PITTSBURGH — Earlier today Mayor Ed Gainey and the City’s Department of Public Works hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate the upcoming construction at Homewood Field. The event also highlighted an approaching Pre-bid and Matching Meeting and the city’s desire to maximize Minority- and Women-owned business (MWBE) participation on the project.
“Homewood Field is a beloved and heavily used resource by the community,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “The redesigned and soon-to-be constructed campus will give our kids a place to learn how to swim, develop team and sportsmanship skills, and our community a place to gather.”
The project is currently out to bid. As such, the city is actively soliciting contractors and working to increase MWBE involvement. Today’s event provided an opportunity for those interested in bidding on the project to get information and ask questions, while allowing them to meet and network with subcontractors that are interested in working with them on the project. The Pre-bid and Matching Meeting will happen on Wednesday, May 31, at 9:00 am. It will take place at Homewood Field: 540 N. Lang Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15208.
“It is vitally important to increase diversity in our business spaces and workforce, because we know it leads to greater innovation and allows minority- and women-owned businesses the opportunity to succeed in markets that they historically wouldn’t,” continued Mayor Gainey. “Diverse participation in this, and all city projects, creates a Pittsburgh where everyone can thrive.”
Once contractors are in place, construction is expected to begin in Summer 2023. The football field is being prioritized and is anticipated to be completed by Fall 2024, in time for football season. The remainder of the project is expected to be completed in Spring 2025.
In 2015, Homewood Community Sports (HCS), with the help of Heinz Endowments, Operation Better Block, Neighborhood Allies, Bridging the Gap Development, and The Mission Continues began a grassroots-level study of field improvements at Willie Stargell Field. The study identified some of the challenges that the site faces with the existing conditions. Namely, that the current field serves both as a baseball and football field, however, it is inadequately sized for both sports.
HCS led an extensive community engagement process in order to develop a Master Plan for the existing Stargell Field and expansion of Homewood Park onto the previous Homewood School property along Hamilton Avenue.
Based on the results of the Master Plan, the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Public Works, along with community partners and landscape architecture firm Studio Zewd undertook the re-design with the following improvements in mind:
Site engineering for the development of a regulation-size football field, seating and site-wide ADA accessibility
- A newly developed baseball/softball and flag football facility will be built at Faison Elementary School
- Structural engineering for retaining walls surrounding the site
- Relocation of existing pool and bathhouse/locker room to accommodate field renovations
- Site-wide stormwater management solutions, including cisterns or r-tanks under the athletic fields
- Connection to the Martin Luther King Jr. Busway and renovated pedestrian bridge to Westinghouse Park
- Cultural/performance space with connections to the Afro American Music Institute
- Playground and multi-purpose courts for various youth activities
The planned renovations will connect the neighborhood to other local amenities, while creating a space for the neighborhood’s youth to flourish. With an anticipated budget ranging between $12-$16 million, the project is partially made possible through generous grants from The Heinz Endowments and Pennsylvania Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP).
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