HELP SAVE GREEN STREET PARK IN WILKINSBURG--IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!
The fight to save a local green and public space is relevant to us all!

"We, the undersigned, oppose the ILLEGAL sale and development of Green Street Park for private use.  The sale and transfer of Green Street Park are IN DIRECT VIOLATION of the Donated and Dedicated Property Act of 1959 (DDPA) and Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCFA)." 

READ OUR STORY:
Green Street Park is a FEDERALLY-DESIGNATED PUBLIC SPACE. In 1981, the Borough of Wilkinsburg was awarded a grant from the National Park Service Land and Water Conservation Fund to improve the park. As a condition of the grant, issued through the Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs and enforced by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Borough agreed to retain the land for PUBLIC USE. We believe that the Borough of Wilkinsburg and Wilkinsburg School District did not possess the right to sell the property to Akator Construction, LLC in July of 2015 and do not have the right to rezone the property for private development.

LEARN THE FACTS:
The sale and transfer of Green Street Park are illegal and in direct violation of the Donated and Dedicated Property Act of 1959 (DDPA) and Land and Water Conservation Fund Act (LWCFA). The Wilkinsburg Borough Council has been asked to reject the application for the development of Green Street Park by Akator Construction, LLC. The Borough of Wilkinsburg and Wilkinsburg School District have been asked to return or replace the removed equipment to Green Street Park and abide by their obligations under the DDPA and LWCFA. Friends of Green Street Park will seek legal recourse if the Borough of Wilkinsburg and Wilkinsburg School District do not comply with Pennsylvania state law.

GET INVOLVED:
We implore the Borough of Wilkinsburg and Wilkinsburg School District to uphold JUST ACTIONS on behalf of the environment, community, AND people it serves. #savegreenstreetpark #thisplacematters #parksforall

Join Friends of Green Street Park at the Wilkinsburg Borough Council, Wilkinsburg Planning Commission, and Wilkinsburg School Board meetings to add your voice in support of Green Street Park.

Share your voice by contacting the following Wilkinsburg Borough Council members directly:
Patrick Shattuck, Council President (Pshattuck@wilkinsburgpa.gov, 412-216-4897)
Marita Garrett, Vice President (MGarrett@wilkinsburgpa.gov, 412-916-4552)
Vanessa McCarthy-Johnson (vmccarthyjohnson@wilkinsburgpa.gov, 412-867-5882)
Paige Trice (no contact info available)
Pamela Macklin (macklin4council@aol.com, 412-242-4448)
Michael Lefebvre (mlefebvre@wilkinsburgpa.gov, 412-243-9978)
Marc Taiani (no contact info available)
Kate Granneman (kgrannemann@wilkinsburgpa.gov)
Michael Rose, Sr. (no contact info available)

Follow the fight to save Green Street Park on TWITTER and FACEBOOK.

Protest the illegal sale of Green Street Park by SIGNING OUR PETITION. 

Send objection letters regarding the sale of the park and comments to: savegreenstreetpark@gmail.com.

Have a say in the Green Street Park initiative AND the future of Wilkinsburg public green space initiatives by REGISTERING TO VOTE HERE.

Check out this recent WTAE Action News story about how the illegal sale of Green Street Park could end up costing taxpayers.

Wilkinsburg School Board officials claim that Green Street Park is "unused and unnecessary."  We recognize that our park is underutilized (due, in part, to its odd layout and plethora of concrete barriers), but strongly maintain that it is a space used by many residents who live in and regularly visit the neighborhood. Our park provides a place to play, gather, meditate, and rest.  Our park provides youth and elderly residents with limited mobility a place for recreation which is also restorative and regenerative.  Our park is a public gathering space for neighbors to meet one another--to learn about each other and our community, but to also connect with the natural environment which surrounds them.

Learn about the USDA Forest Service's findings on urban green space and mental health.

We uphold Green Street Park as a critical ecosystem, providing home to a variety of life and acting as a corridor linking other habitats.  Our trees provide shade, reduce the erosion of soil into our local watershed, and are crucial to the removal of dust and other pollutants from the air.  Our play equipment (most of which has been removed) has been used by the generations of neighborhood children with decreasing access to places for creative play, a diminished sense of place, and a mounting need for safe space in which to thrive.  Our bygone dolphin statue was also a quirky, yet comforting presence.  

Read about the University of Illinois's investigation on urban green space and neighborhood safety.

By privatizing more public space, opportunities for neighbors to come together to discuss matters of interest to the larger community and society are removed.  This threatens our democracy, both locally and beyond. We believe that our park is NECESSARY as one of the few remaining green spaces in a high-density neighborhood (to which authorities and developers are proposing to add six new single-family houses).  

We therefore oppose the illegal sale and development of Green Street Park for private use.