Resident accuses council member of authorizing unpermitted skate park in Panther Hollow, asks council to rescind renaming resolution

During the public‑comment portion of the July 22 Pittsburgh City Council meeting, resident Carlino Gianpolo of Panther Hollow urged council to rescind Resolution No. 351 of 2025 and raised multiple concerns about a skate park constructed in the Panther Hollow playground.

Gianpolo said the skate park was built "without notice or permits" and accused Council Member Warwick of authorizing the work. He said the construction was not performed by city union crews but was led by an individual identified in his testimony as AJ Hammond, a student at the University of Pittsburgh. Gianpolo said no plans were submitted to the city and that the city archives have no record formally naming the playground "Bondy Street playground or park." He said Council Member Warwick later persuaded other council members to rename the site "Oakland Do It Yourself Skate Park." Gianpolo said Resolution No. 351 of 2025 (the renaming resolution) is "disgraceful, dishonest, shameful, and flawed" and asked that it be rescinded.

There was no formal council response or action recorded on that comment during the meeting. Council did not vote on rescinding the resolution that day; the item remained a public comment and was recorded in the meeting minutes. The clerk’s record and the city archives were referenced by the speaker as sources for his claim that there was no formal record of a previous name for the playground.

No city staffer or council member on the record during that session disputed the specific factual claims presented by the speaker; the transcript records the speaker’s allegations and his request that colleagues "stand tall" and press to rescind the resolution. The public comment concluded without a motion by council to act on the request.