SPRING HILL — An extensive renovation project in Spring Hill Park began in February, with an expected completion date of spring 2027. However, city officials believe most of the park will open much sooner than that date.
“That’s for everything, the entire park,” Andrea Ketzel, Senior Landscape Architect for the Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, told The Chronicle. “We are really hoping to get some phases of the park open a little earlier, with the possibility of opening up at least the playground before the end of the year.”
The renovation is affecting the entirety of the park, which is currently almost unrecognizable from its former state, being little more than a field of churned up dirt and mud as construction vehicles perform demolition and begin ground excavation.
Planned improvements include a new playground (including a slide running down the length of a hill), a splash pad for warm weather, a full-court basketball court a nd a pickleball court. T he park’s baseball field is also getting rebuilt.
The park is, however, losing its dek hockey arena. Ketzel said feedback by residents showed a preference for the basketball and pickleball courts over keeping the dek hockey arena.
Ketzel expects most renovations for exterior features of the park to finish before the end of the year. She said the spring 2027 date is due to work on interior features, such as the planned concession stand and press box/community event space, which will take longer than the outdoor areas.
She said the baseball field will likely be “offline” for the season due to the renovations, and that the city is working with organizations who utilize the field to gain access to other areas for practice and matches.
The renovations are the result of two different factors. One was a study done by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy that found a need for “equitable investment” in Spring Hill to keep pace with other neighborhoods.
The other, Ketzel explained, was the fact most of the playground equipment was reaching its end of lifespan, and extensive replacement was needed.
“Those were over 20 years old and really needed a renovation,” she said.
Two months into the work, things are going well for the construction.
“So far, so good,” Ketzel said. “No issues have come up yet, but it is a city project on city property, so there’s always some unknowns in terms of what we run into underground.”
For more information on the project, or to contact city employees involved on the work, visit engage.pittsburghpa.gov/spring-hill
