Fairview Park set to expand

Fairview Park set to expand in South Fayette

Splash pad, ballfields, second entrance planned on Mayview site

By Andrea Iglar

Fairview Park is on the verge of a major expansion.

Work started this fall to prepare land that eventually will include a splash pad, a pavilion with restrooms, a fenced dog park, three ballfields and a park entrance from Mayview Road.

Paula Willis, the South Fayette Township parks and recreation director, said the amenities will accommodate a greater variety of activities.

“We’re really creating a park that’s a community hub,” she said.

The splash pad planned for Fairview Park will resemble this illustration from water park designer and manufacturer Vortex.

Most of the new facilities are being built on 68 acres of the former Mayview State Hospital property that the township acquired in 2017. The Mayview site increases the size of Fairview Park by more than 50 percent.

The splash pad, a recreational water feature for all ages, could open next summer, depending on weather and material availability.

The pavilion, with restrooms and a kitchen, will be divided into two rental spaces to accommodate up to 110 people on each side.

A 5-acre dog park will be formed in the woods behind the existing multipurpose fields at the Mayview end of Fairview Park. The Bark Park will included subtle fencing in a natural, shaded environment with trees, walking paths, benches, a small pavilion, and water fountains for humans and pets.

The Mayview Road entrance, across from the Hastings plan, will provide a second permanent access road into the park, whose sole entrance now is on Greenwood Drive in the Fairview neighborhood.

“This new entrance is really going to open up the park,” Ms. Willis said.

This map reflects amenities that will be added to Fairview Park. Planned improvements on the former Mayview State Hospital site include a splash pad, pavilion, three ballfields, a fenced dog park and a new entrance from Mayview Road.

A traffic study will determine what vehicle control and safety elements are needed, she said.

The entire park road, from Greenwood Drive to Mayview Road, will be named Recreation Road. The township is updating signs to help navigate the expanded park.

The final phase of the project will include three ballfields that can be used for youth baseball, softball and cricket.

The Mayview project also includes grading land, paving the driveway and parking lots, and installing utilities, lighting, sidewalks and stormwater facilities.

Fairview Park will retain its green character, Ms. Willis said.

The Mayview expansion creates about 750 acres of contiguous green space in the region, including 125-acre Fairview Park in South Fayette, 474-acre Boyce Mayview Park in Upper St. Clair and 80-acre Wingfield Pines, a land trust that spans both townships.

A large portion of the Mayview project is being funded by grants and donations.

T-Mobile has awarded a $25,000 grant to South Fayette Township toward new ballfields on the Mayview site in Fairview Park. The Hometown Grant was issued to 25 communities nationwide. From left, representatives of the mobile communications company present a ceremonial check in the park Sept. 28 to Commissioner Gwen Rodi, Township Manager John Barrett, and Parks and Recreation Director Paula Willis.

Photo by Andrea Iglar

The original Mayview land purchase of $1.1 million was aided by a $425,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, which also awarded the township a $317,452 grant last year for the splash pad.

The ballfields are being supported by a $25,000 Hometown Grant from communications company T-Mobile and a $15,000 donation from the South Fayette Baseball and Softball Association.

The South Fayette Parks and Recreation Board raised more than $2,600 for the dog park through an online campaign and refreshment sales this summer.

The Mayview redevelopment project is described in the township’s Comprehensive Recreation Plan, adopted in 2019.

“This project starts a new chapter in the history of Fairview Park,” Ms. Willis said, “and we couldn’t be more excited.”

Learn more about township parks: southfayettepa.com/parks.