Tarentum park to be off-limits while crews remove giant tree

The playground at Riverview Memorial Park in Tarentum might need to close for at least a day or two while crews work in the coming weeks to remove a towering tree from the perimeter.

Council on Tuesday approved the project after talking about the damage caused by a fallen branch during a July storm.

“It fell on the climbing wall and took out part of the fence,” council President Scott Dadowski said.

“A big chunk of it came down and tore up some of the playground surface.”

A severe storm blew though the region July 7, uprooting trees and flooding local roads. In Tarentum, damage to the park was caused by a tree that stands about 4 feet in diameter, Dadowski said.

“It’s huge,” he said. “When we took a closer look, we found out the inside is hollow so we decided to take it down.”

Brell’s All-Pro Tree Service of Tarentum was the low bidder. Council will pay $4,500 to have the tree cut down.

The fence already has been replaced, and new playground equipment is ordered.

“Taking the tree out will actually open up that area nicely,” Dadowski said.

Work is expected to be done in the next week or two.

In other news, council on Tuesday approved three properties to be included in the Allegheny County vacant property program. They are 126 Second Ave., 616 E. Ninth Ave. and one along West Ninth Avenue.

Through this program, people can purchase a lot or a vacant structure that has been tax delinquent for at least three years.

Applicants must be current on taxes, water, sewage and refuse bills on all other properties owned in the county.

The purchases benefit the borough since the properties will return to the tax rolls.