A renewed and renovated Acorn Park in Franklin Park should have much of its new features ready for play by May, according to borough Manager Rege Ebner Jr.
Improvements to the 25-acre park, located on McGee Road, were greatly needed and will be a welcome addition for residents, according to Ebner.
“Acorn Park previously consisted of an older playground, an asphalt pad that was occasionally used for street hockey, a small parking area and informal trails that required passing through Little Sewickley Creek. There were no restrooms, limited seating areas and no ADA accessibility,” said Ebner, referring to the Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
“For these reasons, the park was very underutilized,” he said.
The new features hoped to be finished by May include new, nature-themed playground equipment, a mountain bike pump track with bike wash and an outdoor classroom gazebo with bench seating.
A new entryway from the road leads to increased parking and permeable pavers used for parking spaces. The borough also is planning a rain garden to capture and control runoff from the parking lot and pump track. The park will have electricity and Wi-Fi access.
New public restrooms are expected to be ready by June, Ebner said.
The approximately $1.7 million project was funded, in part, by a $662,328 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The borough also received a $215,000 grant from the Gaming and Economic Development Tourism Fund, according to Ebner.
Independent Enterprises Inc., the lowest responsible bidder, was awarded the contract for the majority of the work, he said.
An ADA-accessible trail connecting the parking lot to the outdoor classroom also should be completed by May along with formalized walking and biking trails running throughout the property, with two bridge crossings over Little Sewickley Creek and observation decks and benches at various points along the trails
Other trail work and final landscaping should be done by fall.
Since the project required the removal of about 75 trees because of oak wilt, Franklin Park is committed to revegetating the area. This includes adding 17 trees and 42 shrubs in the area that has been disturbed, and 22 trees, 227 shrubs and 361 perennials in two locations along Little Sewickley Creek to improve the riparian buffer and protect the health of the stream.
Replanting efforts also will be expanded to Franklin Park’s additional three parks, Ebner said. The borough recently ordered 70 trees and shrubs from Tree Pittsburgh Heritage Nursery to be planted this spring.
The remainder of the required trees and shrubs will be planted this fall and next spring, he said.
In addition to Acorn Park, the borough is home to Blueberry Park along Blaine’s Way, Linbrook Park along Big Sewickley Creek Road and Old Orchard Park along Rochester Road.
Franklin Park is in the process of updating its 2015 Comprehensive Recreation, Park and Open Space Plan, with the help of a DCNR $44,800 grant. This will help shape renovations to the other parks.
Over the past 10 years, the borough has acquired one property adjacent to Acorn Park, four properties adjacent to Blueberry Hill Park and three properties adjacent to Linbrook Park, according to Ebner.
“Through the process of updating our plan, we intend to incorporate those properties into our park system, and we expect to include the development of a master site plan for the property adjacent to Acorn Park. We will identify areas of improvement in all of our parks as part of our updated plan,” Ebner said.
In addition to Acorn, the only other park improvements identified for 2025 is the replacement of the roof on the activity center and the football concession building in Blueberry Hill Park. They will be replaced with metal roofs and allow for consideration of solar panels to provide electricity for the park, Ebner said.
The borough has received a $60,000 local share account grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority to help with this project.
Other projects include rebuilding the tee boxes on the first and second holes on the disc golf course in Linbrook Park — a first step toward improving the course, he said.
The planting of native trees and shrubs will continue at Old Orchard Park to reduce the areas of mowed grass that are not used for recreational purposes.
Old Orchard closed its pickleball courts in 2023 because of noise issues. However, the courts remain. Ebner said these will be removed or repurposed based on recommendations that come from the updated comprehensive recreational park and open space plan.
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Ebner said residents should consider getting involved in the plan update process.
“We will be seeking substantial public participation throughout the year. Residents will have a chance to learn more about our parks and make recommendations on ways they can be improved,” he said.