The HPCC did not originate this proposal, nor was it consulted about the initial decision making. The HPCC learned about the plan through the Post Gazette on Friday, May 15th where it was presented as a finalized decision. We promptly shared this information at our monthly HPCC meeting the following Thursday.
According to the city, the closure is part of a series of temporary measures being taken in response to Covid-19. Specifically, while the county was in red, the city received numerous complaints that the park was too crowded for people to enjoy safety. As a result, the planning process was very much accelerated as the City is attempting to quickly respond to the crisis.
Given that the proposal had been piloted two prior weekends in the park, had been reported in the newspaper, and announced at the HPCC meeting, we assumed people were aware of it. In hindsight we should have also announced it on the list serv, and not doing so was an oversight.
Up until this week, the HPCC had received almost exclusively positive feedback on the proposal. Many folks expressed their concern about overcrowding in the park and reported that they had been avoiding it because of fears about Covid-19 and the need for social distancing.
After making inquiries about the project with the city, we were invited into the process at the very end to discuss implementation. At this point, we raised issues about parking and access that the city’s implementation team worked hard to address in the final plan.