Akron is among 15 finalist cities in the U.S., selected from among 200 applications from cities across the country. 

This year, Akron submitted its innovative Community Learning Center project for the contest. Akron is the only place in the U. S. where every public school building is being constructed as a Community Learning Center (CLC). This unprecedented partnership by the state, the city, and the school district rebuilds or renovates nearly 50 Akron Public Schools over 15 years.

"This is another great example of the collaborative spirit that exists in the people of this city to get more for the citizens out of the resources we have," said Mayor Plusquellic.

The award application focuses on the collaboration with the Akron Urban League, a respected institution supporting the poor and offering a voice for the African-American minority, which had served the community since 1950 from a building that had begun to deteriorate. Mayor Plusquellic suggested a partnership of the schools, the city and the Urban League to jointly utilize a new CLC.

For more than 30 years, Plusquellic has championed greater access to school buildings during after-school hours, on weekends, and in the summer, a common complaint of every major city who---as with Akron--- does not operate the schools. The Mayor’s co-ownership plan for the CLCs addresses that issue in a dramatic way.

The 2009 City Livability Award recipients will be announced in June during the City Livability Awards luncheon at the 77th Annual Conference of Mayors in Providence, Rhode Island.