A tip of the cap goes to the countless transportation people who responded to flood emergencies two weekends ago and, in some cases, who continue to perform beyond the call of duty.
From bus drivers such as Jerome Krakosky on the 46D Curry route, who calmed the anxieties of riders heading home in pounding rain, to Pennsylvania Turnpike workers who arrived with 21 dump trucks and six front-loaders to help with community cleanups. ...
From top city and county public works officials such as Guy Costa and Tom Donatelli, respectively, who remained at the helm for endless hours, to city, borough and township road crews who seldom get credit for doing the dirty work. ... From 20 volunteers from Lancaster and Cleveland who rushed to repair damage to equipment and exhibits at the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum to Port Authority bus route foreman Steve Borushko, who drove two stranded riders to a local motel in the afternoon and marched into waist-deep water that night to assist Carnegie flood victims. ...
From friends and neighbors who provided rides for people left with no means to get around to PennDOT personnel who labored to reopen flooded, mud-covered roads and damaged bridges as fast as possible. ... I'm expressing the thoughts of many people and PG readers when I write, Thank you.
More convention business. Some reader reactions to last week's column about a triple-header of transportation junkets in Philadelphia were not suitable for publication.
But I think you appreciate learning how public agencies spend your money on travel and events. Ergo, let me enlighten you about one that rarely comes up, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.
Who?
The SPC is the master transportation, planning and economic development agency for the 10-county area. Based at the Regional Enterprise Tower, a.k.a. the former Alcoa Building, Downtown, it has a staff of 51, a board membership of mostly elected officials and a $15 million budget underwritten by federal and state grants.
The SPC spent $18,132 to send eight delegates to Chicago from June 26 to 29 for the 38th annual Conference and Exhibition of the National Association of Regional Councils: six staff members and two county commissioners who also serve as SPC commissioners, Bernie Smith, of Indiana County, and Jim Kennedy, of Butler County.
Expenses included the SPC's $5,676 share of $25,000 to co-sponsor a reception and conference-closing dinner that honored Kennedy, who was elected president of the national association.
In his acceptance speech, Kennedy talked about the power that a region has to make "real progress" when its communities work together and speak with a single, regional voice. I guess he meant someone else, not us.
SPC Executive Director Jim Hassinger said our region "is recognized among the best in the world at developing workable plans for regional cooperation." I guess he meant a dream world because, when I last checked, Allegheny County still consisted of 130 municipalities ready to fight to the death to keep their fiefdoms.
The SPC said its $5,676 share for the banquet where Kennedy assumed office came from private donations, meaning that your total cost for the eight delegates amounted to $12,456 for the four days.
Kennedy's wife went along but paid her own way. The SPC paid for Judy Snyder, Kennedy's county commissioner staff assistant, to assist him in his new NARC role.
Planning is typically pretty boring stuff. I'm sure I would have nodded off during the session titled Sometimes Things Change -- Effective Innovation for Regional Advantage and at the New National Ambient Air Quality Standards Workshop.
As the new NARC president, Kennedy moderated a general panel session titled The Future of Regional Councils in Europe -- Are There Common Denominators?
The only thing I would have enjoyed was toasting Kennedy at the closing banquet at the Crystal Gardens at Chicago's famous Navy Pier. The restaurant features a one-acre, indoor botanical garden in a six-story glass atrium, "dancing fountains" and a great bar.
Besides planning for our future, the SPC functions as one of 14 metropolitan planning agencies across the state, working with PennDOT to decide transportation priorities for the purpose of qualifying for federal funds.
For a change, PennDOT didn't send any of its people who work with the planning agencies to the NARC conference in Chicago. I didn't ask why.
Still more. Port Authority Chief Executive Officer Paul Skoutelas is to fly to Atlanta at the end of the week to join 2,000 others for a five-day meeting of the American Public Transit Association.
It's unusual for the Port Authority to send only one representative to APTA's annual event. Then again, the Port Authority has never been facing a $30 million budget deficit.
Skoutelas is secretary-treasurer of the organization's executive committee. He has to be there to help pay the bills.
APTA invited me to attend. I have to be here to help pay the bills.
Alas, a private event. Eighteen people from the Pittsburgh area should be flying home today from the Associated General Constructors of America's midyear meeting at a resort and spa in the Sonoran Desert outside of Phoenix.
Taxpayers aren't footing the bill for this four-day gathering. These delegates are members of private industry, including road-builders and their transportation trade organizations, such as the Constructors Association of Western Pennsylvania and the Master Builders Association of Western Pennsylvania.
Swank Associates Cos. Inc., of New Kensington, and Trumbull Corp., of West Mifflin, also were represented. A month ago, Trumbull submitted a low bid of $106 million to rebuild 5.5 miles of Interstate 79 south of the Parkway West.
I thought the conference had a pretty timely agenda. I also thought the social highlight would have been yesterday, a carefree day in Carefree, Ariz., and neighboring Cave Creek, where you can find the legendary restaurants The Satisfied Frog and The Horny Toad.
Believe it! Trains moved 40 percent of the nation's grain last year, enough to make 315 loaves of bread for every man, woman and child in the United States.
Plate du jour. While driving home from work, Ed Szuba, of Emsworth, spotted the Pennsylvania personalized license plate COWSMOO on Ohio River Boulevard. Ever see a PIG OINK, DOG BARK or CAT MEOW?
First Published: October 3, 2004, 4:00 a.m.
