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WHEREAS, once serving as public grazing land in Allegheny City, Allegheny Commons Park was first established as a public park in 1867, making it the oldest of 170 greenspaces citywide; and,
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WHEREAS, located on the western edge of Allegheny Commons Park, Lake Elizabeth once offered city residents a place to swim, boat, and skate before becoming a dumping ground for scrap metal during World War II in the 1930s and later being redesigned to its current state by the Urban Redevelopment Authority in 1967; and,
WHEREAS, today, Lake Elizabeth is beloved by the 41,000 residents of Pittsburgh’s Northside who live nearby, thousands of workers in institutions, and visitors alike, providing a scenic spot for picnics and strolls; and,
WHEREAS, ten years ago, Northside community members Jana Thompson and Tom Little organized the first clean-up of Lake Elizabeth to remove the organic material that can cause an unpleasant odor in the warmer months; and,
WHEREAS, each year, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh, Allegheny Commons Initiative, and dedicated volunteers from Northside neighborhoods and various companies have organized an event to drain Lake Elizabeth and remove thousands of pounds of decomposed leaves, trash, and debris from the bottom of this manmade lake before the lake is refilled; and,
WHEREAS, in 2019, the event became affectionately known as “What the Muck?!” because it proved to be a dirty, yet critical, event to ensure that parkgoers can enjoy the beauty of Allegheny Commons Park and Lake Elizabeth during the spring and summer months without the undesirable smell of muck; and,
WHEREAS, in 2020, in a partnership between the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the City of Pittsburgh, and Allegheny Cleanways, What the Muck?! officially became a bag-free event to reduce plastic waste; and,
WHEREAS, this annual event is a part of a broader initiative to revitalize, beautify, and activate Allegheny Commons Park led by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, the City, and Northside community organizations; and,
WHEREAS, this year, this annual Northside spring cleaning tradition is celebrating its tenth anniversary and will precede the groundbreaking of the next phase of improvements to the park’s North Promenade from Federal Street toward the George Washington Monument, which includes improvements to pathways, lighting, and tree canopy.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and celebrate the work of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Allegheny Cleanways, and the City of Pittsburgh Department of Public Works, the generosity of the corporate and small business sponsors, and the dedication of the hundreds of volunteers who complete this mucky, but necessary, task each year; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declares the week of April 9 through April 16, 2023 to be “What the Muck!? 10th Anniversary Week” here in our City of Pittsburgh.