Mayor Luke Ravenstahl presided over the opening of the South Shore Riverfront Park at South Side Works. The green space sits between 25th and 29th Streets on the site of a former J&L steel mill. Congressman Mike Doyle, who was on hand for the ribbon cutting, said he spent two summers during college working in the mill that once stood there on the midnight to 8:00 AM shift.
Public and private sources come together to cover the $13 million it took to develop the 3.2 acres into an amphitheater and trail link along the Monongahela River with connections to the Hot Metal Pedestrian Bridge, Three Rivers Heritage Trail system and the Great Allegheny Passage.
The next phase, which Mayor Ravenstahl said should be ready for next year's boating season, will have transient tie-ups for recreational boats and a private marina with 300 slips.
Cindy Adams Dunn from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said, "We use the Pittsburgh example across Pennsylvania when we talk to communities about connecting to the river and using this natural asset to their own benefit and to the benefit of their citizens."
There will be a grand opening of the park and amphitheater from 6:00-8:00 PM Thursday, May 3 featuring live music, kid-friendly arts and crafts, and light snacks and drinks.
