Local Government Academy

Yesterday was our Annual Promoting Excellence Golf Outing! A very special thank you to all of our volunteers, staff, and golfers for making this a great event.

A special shout-out to all of our sponsors:

Gold Sponsors
Robinson Pipe Cleaning Co.
Gateway Engineers
LSSE Civil Engineers and Surveyors

Silver Sponsors
MRM
Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. - HRG
Gibson-Thomas Engineering
VBA
Campbell Durrant & Beatty PC
CS McKee
Peoples Natural Gas
Pennsylvania American Water
Waste Management - Coraopolis, PA

Bronze Sponsors
Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP
ALOM Public Partners

Hole-in-One Sponsor
McCormick Taylor, Inc.

Putting Contest Sponsor
Mockenhaupt

Lunch Sponsor
A&H Equipment Company

Coffee and Donut Sponsor
Municipal Benefits Services

Golf Ball Sleeve Sponsor
A&H Equipment Company

and Cranberry Highlands Golf Course for hosting!

Joining us at our Recognition Luncheon is photographer Chad Isaiah! He has provided excellent professional head-shots for our municipal interns. His expertise in photography assisted in making this a day to remember!

Thank you to everyone who made this event possible and all of our interns for their hard work all summer!

Our featured speaker of the day, Stephanie Edwards, MPA- Local Government Planning Specialist from the PA Department of Community and Economic Development spoke to our interns, having progressed through the program herself!
As our featured speaker, she did a great job highlighting the importance of local government for our interns who have dedicated their summer to improving local government.

We are honored to have our own Board Chair Ruthann L Omer, P.E. attending our Recognition Luncheon. She helped get our luncheon off to a great start by introducing our featured intern project for 2024: intern Meredith Felde with supervisor Katie Stringent from Moon Township.
Meredith Felde did a great job highlighting her projects at Moon Township.
Thank you to Ruthann L Omer, Meredith Felde, Katie Stringent, and all those who joined us at our Recognition Luncheon!

Today’s the Day! Our 2024 Municipal Intern Program Recognition Luncheon celebrates all the hard work our interns have done for the advancement of Local Government.

Please register soon for the 2024 Promoting Excellence in Local Government Golf Outing, which is scheduled for Thursday, August 15, 2024 at Cranberry Highlands Golf Course.

Don’t miss your opportunity to play on this renowned course and participate in challenging skill competitions for a chance to win great prizes!

8:30 – 10:00 AM – Come early to join in on the fun!
Putting Contest—Make the Putt Sponsored by Mockenhaupt. Think you’re a pro? Try putting with an Authentic Arnold Plumber!
Penny Social Auction—Featuring Municipal Gift Baskets worth a minimum value of $150!
10:30 AM – Shotgun Start
11:30 AM – Hot Dog Lunch with domestic beer/cold drinks in the Grill Room
3:00 – 5:00 PM – Awards Ceremony with Team Prizes and Skill Awards with hearty appetizers and cash bar. Stay for the 50/50 and door prizes as you enjoy food and drink!

Register Here: https://www.localgovernmentacademy.org/events-landing/annual-promoting-excellence-golf-outing/2024-annual-promoting-excellence-golf-outing-registration/

Last but certainly not least, thank you John Barrett, Township Manager of South Fayette Township for speaking to our interns about municipal facilities and showing them around!

That's a wrap on our second Municipal Development Day! Special thanks once again to South Fayette Township for the accommodations and thank you so much to all of our speakers, volunteers, and attendees who helped make this event a success!

Joining us after lunch, Patricia M. DeMarco, published author and Sustainability & Resiliency Consultant, spoke about the role of sustainability within local government. Thank you Patricia!

Corey Young, Director of the Center for Energy Policy and Management (CEPM) and member of our LGA Board of Directors spoke about Local Government & Energy Policy. Thank you Corey!

Today is our second 2024 Municipal Intern Program Session.

Special thanks to South Fayette Township and John Barret for graciously hosting us in their brand new municipal building.

Our first speaker was Lisa Franklin-Robinson of North Braddock Borough and member of our LGA Board of Directors who spoke to our municipal interns about leadership within local government.

Congratulations to our 2024 NEOC graduates! View photos from our graduation dinner here: https://bit.ly/2024-NEOC-graduation

Thank you to Chad Krawtz, NEOC graduate, and Rick Vilello, Deputy Secretary for Community Affairs & Development at the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, for speaking at our NEOC graduation! Congratulations to all of our NEOC graduates!

We're all ready to welcome our NEOC graduates to graduation this evening!

Each month, Local Government Academy likes to take a moment to recognize our partners in municipal government, whose commitment to excellence has helped make our region a great place to live. This month, we are proud to feature South Fayette Township, who graciously hosted the final two sessions of the 2023-2024 Newly Elected Officials Course.

South Fayette Township recently completed construction on a brand new 36,000-square-foot municipal center. In the morning session, Township Manager John M. Barrett welcomed attendees and emphasized the improved security, accessibility, and professionalism of the new municipal center. With dedicated spaces for the police department, administrative staff offices, and public board meetings, the facility is designed to better serve the evolving needs of South Fayette residents.

A significant portion of the new building is dedicated to the police department, reflecting a commitment to public safety. Chief John Phoennik, with 34 years of service to the department, expressed excitement about the enhanced capabilities of the 18,000-square-foot police station. With modern amenities including offices, training rooms, holding cells, and a fitness center, the new station empowers officers to better serve the community. NEOC attendees had the opportunity to tour the police facility as part of the March 9th training session.

The completion of the new municipal center marks an important milestone for South Fayette Township. As Township Manager Barrett noted, this achievement represents the first step in fulfilling a longstanding priority for the community. Plans are already underway to further enrich community offerings, including the development of a community center to accommodate organizations such as the South Fayette Township Library and the South Fayette Area Senior Citizens Association.

Last but certainly not least, Dave Montz of 3 Rivers Wet Weather and Julia Spicher of ALCOSAN wrapped up our last session by discussing water/wastewater, consent orders, and ALCOSAN's Clean Water Plan. Thank you so much to all of our speakers, volunteers, and attendees who helped make this, and all of our sessions, a success! That's all for our NEOC sessions this year, and we'll see you at graduation on April 2, 2024!

Dennis J. Flynn, P.E. and Baylee Schwab, E.I.T from Gateway Engineers talked to us about sewer systems 101. Thank you!

Erica Rocchi Brusselars, County Treasurer and one of our very own newly elected officials in the course, took a few minutes to address the newly elected officials. Thank you to the County Treasurer!

Thank you to Jason Dailey of Dailey Consulting for giving us a primer on Public Works 101!

Continuing our last session, Falco Muscante, Esq., Christina Lane, Esq., and Krisha DiMascio, Esq., of Maiello Brungo & Maiello spoke to our newly elected officials about public access to accounts. Thank you very much to our speakers!

Kicking off our last session, LGA Board Chair Ruthann Omer introduced the Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato to say a few words! Thank you so much to Sara Innamorato for coming and addressing our Newly Elected Officials Course!

The LGA team enjoyed a great outing to the Swissvale Fire Department Fish Fry! Thank you to the Swissvale Fire Department for the delicious food!

Another successful NEOC session! Thank you to our panelists for joining us to discuss sustainable municipal debt finance, and thank you to all of our other speakers, volunteers, and attendees who helped make this session a success! We also appreciate the wonderful people from Women for a Healthy Environment and the Tri-COG Land Bank who came out to host informational tables at our session today. Thank you everyone, and we'll see you at the next session on March 23, 2024!

After lunch, Dr. Patricia DeMarco, Ph.D., published author and sustainability & resiliency consultant, discussed strategic planning for long-term investments. Thank you!

Thank you to all of our facilitators who led us in some fantastic breakout group discussions on planning for growing communities and planning for redevelopment!

An Lewis joined Denny Puko at NEOC today to share the news of Senator Casey securing $1.7 million in funding for the Tri-COG Land Bank's Land Recovery and Affordable Housing Project in McKeesport!

Welcome to our first session at the South Fayette Municipal Building! Thank you so much to South Fayette's manager, John Barrett, for welcoming us to their new municipal building, and to Denny Puko, experienced municipal planner of Planning Consultant LLC, for talking with us about the fundamentals of land development!

Throughout the year, Local Government Academy is taking time to recognize our partners in municipal government, whose commitment to excellence has helped make our region a great place to live. This month, we are especially proud to feature Hampton Township, who has long served as a key partner under former Manager Chris Lochner and recently hosted us for three sessions of the 2023-2024 Newly Elected Officials Course.

Hampton Township is a thriving community that has consistently led the region in good governance practices, which has allowed it to continue to grow and develop. In this spirit of change, Hampton welcomes its first new municipal manager in 37 years, as Ryan Jeroski takes the reins following Chris Lochner's retirement.

Since taking over in Hampton, Ryan has been instrumental in continuing Hampton’s legacy of promoting excellence in local government throughout the region, including speaking at our first Newly Elected Official’s Course session at the Hampton Township Community Center.

Local Government Academy is thrilled to partner with Hampton in their ongoing efforts at improving quality of life and governmental responsiveness. We look forward to learning from their experience in implementing best practices to refine our programs and initiatives to continue to serve our region. Hampton Township stands as a great example of excellence in local government, and Local Government Academy is proud to celebrate this vibrant community's achievements and commitment to progress.

Amie Downs, Senior Vice President of Communications at C&G Strategies, closed out our session speaking about communicating as an elected official. Thank you to Amie and to all of our other speakers, volunteers, and attendees who helped make this session a success! We'll see you at the next session on February 24, 2024!