Project to fill in portion of Washington Park underway
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
A part of Washington Park between the Stone Pavilion and Frontier History Center had acres of trees cut down, in part to make way for construction of an emergency access road for the park.
Washington Park Construction
Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Acres of trees were cut down over the weekend in an area of Washington Park between the Stone Pavilion and Frontier History Center.
Acres of trees were cut down in Washington Park over the weekend as a fill project that was planned and approved earlier in the year is finally underway.
The project was an agreement between the city and Lane Construction Corp., a Pittsburgh company contracted by the state Department of Transportation for a widening project on Interstate 70. PennDOT requires the company to find a place to put the approximately 1 million cubic yards of dirt that results from the work.
The city agreed to take about 150,000 cubic yards of it to fill in an area of the park behind the Stone Pavilion, if Lane Construction also built an emergency access road to the park near Clare Drive
The city is still working on an agreement for the emergency access road with South Strabane Township, which is expected to vote on it today. The road, with a gate at the top and bottom, would not be for public use, but only for emergency vehicles to get in and out of the park when necessary.
“I’ve been in favor of getting an emergency access road,” park foreman Chriss Marshman said. “The only way in and out of that park is under a train trestle.”
Mayor Scott Putnam and Marshman said the space that was cleared for the fill was between eight and nine acres.
“It was a spot of the park that was underutilized, with heavy trees and underbrush on a steep hill,” Putnam said. “There were no trails in that area.”
The city isn’t sure yet what will go into the space.
“Once it’s done and seeded, then we can see what we’re going to do,” Putnam said.
Marshman said Washington Youth Baseball would like another small field, as they’ve run out of space for the growing league. He also said there are a few historical buildings that might be preserved by being moved into the area, including a barn from the 1900s and a blacksmith’s shop from the 1800s.
Not all residents are pleased with the project, especially with the number of trees that were taken down. Mark Swift said he wished city council members would have sought additional input from residents before approving the project.
“To me, it’s a matter of common sense that if the city council is going to make changes that will radically alter a public place, there should be more disclosure,” Swift said. “You have to think about the character of the park and what the park needs.”
Swift said he doesn’t want to see another ball field because the park isn’t “serving everybody” with that many ball fields.
“They have a very limited idea of what a park should be,” Swift said about city council. “The open parts of the park are nice, but other people like the woods. A forest isn’t wasted space. It’s part of what people go to enjoy.”
Marshman said he has “no doubt” after the project is completed, the city will plant some new trees in that space.
“The scope of work was surprising, because when you’re used to an area being very heavily wooded and then it’s gone, it’s going to be a surprise no matter what,” he said. “You can’t please everybody, and this just needed to happen.”