On December 21, 2021, County Executive Rich Fitzgerald along with state and county officials opened the new permeable parking lot at the Fairgrounds. The 2.5 acre lot will accommodate 125 vehicles and has 5 ADA-accessible spaces. 64,980 square feet of gravel was installed under 210,000 concrete pavers so that storm water will flow into the open joints between each paver then into the gavel bed below to avoid overflowing Catfish Run. The gravel bed can hold 89,000 gallons of water at any given time allowing it to be slowly absorbed into the ground. It’s anticipated that the parking lot will capture 95% of all rain that falls on it or about 2.5 million gallons of storm water annually.
The project also includes planting almost 100 trees and two large rain gardens. “We believe that as the trees and plants begin to grow and bloom, this parking lot will become a place where visitors will want to hangout, relax and admire the beauty”, said Rich Fitzgerald. This project was truly a collaborative effort, involving the Allegheny County Parks Foundation, four county departments and the support of local partners.