Steps leading to Panther Hollow fixed

By Richard Byrne Reilly
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Tuesday, April 1, 2008

A flight of steps leading from Anderson Playground to Panther Hollow in Schenley Park is ready for walking.

“The steps were made of sandstone, and over the years had become deteriorated and dislodged. It wasn’t safe to use them,” said Phil Gruszka, director of parks management and maintenance at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy.

The work was completed by the conservancy and the city’s Department of Public Works. The $33,000 cost was picked up by a donor.

Panther Hollow includes 80 acres of trails, streams, woodlands and a lake in Oakland. Bikers and runners can frequently be seen using the series of trails that crisscross the park.

Repairing the steps is just one phase of a larger project in which the conservancy and volunteers restore other areas of the park, including removing non-native species that have disturbed the area’s ecology, and grading trails that have been washed out by storms. That project is expected to take several years.

Workers will construct a wildflower meadow adjacent to the Schenley Park pool. The meadow will help absorb excess rain and stop erosion that flows down the slope during rain, Gruszka said.

Fixing the steps “makes a major trail connector safe and usable,” Gruszka said.

Richard Byrne Reilly can be reached at rreilly@tribweb.com or 412-380-5625.