A private opening ceremony will be hosted in October for Fox Chapel’s newest recreational gem, the 17-acre Hardie Valley Park, just prior to the space officially welcoming the public.

A brief event at 11 a.m. Oct. 17 will include members of the parcel’s previous longtime owners, the Hardie family, borough officials and project donors.

It will be an invitation-only event to abide by covid-19 safety guidelines.

“The trails and the park will be open to the public after the private event,” Councilmember Mandy Steele said. “It’s very exciting.”

Council said it is considering offering a shuttle from Beechwood Farms for the opening ceremony to avoid overwhelming the one-lane driveway with vehicles.

The borough purchased the land off Old Mill Road in 2019. Officials have touted it as the missing link because it connects the northern and southern tracts of the borough’s 345-acre park system.

Plans are underway for a six-year, $3.3 million development that includes major wetland restoration and trail relocation.

A three-phased plan includes removing a house and barn, rerouting a trail, renovating a parking lot and building an interpretive plaza with benches and signs.

Fox Chapel Parks Commission Chairman Wes Posvar said the house and barn have been razed but not fully removed.

Stormwater infrastructure is part of the $2.8 million third-phase of the project. Of the 17 acres, most are wooded hillside with seven acres in a floodplain.

Landscape architect Jim Pashek said the park enhances “an already-wonderful” trail network and will have the potential to reduce stormwater surges for residents downstream.

As proposed, the green stormwater corridor will be a wide swath of meadow that can handle flood conditions in large storms. It will connect to the stream on the northeast edge of the property and wind through the valley, ending at Riding Meadow Park, with the potential to hold about 1.3 million gallons of water.

Manager Gary Koehler said the borough expects to apply for and receive grants to cover most of the stormwater retention-related work.

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