Gilfillan Park Improvement Recommendations

Upper St. Clair's Parks and Recreation Board came to a conclusion on what improvements they recommend for on Tuesday night.

The board compiled a list and voted unanimously on recommending it to the Upper St. Clair Board of Commissioners.

The most controversial item on the list is to allow leashed dogs in the park.

"A lot of people don't have sidewalks or anywhere on the street to walk their dogs," said Jennifer Schuler, vice chairman of the board.

"I think the people in the township deserve at least two parks allowed for dogs," board member William Barnard said.

The only park in Upper St. Clair that allows dogs is Boyce Mayview Park. 

Some board members expressed their concerns about dog waste.

"I would just hope people would clean up after their dogs," board member Diane Morris said.

By allowing dogs, board members agreed it would help make the park a community park and not a neighborhood park.

"I would use the park more if I could walk my dog, along with a lot of other people," board member Kelly Bakayza said.

Board members also agreed a parking lot or parking lots on the Gilfillan Park property would also be necessary to make it a community park. Currently, park patrons use the parking lot and cross Orr Road to access the trail.

"If we make the park as desirable as it could be, the church parking is not going to be enough," board member Thomas Browand said.

The board would like to hire a consultant to determine the best way to deal with parking and take a look at pedestrian crossing safety issues at the corner of Orr Road and Route 19.

Other improvements the board would like to see happen is the addition of one or more trails; meadow and tree maintenance; provide an entry sign, a trails map and educational signage; and plant more native trees, plants and flowers. 

Gary Schafer, Upper St. Clair's Forestry Administrator, discouraged planting any fruit trees in Gilfillan Park, in fear it would cause more deer to cross Route 19 and pose safety problems.

The Parks and Recreation Board's ideas were sparked from a .