South Park is getting spruced up just in time for summer.

A recent green upgrade came courtesy of a significant tree-planting effort by the Allegheny County Parks Foundation and communications infrastructure company Crown Castle.

Through the Connected by Good partnership, 180 trees were put in the ground at the county-owned park.

“Allegheny County’s parks are one of the reasons southwestern Pennsylvania is consistently ranked as one of the best places to live in the country,” said county Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald was on hand for the project and helped plant the first tree. He said public-private partnerships benefit park visitors with continued investments like the trees, which provide shade, habitat and rain water drainage.

South Park, in the municipality of Bethel Park and South Park Township, encompasses more than 2,010 acres.

The county has one of the largest, most established park systems in the country, with more than 12,000 acres across nine locations. They include landscaped fields, natural forests, rugged hiking trails and abundant recreational facilities.

Parks Foundation executive director Joey-Linn Ulrich said there are more than 23 million visits to the parks each year.

The nonprofit’s partnership with Crown Castle and others helps improve the parks for all to enjoy, Ulrich said.

About 25 Crown Castle employees worked alongside the county park rangers to plant the trees.

“This partnership is just one of the ways we connect community partners and funders to tackle the projects that leave a lasting mark,” Ulrich said.

Two weeks after the massive tree planting, a ribbon cutting was scheduled for May 19 for the newly restored Nevin Shelter, one of the original stone structures designed by Paul Riis.

A renowned landscape architect, Riis was the first director of the Allegheny County Parks.

Nevin Shelter was built in 1931 along Corrigan Drive but had deteriorated significantly. Work restored the original masonry, chimney and hearth. A new roof was installed, and an interpretive sign and customized picnic table were added.

The project, completed in partnership with the county and the Parks Foundation, was funded in part by private donors.

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