City Council approves program to allow for camping in city parks

To promote outdoor activity among kids within the city, Pittsburgh City Council approved an amendment that will allow camping in city parks, under certain conditions.

To start, camping in parks will be geared toward youth organizations, which must obtain written permission from the director of Parks and Recreation, before their outing.

This will allow the department to approve camping on a “case-by-case basis,” according to Councilman Bobby Wilson, who sponsored the legislation.

In addition to the written permission, the organization also would have to have a written agreement with the department to follow all park rules.

“This has been a conversation for about a year now where we’ve been talking about what it means to create more equitable access to recreation experiences in parks,” Director of Parks and Recreation Kathryn Vargas said.

The ordinance, approved Tuesday, will allow for the department to start piloting camping in parks, with hopes to expand it further. But the real goal is getting kids outside in a way that they couldn’t previously, Ms. Vargas said.

“We might be changing a word in code that allows for us to explore this in the future, but when I think about it we could be changing the life of a young person who realizes how much they love the outdoors,” Ms. Vargas said.

While camping is a popular pastime in Western Pennsylvania, many Pittsburghers have to travel at least an hour to get to parks designated for it.

“I think it sounds great,” said councilman Anthony Coghill. “To open up our parks to children who don’t have the ability to travel a hundred miles north and camp like I did when I was a kid. I have my own camping stories; I think some of the best things I’ve learned in life is from camping and being in the woods with my brothers.”

The Department of Parks and Recreation will start the program in Riverview Park on the North Side.

The Outdoor Inclusion Coalition, which is hosted by Venture Outdoors, worked with Mr. Wilson on the ordinance.

In an effort to make camping more accessible, the coalition also runs a gear library, which operates like a traditional library except instead of books, people can check out camping gear like hiking boots, rain gear, tents and more — all for free.

In order to check out the gear, people must first complete an outdoor leadership training course, which will be an opportunity for organizations to learn best practices for camping with youth, according to coalition member Joanna Lemmon.

The training also will help the organization go through the process of receiving the camping permit from the city.

Ms. Lemmon said they are aiming for an August or September start for training. The department is hoping to start piloting this in the fall, Ms. Vargas said.

Council President Theresa Kail-Smith said that she hoped the department would consider expanding the permitting outside of organizations, so that families or individuals could apply as well. But also making sure that organization leaders have proper clearances to work with children.

Ms. Kail-Smith also noted her concern that these designated camping areas would become “homeless camps.”

This ordinance is a first step for the department to create further policies to work out a comprehensive camping plan, Ms. Vargas said.

“This starts the conversation … there’s going to be more steps to follow,” Ms. Vargas said, noting that any other regulations proposed would have to come back to council for approval.

In other council business, a proposal to revise the budget would take about $191,000 from the Public Safety training facility and transfer it to major developments.

Councilman Bruce Kraus asked for more information regarding the budget transfer, which will be discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.

“I’d just like to have a little better understanding … in a time when everything is about public safety and increased gun violence and crime, I’m just curious as to why we’re reducing funding toward the public safety training facility,” Mr. Kraus said.

“It could be completely innocent. I’m not saying it isn’t. I’d just like to have better understanding as to why we’re reducing funding … ”

“To open up our parks to children who don’t have the ability to travel a hundred miles north and camp ... I think some of the best things I’ve learned in life is from camping and being in the woods with my brothers.”

— Councilman Anthony Coghill