By: Maura McCampbell, Marketing and Community Programs Coordinator
Folks walking by Niagara Street will notice new activity in Oakcliffe’s tucked-away neighborhood park. Young kids might be playing on the playground’s new climbing wall; teens may be chatting on the recently-installed swings. Perhaps there’s an ongoing game of pickup basketball. Or all of these things at once. Most notably, the park is in use more than ever before, thanks to its recently-completed renovations.
These renovations result from three years of planning, spurred by a city initiative to eliminate playground deserts in Pittsburgh. Looking to reduce the cost of maintaining Oakcliffe’s two playgrounds, the city closed the park on Ophelia with plans of turning it into a stormwater management rain garden. Meanwhile, the Oakcliffe Community Organization was hard at work redesigning the Niagara Street park. Working with the city’s Landscape Architect Andrea Ketzel, Oakcliffe residents designed a park that repurposed null spaces with youth-friendly features while preserving its existing assets. New additions include swings, slides, a climbing wall, new surfaces, and fencing.
Dave Panasiuk, President of the Oakcliffe Community Organization, speaks to the pleasant nature of this project. “We couldn’t be more proud of our park,” Dave said. “It’s tough for us when we meet because planning is consistently a major part of our meetings. We spend a lot of time talking about the construction of the next big building in Oakland or the endless amount of code violations. It’s nice to have something like this playground that is overwhelmingly positive that we can get together and work on.”
In addition to his involvement in the planning process, Dave enjoys the playground as the father of a nine-year-old daughter. “If it’s a nice day, we’re out on the playground,” Dave said. “It’s great to have something in your neighborhood that kids want to play on outside rather than stare at a screen inside. It’s nice that you can go at any time of day and see a mixture of folks using it – not just young kids but also high school and college students. It really looks like a thriving community.”
When circumstances permit, the Oakcliffe Community Organization plans to have a grand opening ceremony. They are also excited to hold their monthly meetings at the playground. The group currently meets from 7 - 8 PM on the second Wednesday of every month over Zoom.
Email oakcliffehousingclub@gmail.com or call 412-260-1922 for more information.