Newsletter December 2024

Dear Friends of Mellon Park,
The board of directors of Friends of Mellon Park sends our warmest wishes for the coming holiday season and all good things in 2025. We are deeply grateful for your commitment to Mellon Park and your support for the work that we all do together.
Cindy Berger, President
Friends of Mellon Park

Success!
Fifth Avenue Entrances & Signage Fundraiser

Thanks to many Friends of Mellon Park, we raised the $18,000 needed to improve the westernmost entrance to the park (located on the corner of Fifth and Shady Avenues). This gate, modest in size but heavily used, is a part of the project that has placed new signage at virtually every entrance to the park. Also included are new entrance paving, refuse barrels, benches, and bike racks. These improvements help to make Mellon Park more welcoming and unified on both sides of Fifth Avenue. Landscaping will be completed in the spring of 2025. We are grateful to everyone who contributed to this effort.

Lighting and Pathways Project

In November, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy issued an RFP for Design Services for Pathways, Lighting, and Entrance Improvements on the north side of Mellon Park. This project was allocated funds from the Parks Tax in 2024, and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is currently raising matching funds to move the project forward.

Tree Care

Stage One of our tree care plan has been completed. Past donations have allowed us to prune trees as a part of this plan. This year, twenty of our most important trees benefited from air spading and vertical mulching, which improves the long-term health of these beautiful gentle giants

The City had to remove several large pin oaks on the Shady Avenue lawn of the Pittsburgh Center for Arts and Media because of severe root rot, which cannot be treated. Planting of replacement trees is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025.

Friends of Mellon Park hosted a tree walk in September with Brian Wolyniak of the Penn State Extension Service. Joe Stavish of Tree Pittsburgh led another tree walk in December.

Terraced Garden Update

Restoration and redesign of the Terraced Garden are a top priority in the Action Plan, making it a priority for Friends of Mellon Park and the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy as well. In a report funded by your donations, La Quatra Bonci Associates and Angelique Bamberg of Clio Consulting determined that the Terraced Garden is structurally sound. The design concept that was presented at a public meeting in May was met with great enthusiasm.

After the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy has completed its fundraising for the Pathways, Lighting, and Entry Improvements on the north side of the park, they will focus on defining the steps required to move forward in the Terraced Garden. Friends of Mellon Park will work with them, the City, local foundations, and the community to preserve this exquisite space.

Arbor Day Celebration

This year’s Arbor Day event again offered fun, education, music, and celebration for families in our communities. We hope you had the opportunity to enjoy the day with us. Arbor Day 2025 will mark the fifth anniversary of Mellon Park’s designation as Pittsburgh’s first public arboretum. We will be adding fifteen trees to the arboretum, making a total of fifty that will be recognized and labeled with new tree tags. These tags will become the City standard for all public arboretum tree tags.

Building Construction and Renovation

We continue to monitor proposed new construction next to the tennis bubble that is scheduled to replace the trailer currently being used as office space and restrooms. The project was approved by the Historic Review Commission earlier this year.

As of this writing, there is no scheduled start date for renovations to the Phipps Garden Center.

Volunteer Gardeners and Garden Club Support

Volunteers worked from March through November to maintain perennial plantings throughout Mellon Park. In addition to our own crew, we partnered with Window Box Garden Club members to complete a project near the Walled Garden this spring. The Western Pennsylvania Unit of the Herb Society of American continues to maintain the herb garden that’s located in the Terraced Garden. These organizations alone contributed over 1,000 volunteer gardening hours to Mellon Park in 2024. The Garden Club of Allegheny County and the Fox Chapel Garden Club continue to generously support our work.

Marshall Building Planning

We continue to be a part of the City’s efforts to determine a future for the Marshall Building, formerly the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts (the yellow building located at the corner of Fifth and Shady Avenues). Improvements are planned for the exterior of the building, including pointing, painting (restoring the building to its original color), shutter replacement, and window repairs.

City of Bridges High School Interns

This was the first year we invited high school interns to work with our volunteers in the perennial beds. Six students from City of Bridges High School worked on Friday afternoons from September through November to clear debris, transport mulch, prune plants, and prepare the beds for winter. They were also able to spend a day in the herb garden with Francoise Barrionuevo, a member of the Herb Society of America, Western PA Unit. Her extensive knowledge of the plants growing there and her enthusiasm for sharing knowledge made that a special day for the students.

Fall in Love with Mellon Park – A New Annual Celebration

In October, Friends of Mellon Park partnered with the City of Pittsburgh Parks and Recreation Department to host an event designed to help visitors understand that there are two sides of Mellon Park – one on the north side of Fifth Avenue and one on the south. The theme of the event was Two Sides – One Amazing Park. Stay tuned for the 2025 edition of Fall in Love with Mellon Park, scheduled for early October.

What You Can Do to Support Mellon Park Right Now

  • Stay informed about Mellon Park and write letters and emails of support as needed.

  • Spread the word about Friends of Mellon Park and help us expand our mailing list.

  • Join us at the Arbor Day celebration on April 26, 2025. We’ll send out more information early next year.

  • Visit the park and enjoy it in every season.

  • Don’t forget to make a year-end donation to help us continue our commitment to care for Mellon Park. Become a Friend of Mellon Park!

Become a Friend of Mellon Park

Friends of Mellon Park is a 100% volunteer-run organization. We are able to help care for the park because of your support. You can become a Friend of Mellon Park.

Please join us and donate today.