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Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Green High senior goes extra mile for those who walk and jog the park trails
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Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
Browns' roster nearly devoid of consistent players
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
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Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
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Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
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Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
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Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 47-13
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Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
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OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
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Four area football teams play tonight
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Headed For Disaster
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Will Health Care Reform Pass?
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Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
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Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
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George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
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Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Leaders cut ribbon for first phase of Spicer Village
By Carl Chancellor
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Jun 04, 2008
Two dozen city, business and civic leaders came out on a rainy Tuesday morning to celebrate what is being called ''a new day'' for Akron's University Park neighborhood.
Mayor Don Plusquellic — who cut the ribbon opening the first phase of Spicer Village that will feature 25 new town homes — said the project will ''get people to come back to this area . . . that's very exciting.''
Spicer Village is an urban development in the 40-block University Park area west and south of the University of Akron and a stone's throw from Summa Health System.
Guests at the ribbon cutting toured the two completed three-story town-home units and said they were impressed.
Ken Stapleton, executive director of the nonprofit University Park Alliance, said the town homes will bring ''new perspective'' to a neighborhood that has seen hard times.
''This project along with other improvements to this neighborhood will create a great
urban lifestyle,'' he said.
Stapleton noted that less than 20 percent of the housing in University Park is owner-occupied. And much of it, which is nearly a century old, has been converted to student rentals.
''This type of high-quality housing will bring stability back to this neighborhood,'' Stapleton said.
Plusquellic pointed out that University Park was built more than a century ago to provide housing to people moving to Akron to work in the rubber factories.
''It was built quickly, but it was never meant to be here 100 years,'' Plusquellic said.
''This is a great opportunity to take this neighborhood in a new direction,'' he said.
Spicer Village, located on Brown and Power streets, is the first of many projects geared toward revitalizing the area around UA.
According to the developer, Philip Maynard of ASW Properties Ltd., the two- and three-bedroom town homes are between 1,121 and 2,175 square feet and start in the $170,000s.
One of those in attendance at the ribbon-cutting was longtime University Park resident Don Drumm. In 1970, the sculptor/designer moved into the area, where he established his studio and gallery.
''If this (Spicer Village) takes off it will be a godsend for the whole area; it could mean the rebirth of the neighborhood,'' Drumm said.
Since moving to Crouse Street more than 30 years ago, Drumm and his wife, Lisa, have purchased 12 parcels of land that includes eight properties. The Drumms were recognized by the mayor for their efforts to revitalize University Park.
''This area used to be called Goosetown,'' Drumm said, sharing a story about his ancestral ties to the neighborhood.
Drumm said he wasn't aware prior to his moving to the neighborhood in 1970 that his mother had spent a portion of her childhood three streets from his studio.
''There was a family story I heard growing up about my mother being bit by a goose when she was a little girl,'' Drumm said, noting that he didn't relate the story to the University Park neighborhood until years later.
The artist, who grew up in Warren, said he didn't realize until he was an adult that he had roots in Akron. Drumm explained that his grandparents divorced when his mother was young, and his grandmother moved with her children to Warren.
Drumm said the University Park neighborhood was once known as ''Goosetown'' because of the large population of German immigrants who lived there and raised geese.
''They raised them for goose liver,'' Drumm said.
The developers of Spicer Village have stated that one of the reasons the area was selected was because of the efforts of the Drumms to revitalize the neighborhood.
Drumm said he believes the newtown homes will be attractive to young home buyers who work at the university or at area hospitals.
UA is helping its employees buy at Spicer Village by offering to pay $10,000 of the purchase price. The university has set aside $200,000 in down-payment assistance.
Carl Chancellor can be reached at 330-996-3725 or cchancellor@thebeaconjournal.com.
Two dozen city, business and civic leaders came out on a rainy Tuesday morning to celebrate what is being called ''a new day'' for Akron's University Park neighborhood.
Get the full article here.
