Millcraft adds splash to regional fun with manmade lagoon plan
William T. Fahey
Adam T. Jones
Charlie Batch
Courtesy of Millcraft Investments
A rendering of the Esplanade Lagoon project to be built on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
Millcraft Investments is adding water fun to Pittsburgh’s riverfront.
The Washington-based developer is partnering with Crystal Lagoons on the construction of a manmade lagoon on the North Side. It will overlook the Ohio River, slightly west of the West End Bridge, as part of a 15-acre, mixed-use development called Esplanade.
Crystal Lagoons, headquartered in Dallas and Miami, will build the two-acre lagoon featuring “paradise-like turquoise” water, according to a news release from Millcraft Investments. This, the company said, will be the first such “lagoon” to be erected in a colder climate.
During warm-weather months, the lagoon could be used for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding, and there will be a white, sandy beach area. A splash pool will cater to children. There also will be a fountain for light shows after dark.
Part of the manmade waterway will be used for ice skating during the winter. Thermal baths will be available year-round.
Esplanade, which will be built in the North Side neighborhood of Chateau, also will have residences, restaurants and hotels.
Lucas Piatt, president and chief operating officer of Millcraft Investments, said in a prepared statement: “It’s very important to us, as we plan the Esplanade project, to add features that are functional year-round.”
Energy confab
The second annual Appalachian Regional Conference will take place Thursday at the DoubleTree Hotel, Racetrack Road, North Strabane Township.
Charlie Batch, former National Football League quarterback, will be the keynote speaker at the energy-related event. Batch, a longtime Steelers backup who is originally from Homestead, is a motivational speaker and a tech entrepreneur.
Registration and a networking breakfast will run from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m., and the conference will end about 5 p.m. Twenty-three speakers have been lined up.
Online registration will end at noon Monday.
Event with Taste
Fun and food, food and more food will be featured at the 11th annual Taste of Washington event from 6 to 9 p.m. Oct. 11 at The Meadows Casino, North Strabane Township.
Proceeds will benefit the Greater Washington County Food Bank, a nonprofit.
More than 20 restaurants will be represented. Tickets are $40 by Oct. 10, $50 at the door.
For reservations, email DonorRelations@GWCFB.org or call 724-632-2190 Ext. 114. To reserve a VIP sponsorship table package, contact Suzanne Urcho at the food bank.
Briefs
- Finleyville native
- Linda Jo Thornberg
- has received the Alumni on the Move Award from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. She is president of the Pittsburgh Business Show and vice president of corporate communications and public relations at Higher Images Inc., a digital marketing company in Bridgeville.
- Adam T. Jones
- is finishing his first week as financial controller of Steel Nation, headquartered on Washington Road, South Strabane Township. Jones, a certified public accountant, worked at Michael Baker International for the past 12 years, where he was vice president and assistant corporate controller.
- Attorney
- William T. Fahey III
- has joined the Southpointe office of Bowles Rice. Fahey has represented companies in the acquisition and development of oil and gas interests in Pennsylvania and West Virginia for more than a decade. He earned a law degree from Duquesne University in 2003.