Sitting at a picnic table in the middle of a grassy lawn, Leo Rudzki thought about what this site had been for most of the 71 years he’s lived in Sharpsburg.
“This was a wasteland,” said the retired Sharpsburg police chief.
Around Mr. Rudzki on Saturday, kayakers carried paddles as they walked up from Allegheny River, which sparkled in the sun. A band played on a waterfront stage, children swung in hammocks, and sunbathers lounged on a fishing pier – part of a festival-style grand opening celebration to mark the official expansion of the Allegheny Rivertrail Park.
“We are excited to open the gates to the community’s expanded ‘Front Yard’ along the Allegheny River,” said Dee Stathis, executive director of the Allegheny RiverTrail Park, at the official ribbon cutting. “This project represents the fulfillment of a long-held dream for many in our community.”
The expansion adds another six acres to the park that first opened in 2011 after community members mounted a grassroots effort to buy land in Aspinwall slated to become a parking lot.
The additional land became available in 2015 with the purchase of the 47-acre Azcon scrap processing yard. About six acres opened Saturday as part of the expansion, along with a rudimentary 1.5-mile gravel trail along the river into Sharpsburg. The rest of the land is planned to become the Allegheny Shores mixed-use development.
Mr. Rudzki said he visits the park several times a week to walk his German Shepherd and ride his bike along the new trail, which can be accessed either through the Aspinwall park entrance or via Sharpsburg. He almost always sees other people there during the day, he said, including, bikers, joggers and parents pushing strollers.
“This is a gem,” he said. “It’s really great for the area.”
Sisters Madison and Mackenzie Borkovich sat on giant blue chairs in the park’s new “Front Yard” section on Saturday. Madison, now a 23-year-old law student at the University of Miami, remembered coming to the park in its inception as a Girl Scout to do clean-up and fundraising projects.
Her mother, Jackie Borkovich, of Indiana Township, marveled at what the park has become since those humble beginnings.
“It is so nice for the younger generation and those that like to bike for exercise,” she said. “It’s safe, it’s a nice trail, it has a beautiful view. I mean, you can’t ask for anything better.”
The park has now fully expanded into its footprint, said Ms. Stathis, though there are still plans to build a playground and a slide. The riverfront trail may change slightly as well as the Allegheny Shores development takes place, she said.
U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Aspinwall, who lives within walking distance of the park, was present at the ceremony, as was state Rep. Mandy Steele, D-Fox Chapel, and the Aspinwall Borough Council president, Jeff Harris.
“This land was an industrial scrap yard not too long ago and now it is a beautiful park— something that we should all be so proud of and that so many now will get to enjoy,” said Mr. Deluzio. “And I think about the difference, right? We’re going to have kayaks and boats on the river, folks running around the park, six new acres to enjoy connecting this community with Sharpsburg and hopefully beyond.”
ANYA SOSTEK
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
asostek@post-gazette.com
JUN 8, 2024
First Published: June 8, 2024, 8:17 p.m.
