The University Park Alliance recently awarded ASIA, Inc. $45,000 for a three-year community street light monitoring initiative.  The project aims to engage residents of the University Park neighborhood, including local businesses and the University of Akron community, to monitor street light conditions, to make recommendations for repairs and placement of new lights, and to bring diverse members of the community together.

“We are thrilled about this project as it achieves a two-fold goal: 1) improves safety and physical street level conditions of the University Park neighborhood; and 2) serves as a vehicle to build connections among neighborhood stakeholders.  We are fortunate to have help and additional resources from the University of Akron’s Geography and Planning Department, who will provide a graduate assistant and GIS and other technical expertise to the project,” said Michael Byun, Acting Executive Director.

ASIA’s street light monitoring project is part of the agency’s long-standing efforts in the University Park neighborhood – considered to be the most diverse community in the City of Akron.  The agency offers a drop-in computer center, home down payment assistance program, and helps residents to access benefit to Ohio’s Benefits Bank.  During the school year, ASIA offers the International Community Empowerment Project (ICEP) at University Park area’s Leggett Elementary, an after-school mentoring program for immigrants and refugee youth.