Fairywood Park upgrades could include amphitheater

Pittsburgh’s Fairywood Park is slated for improvements that could include an amphitheater.

City Council President Theresa Kail-Smith, D-West End, said improvements at the park have been in the works for years. Kail-Smith — who frequently advocates for more funding and programming for the West End neighborhoods she represents — said she felt the community needed to see a positive investment that would benefit residents.

She said officials needed “to give something back to the community,” after the neighborhood saw its school close in 1984 and its swimming pool close years ago.

“Something the community truly cared about was their park,” Kail-Smith said.

The park renovation project is in the planning stages, she said. Officials are gathering feedback from Fairywood residents about what they’d like to see there.

She said a leading idea is an amphitheater where people could enjoy concerts and other events.

The amphitheater would be something that would benefit people of all ages, including the many senior citizens living in the area, Kail-Smith said.

She could not provide a timeline of when construction on the Fairywood Park project could start or how long it would take.

The city’s Urban Redevelopment Authority is expected to give $200,000 to the project, and Kail-Smith said she believes additional funding is likely forthcoming.

The project also may include tearing out the pool that has been closed for years, Kail-Smith said.

“I think the area needs to be more accommodating to the people living there,” she said. “It’s been a long time in the process, and I hope the residents are pleased with whatever comes out of it.”