Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has been tapped to lead the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, an obscure government cooperative of 10 counties and the City of Pittsburgh that helps funnel state and federal dollars to projects in the region.

The commission announced Mr. Fitzgerald’s hiring on Thursday. A term-limited Democrat who has served 12 years in Allegheny County’s top elected position, he’ll begin his new job in January once he leaves office. After more than two decades as an Allegheny County official — he was previously on County Council — he will lead a commission that helps direct state and federal transportation and economic development funding throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“Thank you to the SPC and its board for this opportunity and thank you to Vince for his work to energize and elevate the organization during his tenure,” Mr. Fitzgerald said in a statement, referring to outgoing executive director Vincent Valdes. “While I’ve always had a regional focus, I look forward to putting my skills and relationships to work for all 10 of our counties. Together, we will continue to concentrate on infrastructure, communication, economic development, workforce and quality of life issues for our region.”

Mr. Fitzgerald has already long served on the commission’s executive committee in his capacity as Allegheny County’s leader, including a stint as chairman. The executive committee includes elected officials from around the 10 counties that the commission serves.

He will oversee about 50 employees in his new role, the commission said. He will replace Mr. Valdes, who has served as the commission’s executive director since June 2020. Leslie Osche, chair of the commission and the Butler County Board of Commissioners, said a thorough search process was conducted for Mr. Valdes’ replacement.

“The Board had several objectives when we launched the search process: to attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent, and consistency of the SPC staff,” Ms. Osche said in a statement. “We interviewed a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond. Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the Board’s robust qualifications and competencies.”

Caitlin O’Connor, a commission spokeswoman, said the search process started months ago, not long after Mr. Valdes told the commission’s board in June that he wanted to retire at the end of 2023. Multiple finalists from more than a dozen initial applicants were interviewed in multiple rounds, she said.

View the full article at dailyitem.com.

Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald has been tapped to lead the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, an obscure government cooperative of 10 counties and the City of Pittsburgh that helps funnel state and federal dollars to projects in the region.

The commission announced Mr. Fitzgerald’s hiring on Thursday. A term-limited Democrat who has served 12 years in Allegheny County’s top elected position, he’ll begin his new job in January once he leaves office. After more than two decades as an Allegheny County official — he was previously on County Council — he will lead a commission that helps direct state and federal transportation and economic development funding throughout Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“Thank you to the SPC and its board for this opportunity and thank you to Vince for his work to energize and elevate the organization during his tenure,” Mr. Fitzgerald said in a statement, referring to outgoing executive director Vincent Valdes. “While I’ve always had a regional focus, I look forward to putting my skills and relationships to work for all 10 of our counties. Together, we will continue to concentrate on infrastructure, communication, economic development, workforce and quality of life issues for our region.”

Mr. Fitzgerald has already long served on the commission’s executive committee in his capacity as Allegheny County’s leader, including a stint as chairman. The executive committee includes elected officials from around the 10 counties that the commission serves.

He will oversee about 50 employees in his new role, the commission said. He will replace Mr. Valdes, who has served as the commission’s executive director since June 2020. Leslie Osche, chair of the commission and the Butler County Board of Commissioners, said a thorough search process was conducted for Mr. Valdes’ replacement.

“The Board had several objectives when we launched the search process: to attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent, and consistency of the SPC staff,” Ms. Osche said in a statement. “We interviewed a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond. Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the Board’s robust qualifications and competencies.”

Caitlin O’Connor, a commission spokeswoman, said the search process started months ago, not long after Mr. Valdes told the commission’s board in June that he wanted to retire at the end of 2023. Multiple finalists from more than a dozen initial applicants were interviewed in multiple rounds, she said.

View the full article at post-gazette.com.

Rob Brandegee picked up and moved to Pittsburgh’s Strip District to enjoy its convenience and bustling city living atmosphere.

For the growing population of Strip District residents like him, it’s not uncommon to take a walk and run into friends and acquaintances.

“It’s very sociable, and it really has a neighborhood vibe,” said Brandegee.

Brandegee relocated from Highland Park to the Strip in 2021. Part of the appeal was how easy it is to reach South Side-based Little Earth Productions, the company he co-founded that manufactures licensed apparel and accessories, like the Terrible Towel, for professional and college teams. He loves the mix of Strip District residents ranging from young professionals to middle-aged and older.

On Smallman, the iconic Produce Terminal – a string of connected warehouses that opened up a portion of the docks to independent retailers, bakers and craftspeople – has been transformed into The Terminal, a bright, glossy shopping center. Vibrantly painted steps lead to businesses like Aslin Beer Company, Mayweather Boxing & Fitness and Posman’s Books, just a few blocks from long-time fixtures like Salem’s Market & Grill, Robert Wholey & Co. Fish Market and Pennsylvania Macaroni Co.

Several food and entertainment spots within the Terminal are expected to open this spring and summer, including the music venue City Winery, Novo Asian Food Hall, and Puttshack, as well as office space for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission and the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

Mohamed Yassin likes to visit the Strip District once or twice a week. For the doctor specializing in infectious diseases at nearby UPMC Mercy in Uptown, dropping by the neighborhood is easy.

“I think it’s the heart of Pittsburgh,” the Fox Chapel resident said. “Even just walking around, it makes you feel like part of Pittsburgh. My wife and I will go to Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. to get olives and cheeses. We will stop by the bakery and get some nice bread. Then we take the car up to Mount Washington to see the view. So this place really means a lot to me.”

Dan Adamski, senior managing director of JLL Pittsburgh, noted that commercial construction “is almost completely halted.”

Adamski said the Strip District has a “wow factor” that attracts highly sought-after talent who can live, bike and walk and visit new restaurants and brew pubs.

“That’s what companies in the post-covid world are seeking,” Adamski said. “If you have an office, it can’t be the old, beige cube farm. It’s a confluence of a bunch of attractive factors that, if you’re a company looking for a space, you look at the Strip District.”

Read the full article at triblive.com

SPC Announces Vincent Valdes as New Executive Director & President/CEO

Pittsburgh, PA—The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) Board has selected Vincent Valdes, an engineer and planner, as the new President & CEO of the organization.

“We
are very excited for Vince to begin leading our regional planning and
transportation organization,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Chair of
the SPC Board. “His experience, enthusiasm, knowledge and background are
exactly what we need as we enter into a new era of transportation and economic
growth for the region.”

The search committee, chaired by Commissioner Larry Maggi, former SPC Chair and Washington County Commissioner, led this process with the help of search firm Krauthamer & Associates. The committee sought a dynamic and innovative leader who could manage a complex planning organization and who would be willing to roll up his or her sleeves to build, inspire and develop a regional plan to support this region’s growth.

“We
are extremely happy with our new choice for SPC. The SPC executive board did an
exhaustive application and interview process and unanimously agreed upon Mr.
Valdes,” said Maggi. “He has demonstrated from his experiences that he is very
capable to handle the current and new challenges that SPC faces. I believe our
organization will be in a good place with Mr. Valdes’ leadership.”

Since
April 2008, Valdes has served as the Associate Administrator for the Office of
Research, Demonstration and Innovation with the Federal Transit Administration
(FTA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. In addition
to serving in previous roles with the FTA, Valdes was a lead planner with the
District of Columbia Office of Planning, and worked for organizations including
Inter-American Foundation, The World Bank, ICF Incorporated, and General
Dynamics, Northrop, and Pratt & Whitney. He holds a master’s degree in
Urban Planning from Columbia University and earned his bachelor’s degree in
aerospace engineering from Boston University.

“I
am immensely delighted to be joining the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission
at this pivotal moment in the region’s history,” said Valdes. “I look forward
to working with the board and each community to spur economic development
through collaborative planning and innovative investments in infrastructure and
transportation.”

SPC
acts as a cooperative forum for collaboration, planning and public
decision-making. SPC develops public investment plans and programs, ensures
that federal and state transportation requirements are being met and operates
with other local partners with the support and trust of the public.
Additionally, SPC serves as the Local Development District and Economic
Development District for southwestern Pennsylvania. In that role, SPC
establishes and puts forth the regional economic development priorities and
provides a wide range of local government assistance programs and public
services to the region.

The
board voted on Valdes’ hiring at its March 30, 2020 meeting. He is expected to
assume the new position on June 15, 2020.

# # #

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC)
is the region’s forum for collaboration, planning and public decision-making.
As the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the ten-county
region including the City of Pittsburgh and the counties of Allegheny,
Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington, and
Westmoreland, SPC is responsible for planning and prioritizing the use of state
and federal transportation funds allocated to the region. As the Local
Development District (LDD) and Economic Development District for Southwestern
Pennsylvania (as designated by the U.S. Appalachian Regional Commission and the
U.S. Department of Commerce), SPC establishes regional economic development
priorities and provides a wide range of public services to the region.

Road projects totaling more than $186 million in costs are planned in Butler County over the next four years.

The development is not designed to prepare for an increase in traffic the region is expecting, but to help manage the traffic that is already here.

Mark Gordon, county chief of planning and economic development, is a voting member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and said in a public meeting Monday, June 3, that the road projects are vital to Butler County’s growing economy.

Ongoing work expanding Route 228 and access to it, Gordon said, are particularly important for transit management, because billions of dollars worth of traffic travel the road every year.

“This is not a ‘Build it and they will come’ (situation). They are already here,” Gordon said. “This will improve the overall effectiveness of that corridor.”

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission reviewed its Butler County Transportation Improvement Program during a virtual meeting Monday. The commission is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization which serves 10 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the four-year improvement plan is a short-term investment plan of an overall 25-year plan for the county.

The county is two years into its 2023-2026 plan, but members of the commission are already drafting the plan that will carry on through 2028. County officials help prioritize transportation work for the commission leaders, who formulate a plan based off local feedback.

According to Domenic D’Andrea, director of transportation planning for the commission, each short-term plan takes into account information in the ongoing plan, as well as goals in the long-term plan. The 2025-2028 draft of the plan estimates more than $4 billion will be invested toward improving the region’s transportation infrastructure over the next four years, D’Andrea said.

While road improvement projects are usually a priority for county officials and leaders of the commission, D’Andrea said safety improvement is consistently a top concern. Bridges have been one of the biggest targets for improvement by the commission in recent years, because 13% of bridges in Southwestern Pennsylvania are in poor condition D’Andrea said.

“The draft (Transportation Improvement Program) invests over $860 million in the region’s bridge infrastructure on over 280 bridges, 140 of which are in poor condition,” D’Andrea said.

In addition to road projects, the plan includes an investment of a little more than $300 million for new clean diesel and alternative fuel small transit vehicles and buses, and more than $30 million in upgrades and construction for maintenance and administration facilities.

Voting members of the commission — five from each of the region’s 10 counties and five from the City of Pittsburgh — will vote to adopt the 2025-2028 plan on June 24. However, the commission meets regularly with county officials to make updates to the plan that take into account changing economic factors, and new transit needs.

“You are laying out projects and they have factors associated with them to look at and predict what increasing prices may or may not be,” Gordon said. “Every time you go out for bid, more often than not, the responses are a little higher today than if you would have bid it a year ago.”

During the meeting, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the commission has been proactive in responding to feedback county leaders, no matter the size of the issue.

“The efforts, the advocacy on some of these big project we have has been pretty incredible, but equally on the smaller projects and calls that we make and the responsiveness on the calls,” Osche said.

View the full article at butlereagle.com.

Road projects totaling more than $186 million in costs are planned in Butler County over the next four years.

The development is not designed to prepare for an increase in traffic the region is expecting, but to help manage the traffic that is already here.

Mark Gordon, county chief of planning and economic development, is a voting member of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, and said in a public meeting Monday, June 3, that the road projects are vital to Butler County’s growing economy.

Ongoing work expanding Route 228 and access to it, Gordon said, are particularly important for transit management, because billions of dollars worth of traffic travel the road every year.

“This is not a ‘Build it and they will come’ (situation). They are already here,” Gordon said. “This will improve the overall effectiveness of that corridor.”

The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission reviewed its Butler County Transportation Improvement Program during a virtual meeting Monday. The commission is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization which serves 10 counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania, and the four-year improvement plan is a short-term investment plan of an overall 25-year plan for the county.

The county is two years into its 2023-2026 plan, but members of the commission are already drafting the plan that will carry on through 2028. County officials help prioritize transportation work for the commission leaders, who formulate a plan based off local feedback.

According to Domenic D’Andrea, director of transportation planning for the commission, each short-term plan takes into account information in the ongoing plan, as well as goals in the long-term plan. The 2025-2028 draft of the plan estimates more than $4 billion will be invested toward improving the region’s transportation infrastructure over the next four years, D’Andrea said.

While road improvement projects are usually a priority for county officials and leaders of the commission, D’Andrea said safety improvement is consistently a top concern. Bridges have been one of the biggest targets for improvement by the commission in recent years, because 13% of bridges in Southwestern Pennsylvania are in poor condition D’Andrea said.

“The draft (Transportation Improvement Program) invests over $860 million in the region’s bridge infrastructure on over 280 bridges, 140 of which are in poor condition,” D’Andrea said.

In addition to road projects, the plan includes an investment of a little more than $300 million for new clean diesel and alternative fuel small transit vehicles and buses, and more than $30 million in upgrades and construction for maintenance and administration facilities.

Voting members of the commission — five from each of the region’s 10 counties and five from the City of Pittsburgh — will vote to adopt the 2025-2028 plan on June 24. However, the commission meets regularly with county officials to make updates to the plan that take into account changing economic factors, and new transit needs.

“You are laying out projects and they have factors associated with them to look at and predict what increasing prices may or may not be,” Gordon said. “Every time you go out for bid, more often than not, the responses are a little higher today than if you would have bid it a year ago.”

During the meeting, Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche said the commission has been proactive in responding to feedback county leaders, no matter the size of the issue.

“The efforts, the advocacy on some of these big project we have has been pretty incredible, but equally on the smaller projects and calls that we make and the responsiveness on the calls,” Osche said.

View the full story at cranberryeagle.com.

Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald will switch his office from one historic building to another in January.

Fitzgerald, who will be leaving elected office at the iconic Allegheny County Courthouse due to term limits, will move to The Terminal complex in the Strip District as the new president and CEO of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. Fitzgerald has served on the board of the 10-county regional planning agency during his 12 years as county executive, including as the board president for a two-year term that ended in 2021.

The agency moved its headquarters to the remodeled produce terminal building earlier this year to become one of the anchor tenants for the project.

Fitzgerald will replace Vincent Valdes, who is retiring at the end of the year after leading the agency since June 2020. Under federal law, the agency plays a key role in setting regional priorities for transportation projects that receive federal funding.

In addition, SPC is involved in broadband development, water and sewer issues, and economic development.

In an interview, Fitzgerald stressed that his role as head of SPC, where he will carry out policy set by the board, will be different from his county executive role, where he sets policy for the county. Additionally, he will lead a staff of about 50 at SPC concentrating mostly on transportation and development issues in the region rather than a billion-dollar county budget that oversees thousands of employees in diverse areas such as public works, human services, the court system and jail, the airport authority, public transit and economic development.

“It’s a good way to transition,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s certainly a different type of role. When this opened up, I thought it was an opportunity to use the skills I developed over the years to do good work for the 10-county region.

“I’m very fortunate and grateful for the opportunity.”

Fitzgerald said he always has tried to take a regional approach as county executive, noting his strong support for development of the Shell Polymers Monaca plant in neighboring Beaver County’s Potter Township. He said will do everything he can to make sure the agency is meeting the needs of not only the urban and suburban communities in Allegheny, Butler, Washington and Westmoreland counties but also the more rural areas such as Armstrong, Beaver, Fayette, Indiana, Greene and Lawrence counties.

That was the goal for Valdes as well, but he took office just as the pandemic began and didn’t get an extended opportunity to travel to all the counties as much as he would have liked because of the two-year health emergency, Fitzgerald said.

“We have to find out how to build on the assets each community has,” he said. “You couldn’t put a hydrogen hub in Lawrenceville, but you can put robotics there, and you can put a hub in Fayette or Greene County. Each place has a different role.”

Fitzgerald also noted that this is an opportune time to be involved in regional planning because of the massive amount of federal funding available in a variety of areas through the Biden administration’s infrastructure and economic stimulus efforts. He’s hopeful that the contacts and relationships he has built as county executive will pay off for the region when communities apply for their share of billions in discretionary federal funding.

In a news release announcing Fitzgerald’s appointment, Butler County Commissioner and SPC board chairwoman Leslie Osche said the board considered “a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond” before choosing Fitzgerald.

“The board had several objectives when we launched the search process: to attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent and consistency of the SPC staff,” said Osche. “… Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the board’s robust qualifications and competencies.”

Before Fitzgerald became county executive, he spent 11 years as a county councilman, including eight years as council president. He previously founded and operated a water treatment services and equipment company.

Valdes, came to SPC after spending 20 years with the Federal Transit Administration, where he rose to associate administrator in the Office of Research, Demonstration and Innovation. The agency announced in its fall newsletter that he would retire at the end of the year to spend more time with his four grown children and extended family in Norfolk, Virginia.

“Leading SPC has been one of the highlights of my career,” Valdes said in the newsletter. “I’ve been fortunate to work alongside talented and dedicated professionals, and I know that the hard work this team does each and every single day positively impacts our local communities.”

View the full article at unionprogress.com.

The road map for transportation projects over the next few years will focus on local bridges, according to a proposed long-term infrastructure plan.

While state and county-owned bridges have been getting a lot of attention in recent years, officials with the state Department of Transportation and Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission said they’re now moving forward with upgrades to lesser-traveled municipal-owned spans in the region.

PennDOT and SPC officials held a public meeting at Courthouse Square in Washington on Tuesday in which they unveiled the upcoming Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP, which offers a road map for future projects and how they will be funded. The four-year plans are adjusted every two years, and the SPC is now preparing to put the finishing touches on its 2025-28 plan with the expectation that its board will approve it in June.

“It’s a work in progress at the moment,” said Domenic D’Andrea, who is the SPC’s director of transportation and planning. “It’s a living, breathing document.”

But it also offers a set of priorities moving forward. In the upcoming TIP under consideration, locally owned bridges will be a focus of the infrastructure upgrades. That’s because while about 10% of state-maintained bridges are considered to be in poor condition, the number of local bridges that are rated poor is around 25%, according to D’Andrea.

Out of the $1.9 billion for major road projects in the region through the 2023 TIP, about 43% of it is earmarked for bridges.

“You’re going to see a lot of bridge preservation projects … and bigger projects,” said Angela Swallop Saunders, who is PennDOT District 12’s transportation planning manager. “We’re making a rather large investment in bridges.”

In addition to helping preserve municipal-owned bridges, she said PennDOT will also educate local leaders on how to maintain them so they can continue to be used for years to come, she said.

For more information on the next four-year TIP plan or to offer feedback about the plans, go to SPC’s website at www.spcregion.org and click on the “Get Involved!” tab.

View the full article at observer-reporter.com

Rich Fitzgerald, outgoing Allegheny County executive, is heading to a new gig.

After serving 12 years as the county’s top official, he’ll become executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, a federally certified metropolitan planning organization and local development district that maps a blueprint for growth in 10 counties in the region. It helps counties, cities, municipalities and townships to access more than $35 billion state and federal transportation and economic development funds allocated to the region through 2045.

Fitzgerald, who was named 2202 Pittsburgher of the Year by Pittsburgh Magazine because of his public service, is term-limited in the county executive position. He’s slated to begin his new job on Jan. 2.

In his new position, the Squirrel Hill father of eight will lead a team of 50 staff members that focus on seven areas, including economic and workforce development, transportation planning and strategic initiatives and policy.

“The board had several objectives when we launched the search process: to attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent, and consistency of the SPC staff,” said Leslie Osche, the commission’s board chair and Butler County Commissioner, in a press release.  “We interviewed a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond. Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the board’s robust qualifications and competencies.”

The commission’s current executive director, Vincent Valdes, will retire at the end of this year. Fitzgerald’s county executive post will be filled by progressive Democrat Sara Innamorato, who was elected in November as the first woman to assume the county’s top position.

View the full article at pittsburghmagazine.com.

Outgoing Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald is taking a post-public service retirement off the table.

Fitzgerald, who has been in the county executive role for 12 years, or three straight terms — the limit for the position — will end his tenure at the start of January 2024 with the inauguration of Allegheny County Executive-elect Sara Innamorato, but according to an announcement made on Thursday, he has already landed a new role for when his term officially ends.

Starting on Jan. 2, 2024, Fitzgerald will serve as the new executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the federally certified metropolitan planning organization and local development district that serves 10 counties in the region. The organization’s current executive director, Vincent Valdez, will be retiring at the end of the year.

“Thank you to the SPC and its board for this opportunity and thank you to Vince for his work to energize and elevate the organization during his tenure,” Fitzgerald said in a release. “While I’ve always had a regional focus, I look forward to putting my skills and relationships to work for all 10 of our counties. Together, we will continue to concentrate on infrastructure, communication, economic development, workforce and quality of life issues for our region.”

In his role, Fitzgerald will lead SPC’s staff of 50 across seven different focus areas: Economic and workforce development, transportation planning, strategic initiatives and policy, information and data, finance, human resources, and communications and public relations. SPC noted Fitzgerald’s accomplishments and work to grow and diversify the region’s economy, invest in transportation and infrastructure and improve public services during his time as county executive, as well as his 11 years spent on the county council.

“The Board had several objectives when we launched the search process: To attract a candidate that intrinsically understood this region’s unique needs and characteristics, had a track record of leadership and growth cultivation, and would build upon the current strength, talent and consistency of the SPC staff,” Leslie Osche, SPC’s board chair and Butler County Commissioner, said in a release. “We interviewed a diverse group of candidates from the region and beyond. Rich Fitzgerald certainly exceeded the Board’s robust qualifications and competencies.”

View the full article at bizjournals.com.