Hope Remains for North Park Greenway

A group that's trying to preserve land near North Park has not met its fundraising goal. Today had been the deadline for the Allegheny Land Trust to close on the sale of about 75 acres of land. But the property owner has given the group another month to try to raise more than $500,000. The group is about 85% there.

Executive Director Roy Kraynyk says keeping that land natural is important because it absorbs stormwater, reducing the threat of flooding during heavy rains. He also says the land along Irwin Run, which would be known as the North Park Greenway, traps silt that would otherwise flow into North Park Lake. The lake's natural fish and wildlife habitats have been threatened by the accumulation of silt and sediment.

Under the terms of the sale, the Allegheny Land Trust would own the property, but it would remain undeveloped and open to the public forever.