AKRON, Ohio — Excitement fills the hearts of many people like Shareefah Wahid for the grand reopening of Akron’s Ed Davis Community Center.

“I’m delighted. I’m happy. I just don’t know how to act right now,” Wahid said.

At Tuesday’s celebration, dozens of people gathered to get their first look at the upgraded facilities, which include a new gym, indoor walking track, play area and several teen rooms.

There is even a renewed sense of hope.

“With Lebron James doing what he does and now we have our beautiful community center, the kids feel like there is hope now,” Wahid said.

Six months ago, a mass shooting in East Akron shook the community after 30 people were shot, including a man who was fatally shot.

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Since then, Council President Margo Sommerville said the focus has been on healing Akron and she believes the grand reopening of this center is a step in the right direction.

“We really need to understand how we can utilize this center, how we can make sure that this center stays open later so that we can continue to ensure that young people have safe spaces even later at night,” Sommerville said .

Mayor Shammas Malik’s office shared the following statement with News 5:

“This case remains one of our top priorities. We continue to follow leads and remain committed to seeing the person(s) responsible brought to justice. We of course wish we had more to announce at this time, but complex cases like this can take time and we want our community to know that we have not forgotten everyone who was affected by the events of June 2.

In the meantime, Malik, who attended Tuesday’s grand reopening, said he hopes this center will serve as a safe space for the city.

“This investment shows that we must invest in our people. We must invest in our people,” Malik said.

The completion of this project came after Akron initiated a community-wide assessment in 2019, and this center was found to be one of three centers in need of significant repairs.

The city then began community engagement, received $11.5 million in funding from the American Rescue Plan and broke ground in February 2023.

Today, after more than a year and a half of work, there is a feeling of pride again.

“It starts with hope, and I think that’s what our community needs, just a space that we can be proud of,” Sommerville said.

The center will officially open to the public on Monday at 8 a.m.