Experts Lay Out Vision For Greening Pittsburgh’s Sewer Inestment and Neighborhoods
Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Clean Rivers Campaign, Phipps Conservatory partner to present Tim Duggan, architect of Kansas City’s green infrastructure plan.
Billions of ratepayer dollars invested in stopping sewer overflow can also contribute to improving our parks and communities, according to a vision outlined recently by Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and regional organizations.
On Wednesday, March 9th, at 6pm, the Clean Rivers Campaign, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden are hosting, Beyond Tunnel Vision: Good Jobs and Green Communities - Lessons from Kansas City. Tim Duggan, architect of Kansas City's plan to maximize green infrastructure, neighborhood investment, and community engagement will speak about how a green-first, green-preferred approach worked in Kansas City and the potential these concepts hold for Pittsburgh. He will be joined by Jason Parson, director of community engagement for the Kansas City plan.
This presentation will echo and outline the potential of the recent request put forth in a letter sent by the Mayor and the County Executive asking the EPA to give ALCOSAN and our region an opportunity to pursue a community investment approach to fixing our sewers as opposed to a “gray” plan that provides no benefits beyond stopping sewage overflow.
The event will feature Richard Piacentini, Director of Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Garden and Jessica Demoise, Project Coordinator from the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. "We hope to see an approach that utilizes the most up-to-date technology, leverages our current system and topography, invests in our communities, and protects our parks," said Demoise. "Pittsburgh is a world class city, and we should aim for a world class solution to sewage overflow. Our early success in partnering with the Department of Public Works and ALCOSAN for green infrastructure installations in Schenley Park has proven that it is indeed possible."
The event will be held at Phipps Conservatory Special Events Hall from 6-7:30pm, including an opening reception at 5pm featuring light food and drinks. Tim Duggan will be available for interviews prior to the event on Wednesday from noon on, and all day Thursday.
For Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy media inquiries, contact Scott Roller, Senior Manager Communications and Creative at sroller@pittsburghparks.org 412-725-0023.
For Clean Rivers Campaign media inquiries, please contact Jennifer England 412-513-9091.
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About the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy:
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was founded in December 1996 by a group of citizens concerned with the deteriorating conditions of Pittsburgh's historic city parks. A nonprofit organization, the Parks Conservancy works closely with the City of Pittsburgh under an official public-private partnership agreement to restore and improve the city’s park system to its full potential. Originally including Highland, Schenley, Frick, and Riverview Parks, the scope of the Park Conservancy’s work now includes a focus on community parks including Allegheny Commons, Arsenal Park, Cliffside Park, McKinley Park, and Mellon Park. To date, the Parks Conservancy has raised $91 million toward park improvements.