Construction Resumes On Pitt Athletic Field After Rounding Up Groundhogs
HILL DISTRICT (KDKA) – There is peace Tuesday in a neighborhood that was overrun by groundhogs.
They came out in big numbers when Pitt started work on a new athletic field. The groundhogs have since been rounded up and construction can resume.
Contractors were back on the job site in the Oakland/Hill District area Tuesday, resuming work on the Trees Field expansion project.
The site, just behind the University of Pittsburgh's Trees Hall, will house a new domed soccer and lacrosse field.
But late last month, just days after breaking ground for the new project, the adjacent areas of Avalon and Brackenridge streets were taken over by groundhogs displaced by the expansion.
"Those groundhogs have to go somewhere," resident Chris Curd said. "We already have, in this back alleyway alone, God knows how many groundhogs that were kind of already our little groundhogs. But the amount that were in the intermural fields was only going to make the situation worse."
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For its part, the University of Pittsburgh said initially the contractor would not disturb the land before groundhog control was in place. But that didn't happen. Days after starting the project, everything came to a grinding halt to address the groundhog problem.
"This was not a surprise at all," Curd said.
Since the issue first came up, more than 30 traps have been placed around the immediate area. Since then, more than 40 groundhogs have been captured.
"We weren't exaggerating," Curd said. "This is a major, major problem and many of us have kids, myself included, and this started to become a safety issue."
For now, the traps will remain in place. They were all empty when KDKA's cameras were there Tuesday afternoon. The problem may not be completely over, but this small community that was getting overrun by the furry creatures is beginning to believe maybe, just maybe, the groundhog crisis is over.
"Hats off to the University and community relations for stepping up and fulfilling the promise they initially made," Curd said.
