Holiday tours at Hartwood Acres canceled as Pa. budget impasse continues

Holiday tours of the mansion at Hartwood Acres will be canceled this year because of the state budget impasse, Allegheny County spokeswoman Abigail Gardner told TribLive.

The cancellation, announced Friday, is part of a spending freeze because the county is dealing with a $100 million shortfall because the state has been operating without a budget since June 30.

Gardner said the hiring and spending freezes announced in September, because of the budget impasse, are now showing visible effects.

“It has real impacts,” she said Friday.

The county has asked departments to trim discretionary spending. More cuts can be expected, Gardner said.

She wouldn’t provide details because those cuts haven’t yet been communicated with staff, Gardner said.

“We are sorry for people who enjoy the seasonal experience in the parks,” she said.

Residents should contact their state representatives with their concerns, Gardner said.

“We just really encourage the state to pass a budget,” she said.

Hartwood Acres employees declined to talk further about the tours. The Indiana Township park includes a Tudor mansion designed by Alfred Hopkins for John and Mary Flinn Lawrence. During the holidays, it is normally decorated and festive tours are offered that traditionally draw scores of people to the park.

The tours will remain canceled even if the state passes a budget soon because of logistics.

“It’s not like flipping on a switch,” Gardner said of the budget.

The county is losing about $125 million per quarter that’s generally subsidized by the state, Gardner said.

Drive-through holiday light tours at Hartwood Acres ended in 2011 because of budget concerns.

That display, which was a well-received tradition for 20 years, cost about $1.5 million per year.