Whether a professionally designed skate park will be built in Dormont is expected to be decided Monday.

Borough council is set to vote on Pitcher Park, a proposed skate park that has drawn controversy and debate.

Former Dormont resident Mary Pitcher has led the effort to build the park to honor her sons, Vincent and Stephen Pitcher, who drowned in 2008 while on a camping trip in the Allegheny National Forest. Both were Keystone Oaks High School graduates and enthusiasts of what are called extreme sports, such as skateboarding and in-line skating.

In an emotional address to Dormont council Monday, Mrs. Pitcher reiterated the purpose behind her campaign and described the latest controversy arising from the project, which has been opposed by some residents who do not want the park near their homes.

"People have [asked] me, 'Why are you doing this for Dormont?' Because I lived here for 27 years. My sons loved everybody in Dormont, and despite all of this stuff going on in the background from certain people, I want to do this for Dormont."

Mrs. Pitcher accused Dormont solicitor Deron Gabriel of underhandedly attempting to strip the Pitcher Park Memorial Foundation of its nonprofit status.

She said Mr. Gabriel called and sent e-mails to New Sun Rising, Pitcher Park's nonprofit sponsor, to complain about signs displayed in the window of her antique shop on West Liberty Avenue. She said Mr. Gabriel did not identify himself as the solicitor of Dormont when he contacted the nonprofit.

One of the signs listed the seven Dormont council members and how each was expected to vote on the skate park. Another satirically advocated the write-in election of resident Jeff Fabus for Dormont council over current Councilman Eugene Barilla. Another displayed a photo of council President John Maggio's face superimposed on the body of the Burger King mascot, "The King."

Mr. Gabriel responded that he reported the signs because they represented a form of political campaigning -- an action that nonprofit, or 501(c)(3), organizations must avoid. As an officer of the court, he said, he was bound to bring legal infractions to light.

Mrs. Pitcher disputed that the signs had to be removed, saying her shop is not affiliated with the Pitcher Park Memorial Foundation.

On Sept. 23, Pitcher Park designer John Buerkle presented revised plans for the park in an attempt to address concerns about his original plan, which would have placed the park 60 feet from some homes on Memorial Drive.

Mr. Buerkle has identified two alternative sites for the park -- an area about 240 feet from the Memorial Drive homes near the shelter/pavilion area in Dormont Park and an area along Banksville Road in place of the existing tennis courts.

Mr. Buerkle said the Banksville Road site is preferable because it would increase green space, have minimal impact on nearby residents and discourage illegal behavior at the park because of its location along an open, busy roadway.

The park, expected to cost $300,000 to $600,000, would be paid for with private funds raised by the foundation. Dormont would pay for insurance.

Kathy Bernard, a friend of Mrs. Pitcher, said she originally wa skeptical of the need for the park but volunteered to go door to door with a petition in support of it -- and she was amazed by the response.

"I knocked on doors and they said, 'Yes. Absolutely.' Eighty-three-year-olds, 77-year-olds said, 'Is it for the kids? I'll sign it.' People that raised families here said, 'We need young families in here to take care of these older homes when we go to sell them.' "

According to the Pitcher Park group, it has collected signatures from more than 1,000 Dormont residents and 35 Dormont businesses in support of the park.

Other members of the community, including council Vice President Drew Lehman, have a different view.

"The people [I've spoken to] generally are just outright against the idea of a park," Mr. Lehman said after the Sept. 23 design presentation.

If the skate park's construction is voted down on Monday, Mrs. Pitcher has indicated that she would consider trying to place the park in Castle Shannon because it is accessible by trolley to Dormont residents.

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