photo credit Melissa McMasters

Donor Newsletter January–February 2017 PittsburghParks.org Emerald View Park has joined our family You support a view with 1.5 million visitors each year

hanks to a new Tpartnership with Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC) as well as the photo credit Jeremy Marshall City of , your support has taken us to Mt. Washington. Emerald View Park is made up of three historic parks (Grandview, Olympia and Mount Washington), “It was time for Emerald View Park to live within the family of other wooded hillsides and regional parks” – Kathryn Hunninen, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy Senior Manager of the Grand View Scenic Special Initiatives Byway. Created in 2005 and named a regional Vice President and urban neighborhood a the Mount. It contains park in 2007, Emerald Emerald View Park beautiful community – 12 miles of trails which View boasts some of the Committee Chair, I’m excited to see how offer unique views of most famous views of was an advocate in Emerald View Park will your beautiful city. You’ll Pittsburgh. facilitating the Pittsburgh continue to grow and find Roving Art Cart Parks Conservancy’s become even more visits, Saturday night e work to continue relationship with her of an asset for our movies and Sunday Wto implement the favorite park. “Emerald community.” yoga. Trail guide and masterplan already View Park is truly the gem more information at in place and plan of Mount Washington. ou can find all the PittsburghParks.org/ for the future. Talia The park plays a huge Yamenities of the emerald-view-park. Piazza, MWCDC Board role in making our other regional parks on

ENGAGE contact Harmony Hodges at [email protected] f l w n x or 412.682.7275 x240 Park champions like you Your support at work in Joann Aurand has run She supports the Pittsburgh Parks through decades of change Conservancy because she’s seen the transformation in her park. Work oann Aurand moved to Pittsburgh on trail restorations with rainwater Jin 1980. She learned the city by drainage has made a huge running the trails. “Green space is impact. “It’s been wonderful to have so important in an urban setting. access to parts of the park that You can’t just have all concrete.” weren’t accessible before.” Joann participates in Run Around the Square which benefits the Frick Environmental Center. Programs you make possible Parks offer a solution to our stormwater problems Stormwater Management Initiatives sewer overflow the cost Allegheny Commons, to filter increases your and Heth’s hen as little as mowed lawns don’t water bill. Run in Highland Park. th W1/10 of an inch of absorb much water. With your support, you rain falls, the combined Instead of traveling rees and plants in your make a meaningful sewage system in through the parks Tparks need water to contribution to solving Pittsburgh becomes where the water can thrive and can naturally this problem while also overloaded and runs be naturally filtered and absorb runoff. Designing improving parks. off into our rivers. Hard absorbed, rainwater is park amenities to hold surfaces like parking diverted to our sewer and direct rainwater to he City-Wide Green lots, roof tops, and even system. In addition to water-loving plantings TFirst Plan is the City and more natural of Pittsburgh and the systems helps parks Pittsburgh Water and and solves problems Sewer Authority’s plan to related to sewer overflow manage issues related and flooding. to stormwater flow. Please consider supporting your ll of our capital Parks Conservancy’s Aimprovement green infrastructure works include green work by submitting infrastructure and your comments to the specific stormwater Pittsburgh Water and management plans. Sewage Authority at Projects on the horizon PittsburghParks.org/ include McKinley Park, green-first.

“In a region abundantly blessed with water we’ve forced it to do things it doesn’t photo credit Thomas D’Andrea Thomas credit photo naturally do.” Stormwater overflows the sewer system – Heather Sage, PPC Director of Community Projects

2 Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy | January – February 2017 You transform our cherished spaces Then and Now: Reynolds Street Gatehouse Your first park project tile roof and historic lighting. The flanking stone walls were rebuilt, and the Gatehouse stonework and ur first showcase project, the Reynolds Street walls were cleaned and repainted. The windows, Gatehouse in Frick Park, was restored in 2000. O which had been bricked over, were fitted with steel The work was guided by plans from its original window bars to replicate the originals. New cypress architect John Russell Pope and landscape doors were fabricated to match Pope’s handsome architect Innocenti & Webel. design as closely as possible, reusing some original estoring the work of two such notable firms was hardware. The landscape was also revitalized with Ra great opportunity. This 70 year-old structure in repaved walkways, 63 new trees and shrubs as well the French hunting lodge-style received a new clay as lush groundcover plantings.

THEN NOW photo credit Jeremy Marshall

You accomplished so much in 2016 capital projects completed Frick Environmental Center Westinghouse Memorial August Wilson Park photo credit Mark Simpson 257 new acres stewarded 15, 212 hours of education (kids age 3-18) 9,618 flowers, shrubs and trees planted 7,651 volunteer hours

www.pittsburghparks.org 3 Your parks, your stories 20 years of support for your parks Ceci Sommers is one of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy’s early supporters eci Sommers has Our brownie meetings Cdonated to support were held in Lincoln Park, your parks every year I can still remember the photo credit Scott Roller since 1996, the year musty, damp smell of that the Pittsburgh Parks building.” Conservancy was founded. ongtime friend of LPresident and CEO rowing up in Meg Cheever, Ceci Ceci’s favorite park is Schenley Park GChicago, Ceci fondly was taken by the remembers the parks mission of the newly favorite. “The changes hen asked why of her childhood. “They formed Pittsburgh were dramatic enough Wshe still gives were wonderful places Parks Conservancy. “I to really get my attention. today, her answer is but they needed help. immediately thought of I also love the diversity of simple. “Because the the parks that I loved in the visitors.” Her favorite work is never done. I Chicago where I grew park is Schenley, simply am well aware that up.” She knew she had because of convenient good things don’t just to help and immediately location. She recalls “My happen. They need to became involved and late husband and I often be nurtured and tended. has donated ever since. rode our bikes in the The Conservancy is parks during the lunch the engine behind the ut of 17 completed hour. It allowed us to maintenance, tending capital projects in 20 really get away from our and care-giving and Ceci (pictured left) with Marlee O Myers, a founding board member years, and jobs for a restorative and looking to the future of of the Parks Conservancy are her refreshing time out.” our parks.”

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4 Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy | January – February 2017