Meeting Allows Kids to Participate in Play Space Planning

The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy will take the first step towards creating a play space system in Frick Park with a meeting asking kids what they want it to look like. The play space will be named Kate and Peter's Treehouse after two local children who died in an auto accident two summers ago and loved to play in the park.

Michael Sexauer, Director of Advancement at the Conservancy, says after the accident the children's mother, Amy Ambrusko, and loved ones started to put together money and support to build a treehouse in memory of the two.

He says that when they came to the conservancy with the idea they thought it would be a great way to start redeveloping a play space system. "What we want to do is use this idea of a treehouse; interpret that with a design team into a learning space that will be accessible to everyone, that would be safe. and that would be in keeping with environmental education."

Sexauer says that for the meeting they have recruited kids to come and design what they believe to be the perfect treehouse. He says that they will be provided with craft supplies and then designers will build a plan around what the kids made.

The Conservancy will hold two other meetings in June and July to incorporate visits to the site and presentation of preliminary designs. Construction will start on the site in fall 2011 and end in spring 2012.