OUR CITY HAS DEFINITELY MADE GREAT PROGRESS ONCE AGAIN IN 2024, AND I AM TRULY HONORED TO BE ABLE SERVE THE RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES OF JEANNETTE FOR THE PAST SEVEN YEARS AS YOUR MAYOR.

THIS PAST YEAR I SPENT APPROXIMATELY 400 HOURS AT CITY HALL AND WORKED FROM HOME APPROXIMATELY 250 HOURS.

BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER WITH MY ANNUAL REPORT, ONCE AGAIN I WANT TO EXTEND MY SINCERE SYMPATHIES TO THE JOHN and KING FAMILIES ON THE FATAL FIRE IN MARCH OF THE PAST YEAR ON GUY STREET.

IN 2024 THERE WERE MANY POSITIVE THINGS THAT HAPPENED IN OUR GREAT CITY.

WITH THE SKYROCKETING PRICE OF SANITATION COST TO HOMEOWNERS ACROSS OUR COUNTY, I AM SO HAPPY THAT I SUPPORTED KEEPING OUR SANITATION DEPARTMENT AND NOT SUPPORTING A PRIVATE HAULER. IT HELPS OUR CITY TREMENDOUSLY.

FOURTEEN BUSINESSES OPENED UP IN OUR CITY IN 2024.

1). FAMILY FIXINS RELOCATED TO 520 CLAY AVENUE

2). LOBSTER SHACK RELOCATED FROM HARRISON PARK TO COMBINE BUSINESSES WITH BOSTON HARBOR AND CAPE ON BAUGHMAN AVENUE

3). THE BEAUTY SPOT AT 202 CLAY AVENUE

4). BITES & PINTS ON HARRISON AVENUE AT THE FORMER JOHNNYS’S WIFE’S PLACE

5). GLASS CITY GAMES AT 212 SOUTH FOURTH STREET

6). EAST PITTSBURGH CARE GIVING AT 621 NORTH FOURTH STREET

7). EGA ASSOCIATE’S AT 602 CLAY AVENUE

8). CARDINAL COFFEE AT 820 LOWRY AVENUE

9). AFFINI-FIT AT 206 CLAY AVENUE

10). HARVEST DAY GROUP, LLC 605 CLAY AVENUE

11). KENNY BOYD AUTOMOTIVE 100 SOUTH THIRTEEN STREET

12). 517 CLAY AVENUE TATOO SHOP

13). STATIC STATION 200 CLAY AVENUE

14). BLESSED AND HIGHLY FLAVORED TACO’S & PASTRY SHOP 109 SOUTH SECOND STREET

I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THEM!

THERE ARE GREAT THINGS TO COME IN 2025.

DON TAROSKY JR HAS BEEN IN DISCUSSIONS WITH OUR CODE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER WILLIAM WHETZEL PERTAINING TO THE FORMER MONSOUR SITE, AND DEVELOPMENT IS TO START THIS YEAR. MR TAROSKY HAS BEEN A VERY BUSY MAN, AND HIS COMPANY, COLONY HOLDING DOES OUTSTANDING WORK DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE. WE DON’T HAVE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON WHAT IS GOING TO BE DEVELOPED AT THE SITE AT THIS TIME.

ALSO, SELLERS AVENUE WILL BE PAVED IN 2025.

THE FORMER BLIGHTED FORT PITT BREWERY WAS DEMOLISHED TO MAKE ROOM FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT IN WEST JEANNETTE. THIS IS SUCH A HUGE BLESSING FOR OUR CITY.

THERE WERE 23 BLIGHTED PROPERTIES DEMOLISHED.

I WANT TO EXTEND MY SINCERE THANKS TO BRIAN LAWRENCE AND HIS STAFF FROM WESTMORELAND COUNTY REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND OUR WESTMORELAND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR ALL THEIR HELP IN THESE PROJECTS.

THERE WERE ALSO THREE PERMITS OKAYED FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.

IN 2024 OUR CITY HAD THE BIGGEST PROJECT EVER WITH UPDATING OF OUR PLAYGROUNDS AND PARKS, THANKS TO A 1.7 MILLION DOLLAR GRANT.

THANKS TO CITY MANAGER ETHAN KEEDY AND WALT HAGLUND AND STAFF FROM URBAN DESIGNS, WHO APPLIED FOR THE GRANT TO MAKE THIS POSSIBLE.

I WANT TO THANK CITY MANAGER ETHAN KEEDY, CITY ENGINEER ED ANTONACCI AND SENATOR KIM WARD FOR ALL THEY DID SECURING FUNDING FOR THE COMPLETE RECONSTRUCTION OF LOWRY AVENUE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES TO PARK STREET & BAUGHMAN AVENUE TO TAKE PLACE IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.

I WANT TO THANK STATE SENATOR KIM WARD FOR SECURING FUNDING FOR THE SOUTH SIXTH STREET BRIDGE PROJECT THAT IS GOING ON NOW, AND ALSO FOR THE ONE MILLION DOLLAR GRANT FOR OUR NEW FIRE STATION THAT IS IN PHASE ONE NOW.

ELLIOTT GROUP HAS STARTED TO BUILD THEIR NEW POWER SUB-STATION ON NORTH FOURTH STREET, THEY ARE SPENDING OVER 9 MILLION DOLLARS ON THIS PROJECT.

OUR CITY DIDN’T HAVE A TAX INCREASE AND WE WERE ONE OF THE VERY FEW CITYS, BOROUGHS, TOWNSHIP AND COUNTIES THAT DIDN’T BALANCE A BUDGET WITH AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS.

THIS WAS POSSIBLE BECAUSE WE HAVE ONE OF THE FINEST CITY MANAGERS AND CFO’S IN THE STATE, MR ETHAN KEEDY.

THIS YEAR I NAMED A NEW POLICE CHIEF, DEREK MANLEY. CHIEF MANLEY HAS BEEN DOING A WONDERFUL JOB.  OUR POLICE VEHICLES ARE HIGHLY VISIBLE NOW. HE DESIGNED THE DECALS ON OUR POLICE VEHICLES AND HE ASSURED ME THAT THE EMBLEM I HAD PLACED ON OUR POLICE VEHICLES “IN GOD WE TRUST “WHEN I TOOK OFFICE SEVEN YEARS AGO, WOULD BE HIGHLY VISIBLE ON THE VEHICLES, AND IT IS!

CHIEF MANLEY IS ALSO OUR MCSAP CERTIFIED TRUCK INSPECTION OFFICER, HE IS DOING A GREAT JOB AT IT WITH PROTECTING OUR ROADS, AND MAKING OUR CITY A SAFER PLACE. THIS YEAR HE PERFORMED SEVENTY-ONE TRUCK INSPECTIONS.  HE ISSUED TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN VIOLATIONS AND ISSUED A TOTAL OF FORTY SEVEN CITATIONS.

CHIEF MANLEY AND ETHAN KEEDY WITH THE HELP OF GRANT MONEY, HAD MANY MORE CAMERAS PLACED THROUGHOUT THE CITY THIS PAST YEAR. WE HAD 75 MORE CAMERAS PLACED THROUGHOUT OUR CITY, 10 OF THOSE CAMERAS ARE LICENSE PLATE READERS. SINCE I TOOK OFFICE IN JANUARY 2018, THE CITY NOW HAS A TOTAL OF 105 CAMERAS. THIS SPRING THE CITY WILL PLACE CAMERAS AT ALL OUR PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS. THESE CAMERAS RUN 24/7 AND WE HAVE MONITORS IN OUR POLICE STATION AND POLICE VEHICLES WITH LIVE SURVEILLANCE FOR OUR OFFICERS TO SEE.

I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR THIS ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR OUR GREAT CITY!

OUR NEW PUBLIC WORKS FOREMAN JOHN “BUBS” CARL IS DOING A GREAT JOB!

I WANT TO THANK ALL OUR EMPLOYEES FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO OUR CITY.

MUTUAL AID AMBULANCE IS LOCATED HERE AT CITY HALL NOW AND IS A GREAT SERVICE TO OUR RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES.

I WANT TO THANK OUR CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR DEDICATION TO OUR CITY.

I WANT TO THANK OUR CITY SOLICITOR TIMOTHY WITT FOR GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND FOR OUR CITY.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL OUR BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, ASSOCIATIONS, SOCIETIES AND VOLUNTEERS FOR YOUR DEDICATION AND ALL YOU DO FOR OUR CITY.

I WANT TO THANK SONNY BLASCO, JIM HENDERSON, THE JEANNETTE AMERICAN LEGION AND ROB FEJES FOR ALL THEIR WORK AND DEDICATION FOR THE VETERAN FLAGS THROUGHOUT OUR TOWN.

SONNY BLASCO PASSED AWAY ON SEPTEMBER 23, 2024. I KNOW HE IS SMILING DOWN FROM HEAVEN.

OUR CITY HAS DEFINITELY BEEN MOVING FORWARD, AND WITH THE GRACE OF GOD OUR CITY WILL KEEP MOVING FORWARD IN 2025.

THANK YOU AND I WISH ALL OF YOU A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND BLESSED NEW YEAR!

                                                                        Curtis J. Antoniak

                                  Mayor