Someone dumped sand in a revolving door at Pittsburgh’s City Hall on Thursday night, hours after city officials reported a public works crew put sand in a shuttered neighborhood skateboard park to prevent repeated break-ins.
Public safety spokesman Chris Togneri said police were investigating the sand dumping in a doorway at the Grant Street entrance to the City-County Building, Downtown. He declined to comment on the possibility the two incidents were related, citing an ongoing investigation.
It’s unclear whether the dumping was captured by city cameras.
Public Works Director Mike Gable on Thursday afternoon said a crew dumped sand into a skateboard park in Polish Hill to stop kids from breaking in and skating. The facility has been closed, along with other city recreational facilities, to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Gable said people were cutting a lock and jumping a fence to get in.
The news produced criticism from social media posters, who called the move unwarranted.
@billpeduto I’ve supported a lot of stuff you guys have done….but whoever made the decision to dump sand in a skate park didn’t think about it for more than a second. Even after it’s all “clean” that sand is going to linger for years and damage roller blades and skateboards..
— ??Steve?? (@SteveInTheBurgh) May 8, 2020
Some found humor in the situation.
I just saw on the news that the City of Pittsburgh dumped sand on a skate park in Polish Hill. My only thought is do we make sand castles or break out the dirt bikes?
— Pat’s Powdered Caviar Dealer (@Yanzer_Phoenix) May 8, 2020
Someone on Craigslist Pittsburgh advertised free sand at the Polish Hill park for “sandboxes, gardening, or to stage a reenactment of ‘Raising Arizona.’ ”
“About the sand,” it said. “I left it in a public park so we can remain socially distant. All the sand you can haul is at Polish Hill Skate Park. Grab it 24/7 and go. I’ll take this post down when it’s gone.”
Pittsburgh took its cue from California, which dumped tons of sand into a San Clemente skate park to keep people out, but that didn’t deter the dirt bike riders.
