Projects

In 2024, the Parks Foundation worked on a record number of projects throughout your county parks. Here are a few of our top project accomplishments in 2024, with a glimpse of what is ahead in 2025!

• Improve: We invested in the Carol R. Brown Sculpture Garden by creating a free, self-guided audio tour of the sculptures, the first of its kind in Allegheny County. We look forward to the launch of this audio tour in spring of 2025!
• Conserve: In the fall, we celebrated the completion of two ecological projects in Round Hill Park – the restoration of the iconic Allée and the creation of the Visitors Center Rain Garden, both of which were recommendations from Round Hill’s Ecological Assessment and Action Plan. We also completed the Ecological Assessment and Action Plan in Deer Lakes Park, with results forthcoming, making it the eighth park to have this comprehensive analysis completed. Additionally, we conducted Stream Assessments in Boyce, North and South Parks, which concludes the study of all the streams located within the 9 county parks. In 2025, we look forward to sharing those results and looking for next steps.
• Restore: In North Park, we secured $400,000 towards the restoration of the Observation Tower, helping us get closer to our total fundraising goal, which we will continue our work on in 2025.

People

The heart of our work lies in the connections we foster within our community. This year, we engaged volunteers, park visitors and supporters in meaningful ways:

• Volunteer Engagement: We hosted 7 tree plantings and 3 trail care days in Boyce, North, South and Settlers Cabins Park with the assistance of 135 volunteers throughout the year. We also hosted two weeding events at Suffragist Grove in Hartwood Acres Park to help with general maintenance after last year’s perennial plantings.
• Public Meetings: To ensure transparency, community involvement and informed feedback, we held public meetings for several different projects. In Harrison Hills Park, we hosted a public meeting, full of engaged park users, on the results of Harrison Hills Park’s Ecological Assessment and Action Plan and discussed how these studies affect the decision making for future projects. Additionally, we hosted four public meetings about the Trail Connectivity Study between White Oak Park and South Park, the results of which were shared publicly in the spring and will be used by individual communities and trail groups to support future fundraising efforts and trail construction.
• Annual Report Launch: In 2024, we introduced our first-ever Annual Report, showcasing our progress and fostering stronger connections with our stakeholders.
• Events: This year’s Twilight Picnic for the Park, hosted in Hartwood Acres Park, surpassed over $3 Million raised cumulatively from that event, a milestone we are very proud of. We also hosted Park ’til Dark and Pour at the Park in both South and North Parks, connecting with 771 people, 17 organizations, 38 vendors and hosted 15 activities.

Plantings

Our commitment to conserving and restoring the natural beauty of our parks is evident in the ecological work we accomplished this year. In 2024, we expanded the park tree canopy and improved riparian zones by planting 1,191 trees and shrubs, 190 perennials and grasses, 2,214 plugs and 300 live stakes in the parks. In addition to some of the projects listed above, other ecological projects included the completion the Beaver Pond Riparian Planting in Settlers Cabin Park and the addition of the Barn Solar Meadow in Deer Lakes Park. In North Park, we restored and rehabilitated the North Fork Pine Creek Riparian area between the pedestrian bridge and Rochester Shelter, which is Phase 2B of our riparian work along North Fork Pine Creek.