North Park gearing up for influx of visitors

Work crews have been busy wrapping up several improvement projects in North Park in time for the return of large crowds expected with the waning of winter weather and pandemic restrictions.

A nearly $250,000 project to replace the dilapidated pedestrian bridge leading from Pearce Mill Road to one of the two islands in Marshall Lake recently was completed by Pugliano Construction. The new span complements the historic character of North Park and is made with steel beams topped with decking and railings made from rot-resistant black locust boards.

“It’s wonderful to be able to get over to the island again,” said Steve Johnstonbaugh of North Park Community of Friends. “It’s very relaxing to go out and be surrounded by water and get a different view of the park.”

Johnstonbaugh said there was a short downturn in park usage during the height of the pandemic shutdown, but it increased rapidly “once people understood that they could still go outside if they practiced social distancing and wore a mask.”

“There’s more traffic than ever in North Park,” he said. “I think a lot of people who may not have fully appreciated the park in the past have come to realize how many recreation opportunities exist there.”

Last year the county and the North Park Platform Tennis Association completed a joint project to build new courts and a clubhouse.

This year, the gravel parking lot for the facility off Tennis Court Road was paved and expanded to provide more parking for players and other visitors to the park.

The Association’s president, Greg Simakas, said the new facilities will help the organization keep pace with growing interest in the sport.

“Seven years ago we had about 120 members,” he said. “Now we’re up to about 200. For a number of years, we had to turn people away because we didn’t have enough courts. Now we’re grateful to be able to have more people participate.

Information about platform, or paddle tennis, and contact information for the organization are available on the county website.

Since the fall, work crews from Allegheny County’s parks and public works departments have been focusing attention on the busy Boathouse area with the construction of new restrooms near the playground and resurfacing the parking lot along with Tennis Court Road. Several other restrooms in the park also were refurbished over the winter.

The popular Go Ape tree-top adventure course in North Park is now open for the season with the addition of an outdoor axe-throwing range.

Park visitors who prefer a more relaxing adventure can view the hundreds of cherry trees planted in the park during the past decade by the Pittsburgh Sakura Project. Each spring the trees are filled with blossoms in a variety of shades of pink.

The more than 3,075 acre park that spans Hampton, McCandless and Pine, features a 65-acre lake with fishing and kayaking.

The park also has a golf course, swimming pool, ice rink, ball fields, nature center, shelters, off-leash dog park, dek hockey rink and numerous trails.