Renovations Complete at Four Mile Run Playground
The City of Pittsburgh recently renovated its Four Mile Run Playground in Greenfield, aided by a $250,000 commitment from Carnegie Mellon University. The project, the playground's first full renovation since 2003, brings new equipment, safety surfaces, and other improvements like benches and trees to the site. "Thanks to the hard work of the Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, and the funding and support of former Councilman (current County Controller) Corey O'Connor and Carnegie Mellon University, Four Mile Run's new playground is now complete and open for business," said Pittsburgh District 5 Councilmember Barb Warwick. "Families in every neighborhood should be able to enjoy safe, accessible, modern playgrounds, and it's wonderful that Four Mile Run has a new and improved space for play and community." After the project was announced in 2021, Andrea Ketzel, senior project landscape architect, and Kara Smith, project manager, both of the Department of Public Works, kicked off a community engagement process , coordinating with stakeholders, surveying residents, and hosting community meetings to discuss and adjust the playground's design. Children living in the neighborhood even held their own "community meeting," drawing up detailed plans for the space. The Rev. Mike Holohan, chairperson of CMU's Council of Religious Advisors , lives with his family a few minutes walk from the playground. "It was in pretty rough shape - there were rusty, exposed edges on the equipment," said Holohan.
