Cuyahoga Valley National Park in winter

A proposal to offer multi-day hikes through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park would likely include a stop at Brandywine Falls.

(Lynn Ischay, The Plain Dealer)

AKRON, Ohio - A proposed bicycle park on the abandoned downtown Innerbelt and guided multi-day hikes around the Cuyahoga Valley National Park could come to fruition, thanks to the Knight Cities Challenge.

Those proposals, and 35 others, won part of a $5 million pot from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, as part ofa contest to help cities attract and keep talented people, expand economic opportunities and create a culture of civic engagement.

This is the second year for the challenge, a call for ideas to improve the living and working environments in the 26 communities where the Knight brothers, proprietors of the Knight Ridder newspaper chain, once owned newspapers.

The foundation chose 158 finalists from more than 4,500 ideas; 10 finalists were from Akron.

Following are the two Akron projects receiving funds.

Downtown Akron Innerbelt Bicycle Park: $120,000

"My Initial thought is to have this bike park in downtown Akron when the Innerbelt is deactivated in a couple years," said Jonathan Morshcl, a designer and marketing coordinator at Four Points Architectural Services, Inc.

Morschl said his award will be used during the next two years to design the bicycle park, hold public meetings and meet with those who could provide support.

"At the end of the two years or sooner I will have developed a full plan with visuals that I can take to other organizations for funding," he said. He said he has no idea of the final cost.

Morschl, who said he is not an avid bicyclist, envisions the park would include trails, hills, ramps and a skills area. He said he had no clue as to the final cost at this point in time.

"The Towpath Trail goes right along and crosses over so people on the Towpath could get off at that location," he said.

He said he was surprised to get funded but thinks the idea to repurpose the roadway and draw people from the community and region appealed to the foundation.

Cuyahoga Explore-a-foot: $70,000

Brian Davis, a professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Akron, and his wife Tracy, a science teacher in the Euclid schools, want to encourage people to explore remote regions.

"The idea behind Explore-A-Foot is a novel hiking experience in and around Akron," they wrote in an email. The idea is based on the famous "Eifelsteig experience" in Germany, a trail that offers multi-day hiking through the countryside, they wrote.

Their organization would assist with travel arrangements and transport luggage to bed-and-breakfasts.

"The Explore-A-Foot concept has resonated with everyone we have met with, from students looking to re-connect with nature, to 'baby-boomers' who want to explore their environment without worrying about where to park their car!" they wrote.

The proposal includes linking the Towpath, the national park trails, Summit Metro Parks and attractions including Stan Hywet Hall and Blossom Music Center.

"Explore-A-Foot wants to expand on the offerings and make it possible for hikers to leave their cars behind for a couple of days and make their way on foot," they wrote.

They plan to meet with park officials and organizations including the Ohio and Erie Canalway Coalition, the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad and the Conservancy for Cuyahoga Valley National Park.