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Congress of Neighboring Communities

 
Table of Contents 

- New Faces at CONNECT
- October Friendraiser
- Second CONNECT Utilities Summit
- LGA's Newly Elected Officials Course
- Allegheny County DHS Visits CONNECT
- Working Group Updates
- 40 Under 40 Awards
- Open Streets Brentwood 
- SPC releases New Regional Transportation Plan video
- Good Reads

Upcoming Events 

December Executive Committee Meeting

Thursday, December 10th at 10AM
City of Pittsburgh 
Room 646, City County Building
414 Grant Street


January Executive Committee Meeting

Thursday, January 21 at 10AM
Munhall Borough Building
1900 West Street Munhall, PA 15120

Career Opportunities

Sustainable Pittsburgh
Sustainable Community Coordinator
Sustainable Business Program Manager
Manager of Development and Finance

Allegheny County Department of Human Services
Scholars in Local Government (Recent masters or PhD graduate within 18 months of application)
Fellows in Local Government (Must have earned bachelor’s degree between March 2014-June 2016)

Allegheny Conference on Community Development
Policy Analyst

Save the Date

Green Workplace Challenge 3.0 Finale and Awards Ceremony
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
5:30 PM  - 8:30 PM  (Registration, Reception and Tours 5:30 -  6:30 PM)
The Andy Warhol Museum
117 Sandusky Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5890





 

We’ve been busy at CONNECT! Our apologies for the lack of newsletters in the past few months – we have a lot to report! 


CONNECT Selects Executive Director, Welcomes New Staff

CONNECT is excited to announce that Kristen Michaels has officially been selected as the new Executive Director! Kristen has been with CONNECT for several years, serving as Associate Director of both CONNECT and GSPIA’s Center for Metropolitan Studies. She brings her background in nonprofit management, marketing and outreach, along with her strong bonds to the CONNECT members and community to the position.

The newest staff member, Lindsay Angelo, has recently been brought on board as CONNECT's Project Coordinator. She received her Master of Public Administration degree from GSPIA this year and volunteered with CONNECT prior to being hired. She brings her experience in project management both abroad and locally.
 
October CONNECT Friendraiser Draws a Crowd!

A heartfelt thanks to all who came out to CONNECT’s Friendraiser at Voodoo Brewery on October 14th! The event was a great success! Over 70 members and friends of CONNECT gathered to mingle and network in the unique venue that was previously the home of the Munhall fire station. City of Pittsburgh Mayor and CONNECT Chair Bill Peduto affirmed our partners’ commitment to CONNECT and the importance of the work that we are doing to strengthen cross-boundary collaboration in the region. Be sure to visit the Friendraiser photo album on our Facebook page for more pictures of the event.




A big thanks to our sponsors for their support!




Second CONNECT Utilities Summit a Great Success

On November 16th, CONNECT hosted its Second Utilities Summit with a great turnout! Over 80 utility and municipality representatives convened at the Circuit Center to hear from panelists about common data platform ideas and opportunities for utility coordination and collaboration on road construction and repair. As a continuation of our first Utility Summit in March, this second event allowed for important networking and problem-solving opportunities. After the two panel discussions, the latter half of the summit consisted of break-out groups that focused on wins, opportunities, and obstacles to coordination. Input and voices were heard loud and clear, so stay tuned for follow up emails and reports from CONNECT! Click here for more photos of the event on our Facebook page.

LGA's Newly Elected Officials Course is Underway!

The Local Government Academy's (LGA) 2015-2016 Newly Elected Officials Course has begun! The course provides in-depth instruction for local officials immediately after the General Election, starting on November 21, 2015. This program has many benefits for these new officials and those they serve, including the following:

  • First-time elected officials reduce “on-the-job training” time, and orient more quickly to public office
  • Experienced elected officials use the course as a refresher to improve leadership abilities
  • Elected officials from throughout the region build a network of contacts and resources
  • Experts from government, business, and academia provide practical, real-world instruction

The Newly Elected Officials Course is presented by the Local Government Academy, an independent non-partisan organization serving southwestern Pennsylvania since 1983. It is the most comprehensive course for newly elected officials in Pennsylvania.
 

Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services (DHS) Visits CONNECT

 
Marc Cherna, Director of Allegheny County DHS spoke with the CONNECT Executive Committee at our September 17th meeting in Mount Oliver. Cherna discussed DHS’s mission and objectives, and the issue areas that the organization has been tackling in order to address human service needs. Literature and materials for available services were distributed from their five programmatic offices in Aging, Behavioral Health, Children, Youth and Families, Community Services, and Intellectual Disability.
 

Cherna stressed the commitment of DHS to data-based decision making, and thorough response to feedback and concerns from communities and individuals using their services. Data Research and Analysis is a DHS executive office that holds a warehouse of data that contains DHS client data and their involvement and interaction with human services.

 
One of DHS’ the most important data-sharing projects allows DHS to access and compare data from 17 Allegheny County school districts. The partnership has allowed DHS to have a more complete profile of their constituents and to serve them more effectively. DHS is looking to expand this agreement to additional school districts

 

Working Group Updates

Health Policy Working Group

CONNECT is partnering with the Allegheny County Health Department to assist in their Health in All Policies and Live Well Allegheny initiatives. CONNECT will be convening a Healthy Policy Working Group to help to determine priority issue areas that are of interest to our communities. This group will address issues of health and wellness, including aging and social issues.

If you are interested in participating in this working group, please e-mail Kristen Michaels at kmaser@pitt.edu. We will be convening this working group for the first time this winter.

CONNECT Fights Blight

CONNECT continues to work with specialized blight attorney Megan Ott of GRB Law to address blight in our communities. Megan has contracted with CONNECT municipalities to aid them in their work to address vacant and abandoned properties in their region.

Additionally, we have had productive meetings with both Habitat for Humanity and Rebuilding Together Pittsburgh and are contemplating ways that a partnership could benefit their organizations and our efforts.
We are planning a CONNECT Blight Workshop with Megan Ott so stay tuned for details.

Transportation

The Port Authority is accepting service requests until November 30, 2015. If you have a suggestion or an idea for better service, click here to submit your request.

Since our last Congress, CONNECT has enjoyed a formalized partnership with the Port Authority. We will be holding our next joint meeting with the Port Authority early next year.

CONNECT is currently conducting an assessment of Park & Rides in the CONNECT footprint with the goal of determining which Park & Rides experience excessive overflows that cause issues for neighboring residents. CONNECT is hoping to identify potential areas of alternative parking that would alleviate this issue. We will be working with the Port Authority once the assessment is concluded to see if any of the identified alternative lots would be feasible for use.

Emergency Medical Services

CONNECT has been meeting with our partners at the Allegheny County EMS Council (ACEMS) in regards to the CONNECT Community Paramedic Program that was established in 2014. The program has helped hundreds of referred patients to avoid hospital visits and to better manage their care. Data from the first year of the program is currently being collected and will be available soon. We are working to ensure continued funding and management of this program and will report back soon!


Additionally, the Allegheny County EMS Council recently completed a survey of EMS agencies in Allegheny County in an effort to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the agencies; to determine the prevalence of Quality Improvement programs within agencies; to educate community officials on the current state of EMS in their jurisdictions; and to develop a tool by which EMS agencies can compare themselves to their peers. 34 out of 44 agencies responded to the survey.

This is the first part of a multi-phased analysis on the part of ACEMS to assess the agencies within the county. The mission of the ACEMS is to establish, maintain, and implement a coordinated and cooperative system of emergency medical services to provide efficient medical care to the residents and visitors of Allegheny County. 


Wilkinsburg Councilwoman Marita Garrett is a 40 Under 40 winner!

Congratulations to CONNECT’s Second Vice Chair and Wilkinsburg Councilwoman Marita Garrett for being named 40 Under 40! Pittsburgh Magazine and PUMP sponsor the 40 Under 40 Program with the goal of recognizing 40 people under the age of 40 who are committed to shaping our region and making it a better place for everyone to live, work and play. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges based on their passion, commitment, visibility, diversity, and overall impact on the region. 

Brentwood Hosts First Open Streets Program outside of Pittsburgh!
On Saturday, October 17th, 1.3 miles of Brownsville Road was closed off to all automobile traffic and transformed into an open space where people of all ages could walk, bike, socialize, and more! This event, OpenStreets BRENTWOOD, was hosted by Economic Development South (EDS) and Brentwood Borough, in partnership with Allegheny County.



The morning started out with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new playground at Brentwood Park, followed by an afternoon of various recreational events, including yoga, dance, Zumba, music, and other fitness activities. Local small businesses participated with booths and tents set up along the street, and nonprofit organizations set up games and exhibitions for the community members and OpenStreets participants. The event gained great reviews by residents and visitors, and an overall huge success for the community of Brentwood!

The County is hoping to host additional OpenStreets events around the County.


SPC Releases New Regional Transportation Plan Video Summary

Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) released a new video summary of Mapping the Future: The Southwestern PA Plan, which discussed a $29 billion investment in infrastructure. On June 29, 2015, SPC adopted the region’s official long range plan which connects the region’s vision to the region’s implementation program of projects and action plans.


The SPC Plan prioritizes programs and projects concerning existing transportation assets in pursuit of sustainability for the region. The regional vision strategies include the promotion of mixed-use development centers, targeting infrastructure improvements in clusters of development and corridors that connect them, brownfield rehabilitation, support of agriculture in rural areas, access to urban cores, support of water and sewer system upgrades, and more. Click here to access the full June 2015 SPC Plan.


Good Reads

Homeowner and Vacancy Rates – Comparative Analysis

Pittsburgh leads the benchmark regions in the northeastern part of the US in the percentage of regional residents who own their homes at 69.3 percent, second only to Minneapolis. To see how the regions compare, take a look at the homeownership indicator.






The region's housing market, however, is not without its imperfections. Some 10.3 percent of housing is vacant in the seven-county metro area, the 5th highest vacancy rate among benchmark regions. Pittsburgh's vacancy rate is only lower than Detroit, St. Louis, Cleveland and Indianapolis. For a closer look at the data, check out the housing vacancy indicator.





Your friends at CONNECT wish you and your families a happy and filling Thanksgiving!


If you have events or items that you'd like to include in our newsletter, please contact us at: CONNECT@pitt.edu or 412-648-2282

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