One of the area’s leading organizations on transportation is looking for input from Butler County residents.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission is in charge of developing a long-term transportation plan for the region. They will be hosting a virtual event next Monday evening starting at 4:30 p.m. looking for feedback from the public.

Residents will be able to offer their opinion on local transportation and infrastructure projects. The link for the public meeting can be found here.

If you cannot attend the meeting, but would still like to weigh-in, residents can email at comments@spcregion.org through June 7th.

View the full article at butlerradio.com.

Jennifer Liptak spent 26 years working for Allegheny County, moving up the ladder from a typist to chief of staff to manager of a $3 billion budget and 5,000 employees.

Now, the longtime hidden hand behind the county’s bureaucracy is moving on.

Liptak, 49, of Shaler, will leave the county’s top bureaucratic role in two weeks and move to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, to serve as its chief operating officer under Rich Fitzergald, her former boss.

Fitzgerald, the three-term county executive who left office in January, took over as the executive director of the commission, the federally designated metropolitan planning organization in charge of guiding government investment for the 10-county region surrounding Pittsburgh.

Liptak has no qualms about leaving. She said she’s confident that the county will be left in capable hands.

“We have been building a county government that is stable, where no one person should be the make or break of any success,” said Liptak, who ascended to county manager in February 2023 after more than a decade as Fitzgerald’s chief of staff.

Liptak said she trained scores of county employees to work independently and is sure they will thrive on their own and under new management.

She said she has been impressed with the administration of new County Executive Sara Innamorato, which made her decision to leave easier.

Liptak’s last day is June 7. Steve Pilarski, deputy county manager, will take over her position temporarily while the search for a new permanent manager is undertaken.

Her yearly salary was about $193,000.

Liptak started working as a clerk typist for county government in 1998 and has worked her way up ever since, serving as finance director for Allegheny County Council during the 2000s and ascending to the top unelected position by the end of her tenure.

She called her departure bittersweet because the role has been fulfilling, but she is ready to slow down and avoid the late-night and weekend calls to deal with county emergencies.

“It has been my entire life working in government,” said Liptak, who has worked for the county for more than half her life. She said wants to spend more time with her teenage children.

“For 20 years, it is 24/7. It is always on, always looking at emails, taking phone calls, doesn’t matter if it is a holiday, that is normal to my kids.”

Innamorato said Liptak’s depth of county knowledge will be nearly impossible to replace quickly.

“We have been accepting applications for her position since the transition, and it is a hard job to fill and find qualified people,” Innamorato said. “We are actively interviewing right now. Finding the right fit is difficult.”

Allegheny County Council President Pat Catena, D-Carnegie, and Liptak haven’t always seen eye to eye, with disagreements sometimes flaring at council meetings.

Still, Catena said Liptak’s institutional knowledge will be hard to replace and he praised her dedication to county government.

Innamorato said Liptak was instrumental to a number of initiatives within county government, including ensuring county workers’ wages and benefits increased and implementing drop-off locations for mail-in ballots.

She also praised Liptak for her role in getting the county to have arguably the quickest voting tabulations in the state on election night.

This primary election, Allegheny County had all of its mail-in votes tabulated 18 seconds after the polls closed. Many other counties take hours, sometimes days, to finish counting each mail-in vote.

“It was a team effort,” Liptak said. “We are doing something bigger. This is about the fundamental right to select our leaders, and we are all part of making sure that system operates properly for the county.”

Liptak said she recruits workers from virtually all county departments to sort and count votes on Election Day. She said everyone works a long day, but a sense of pride permeates the workforce on these vote-counting days.

One major issue left unsettled within county government is a potential countywide property reassessment.

Pittsburgh Public Schools recently sued to force the county to trigger a reassessment, and several other public school districts have voiced support for a countywide reassessment, as commercial property values have declined.

Innamorato said while Liptak’s presence will be missed, she believes the operation of the county is stable.

“There are so many people that have been here for so long, and those folks are staying put,” said Innamorato.

Liptak said she hopes her time at Allegheny County government will remind residents of the dedication of public servants and help push back against stereotypes that county employees are lazy. She praised the county’s janitors, engineeers, doctors and jail workers.

“Just be aware of all that we do,” Liptak said.

Vie the full article at triblive.com.

Jennifer Liptak — who spent 26 years in Allegheny County government, including 12 as the top assistant to former County Executive Rich Fitzgerald — is following her old boss to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

The county announced Friday that Liptak resigned as county manager for new County Executive Sara Innamorato to join the commission in the newly created position of deputy executive director/chief operating officer. Liptak was Fitzgerald’s chief of staff for 12 years and finished as county manager in the final few months of his term after previously working for the district attorney’s office and serving as County Council’s budget director.

“I’ve been thinking for a long time about work-life balance,” Liptak said in an interview Friday after conducting the monthly meeting of the Pittsburgh Regional Transit board, where she is the vice chair.

“I had the opportunity to stay [with the county]. I felt it was the right time to move on to new opportunities.”

In a news release, Innamorato said it was “bittersweet” for Liptak to move on.

“I want to personally thank her for shepherding my administration with an exceptionally professional and smooth transition for the last six months,” Innamorato said. “We have learned so much from her and enjoyed working with her immensely, but after 12 demanding years as a chief of staff to the county executive and county manager we respect her decision to start a new chapter in her professional journey.”

Fitzgerald said in a news release from SPC that Liptak had a lot to do with improvements in many aspects of the county and he’s pleased she is joining him at SPC. In January, Fitzgerald went to the 10-county planning agency, which sets priorities for spending federal transportation funds, when term limits prevented him from another term as county executive.

“From the success of the airport, investing in infrastructure, rehabilitating bridges, the vibrancy of the trails and parks, and making the county government’s operations more efficient, Jennifer has been instrumental in bringing these initiatives to fruition,” he said. “Now, Jennifer will be able to use her outstanding qualities and experiences to support the 10-county region with its transportation, infrastructure, economic, workforce and quality of life priorities.”

At SPC, Liptak will oversee a 50-member staff and report directly to Fitzgerald.

Deputy County Manager Steve Pilarski will serve as acting manager until a new one is selected by Innamorato and confirmed by County Council.

View the full article at unionprogress.com.

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission again has tapped Allegheny County for a top administrator, announcing Friday that Jennifer Liptak, county manager under former county Executive Rich Fitzgerald and his successor Sara Innamorato, has been named SPC’s deputy executive director/chief operating officer, effective June 10.

In her new role, Liptak will lead a team of 50 staff members and report directly to Fitzgerald, who was named SPC’s executive director at the end of three terms as Allegheny’s chief executive.

“Over the last decade, a lot of the economic success and transformation that Allegheny County has experienced can be largely attributed directly to Jennifer’s strategic leadership, collaborative management style, and her ability to get things accomplished,” Fitzgerald said. “From the success of the airport, investing in infrastructure, rehabilitating bridges, the vibrancy of the trails and parks, and making the county government’s operations more efficient, Jennifer has been instrumental in bringing these initiatives to fruition.”

The SPC director said his former and future colleague “will be able to use her outstanding qualities and experiences to support the 10-county region with its transportation, infrastructure, economic, workforce, and quality of life priorities.”

Regionally, those counties include Indiana, Armstrong and Westmoreland, as well as Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Lawrence and Washington counties in which SPC is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization, local development district and economic development district.

Liptak stayed on with Innamorato’s administration to support them over the last six months during the transition from Fitzgerald’s administration. The Allegheny County Manager position serves as the chief administrative officer for the county, and is appointed by the County Executive.

Along Grant Street, where Allegheny County government is centered in downtown Pittsburgh, Liptak has had a public service career spanning two decades. She started out in 1998 as an employee of the county’s Office of District Attorney where she later became finance manager.

In 2004, she joined the Office of Allegheny County Council as budget director, then moved when Fitzgerald was elected as county executive to serve as his chief of staff, a position she held throughout his entire tenure.

Liptak’s ties extend into west-central Pennsylvania. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a minor in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She also earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public and International Affairs as well as a professional certification in Personnel and Labor Relations Management.

She also attended Duquesne University’s School of Leadership and Professional Advancement, earning a professional certification in Advanced Accounting. Liptak is also a graduate of the F.B.I. Citizens Academy and the Harvard School of Business’ Young American Leaders Program.

SPC is in the midst of the comment period for the draft 2025-28 Transportation Improvement Program, a proposed outline of specific initiatives which in turn will be part of a 25-year Long-Range Transportation Plan for the region.

The 2025-28 draft TIP contains over $4.5 billion in investment for transportation and infrastructure projects, as already detailed at public meetings in Indiana, Beaver, Westmoreland, Armstrong, Allegheny, Fayette and Washington counties, as well as one in the City of Pittsburgh.

Further hearings are slated May 29 in Greene County, June 3 in Butler County and June 4 in Lawrence County. The public comment period continues until June 7.

Those who didn’t attend a hearing can still provide comments, thoughts, suggestions, or questions about transportation projects by:

• Completing an online form at spcregion.org
• Sending a letter to Southwestern PA Commission, Attn: Ronda Craig, 42 21st Street, Suite 101, Pittsburgh, PA 15222
• Emailing comments@spcregion.org.

View the full article at indianagazette.com.

Allegheny County Manager Jennifer Liptak will leave the county after more than 25 years of service to become deputy executive director and chief operating officer of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

Liptak had been chief of staff for former Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald during his 12 years in office and had been county manager in the first months of County Executive Sara Innamorato’s tenure. She joined the Allegheny County government in 1998 and has been finance director in the Office of District Attorney and budget director of the Office of County Council.

She will report to Fitzgerald, who is executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and be in charge of a staff of 50.

“Over the last decade, a lot of the economic success and transformation that Allegheny County has experienced can be largely attributed directly to Jennifer’s strategic leadership, collaborative management style, and her ability to get things accomplished,” Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald cited the Pittsburgh International Airport revival, bridge rehabilitation and government efficiency.

“Now Jennifer will be able to use her outstanding qualities and experiences to support the 10-county region with its transportation, infrastructure, economic, workforce and quality of life priorities,” he said.

She has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and a master of public administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh.”

View the full article at bizjournals.com.

Allegheny County manager Jennifer Liptak will step down effective June 7, officials announced Friday.

Liptak was appointed to the position in February 2023 by then-County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, and she continued to hold it after current County Executive Sara Innamorato took office in January.

“It is bittersweet to accept County Manager Liptak’s resignation. She has been a phenomenal public servant for more than 20 years and her dedication and passion for Allegheny County is evident every day,” Innamorato said in a statement.

“I want to personally thank her for shepherding my administration with an exceptionally professional and smooth transition for the last six months,” Innamorato added. “We have learned so much from her and enjoyed working with her immensely, but after 12 demanding years as a chief of staff to the county executive and county manager, we respect her decision to start a new chapter in her professional journey.”

Liptak has spent more than a quarter-century in local government. She has held multiple county positions, including finance manager for the Office of the District Attorney and budget director for County Council. She was also Fitzgerald’s chief of staff for more than 10 years, and she serves on multiple county boards.

In a separate statement, council President Pat Catena opined about the institutional knowledge Liptak takes with her, calling her a “huge asset to the county during her 25-plus year career.”

“Beyond the institutional knowledge, Ms. Liptak is extremely intelligent and a hard worker; traits that will make it difficult to replace her. We, in county government and all the residents of this county, owe her a debt of gratitude while wishing her all the best in her new role,” Catena said.

The county manager is one of the most powerful unelected positions in local government, with responsibility for day-to-day operations that include more than 6,000 county employees and a multibillion-dollar budget.

“I’ve been an Allegheny County employee for 26 years, and it has been an incredibly rewarding and meaningful privilege to work alongside such dedicated public servants. But I’ve decided it was time for me to try a new professional challenge,” Liptak said.

“It has been an absolute honor to work with County Executive Innamorato and her staff,” she added. “I have total confidence in her team and County leadership to continue to serve the people of Allegheny County with the highest standard of excellence.”

Liptak will join Fitzgerald at the Southwest Pennsylvania Commission, where she will become the organization’s deputy executive director and chief operating officer.

Deputy county manager Steve Pilarski will serve as acting county manager until a new manager is selected. That selection must be approved by County Council.

View the full article at wesa.fm.

Allegheny County Manager Jen Liptak is headed to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, departing county government after over a quarter-century of service and reuniting with former County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Liptak’s last day will be June 7, according to a press release from County Executive Sara Innamorato.

Many politicos view the county manager as an important position because that person essentially runs the day-to-day operations of county government.

Ms. Innamorato said: “It is bittersweet to accept County Manager Liptak’s resignation. She has been a phenomenal public servant for more than 20 years and her dedication and passion for Allegheny County is evident every day. I want to personally thank her for shepherding my administration with an exceptionally professional and smooth transition for the last six months. We have learned so much from her and enjoyed working with her immensely, but after 12 demanding years as a Chief of Staff to the County Executive and County Manager we respect her decision to start a new chapter in her professional journey.”

Ms. Liptak will serve as deputy executive director/chief operating officer for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

According to the press release, Deputy County Manager Steve Pilarski will serve as Acting County Manager until a new County Manager is selected and confirmed by County Council. He currently oversees “the operations of the County Jail, County Police, Medical Examiner, Public Defender, Public Works, Facilities Management, Administrative Services, Human Resources, and Information Technology,” according to his county biographical page.

In the release, Ms. Liptak said: “I’ve been an Allegheny County employee for 26 years and it has been an incredibly rewarding and meaningful privilege to work alongside such dedicated public servants. But I’ve decided it was time for me to try a new professional challenge. It has been an absolute honor to work with County Executive Innamorato and her staff. I have total confidence in her team and County leadership to continue to serve the people of Allegheny County with the highest standard of excellence.”

Mr. Fitzgerald joined the SPC at the beginning of 2024, after serving three terms as county executive. He serves as the commission’s executive director, overseeing a staff of about 50 people that focuses on infrastructure and transportation projects and funding throughout a 10-county region in southwestern Pennsylvania, including Allegheny.

The partnership between Ms. Liptak and Mr. Fitzgerald goes back years. In February 2023, Ms. Liptak began as county manager in his administration, and before that, she served as chief of staff under him from 2012.

Before that, she served as the County Council’s budget director from 2004 to 2012, and in the District Attorney’s office from 1998 to 2004, where she worked up to the position of finance manager.

Many political observers and elected officials have praised Ms. Liptak for her breadth of knowledge about county government. And some county sources said before Friday’s announcement that it was no surprise that Mr. Fitzgerald wanted her to join the SPC, given her managerial experience and expertise in regional issues.

“He has shown a great degree of loyalty to his staff,” one county source said about Mr. Fitzgerald.

Ms. Liptak’s departure also marks another important moment for County Executive Sara Innamorato and her administration. Since Ms. Innamorato’s inauguration in January, she has worked with Ms. Liptak, and political observers note that the experience of the outgoing county manager has been instrumental to helping Ms. Innamorato transition into her role as executive.

Ms. Innamorato is continuing her search for a permanent county manager, and one county source said that the administration is interviewing candidates for that role on Friday.

She and her administration have multiple senior-level openings to fill in the coming months. A longer-term decision, Ms. Innamorato has said, is finding a new jail warden. Shane Dady is currently serving as interim warden, while also serving as a deputy superintendent with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He’s held that position since late September, after Orlando Harper retired as warden on Sept. 29 of last year.

View the full article at post-gazette.com.

If projections of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission are accurate, residents of the Connellsville area will begin the new year with the long awaited reopening of the McCray Robb Memorial Bridge along Crawford Avenue.

Representatives of the SPC met with area officials Tuesday to discuss present and upcoming projects.

Officials said the Crawford Avenue bridge is on schedule for completion by Dec. 29 of this year.

SPC representative Angela Baker said the work is moving well, and “hopefully, there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony” to celebrate reopening of the span.

Baker said the bridge includes a bicycle lane and sidewalk, and public support has been good in the face of detours required by the bridge closing.

She said closing the span “was the only way to get constriction going with the detours with the help of the community.”

SPC representatives addressed both current and future transportation projects taking place in Fayette County, including the proposed connector for McClure Road, Kingview Road, and Mt. Pleasant near Route 119 in northern Fayette County.

The area will serve as a roundabout for safety purposes, with the exact date to begin construction not yet determined.

Dominic D’Andrea, director for the Office of Transportation Planning, said the Transportation Improvement Program addresses future investment in the region and specifically future transportation in Fayette County.

“Over $180 million has been earmarked for projects within Fayette County on the TIP,” D’Andrea said.

The projects are part of a four-year plan within a 25-year long range plan with updates made every two years. D’Andrea said the SPC meets on a monthly basis to address project bids that may be too high or too low that require “priorities to shift” on planned projects.

Another important area the SPC addressed was the Sheepskin Trail, and the various funding sources related to the trail project.

Public Involvement Director Ronda Craig said funding in many areas may only be spent for certain aspects of the project.

The Sheepskin Trail Project has been one of the priorities of the Fayette County Commissioners. Commissioner Scott Dunn said federal funds are available for title searches on properties, preliminary work, engineering work, and environmental issues.

The SPC develops the Long Range Transportation Plan and the Transportation Involvement Program, which plans for the region’s long term and short term, transportation and infrastructure programs, a van-pool service, and many other transportation planning initiatives.

The SPC goal is to provide accessibility and mobility in a safe, efficient, and effective manner for the region.

The SPC represents a 10-county region of western Pennsylvania, with Fayette County Commissioner Vince Vicites serving as vice chairman.

SPC Director Rich Fitzgerald said the commission was grateful for all the assistance and cooperation of PennDOT.

Among the projects discussed were the Layton Bridge, a bridge in West Newton, a bridge above Redstone Creek, and the Jefferson Avenue and Gallatin Avenue projects in the city of Uniontown.

Public input may always be given to the SPC through its website of spcregion.org.

View the full article at dailycourier.com.

Business and industry in the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission’s (North Central) six-county region will have an opportunity through the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission to learn about doing business in Canada and Mexico.

Advantages of Exporting to Canada and Mexico will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, June 6 at The Terminal, located at 42 21st St., Suite 101, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.

The event is designed to unlock a company’s potential for exporting goods and services under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA).

“North Central Export is pleased to support our state-wide partners in hosting this event,” Chris Perneski, director of Business Enterprise, said. “This is a great opportunity to connect with Nancy Ward of Canada and Efren Flores of Mexico as part of the Pennsylvania Overseas Office Network. Pennsylvania has 13 overseas offices covering 44 countries/region.”

The top export markets for Pennsylvania with more than $20 billion in trade are Canada and Mexico, as both countries have free trade agreements with the United States.

Both countries are in need of U.S.-manufactured goods including equipment, tools, materials and technology.

Ward is a Pennsylvania trade representative for Canada and is based in Toronto, and Flores is a trade representative from Mexico City.

The event is expected to feature workshop opportunities based on increasing sales from Pennsylvania-based companies into the North American nations.

Topics for the event include Canada and Mexico economies, opportunities, and export strategies; USMCA trade agreement with Canada and Mexico; documentation considerations; and financing options and programs.

The cost of the event is $200 and limited $150 scholarships are available for the first 20 registrants who complete SBA forms.

Companies interested in accessing this network can contact Christine Perneski at 814-773-3162 or necexport@ncentral.com.

For more information, contact Brent Rondon at brondon@innovation.pitt.edu. To register, visit https://entrepreneur.pitt.edu/events/exporting-usmca.

View the full article at gantnews.com.

Fayette County residents who rely on DSL or wireless home internet services are being asked to participate in the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority’s (PBDA) broadband service challenge process.

“The broadband authority has a list of addresses that they claim have broadband availability at their residences,” said Scott Dunn, chair of the county commissioners. “We have to look at this list and say this is right or this is wrong. We will challenge these addresses, because we’re sure that many of them don’t have the required megabyte speed to be considered reliable internet. If an area needs broadband, we want to get a grant to cover the area.”

The challenge is part of the Broadband Equity, Access and Development (BEAD) program, which has allocated $1.16 billion to Pennsylvania to bolster the infrastructure for robust internet connectivity in areas currently lacking or experiencing insufficient service.

A requirement of the program is to conduct a mapping challenge to validate the accuracy of the locations that need better service.

Residents with DSL or wireless home internet are asked to go to www.SPCBEADchallenge.com. There, they will identify their location on a map and take three brief home internet speed tests by 11 p.m. this Wednesday.

County officials have identified 473 homes equipped with DSL or wireless home internet services incorrectly labeled on the Federal Communications Commission map as having access to high-speed internet. This challenge process is part of the efforts to rectify this discrepancy.

The FCC map identifies regions as being served by strong, reliable internet, being underserved or completely unserved.

“The broadband authority has given us until Wednesday to challenge anything on their map that says that that area is serviced,” explained Mark Rafail, the county’s economic development director. “The 473 that we’ve seen, we don’t feel are serviced accurately. We also would like anyone else who feels their service isn’t accurate enough to go ahead and do the speed test.”

Rafail said doing the speed tests will allow county officials to identify where low-speed areas are.

“(W)e can additionally turn those into the state broadband authority so that they understand that even though these companies say they’re servicing these folks, these folks really aren’t serviced. We can submit these challenges to show that we are in need of better broadband and funding to do that better broadband,” he said.

Rafail said the county will be applying to the broadband authority in the fall for more money through the BEAD program.

Dunn said that getting broadband into county businesses is an important part of this process.

“If we exclude an area based on these 473 properties they say have broadband, then we can’t get fiber optic in there for business purposes,” Dunn said. “There is no business that’s going to operate from a fixed wireless platform.”

Residents whose addresses are identified as being unserved or underserved on the FCC’s map do not need to complete the challenge process but are encouraged to do so. Those locations have already been deemed eligible for BEAD infrastructure funding.

“We ask everyone who feels they’re underserved or unserved to submit information to that website,” Rafail said.

This challenge process is different from the FCC’s challenge process previously administered in January 2023. Residents that submitted a challenge last year should still consider taking part in this new challenge process.

“Last year’s challenge was with the FCC’s mapping and we sent those in on our own,” Rafail said. “All we had to do was prove there wasn’t service there, which was easy to do.”

Rafail said that was a process that was as simple as taking pictures of telephone poles.

View the full article at heraldstandard.com.