock tower's clock faces and mechanisms, and preserving

significant architectural pieces for a permanent historical

display near the site. Yeah, let's have that as a piece of

artwork instead of yet something else made out of tires. That

would be my suggestion. A community task force led by the

summit. County Historical Society would help determine

what that historical installation looks like. The

city also plans to create an online history of the plant and

review its own historic preservation policies. The

historical society has agreed to participate in the agreement,

but the state has requested additional information,

including protections for the neighboring triangle building

during demolition, the city is also working on a preliminary

demolition timeline and trying to extend a state grant

supporting the project. No final agreement has been reached, and

demolition cannot move forward until the updated agreement is

approved. Mayor Malik says the city believes demolition is the

most responsible option because of the environmental

restrictions and the challenges of redeveloping the building.

And this is kind of part of the problem: is when a building goes

vacant, we need to move quick because what happens is then you

know all the young kids break the windows and go in and

vandalize it. So redeveloping it now is like double the cost.

See, you know that's why I was really excited to hear about

Quaker Square getting a new owner who wants to redevelop it

because that's been vacant. I don't know that there's a lot

going on there, but you know, weather and things like that.

But anyway, going back to the story, the mayor says the goal

is to preserve meaningful pieces of Firestone Plant One and make

sure its contribution to Akron's industrial history isn't

forgotten. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine is considering commuting

the death sentences of several inmates before he leaves office

in January. The Ohio Parole Board has scheduled clemency

hearings in December for at least five people currently on

death row. The move comes after DeWine called on state lawmakers

earlier this year to abolish the death penalty, arguing that the

system is expensive, it takes too long, and doesn't deter

crime. Well, it doesn't deter crime because it takes too long,

and I get it. We want to make sure someone's really guilty,

but there are some cases where it's like, no, no, he admitted

it. It's like, yeah, let's just okay. Anyway, Ohio hasn't

executed anyone since 2018. Dewine's office says he's

reviewing cases individually, not considering a blanket

commutation of death, and the governor must receive a

recommendation from the parole board before making a decision.

Well, that's good to know. The issue has sparked disagreement.

The Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association questions whether

there's enough time to properly consider the cases and hear from

victims' families. Yeah, there's a novel idea. Meanwhile, our

good friends at the ACLU of Ohio is urging Dewine to commute

death sentences, sure, just let him go free. Maybe not. I don't

know. Pointing to the possibility of executing an

innocent person, that's the whole problem with the death

penalty. But like again, there are times when we know the

person is guilty, especially if we've got I don't know a

confession and DNA. Dewine has already commuted one death

sentence this year, reducing Gregory Lott's sentence to life

without parole. And again, he's saying it's too expensive. Well,

there you go. That's so stupid. He's also considering a

recommendation involving Tyrone Noling, who maintains his

innocence in the 1990 murders of an elderly Portage County

couple. The big question is whether Dewine will use the

final weeks of his governorship to commute additional death

sentences before his term ends in January. The Akron Zoo is

marking a milestone this holiday season. The zoo's wild lights

festivities will mark its 10th anniversary this year. And zoo

spokesperson Ellen Bell said the nighttime event is getting a

glow up this year to celebrate the anniversary with some new

and bigger displays throughout the grounds. There'll be more

lights along with different styles of lighting, including

color-changing ones, and some of the zoos-themed have been

reimagined, including the Candy Cane Lane, March the Penguins,

the Snowflake Stroll, and the Reindeer Rave. And of course,

Santa will make nightly appearances through December

23rd. They don't say exactly when, but I'm assuming he's

going to be there for the whole thing. More about that in a

second here. Also, for those of you that don't like Santa, what?

Well, we know what you're getting in your stocking. The

Grinch will also be on hand for photos. So the Akron Zoo's Wild

Nights is starting a week earlier this year. The event

will run. On selected nights, november 20 through december 27.

That's a weird one, because I'm thinking, come december 26, like

who's in the mood anyway? But it's going to be going on. For

those of you that missed it, the hours are from five to nine. The

dates for the this year's events are november 20 through the

21st, november 27 through the 28th, december 4 and fifth,

december 11 through the 13th, december 18 through the 23rd,

and december 26 through the 27th. Now, a separate admission

is required for Wild Lights, and ticket prices vary by the night.

That makes it easy. Adult tickets range from 20 to 27

bucks. Really, look, I know the electricity is not free, but

children are 16 to 23.

So, if you got four kids, it's going to cost you, you know,

over 100 bucks. Yee, special golf cart tours are also

available. A zoo thing wild lights night has been set aside

for December six for guests needing a quieter experience.

I'll have links to this out in the show notes. And as you

listen to this on Wednesday, November 11, that is Veterans

Day, and I just wanted to take a second to say thank you to all

the veterans. We deeply appreciate your service.