Bee Concerned – an appeal on behalf of our parks’ hardest working volunteers

Six years ago, honeybees began to vanish. If you’re predisposed to a squeal and an awkward dance in public every time an airborne stinger comes your way, you may not be too bummed about this. Good – you might think – less likely to embarrass myself at this year’s company picnic. Truthfully, you should be concerned (and yes, a little embarrassed).

Bees on the roof at The Porch - photo courtesy Mark Broadhurst of Eat ‘n Park Hospitality Group

The disappearance of bees could radically change the food we eat and how much we pay for it. According to Stephen Repasky, Vice President and Apiary Director for the local bee-loving non-profit, Burgh Bees, honeybees are responsible for pollinating over one third of the food we eat citing apples, pumpkins, berries and cucumbers as examples. There are many foods like almonds, which will not grow at all without pollination from honeybees. The Agriculture Research Service of the United States Department of Agriculture (ARS) estimates that “Bee pollination is responsible for more than $15 billion in increased crop value each year.” Not to mention how vital they are to the flowers we all love in our parks and gardens.

Recently, we’ve been losing about 30% of the honeybee population annually. While this phenomenon has a name – Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) – the cause is still up for debate. According to the ARS, “The main symptom of CCD is very low or no adult honeybees present in the hive, but with a live queen and no dead honeybee bodies present. Often there is still honey in the hive, and immature bees are present.” It is widely believed in the apiary community that the cause for CCD is the emergence of a new type of pesticides called neonicotinoids which were developed in the mid-1990s. There have been studies to support this hypothesis, but they have not been deemed conclusive by the ARS. Other theories have included mites, fungal and viral infections, and even cell phone tower transmissions.    

While the use of pesticides in an urban setting is still problematic, Repasky says that people actually pose the greatest threat to city honeybees. “We as a society are too quick to take a can of raid to that nest of ‘bees’,” he says. “The more we can get people to understand that honeybees are a necessity, even in the city, the better off we will be.” He points out that honeybees are actually quite docile, and that since they’ll die if they sting you, they reserve their aggression to protect their hive. They’re also unlikely to care about your picnic lunch or the sugary cocktail you drink on your back deck. “Honeybees are not the wasps and hornets that people usually associate with being stung,” laments Repasky. “Unfortunately society lumps any stinging insect into a ‘bee’ and that is not the case.”

Echinacea, also called Purple Coneflower is a favorite for honeybees, pictured here in Schenley Plaza.

Burgh Bees is trying to change that in Pittsburgh. In 2008 they established to create a community for urban beekeepers and to provide places for them to have hives if they don’t have a place of their own. They created and manage the nation’s first community apiary in Homewood where people participate much in the same way they would at a community garden. They teach beekeeping classes and try to educate Pittsburgh residents on the necessity of honeybees. Recently, they partnered with The Porch at Schenley restaurant in Schenley Plaza where they manage a hive on the roof that may be producing 40-60 lbs of honey annually by next year.

At the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, we appreciate the importance of the ecological health of our parks, a system in which honeybees play a vital role. To do your part, the ARS advises not to use pesticides indiscriminately and to avoid applying such chemicals at mid-day when the bees are out in the greatest numbers whenever possible. They also suggest planting native plants that are good sources of nectar and pollen such as red clover, foxglove, echinacea and joe-pye weed.

 Kathleen Gaines is a Development Associate at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. To learn more about the bees at The Porch, check out the upcoming issue of our newsletter.  

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PNC Children’s Plaza Dedication – Schenley Plaza

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 28 to dedicate the PNC Children’s Plaza in Schenley Plaza, installed in appreciation of PNC’s continued support.  In celebration, the Parks Conservancy provided free rides on the PNC Carousel all day.

Sally McCrady, Deputy Executive Director of PNC Grow Up Great

Overhead View of the PNC Children’s Plaza and Carousel

PNC is dedicated to preparing children for the future through Grow Up Great, its $350 million, multi-year initiative that began in 2004 to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life. The Children’s Plaza is intended to complement PNC’s program, which has served more than 1.5 million children to date.

Parks Conservancy Senior Vice President Richard Reed with children from the community.

A group of local children attended the event to help us dedicate the garden and amphitheater.

Mark Broadhurst, Director of Concept Development for Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group, which underwrote the cost of the PNC Children’s Plaza

PNC Children’s Plaza Dedication

Parks Conservancy Senior Vice President Richard Reed, PNC General Counsel and Parks Conservancy Board Member Bob Hoyt, Sally McCrady, Deputy Executive Director of PNC Grow Up Great and Mark Broadhurst, Director of Concept Development for Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group cut the PNC Children’s Plaza ribbon.

PNC Children’s Plaza

The PNC Children’s Plaza was designed by landscape architecture firm La Quatra Bonci Associates, the Pittsburgh-based firm that designed Schenley Plaza. The cost was underwritten by Eat ‘N Park Hospitality Group, which built and operates The Porch at Schenley and will maintain the gardens in the Children’s Plaza.

PNC Children’s Plaza with The Porch at Schenley and Cathedral of Learning. Beautiful day for a dedication.

Come check out the PNC Children’s Plaza as well as the other great activities available. Ride the carousel, sip on some bubble tea from Asia Tea House, lollygag on the lawn and then top it off with Dinner at The Porch at Schenley. There’s always something to do at Schenley Plaza!

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Pittsburgh’s Central Fire – Finding Common Ground through the World’s Green Spaces

As crowds of people slowly began filing into the Lighthouse at Chelsea Pier in New York City for the kick-off of the Greater & Greener International Urban Parks Conference, Peter J. Madonia of the Rockefeller Foundation remarked, “It’s like Woodstock for parkies.” A rumble of laughter filled the room and the largest urban parks conference in history was underway. Looking around the crowd, it was obvious this was more than just a few environmentally and community-minded folks getting together to gab about green spaces. The City Parks Alliance brought together over 850 people from 210 cities and 20 countries to participate in more than 100 workshops focusing on topics including environmental advocacy, development, and management. Experts in their fields from major organizations, foundations and government intermingled with people and small organizations committed to promoting the influence parks have on our communities.

Staff from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, City of Pittsburgh, Mount Washington Community Development Corporation, Riverlife and many other organizations attended the conference. Determined to not only gain new ideas, but to share success stories and strategies of how our urban parks have contributed to Pittsburgh being consistently named “most livable city” year after year. Keynote speaker, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, got the first full day of workshops started by discussing how parks have become a “powerful catalyst for community development.” This became one of the three overlying themes of the conference: community development, public health and future technological advancements. The conference slowly unveiled a more enlightened and deeper value for urban green spaces other than their beauty.

Public Art at The High Line

Community Development

The Parks Conservancy supports and promotes the environmental benefits of parks, but also focuses on the tremendous community and economic development that comes from urban green spaces. When an urban park is designed or restored, it creates a chain reaction in community development and overall quality of life. It creates jobs both in the implementation and maintenance process. Home values around the park increase while access to trails and open spaces for recreational activities enhance public health. All of these factors combine to increase economic growth for the community. It can be difficult to show citizens not living directly within city limits the advantages to urban development when they can feel so far removed from it. Mick Cornett, Mayor of Oklahoma City, is responsible for leading his city towards an undeniable rebirth and discussed the need to put money and effort into the city infrastructure to benefit the entire metro area. He stated, “ The quality of life in urban areas is directly connected to the quality of life in the suburbs. You can’t be a suburb of nothing.”

The High Line Zoo

A visit to The High Line in New York City revealed another unexpected perk to urban parks and community development.  Strolling down the restored elevated freight line that has been repurposed into a modern public green space on Manhattan’s West Side, you’ll be greeted by a gorilla, an amorous sailor and a portrait of a young Native American child to name a few. A menagerie of public art has popped-up along the buildings and open spaces lining The High Line, intertwining the worlds of nature and art into one harmonious story of city culture.

Digging in the dirt at the Frick Environmental Center

Public Health

Park and nature prescriptions were buzzwords used throughout the conference. Daphne Miller, M.D. discussed the “disease of the indoors” and the Health Care Provider Initiative being implemented through the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF). The initiative educates health care providers on the importance of outdoor activity in the prevention of childhood obesity and diabetes, encouraging them to provide nature prescriptions in addition to traditional healthcare. “I think of parks as part of our healthcare system”, Dr. Miller said. United States Secretary of State Ken Salazar, who closed the conference, informed us that children only spend an average of four minutes outside a day. Access to parks and green space is an issue for children in some communities. Many have to walk through dangerous areas or cross highways to get to a park.  Dr. Miller discussed the idea of creating green corridors to connect parks throughout the community and provide “veins of access to green space” for children and others to safely enjoy the parks. The healthier we make our parks, the healthier the people of our community will become.

Playing tag in Highland Park

Technological Advancements

With the role parks play in the health of a society and way to get people outdoors, the topic of technology and the future of parks can often be a tricky subject to tackle. There’s no doubt that we are currently in the era of technology; however, there is still resistance to how technology can contribute to the park system and whether it belongs there at all. Many view the demons of video games, television, Internet, social media and smartphones as the antithesis to the mission of parks and the exact cause of what is keeping people holed up indoors. Garry Golden, Futurist and Founder of Forward Elements, Inc. spoke about the purpose of technology in the future of environmental infrastructure. “Technology doesn’t have to be at odds with simple design”, he explains. Workshop presenter Erin Barnes and her organization, ioby (In Our Back Yard), is a perfect example of how to incorporate technology with environmental advocacy. Ioby is an organization committed to bringing green initiatives to the local level by connecting people to fundraising resources via their website. It’s great to hear about organizations raising millions of dollars to fund environmental causes in the community, but this can at times seem inaccessible for smaller causes.  Ioby uses “crowd-resourcing” and “DIY activism” to empower the community to form their own small fundraising projects through their website.  On the ioby website you can search for projects using filters to discover the needs of a group and how you can get involved. Currently, there is an open project listed on the ioby website in the Pittsburgh community called the Homewood Agricultural Project. They are looking for both donations and volunteers for the project and it’s a great way to help out concerned citizens trying to better our community. Technology isn’t going anywhere, so many of us are embracing it to inform the public about parks and get people active.  The Parks Conservancy has welcomed technological advancements. We are currently developing a mobile app funded through a grant from UPMC Health Plan and the “Parks Are Free” campaign promoting use of the parks and public health within our own community.

Pittsburgh’s Schenley Plaza

Pittsburgh was well represented at the conference as presenters shared expertise in the field and highlighted successful restorations of our beautiful parks to their intended splendor. The Parks Conservancy Founder and CEO, Meg Cheever, served as a moderator for a workshop discussing the importance of public-private partnerships when developing and maintaining urban parks. Parks Curator, Susan Rademacher, sat on a workshop panel called, “People Over Cars” to discuss the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy campaign to restore a parking lot to its original purpose in the development of Schenley Plaza. Ilyssa Manspeizer, Ph.D., Director, Park Development & Conservation for the Mount Washington Community Development Corporation filled the crowd in on the “scrappy do-it-yourself ethos” that has helped transform a steep hillside in Mount Washington to the beautiful 280 acre Emerald View Park overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline.

Picnic in Schenley Park

Central Fire

As speaker after speaker discussed the role parks play in the development of a community, it was National Park Service Deputy Director of Communication and Community Assistance, Mickey Fearn that hit closest to home. He spoke of the “central fire where people used to come together to get warm, share stories and inspire and further community.” This immediately evoked images of our own Pittsburgh parks. Swirls of children sprinting to the playground on Schenley Overlook while families reunite at picnic tables. International students fresh off the plane meeting each other for the first time at the University of Pittsburgh international welcome picnic in Schenley Park. Neighbors who have never met swapping stories while their pooches splash mud at the off-leash dog area deep within Frick Park. High schoolers blushing as their parents embarrassingly take pictures of them at the Highland Park Entry Garden before they head-off to their Senior Prom. Our community coming together in our parks to share life and love, this is the central fire that has been burning in Pittsburgh for the past decade.

Holly Stayton is the eCommerce Development Officer for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Learn more about how you can get involved with Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy on our website. Also, keep up-to-date on how the Pittsburgh Greenspace Alliance has joined together to promote and improve Pittsburgh’s green spaces.

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What’s in Bloom – May 2012

If you walk into any park in Pittsburgh this week, you’ll find gardens full of blooms. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters says that she’s starting to see a lot of the perennials blossoming. She took to the parks with her camera on May 7th to show us what’s in bloom.

Walled Garden at Mellon Park

Rhododendron catawbiense “Album”

Cranesbill, Geranium “Brookside”

 
Highland Park Entry Garden

Baptisia australis

Bearded iris, Iris germanica “Cranberry Crush”

 

Catmint, Napeta x Faassenii “Six Hills Giant”

 

Dutch iris, Iris x Hollandica

 

Globeflower, Trollius x Cultorum “Lemon Queen”

 

Purple Allium, Allium aflatunese

 Schenley Plaza

Clematis, Clematis x Jackmani

Yarrow, Achillea millefolium “Paprika”

Flowering Sage, Salvia nemorosa “May Night”

  Help us keep the gardens of Pittsburgh’s public parks beautiful! We have gardening volunteer days begining in May. First volunteer day in the Walled Garden in Mellon Park is Tuesday, May 15th 5-7 pm, Highland Park Entry Garden volunteer days start Wednesday, May 16th 5-7 pm. To learn more about our horticultural volunteer days visit the volunteer page on our website or e-mail us at volunteer@pittsburghparks.org.

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What’s in Bloom – March 2012

Winter showers bring …March flowers? It doesn’t sound right, but this year it’s true. The strangely mild winter followed by what can only be described as an early onset summer has everyone a bit befuddled, including Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener, Angela Masters. Her entire planting schedule has been altered. “It feels like everything’s moved up a month,” she says, “trees, shrubs, and perennials are all starting to grow”. She’s thrilled to be getting a lot of her flower bed maintenance done early – such as the massive amount of mulching she must complete with the City – because it will free her up later in the season to focus on details she may not otherwise have time for.  

As thrilling as 80 degrees in March may feel, there are concerns for our plants. “We could end up with some insect problems since it didn’t get cold enough for them to die,” Angela worries. Of primary concern are thriving insects such as the Emerald Ash Borer which threaten our City’s trees.

Another concern is that spring will “go out like a lion” as the saying goes, and the beautiful flowers we see blooming around us will be short lived when a late frost takes them out. “It doesn’t upset me as much if the frost takes them after they’ve bloomed, because we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy them” says Angela, “but if they freeze while they are still budding they never get to show their beauty.” Angela says that this is often what happens to Magnolia trees in this area, but thankfully Pittsburgh’s streets have already been lined with their striking pink blooms this year.  

Enough doom and gloom. Let’s focus on the positive. There are beautiful flowers everywhere! Angela took some photos to show us what’s in bloom on March 15^th 2012. If you love Pittsburgh’s park flower beds consider donating to our Daffodil Project.

Highland Park  

White Crocus in the Highland Park Entry Garden

Daffodils in the Highland Park Entry Garden

Iris reticulata, Dwarf Rock Garden Iris in Highland Park Entry Garden

  Mellon Park

Helleborus orientalis, Lenten Rose in Mellon Park Walled Garden

Wintertime Planters Display Holiday Cheer

Planters serve as eye catching horticultural art displays most of the year, but during the winter months they are often left empty and sad. Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy gardener Angela Masters got tired of looking at vacant, dirt filled pots until spring, so she has created beautiful winter planter displays at Schenley Plaza and the Schenley Park Café and Visitor’s Center. Her designs are easy to emulate and require little maintenance for upkeep. Next time the family’s in town for the holidays you can show off your green thumb, even with snow on the ground.

Three tier groupings of plants create a full look.

When designing a planter (no matter what the season) Angela likes to use a three tier grouping. For the center of the planter she uses a tall, upright plant. Around this focal point she will put in a shorter upright plant, and along the outside of the planter she ideally likes to put in something that will hang over the edges.

The planters she has created at the Visitor’s Center are a perfect demonstration of this ideal grouping. The Red Twig Dogwood she has placed at the center of the planter creates the highest point of the design, as well as adding some holiday color to the display. Around that she has placed White Pine seedlings (with the fluffy looking needles) and Hemlock seedlings (yellowish in color), at the outside edge a Christmas Fern spills over the planter making the display look full and lush.

Blue Princess Holly surrounded by Bearberry

At Schenley Plaza, her planters display two plants, with a focus on the beautiful Blue Princess Holly in the center complete with bright red berries. Surrounding the Holly she has put in a groundcover called Bearberry.

These wintertime planters do more than just look good, they incorperate evergreens for us to put into the parks! Angela has deliberately chosen plants (with the exception of the Blue Princess Holly) that are native to our area so that when it comes time to change the planters to spring flowers, these seedlings can be transplanted to the natural wooded areas. “Using natives is a challenge because there are so many beautiful evergreens that I’d like to use, but we don’t want to be putting invasive plants into the parks,” says Angela.

Wintertime planters in front of The Porch Restaurant in Schenley Plaza

Maintenance of wintertime planters is easy breezy since you are using plants accustomed to the cold weather. “As long as the planter is in a place where it gets rained and snowed on, it will be fine,” says Angela. “If the planter is under an eve of your house or some other covering you may need to water it a little once in a while.” She does add that having the planter closer to a building (while not necessarily covered) will give it a better chance of survival by protecting it from harsh elements like cold wind.  

Your imagination is the limit when it comes to the design of a wintertime planter. You can decorate the planters a multitude of ways. Angela recommends looking for some dried materials like lotus pods and artichokes to add texture and color. You can find such things at craft stores and they can be spray painted in metallic shades to add a little bling to the display. If you really want to spruce them up for the holidays try adding some ribbon.

There are a multitude of evergreen plants that will work beautifully but a few of Angela’s favorites are various kinds of Junipers (there are varieties that stand upright and some that drape), Gold Thread Cypress, Dwarf Alberta Spruce, and the native Winterberry Holly.         

 

Kathleen Gaines is a Development Associate for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

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Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s Award Winning Gardens

This year the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society has recognized three of the gardens the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has designed and maintains in partnership with the City with the Community Greening Award. The PHS grants this annual award to recognize “greening and beautification efforts throughout the region that have benefitted communities.” A panel of judges evaluated sites in July and August based on plant variety, design, use of space, and horticultural practices. The Highland Park Entry Garden, the Mellon Park Walled Garden, and the Schenley Plaza Gardens won the award which was presented to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in a ceremony that took place on November 19^th.

The award is especially gratifying for Parks Conservancy gardener Angela Masters who designs and maintains these treasured public gardens. “It feels great to be recognized,” says Angela, “but I can’t take all the credit. It takes a lot of work from a lot of people to make them so beautiful.” Angela notes the importance of the City’s work maintaining lawns, trimming plants, and removing debris. She also relies heavily on groups of dedicated gardening volunteers.

Highland Park Entry Garden

The Parks Conservancy completed its restoration of the Highland Park Entry Garden in 2005 and it now stands as the great Victorian entry to Highland Park it was intended to be. “Primarily consisting of perennials, the garden is meticulously maintained,” commented the PHS judges, adding that it is “a sight to behold.” The meticulousness of this garden is possible in part because of our “weeding Wednesdays” volunteer group who works in the garden with Angela in the Spring and Summer months with the support of Citiparks Highland Park foreman, Evan Jones.

Mellon Park Walled Garden

The Walled Garden in Mellon Park was restored in honor of Ann Katharine Seamans, who loved the garden her whole life. The garden re-opened in June of 2010. A public art display was added to honor Annie’s memory. Artist Janet Zweig created 7:11AM  11.20.1979  79º55′W 40º27′N which is a series of LED lights placed into the walled garden’s lawn to imitate the constellations over Pittsburgh when Annie was born. Pittsburgh landscape architecture firm La Quatra Bonci Associates designed and oversaw the installation of the garden.

“The plant material is extensive and the maintenance is flawless,” commented the judges. “A visit here leaves a lasting impression. This garden is truly one of the jewels in the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.” With Angela’s guidance and the support of Citiparks Mellon Park foreman Dick Wilford, volunteers donate approximately 1,500 hours a year to the garden’s maintenance.  As a result of its beauty, weddings in the walled garden have become increasingly popular.

Schenley Plaza Gardens

Adjacent to the Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, Schenley Plaza was paved in 1949 and had been used as a parking lot ever since. In 2006, after a decade of planning, The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, in partnership with the City, restored the Plaza to the grand entrance to Schenley Park it was meant to be. One of the Plaza’s many charms is a series of gardens dispersed between beautiful Spanish cedar benches on the Forbes Avenue side. 

“The spacious garden area is surrounded by many natives and features plantings that are rotated several times a year to provide vibrant seasonal displays,” noted the judges. “Various green design techniques help the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy reduce landscape maintenance.” The Plaza gardens are where some of Angela’s most exuberant work can be seen, where planters allow her the opportunity to more frequently experiment with the color, texture, and style of the plants she features. She is supported by Schenley Park foreman, Bob Weid, and Citiparks worker Jeff Creighton.     

    

 Each of these projects has enhanced our city and recognition from so distinguished an organization as the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society is deeply gratifying. Please consider donating to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy or volunteering your time so that we can keep these “jewels” in the crown of Pittsburgh sparkling. 

See a complete list of this year’s winners – which includes 10 other Pittsburgh gardens –here.

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A Little Green Space Goes a Long Way

It may seem as though Schenley Plaza is rather isolated from the vibrant ecosystem that comprises our City’s parks. While it is the grand entrance to Schenley Park, the Bellefield Bridge is what really connects the Plaza to nature. The Plaza’s immediate surroundings are much like the rest of Oakland. Bustling and engaging? Yes. Performing a service to biodiversity? No. Herein lies the Plaza’s beauty, because even a former parking lot space turned park can become another important link in the chain of our area’s biodiversity.

The Purple Coneflower in the Plaza at it's most beautiful in July

The difference a little green space can make is best illustrated by a simple native flower growing quietly in the Plaza’s gardens. The Purple Coneflower (or Echinacea) is one of the plants that the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s gardener Angela Masters often suggests for home gardens because it’s an easy perennial to take care of that is both attractive and native to our area. Native plants will feed native wildlife and voila…biodiversity at work.

Case and point, meet the Gold Finch.

Two Gold Finches eating Purple Coneflower in Schenley Plaza

These little birds pack a big visual punch with their highlighter yellow feathers and their flittering, playful flight patterns. Drab pigeons of Oakland beware, because these little showstoppers have found a place in your neighborhood serving up one of their favorite snacks. The Gold Finches come to the Plaza every fall to eat the Coneflower’s seeds, creating a regular urban appearance by a bird who is much more suited to the tree lined streets of Squirrel Hill than the traffic of Forbes Avenue.

The Gold Finch

The Purple Coneflower in the Plaza is doing more than attract pretty birds. Angela lets the Gold Finches get their fill until it’s time to deadhead the blossoms to allow them to grow for next year. Instead of throwing away the dead blossoms and their seeds, Angela puts them in a bag and gives them to our Field Ecologists, Erin and Bryan, who spread the seeds in the meadows of larger parks like Schenley and Riverview. They do the same with the Blackeyed Susans. By doing this, the Plaza is actually helping to promote the growth of native wildflower species in our parks.    

Help something grow when you can, because every little plant can make change.

If you love birds, we suggest this wonderful bird blog by Kate St. John.  

 

Kathleen McGuire is a Development Associate at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy

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Cake, Balloons, and a Unicycling Juggler: Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Celebrates 15 Years

 

Happy 15th Birthday!

Schenley Plaza is my favorite Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy project. It’s so lively and energetic, and it provides an unexpected, peaceful oasis in the middle of the busy Oakland traffic. It serves many purposes to many people: a Wi-Fi spot for students and professionals, a place to enjoy lunchtime music, an outdoor yoga studio, a concert venue. And when it comes to hosting kids’ events, the Plaza is unmatched. That’s why it was the perfect place to host our 15^th birthday celebration on July 10.

The party plans were already in the works when I joined the Parks Conservancy staff this spring, so I’d been looking forward to the event and envisioning many smiling faces filling the tent. Although I’ve hosted and attended events at the Plaza before, this was my first as a Parks Conservancy team member, and I was eager to welcome families to my favorite spot.

Of course, waking up to a 90 degree forecast on Sunday was a little intimidating. I went into what I call “event-mode”, which basically means worrying about cake melting and water staying cold, and ultimately going through the checklist a dozen times to make sure we didn’t forget anything. Sun block liberally applied, I headed to the Plaza and joined my coworkers and the entertainers to get ready.

The Citiparks Roving Art Cart kept budding artists busy all afternoon.

One thing I did forget is that kids don’t really mind the 90 degree temperatures like us adults do – in fact, the kids who came to the party seemed hardly phased at all. Promptly at 2 p.m., they headed right for the treat table, arming themselves with oranges, bananas, cookies and water before wandering onto the next activity. A few immediately got in line to get the first balloon animals, some opted to start the party with the face-painter, and others headed directly for the Citiparks Roving Art Cart to challenge the budding artist within. The more patient children sat for the caricature artist, who busily sketched their smiling faces, while others grabbed their favorite color marker and signed our big birthday banner.

With everything successfully underway, I wandered through the Plaza tent to see the results of our hard work and planning. I never tire of seeing a happy child enjoying him or herself on a summer day, but I admittedly was moved by the level of enthusiasm. Our hundreds of guests were fully engaged; beautiful, bright artwork hung from a clothesline by the Roving Art Cart, swinging in the welcome breeze (did I mention it was hot?). A toddler giggled and ran to hug

"Sharkie" offered hugs and high-fives to the kids.

“Sharkie”, the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium’s mascot who graciously greeted guests all afternoon. Kids lined up to take a free ride on the PNC Carousel, and others grabbed a seat for a front row view of the juggler’s lively show, which had everything from a unicycle to a tiny basketball hoop attached to the juggler’s head.

REI's Peter Greninger presented CEO Meg Cheever and Board Chair Jerry Voros with a generous check to support volunteer training.

We did have a little business to conduct at the party; it’s our birthday, after all, so we have many people to thank for helping us achieve so much in 15 years. Director of Education Marijke Hecht took time to honor several of our outstanding volunteers, Maria Kyriacopoulos, Steve Harvan, Russ Braun, Mike Markey, and Fred and Carol McCoullough, who run the gamut from Volunteer Crew Leader to Urban EcoSteward, invasive species warrior to signage gurus. How’s that for dedication?

We also thanked Direct Energy, who generously sponsored the 15^th Birthday Celebration, and many of our city and non-profit partners. And the fun part: REI presented a check to Parks Conservancy President and CEO Meg Cheever and Board Chair Jerry Voros. The check is REI’s support of our Volunteer Crew Leader training programs, appropriate as we honored volunteers. Thanks, REI. Love those big novelty checks!  

At that point we sang a hardy verse of “Happy Birthday”, and cut into a big birthday cake. It was my favorite part of the day, as I got a chance to say hello and thank our guests while serving them. (Nothing brings people together like an icing-covered piece of cake.) I was filled with pride as guests thanked us for the hard work we do in their parks, and wished us a happy birthday. And then it was back to the Art Cart, Sharkie, and the entertainers.

What could be better than seeing such happy faces enjoying our parks?

So my love for Schenley Plaza continues and is even strengthened after the 15th Birthday Celebration. As we started to clean up and guests started to head out, I heard a loud cheer come from the PNC Carousel. “Sharkie” was on his way back to the Zoo, and the kids were eagerly waving goodbye and thanking him from coming to see them. How cute is that?

Jessica Romano is proud to be Marketing & Communications Manager for the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.  Check out more photos from the 15th Birthday Celebration on our Flickr site.

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How I Fell in Love with Schenley Plaza (and parked my reservations elsewhere)

The parking lot that once occupied Schenley Plaza

When I transferred to the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of August 2004, the grassy retreat that is now Schenley Plaza was a parking lot, and I was fine with that. I didn’t see anything wrong with it really. A parking lot seemed like a fine use of space in Oakland’s pulsing urban setting, because where else would the cars go? I went about my days riding the elevators from class to class in the Cathedral of Learning unaware of the ten years of work that had been poured into the future Schenley Plaza already. I was fine with it being a parking lot, because I lacked the imagination to envision it as anything else. I’m thankful the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was not so short sighted.

First a little sign went up. One that I, like many of my classmates, was far too preoccupied to look at. Then a rumor started to spread, Did you hear they’re getting rid of the parking lot outside the Cathedral? This statement was always followed with quiet gasps of disbelief and annoyed mutterings. We all wondered what they were going to do with it? What possible use of Oakland land could be better than a small piece of concrete that’s yours for the low price of $5 for the first two hours and $3 for each additional hour?* It took us a while, but we finally figured it out. They’re turning it into a park! This seemed almost too crazy to bear. Where are we supposed to park our cars?!

Spring at Schenley Plaza

We live in a world where green spaces are bulldozed and packed flat with concrete all the time. Many of us are outraged by this, so it was strange that we were almost equally resistant to the opposite happening. In truth, when Schenley Plaza was completed in 2006 it was a fulfillment of the legacy of that land. The Bellefield Bridge was built in 1897 and became the primary entrance of Schenley Park, but Edward Bigelow, then the City’s Director of Public Works, envisioned a grand entrance to the park in front of the bridge. Different versions of this “grand entrance” were created over the next several decades in the Schenley Plaza space, but as Oakland (and the Pirates at Forbes Field) grew, so did the number of cars. In 1949 the plaza was paved over as a parking lot.

By the time I graduated from Pitt in the winter of 2006, Schenley Plaza had opened and enjoyed the successful reception of its first summer season. In the duration of its construction everyone got used to the missing spaces, and in actuality new traffic patterns were put in place to add more street parking. The total number of spaces lost was fewer than 100. The Plaza became a favorite space of mine. When you sat in the middle of the lawn things felt quite and still, like you were sitting in a bubble, surrounded by the buzzing of a busy world that couldn’t quite touch you. It was close enough to school that I wouldn’t be late to class, but far enough away that I could rest my mind.

The WYEP Music Festival

I am reminded of the embarrassing skepticism I had about the Plaza every year at this time because of the WYEP Summer Music Festival. Each year this big bash brings thousands to Schenley Park’s gateway with blankets and coolers in hand. Kid’s activities, craft sellers, and great live music – both local and national – has made this Plaza event a hallmark of summer in Pittsburgh. We all enter the peace of this urban oasis, the soapy film of our bubble painting everything a little more rosy. Every time I visit the Plaza now, whether it’s for a WYEP event, or one of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s many free events, I look around at the people enjoying the thriving energy of what the Plaza has become and I smile as I think, I wonder where they parked?     

* I don’t actually remember the parking rates. This part is pure fiction.

Kathleen McGuire loves learning about the amazing history behind the Conservancy’s projects in her new position.

 

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