http://www.yinzpitt.com/2009/10/skate-park-pittsburgh/Skate Park In Dormont? Denied(so far) Thu, Oct 29, 2009
YINZ PITT
Daily
Well after missing an update during the week I’m highly upset with myself. However I can’t really worry about it because it was unforeseen circumstances getting in the way of me updating. Kinda like how one lady in Dormont is trying to get a skate park built in memory of her two sons who unfortunately drowned last year.
Mary Pitcher’s intention was to dedicate the park in memory of her sons, Vincent, 21, and Stephen, 19, avid fans of extreme sports who drowned last year. She would have raised the $600,000 to $800,000 to build the park herself, though it would have been maintained by the borough on public land.
Sounds like a good idea, and a great thing for the kids right? Apparently, it’s wrong, as most of the people who voted it down cited various complaints from another skate park(Findlay Skatepark) in Findlay township. The general manager there Gary Klingman, has stated that litter has been the most obvious culprit and even a few fights here and there, but with 24 hour security cameras present it hasn’t been to bad he said.
Another thing working against the Findlay park is the supposed noise from skaters sliding on metal objects. It was loud enough that people complained and the municipality provided mats and different sound suppression tactics to ease the complaints. However despite all these complaints and issue, the support and activity at the Findlay Skatepark has been positive, and it’s making an impact:
YINZ PITT
Daily
Well after missing an update during the week I’m highly upset with myself. However I can’t really worry about it because it was unforeseen circumstances getting in the way of me updating. Kinda like how one lady in Dormont is trying to get a skate park built in memory of her two sons who unfortunately drowned last year.
Mary Pitcher’s intention was to dedicate the park in memory of her sons, Vincent, 21, and Stephen, 19, avid fans of extreme sports who drowned last year. She would have raised the $600,000 to $800,000 to build the park herself, though it would have been maintained by the borough on public land.
Sounds like a good idea, and a great thing for the kids right? Apparently, it’s wrong, as most of the people who voted it down cited various complaints from another skate park(Findlay Skatepark) in Findlay township. The general manager there Gary Klingman, has stated that litter has been the most obvious culprit and even a few fights here and there, but with 24 hour security cameras present it hasn’t been to bad he said.
Another thing working against the Findlay park is the supposed noise from skaters sliding on metal objects. It was loud enough that people complained and the municipality provided mats and different sound suppression tactics to ease the complaints. However despite all these complaints and issue, the support and activity at the Findlay Skatepark has been positive, and it’s making an impact:
Jeff Smee from Pittsburgh demonstrates his balance on the bicycle Monday afternoon along the Great Allegheny Passage in Cumberland as his friend, Bryce Toole from Orlando, Fla., watches as the two take a break.The men are riding their bikes from suburban Pittsburgh to Florida to raise funds for a bicycle and skatepark in memory of two friends who drowned.
John A. Bone / Cumberland Times-News
John A. Bone / Cumberland Times-News
Published: September 21, 2009 10:26 pm Kevin Spradlin
Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — Two BMX bike riders’ latest trick is cycling from a Pittsburgh suburb to a Florida town in an effort to raise money for a community skate- park in Dormont, Pa., in honor of some fallen friends who shared their passion for hops, over-doubles and cancan grinders.
Jeff Smee and Bryce Toole are on a two-month hiatus from their jobs as a bartender and landscape architect, respectively, to ride the Great Allegheny Passage, the C&O Canal Towpath to Georgetown, then ride along the Atlantic Coast to the Sunshine State.
The pair rode into Cumberland on Sunday for a night’s rest at a local hotel. After lunch Monday, Smee, 25, of Pittsburgh and Toole, 23, of Orlando continued their southeastern journey, which began Sept. 15 in Mount Lebanon, Pa., and could end by Halloween nearly 1,000 miles later.
Smee said a long ride on his BMX bike, which has no brakes, is a feat he has considered for some time. But he received the motivation to start planning such a trip last summer, when friend Vince Pitcher and his brother Stephen drowned while camping with family and friends.
“We’re trying to get better parks for the community as well as making a memorial to their sons,” Smee said. “It kind of started out as a joke. I’m an outdoors-type person. I thought, maybe this would be possible. Really, as long as it’s going to take us, we’ll keep trucking.”
So much the better, Smee said, that their ride now benefits a cause to which they have a connection.
The two are posting observations of their adventures, as well as accepting donations and selling commemorative T-shirts through their blog, www.flatland2florida.blogspot.com. One of the early online posts notes a wrong turn before righting themselves in Boston, Pa.
Smee said both riders are largely self-sufficient. They plan to camp wherever possible along the towpath and other distant places and are carrying with them a host of items to see them through any more wrong turns. Their backpacks and trailer include cookware and food such as dehydrated beans, vegetables and rice, sleeping bags, a tent, a global positioning system, books, a solar charger, a knife, bike locks, a hammock and flashlights, among other essentials and extra creature comforts.
Smee recruited Toole, a longtime BMX rider and friend, to join the trip.
“I’ve been wanting to do a wild cycle triple,” Toole said. “I’ve met people all around the world with the same passion. It’s an awesome hobby.”
Toole said he lives rather spontaneously. He recently shaved his head from a record length — but now might regret the act.
“It was just getting in the way of eating food,” Toole said. “It was the longest hair I ever grew. Actually, I’m kind of missing it.”
For more information on Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark, visit www.pitcherpark.com.
Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.
Cumberland Times-News
CUMBERLAND — Two BMX bike riders’ latest trick is cycling from a Pittsburgh suburb to a Florida town in an effort to raise money for a community skate- park in Dormont, Pa., in honor of some fallen friends who shared their passion for hops, over-doubles and cancan grinders.
Jeff Smee and Bryce Toole are on a two-month hiatus from their jobs as a bartender and landscape architect, respectively, to ride the Great Allegheny Passage, the C&O Canal Towpath to Georgetown, then ride along the Atlantic Coast to the Sunshine State.
The pair rode into Cumberland on Sunday for a night’s rest at a local hotel. After lunch Monday, Smee, 25, of Pittsburgh and Toole, 23, of Orlando continued their southeastern journey, which began Sept. 15 in Mount Lebanon, Pa., and could end by Halloween nearly 1,000 miles later.
Smee said a long ride on his BMX bike, which has no brakes, is a feat he has considered for some time. But he received the motivation to start planning such a trip last summer, when friend Vince Pitcher and his brother Stephen drowned while camping with family and friends.
“We’re trying to get better parks for the community as well as making a memorial to their sons,” Smee said. “It kind of started out as a joke. I’m an outdoors-type person. I thought, maybe this would be possible. Really, as long as it’s going to take us, we’ll keep trucking.”
So much the better, Smee said, that their ride now benefits a cause to which they have a connection.
The two are posting observations of their adventures, as well as accepting donations and selling commemorative T-shirts through their blog, www.flatland2florida.blogspot.com. One of the early online posts notes a wrong turn before righting themselves in Boston, Pa.
Smee said both riders are largely self-sufficient. They plan to camp wherever possible along the towpath and other distant places and are carrying with them a host of items to see them through any more wrong turns. Their backpacks and trailer include cookware and food such as dehydrated beans, vegetables and rice, sleeping bags, a tent, a global positioning system, books, a solar charger, a knife, bike locks, a hammock and flashlights, among other essentials and extra creature comforts.
Smee recruited Toole, a longtime BMX rider and friend, to join the trip.
“I’ve been wanting to do a wild cycle triple,” Toole said. “I’ve met people all around the world with the same passion. It’s an awesome hobby.”
Toole said he lives rather spontaneously. He recently shaved his head from a record length — but now might regret the act.
“It was just getting in the way of eating food,” Toole said. “It was the longest hair I ever grew. Actually, I’m kind of missing it.”
For more information on Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark, visit www.pitcherpark.com.
Contact Kevin Spradlin at kspradlin@times-news.com.
GWAR: PROVES
YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER!
To see this group is an experience of a life time! Their theatrical performance and costumes are bizaar we admit, but these men, most Ivy leaguers, are truly caring and compassionate about their fans! GWAR (God What an Awful Racket) has been performing for 25 years and their fans are very, very dedicated to them. When you attend a GWAR concert, the people are friendly, watch out for each other and totally appreciate the talent of this group and they are very musically talented. I did enough screaming in my lifetime as a Mom :) but as hard as they come off on stage, you become a part of this group, no matter how old you are! (and I wasn't the oldest person there! Thank goodness!
They cut heads off, spew blood and gut contents out into the crowd, have totally disgusting masks and costumes, but it's seems to be a form of imaginary, fantasy release of frustrations in a theatrical, artistic way! Underneath those costumes are some pretty amazing guys! Vincent could draw every costume they owned and loved their imaginary characters! By the way, I asked him if there was any ventilation under those masks and there is none! Oh! Geez!
I LEARNED THAT YOU REALLY CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY IT'S COVER, AS THESE GUYS ARE ALL HEART AND REALLY WANT TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY AND BETTER YET, THEY REALLY ARE!
PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THERE ARE HARSH WORDS IN THIS VIDEO, BUT HOW ELSE WAS A MAN (David Brockie) WEARING A COSTUME LIKE THAT, SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE THIS? He did a great job for Pitcher Park and on behalf of my sons & our community, we would like to thank GWAR FOR THEIR SUPPORT AND LOVE FOR OUR EFFORT!
Pitcher Park Memorial Skatepark
Mary Pitcher, a mother of four in Dormont, Pennsylvania, lost two of her sons July 15, 2008 when they drowned during a camping trip. One brother jumped into the river to save the other and they were found after seven hours of searching, 100 feet below water, still clinging to each other.
Brothers Vince and Stephen Pitcher, like many others in the area, were into skateboarding and bmx biking, but without a good spot to practice safely. Sound familiar?
The loss of the Pitcher brothers has inspired Mary and the community of Dormont to take action and come together to build a memorial skatepark honoring their name that will be called “Pitcher Park”. Now, skateparks are not cheap by any means and considering that Mary, her two sons, the brothers friends and the community are taking this on by themselves, they need all the help they can get!
The Pitcher Park Memorial Fund accepts monetary donations, building materials, physical assistance with construction and I’m sure almost any other way you can think of to help out. In return for your generosity, the Memorial Skatepark Committee will be printing the names of each business and each individual involved with the donations on a beautiful plaque outside of the skate park, which will stand for at least the next 50 years.
Can you think of a better reason to build a skatepark? No donation is too small, do your part to help make this dream come true!
Click here to Donate
More information: www.pitcherpark.com
Read More:
Mary Pitcher, a mother of four in Dormont, Pennsylvania, lost two of her sons July 15, 2008 when they drowned during a camping trip. One brother jumped into the river to save the other and they were found after seven hours of searching, 100 feet below water, still clinging to each other.
Brothers Vince and Stephen Pitcher, like many others in the area, were into skateboarding and bmx biking, but without a good spot to practice safely. Sound familiar?
The loss of the Pitcher brothers has inspired Mary and the community of Dormont to take action and come together to build a memorial skatepark honoring their name that will be called “Pitcher Park”. Now, skateparks are not cheap by any means and considering that Mary, her two sons, the brothers friends and the community are taking this on by themselves, they need all the help they can get!
The Pitcher Park Memorial Fund accepts monetary donations, building materials, physical assistance with construction and I’m sure almost any other way you can think of to help out. In return for your generosity, the Memorial Skatepark Committee will be printing the names of each business and each individual involved with the donations on a beautiful plaque outside of the skate park, which will stand for at least the next 50 years.
Can you think of a better reason to build a skatepark? No donation is too small, do your part to help make this dream come true!
Click here to Donate
More information: www.pitcherpark.com
Read More:
- Nyjah Huston rips it up in this video
- Skateboard Wheels - Spin ‘em
- Complete Skateboards - Build the magic
