It's National Public Works Week!
Kim Weightman • May 22, 2025
Recognizing our Public Works Team for National Public Works Week!
This week, we’re celebrating our incredible Bethel Park Public Works Team led by Director Susie Dolinar who’s been with the Municipality for over 40 years!
Susie and her team of 23 dedicated staff work tirelessly each day to ensure that all municipally owned buildings, grounds and infrastructure are maintained throughout the year. This team is on call 24/7 for emergencies such as snow and other severe weather-related incidents and hazardous conditions as well.
This past winter, our dedicated team conducted 26 road-clearing operations—more than double the number over the past two years—ensuring that our residents could travel safely despite severe weather conditions. Our crew effectively managed 15 snow routes, covering approximately 138 miles of municipal and state roads, and utilized over 4,000 tons of salt.
Public works also maintains all municipal fields, park buildings, park playgrounds, tennis courts, volleyball, basketball, and pickleball courts as well as five parklets. Along with that, Susie and her team maintain operations at the Municipal Building, Community Center, and three community fire stations.
You’ll also find Public Works employees repairing potholes and making other minor road repairs, inspecting and replacing roadway and street identification signs as needed; repairing and maintaining over 6,800 storm basins located along Bethel Park roadways as well as 6,000 sanitary manholes; and inspecting and maintaining 206 miles of sanitary sewer main lines.
This amazing team also excels in community outreach holding the wildly successful “Touch-A-Truck” event each year as well as coordinating an annual Halloween Parade.
TOUCH-A-TRUCK
This year’s Touch-A-Truck was held on Sunday, May 18, and had over 2,500 people in attendance!
When speaking of the event, Bethel Park Municipal Manager Kristen Denne said, “Having worked in Municipal government for 25 years, I can honestly say that this is the best Touch-A-Truck event there is anywhere in the state of Pennsylvania!”
Susie started the program back in 2018.
"Over the years, my team and I saw how excited children were when they saw our trucks; we also knew that they loved seeing police cars and fire trucks too. So, we decided to create an event where we could bring all types of trucks together for kids to see firsthand including Public Works, Police, Fire and many, many other vehicles including a variety of vintage cars," said Dolinar.
From that initial idea, the event grew to also include a 22-ton sand pile filled with over 500 gifts and lots of other exciting attractions.
"We try to keep on top of the best attractions and bring them to our Touch-A-Truck event each year," said Dolinar. "Our newest one this year was a mega truck! We were very excited to have it at our program and the kids loved seeing it!"
Guests also enjoyed horseback rides, seeing a mini horse, fainting goats, meeting the Washington Wild Thing, and having surprise visits from the “Grinch” and “Sully” from Monsters Inc. Free T-shirts were given to the first 250 children as well as free refreshments for attendees.
"We're grateful for our sponsors, the Bethel Park Community Foundation and Parking Lot Paving Company for providing the funds for the shirts," said Dolinar. “And we’d like to thank everyone who took the time to stop by and enjoy the day with us!”
Our Bethel Park Public Works team embodies this year’s National Public Works Week theme—"People, Purpose, Presence"—with unwavering dedication. They work tirelessly, often behind the scenes, ensuring that our community thrives. Their presence may often go unnoticed, but their impact is felt in every service provided and every improvement made to enhance the quality of life in Bethel Park. We’re grateful for their commitment and proud to celebrate their invaluable contributions this week and every week!
#TeamBP #BethelPark #PublicWorks #NationalPublicWorksWeek
Bethel Park will be holding its annual Memorial Day Program on Monday, May 26 to remember and honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. The program will feature an 8:50 a.m. Morning Ceremony at the Veterans Memorial Plaza in front of the Municipal Building (5100 W. Library Ave.) followed by a parade stepping off at 10 a.m. from the site and ending at Bethel Presbyterian Cemetery for a service there. Refreshments will also be available for guests prior to the Morning Ceremony in Council Chambers (5100 W. Library Ave.) at 8:15 a.m. “This program has become an esteemed tradition for our community,” said Bethel Park Council President John Oakes. “I’d like to thank everyone who has planned this very special event and to thank Dick Jewell who will be this year’s speaker.” Jewell who said he’s “honored to have this opportunity,” is a longtime Bethel Park resident who received the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal for doing an outstanding job in the legal work he conducted for the various commanders at the Third Cav. Since moving to Bethel Park in 1956 as a child, he has attended every Memorial Day Parade except for two when he was serving in the Army. Jewell’s speech will focus on the true meaning of Memorial Day and include many military references including General MacArthur’s “Duty, Honor and Country” speech that he made at West Point in 1962. “This program is quite unique in that it involves so many groups coming together to remember those who’ve paid the ultimate price for our freedom,” said Bethel Park Manager Kristen Denne. The parade route will begin at the Municipal Building, head left onto Highland Ave., left on Bethel Church Rd., and end at Bethel Presbyterian Church Cemetery. Any changes to the Memorial Day program due to inclement weather will be announced on Memorial Day by 7 a.m. on all Bethel Park social media outlets and website ( www.bethelparkpa.gov ) . Splash Park to Open for the Season! Bethel Park’s 1.05-acre Splash Park will open for the season on Saturday, May 24 at 11 a.m. for seasonal members and 12 p.m. for all other guests. The Splash Park is located on Park Avenue next to the Bethel Park Community Center (5151 Park Ave.). The $3.5 million park opened in May 2024 and features two areas: one for younger children with a river component to float toys as well as a larger area for all ages with various spray toys and other features. It’s also ADA accessible, is fully fenced, has a pavilion available to rent on site, has air-conditioned restrooms, and is fully staffed with Recreation seasonal employees. Regular Splash Park hours are 12 – 7 p.m. Sunday – Saturday (7 days a week) throughout the season (weather permitting), with an earlier 11 a.m. opening for Seasonal Members. Seasonal Memberships are $50 per household for Bethel Park Residents only; residents can also purchase 10-day Punch Passes for $27 a pass or Single Day passes for $3/per person. Single Day passes are available to non-residents for $5/per person. Day passes can be purchased at the Splash Park (credit/debit only) . Memberships and/or passes must be purchased prior to visiting the Splash Park. Questions about memberships, passes or pavilion rental? Call the Bethel Park Community Center at 412-851-2910 or visit www.bethelparkpa.gov . With expected cooler temperatures this weekend, hours may vary. Any changes will be announced on Recreation’s social media outlets.
Today (Friday, May 23) , Municipal Contractor Youngblood Paving will be PAVING Bertha St. (West Library Ave. - Pennsylvania Ave.) and doing INLET work on Cassidy Dr. Work will continue until 7 p.m. with flaggers on site to assist with traffic. We’ll continue to provide updates next week.
The Bees Were Buzzing—and So Were We
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Rain or Shine, Community Grows: Yesterday’s Market Kickoff
Utility Work scheduled on Oregon Trail and Wells Drive
Every day when Bethel Park Police Department’s (BPPD) Dispatch Team begins their shift, they never know what to expect. “They can handle anything from a barking dog complaint to an armed domestic dispute,” said BPPD Operations Lieutenant Sean McGrail who’s been a police officer for 25 years and with the Department since 2006. “Someone is on the job in Dispatch 24 hours a day/7 days a week. They take all 911 or 412-833-2000 emergency calls and dispatch police or fire as needed.” Bethel Park’s Communications Officers (dispatchers) include Anna Stelitano , Samantha Coughlin, Kim McLaughlin, Kayleigh Janda, and Craig Rice. Each is part of the International Association of Public Safety Communicators (APCO) where they receive certification for their positions and participate in ongoing continuing education each year; after two years, they recertify. They also become Commonwealth Law Enforcement Assistance Network (CLEAN) Certified and National Crime Information Center (NCIC) certified to enable them to run driver’s licenses and search for warrants among other things. They also receive 3-4 months of hands-on training with a trained dispatcher. “We have an APCO certified instructor with us – Samantha Coughlin,” said Lt. McGrail. “She does the majority of training in the Dispatch Center and from there, we move the new dispatcher to a different shift so that they can experience different types of calls that happen on the various shifts.” Of all the skills needed for the job, Lt. McGrail said the most important is ‘multitasking.” “These individuals are phenomenal multitaskers handling phone calls, answering the radio, assisting officers, and actively listening all at the same time many times,” he said. “They make quick decisions to get people the help they need as soon as possible. They multitask and compartmentalize and it’s impressive to watch as things get busy…it’s like an art form!” With the job of an emergency dispatcher having been rated one of the most stressful in America, Lt. McGrail said he’s worked in the dispatch center in the past when he was a Patrol Sergeant and Patrolman and is amazed at what the dispatchers in his department do and how they are able to keep calm and focused. “Recently we had terrible storms, and the phone rang nonstop for over an hour; they kept their calm, assisted each caller and didn’t shut down,” he said. “I don’t know how they do it, but they do it exceptionally well! Communication here is so important and we try to treat everyone well and help them as much as possible.” Lt. McGrail also mentioned the support of Officers Andrew Volchko and Ryan Elliott as well as Becky Jones and Tara Eastman (prior dispatchers experience – Jones with 20 years and Eastman with 25 years) who are all still part of the Dispatch Team helping as needed. “Becky and Tara fill in as needed once or twice a month, and Officers Volchko and Elliott do as well. In fact, when we were going through a staffing transition where Becky and Tara moved to other positions within our department, Officer Volchko was instrumental in getting those shifts covered while we were shorthanded,” said Lt. McGrail. Recently during National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, Jones coordinated a week of festivities to acknowledge all of the Communications Officers including special decorations, gifts, signs with appreciative messages, and a lunch. “We’re very fortunate to have the individuals we do here who are incredible. It’s not an easy job and I feel it’s very underappreciated. It’s a hard job to do and all of our dispatchers are awesome at it,” said McGrail. McLaughlin has worked as a dispatcher for 26 years and been with the BPPD since April 2022; Coughlin has been a dispatcher for 16 years and been with the BPPD since March 2016; Stelitano was a dispatcher for 17 years and has been with Bethel Park since June 2023; Rice has been a dispatcher for 3 years and started with BPPD in December 2024; and Janda worked as a dispatcher for 4 years and was hired by the BPPD in February 2025. Lt. McGrail is also extremely busy as he’s not only in charge of the Communications Officers, but also 30 police officers within the department. “I’m grateful that I have the wonderful people to work with that I do,” he said. “Their dedication to the Bethel Park Police Department is displayed daily and is paramount to the public safety of the community they serve.” Pictured (l-r): Communications Officer Sam Coughlin, Communications Officer Kayleigh Janda, Patrolman Andrew Volchko, Records Administrator Tara Eastman, Patrolman Ryan Elliott, Communications Officer Kim McLaughlin, Administrative Assistant Rebecca Jones, Sergeant Keith Jones, and Operations Lieutenant Sean McGrail. Missing from photo: Communications Officer Anna Stelitano and Communications Officer Craig Rice.
The Bethel Park Farmers’ Market will kick off its 19th year on Tuesday, May 6 from 3-7 p.m. and run Tuesdays through Oct. 14 for an extended season! The Market is located in South Park directly off Corrigan Drive near the Ice-Skating Rink and welcomed over 2,000 shoppers each week last year. This season, guests can look forward to an improved layout to allow for food trucks to be in a separate section along with periodic kids’ activities, entertainment (there are still a few openings; contact Sarah if interested at skomatsu@bethelparkpa.gov ) , and more such as recipes posted on the Farmers’ Market website inspired by ingredients from each week’s vendors! St. Clair Hospital will be at the Market regularly (weekly July through September) offering complimentary health screenings, providing information, and sponsoring the “Food Assistance Match” (FAM) program, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to fresh, nutritious food from local farmers and small businesses to individuals and families most in need. “Without St. Clair Health, we wouldn’t be able to offer FAM,” said Assistant Recreation Director Lindsey Sibert. “It’s such a wonderful service enabling almost everyone to have access to fresh food.” FAM multiplies the buying power of food assistance programs such as SNAP, WIC, the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and others enabling patrons using these programs to take home up to three times more locally-sourced food and goods. Sibert also acknowledged the Bethel Park Community Foundation for being an ongoing sponsor. “Their sponsorship enables us to purchase items such as tables, chairs, raincoats, tents, and more all leading to an extremely positive guest experience; we’re grateful for their support!” This year, the Market also has a new coordinator, Events Coordinator Sarah Komatsu . Komatsu will be managing the Bethel Park Farmers’ Market, ‘No Cook Tuesdays,’ and Indoor Markets while also providing support for various Municipal special events. With a focus on enhancing community engagement, she brings a decade of experience in event management and community engagement from her prior positions in both Arizona and California. “ I think we strike a really good balance and are one of the larger farmer’s markets in the area with a lot of unique products,” said Komatsu. “Our Market becomes a one stop shop for guests where they can come to fill their pantry or fridge for the week and to also pick up a prepared dinner.” This year, the Market will have 35 full-season, 12 half-season and six monthly rotating vendors . New vendors include Amazing Books and Records (a used book and records store), Chocolate Moonshine (chocolates, fudge and truffle bars), and Billy’s Country Smoke House (offering smoked meats, preserved meat sticks and homemade sausages). For complete details on all vendors, including full or half season and visiting vendors, please visit: http://www.bethelparkpa.gov/vendors. To be the first to know about all Market news, follow us on Facebook ( Bethel Park Farmers’ Market ) and visit our website where you can sign up to be a ‘fan’ to receive Farmers’ Market emails. For full details on the Bethel Park Farmers’ Market, visit www.bethelparkpa.gov – ‘Recreation’ – ‘Bethel Park Farmers’ Market.’ You can also call 412-851-2910 . For more information on FAM, visit FoodAssistanceMatch.org .
Bethel Park Named Best Place to Move In Pennsylvania by ConsumerAffairs! Bethel Park has just earned the top spot as the "#1 Best Place to Move To In Pennsylvania," according to a recent report by ConsumerAffairs! The honor comes due to Bethel Park’s unique blend of affordability, safety and overall quality of life. Here’s what makes Bethel Park stand out: Best Overall Safety : Bethel Park was noted for having the second lowest violent crime and property crime rate in the state. Great Affordability : Recognized for having the lowest home-to-income ratio among large Pennsylvania cities. Well-Educated Population : With 97.2% of its residents having at least a high school diploma, Bethel Park ranks fifth in the state. Accessible Health Care : With 30.5 health care professionals per 1,000 residents, Bethel Park ranks fifth for health care accessibility. ConsumerAffairs described Bethel Park as a family-friendly suburban environment with numerous parks and recreation programs having easy access to downtown Pittsburgh via the Pittsburgh Regional Transit light rail line. Read the report here! 5 Best Pennsylvania Moving Companies (2025) | ConsumerAffairs®
Monthly Yard Waste Dropp Off begins Saturday April 19th!