Carol Hardeman said she’s frustrated that the promised park projects in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood still haven’t started, years after residents hoped they would be done.
Hardeman, who serves as executive director of the Hill District Consensus Group, said the lengthy delays to projects that were supposed to improve a well-used park shelter and playground in the neighborhood have caused confusion and disappointment.
“Bottom line — it’s really a failure,” she said of the long-stalled projects.
The Robert E. Williams shelter in the Hill District neighborhood was supposed to be demolished and rebuilt. The project, Hardeman said, has been in the works for about five years with no construction actually underway yet.
The city’s 2024 capital budget includes $1.5 million in federal covid relief money for the effort. Olga George, a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey, said the city hopes to have a contract signed in August “to get construction moving.”
Hardeman said talks with city leaders about improving the Kennard Playground in the Hill District have been in the works for just as long. There’s been no visible progress on that project either, she said.
Residents have sometimes turned to the community development organization in hopes of getting more information, but Hardeman said they’re in the dark, too. The city, she said, has provided unclear and sometimes mixed messages about the status of projects in their neighborhood.
No money was allocated for improvements to Kennard in the city’s 2024 capital budget.
Hardeman said projects like these are important to Hill District residents like herself and could help foster community and provide safe, welcoming spaces.
“They’re popular all year round,” she said. “We have more abandonment and not a lot of places where people can go and have a baby shower or come together on a community day, so those facilities mean a whole, whole lot.”
A meeting is scheduled for next month with city officials and Hill District residents to discuss next steps on the Robert E. Williams shelter project, but Hardeman said so far there have been lots of meetings and little progress.
“Folks are just fed up with meetings and then nothing happens,” she said. “They feel like they’re being gaslighted.”
The problem isn’t exclusive to the Hill District.
In the city’s East Liberty neighborhood, an effort to redevelop Enright Park is behind schedule, too.
A presentation on the city’s EngagePGH platform estimated the project would be finished by the end of 2023. Now, an update on the site said construction was beginning May of this year.
Josh Clark, 56, of Shadyside, said parks are “critical” to communities.
“Obviously they’re essential,” he said.
A lifelong East End resident, Clark said he’s hopeful that work at Enright Park will soon speed ahead to completion. He said he likes the looks of the renderings and wants to see the space come to life in a positive way.
Clark said he sometimes worries officials don’t prioritize park projects, despite their community benefits.
“You’re not taxing the park. The park is an expense,” he said. “But it also makes the city more attractive. It makes people want to live here.”
George did not provide specific reasons for the delays to various park projects.
Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, rattled off a lengthy list of park and recreation projects that have been delayed in her district: revitalization of the former Stevens school building into a community space, expansion of a walking trail along a former trolley route, repairs to swimming pools in the Sheraden and Mt. Washington neighborhoods, improvements to a senior center, conversion of the former Fairywood pool into an amphitheater and upgrades to a concession stand at an athletic field.
Kail-Smith said she’s secured funding for such projects, but they’ve all faced delays — some for years.
“There’s all kinds of things going on with delayed projects,” she said. “Across the board, it’s like government is taking more money, doing less and delivering less results for residents.”
She acknowledged part of the reason for some of the pauses could be attributed to the ever-growing construction costs since the covid-19 pandemic and ongoing delays in receiving necessary materials and parts.
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Department of Public Works Director Chris Hornstein earlier this month said the pools were closed this summer because they needed additional repairs.
Still, Kail-Smith said, it’s important that communities get the recreational opportunities that help them thrive and keep local youth active and engaged.
“They’re extremely important,” she said, adding that parks and pools can provide safe, positive spaces for local youth and keep them away from crime and problematic activities. “An absence of something to do is not a reason to commit a crime. However, giving people something to do that’s positive in any neighborhood is always a good thing.”