Last night, Jordan and I attended the third of three public meetings related to Kate and Peter's Treehouse.
When we arrived at the tent at the Frick Environmental Center, Jordan and I were greeted by Marijke Hecht, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy director of education. She asked Jordan if she saw her picture on a recent Conservancy email, to which Jordan happily (and slightly embarrassed) replied yes. (A few days ago, I received an email about this night's meeting, and when I opened it, there was Jordan's picture, messy hair and all, larger than life. Cool.)
But on to the important stuff. At this latest meeting, once we arrived at the actual site, we were greeted by large posters about the project. Here are a few pictures. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing, and my phone takes crappy pictures, but it will give you some sense.
The posters also included some photos from the previous meetings as well as some of the comments that people wrote at the meetings. Here are a few of those (and my kid, again!).
Just beyond those posters, we saw a model of the preliminary design for the treehouse. Here are a couple photos of that. The area in the middle of the below photo is the existing observation deck. The area to the left of that is the proposed treehouse.
The mesh area in the left-hand side of the picture is going to be a walkway that will allow the kids to see the trees below. Some suggestions at the prior meetings included the treehouse's creating a feeling as if you were in the trees/"above it all." This walkway, most likely made of a rope or rope-like material, fits that bill.
The treehouse may also include a slide as a way to get from one area to another. I brought up having a tire swing, something Jordan and I had originally suggested, but, apparently, the city is not fond of anything too "playgroundy," presumably for liability reasons. However, one of the people involved with the project (not sure in what way) said that perhaps a hanging seat made of a tree slice could be included, as long as it was not too swing-like.
To that end, below is a picture of some of the tree slices and a "tree" seat, which Jordan is sitting on (Amy is standing to the left of Jordan). I am not sure if these particular tree pieces are going to be used in the treehouse, or if they were just a representation.
Finally, here is a photo that Jordan's kindergarten teacher took (she was Kate's kindergarten teacher a year earlier and she had Peter for preschool). In this picture, Amy is trying to explain the model to me. Despite the expression on my face, it was not complicated; I was probably just trying to balance my ever-present food!
I am excited about the project and hope the city does what it needs to do so that the construction can start soon. I know how much it means to Amy; she has worked so hard for this and deserves this for her children. I am confident it will be a wonderful, lasting tribute to Kate and Peter that many kids will be able to enjoy.
When we arrived at the tent at the Frick Environmental Center, Jordan and I were greeted by Marijke Hecht, Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy director of education. She asked Jordan if she saw her picture on a recent Conservancy email, to which Jordan happily (and slightly embarrassed) replied yes. (A few days ago, I received an email about this night's meeting, and when I opened it, there was Jordan's picture, messy hair and all, larger than life. Cool.)
But on to the important stuff. At this latest meeting, once we arrived at the actual site, we were greeted by large posters about the project. Here are a few pictures. Unfortunately, the wind was blowing, and my phone takes crappy pictures, but it will give you some sense.
The posters also included some photos from the previous meetings as well as some of the comments that people wrote at the meetings. Here are a few of those (and my kid, again!).
Just beyond those posters, we saw a model of the preliminary design for the treehouse. Here are a couple photos of that. The area in the middle of the below photo is the existing observation deck. The area to the left of that is the proposed treehouse.
The mesh area in the left-hand side of the picture is going to be a walkway that will allow the kids to see the trees below. Some suggestions at the prior meetings included the treehouse's creating a feeling as if you were in the trees/"above it all." This walkway, most likely made of a rope or rope-like material, fits that bill.
The treehouse may also include a slide as a way to get from one area to another. I brought up having a tire swing, something Jordan and I had originally suggested, but, apparently, the city is not fond of anything too "playgroundy," presumably for liability reasons. However, one of the people involved with the project (not sure in what way) said that perhaps a hanging seat made of a tree slice could be included, as long as it was not too swing-like.
To that end, below is a picture of some of the tree slices and a "tree" seat, which Jordan is sitting on (Amy is standing to the left of Jordan). I am not sure if these particular tree pieces are going to be used in the treehouse, or if they were just a representation.
Finally, here is a photo that Jordan's kindergarten teacher took (she was Kate's kindergarten teacher a year earlier and she had Peter for preschool). In this picture, Amy is trying to explain the model to me. Despite the expression on my face, it was not complicated; I was probably just trying to balance my ever-present food!
I am excited about the project and hope the city does what it needs to do so that the construction can start soon. I know how much it means to Amy; she has worked so hard for this and deserves this for her children. I am confident it will be a wonderful, lasting tribute to Kate and Peter that many kids will be able to enjoy.
Comments
Swings would be cool. I think it will be great even without. :-)
We all have to keep our fingers crossed, say some prayers, and hope for the best. Thanks.