North Canton, Ohio

building, we looked at our water treatment plant, we looked at our local government operation buildings to analyze the energy usage and see where we could help put in some measures.” One such measure involved the installation of a building management system (BMS) which maximizes energy efficiency in government buildings. While these efforts help the city to reduce its environmental footprint, it also saves costs. And these savings are being redirected for the good of the North Canton community. In the Spring of 2021, North Canton is slated to break ground on a state-of-the-art, inclusive parks project at Dogwood Park. Planning for the 22,000-square-foot park involved consultation and input from Akron Children’s Hospital, and the park will be fitted with accessible playground equipment. The park development is a testament to the spirit and enthusiasm of the community and its institutions. “There’s nothing else like it in the multi-county area surrounding it,” says Mayor Wilder. “It’s taken us several years to get to this point and a lot of philanthropic contributions that everyone here has worked on; a lot of donations make it all possible.” Mayor Wilder is quick to highlight the contributions of the Hoover Foundation, which remains an important fixture in the community, as well as the Akron Children’s Hospital, whose contributions will go towards the construction of a children’s performing arts pavilion in Dogwood Park. Since 2012, the city has been working from a long-term city plan that was first developed in collaboration with Kent State University. North Canton’s business district has been a major focus of that plan. “We’re turning the downtown corridor into a friendly, walking district,” De Orio reports. “We’ve made commitments to widen the sidewalks in a streetscape environment the entire length of the main street corridor. We’re connecting a development at the far end of that corridor called Field Crest, which is a historic district. There are attractions relating back to the Hoover Era – a lodge, a bed and breakfast, and about fifty acres. We’re connecting that to Main Street via a sidewalk.”