►
Description
On this episode of CityTalk, John interviews Ross Chapman and Susan Lucas from the Department of Parks & Recreation, and Chris Togneri from the Department of Public Safety.
A
Welcome
to
city
talk
the
program
on
which
we
interview
city
employees
to
find
out
what
one
of
these
people
do
all
day.
The
guy
next
to
me
is
a
very
busy
man
and
he
does
a
lot
of
work
all
day.
His
name
is
Ross
Chapman
and
he's
the
director
of
Parks
and
Rec
Ross.
Welcome
to
the
program
thanks
John
glad
to
be
here.
So,
oddly
enough,
even
though
you're
the
director
of
Parks
and
Recreation,
your
focus
is
more
on
recreational
facilities
than
it
is
the
actual
parks
like
you,
don't
mow
the
lawn
in
the
parks.
A
B
Correct
yeah:
it's
it's
it's
one
of
these
things
where
maybe
at
some
point
we're
rebranding
the
department
I'm,
not
sure
how
we
go
about
doing
that.
City
parks,
Parks
and
Recreation
has
very
little
to
do
with
oversight
in
parks.
So,
if
there's
a
program
event
there
there's
some
people
that
are
activating
a
space.
We
may
have
a
tie
into
that,
but
largely
the
maintenance
and
the
oversight
of
the
parks
falls
under
the
Department
of
Public
Works,
but.
B
Correct
so
within
my
area
of
purview
is
currently
ten
community
recreation,
centers
thirteen
healthy
active
living
senior
centers.
We
have
18
outdoor
swimming
pools,
one
indoor,
very
unique
swimming
pool
the
Oliver
bathhouse
seven
soon
to
be
eight
spray
parks,
so
we're
quite
busy
currently
I,
don't
know
we
might
have
around
170
580
staff
people
during
the
summer
months
we
go
up
to
about
400
with
all
of
our
seasonal
hires.
I
know.
A
You're
intimately
familiar
with
the
healthy,
active
living,
centers
and
I
actually
am
somewhat
familiar
because
I
tour
at
all,
13
of
them
when
I
started
working
for
the
city,
but
I
still
feel
like.
Sometimes
it's
a
it's
a
well-kept
secret
like
there's
a
lot
of
seniors
who
have
never
heard
of
them,
but.
B
That
that's
exactly
the
case
and
we're
working
on
how
to
kind
of
better
communicate
what
it
is
that
we
do
there
I
mean
seniors
60
and
over
can
come
in
for
more
than
just
a
free
lunch
so
that
we
work
closely
with
the
Area
Agency
on
Aging,
which
is
to
the
Allegheny
County
Department
of
Human
Services,
and
they
help
us.
They
provide
funding
for
us
to
put
to
manage
our
healthy,
active
living.
Centers.
There's
some
federal
funds
that
help
out
too.
But
what
we
don't
or
haven't
done.
B
A
great
job
at
is
communicating
actually
marketing
to
seniors
younger
seniors
I'm,
not
too
far
away
from
that
the
that
grouping
as
to
how
to
get
them
into
the
center.
What
do
we
actually
offer?
It's
more
than
bingo
and
a
free
lunch
it's
more
than
just
socialization.
So
there's
a
lot
that
goes
on,
whereby
we
try
to
motivate
folks
to
to
maintain
a
healthy,
active
lifestyle,
because
that's
what
it's
about
so
that.
B
Swimming
walking
through
parks,
we're
partnering
with
venture
outdoors
and
some
other
agencies.
Aarp
is
interested
in
has
done
some
stuff
with
us,
so
we're
trying
to
expand
our
network
and
our
partnership
to
bring
in
to
kind
of
more
of
these
collaborative
partnerships.
So
we
can
better,
engage
older,
older
residents
and.
A
B
Exactly
the
case
yeah-
and
that's
that's
what
this
is
about
for
us,
it's
just
about:
how
do
we
give
value
and
bring
something
to
city
and
area
residents
that
that
they
feel
is
something
that
benefits
them?
So
that's
that's.
Our
core
mission
is:
how
do
we
create
these
opportunities
to
provide
value
to
people's
lives
so
where.
B
Up
in
Belle,
Seaver
I'm
from
the
city
of
Pittsburgh
lived
here
my
whole
life,
with
the
exception
going
to
college
Belle
Seaver
over
in
the
South
Hills
I
went
to
a
real
small
Catholic
school.
The
high
school
hilltop,
Catholic
I,
think
it
closed.
I
won't
tell
you
when,
but
it
was
so
small.
It
closed
right
after
I
graduated,
so
born
and
bred
Pittsburgher
have
been
here
for
quite
a
long
time
currently
live
in
the
East
End
of
the
city
of
Pittsburgh
I.
A
B
So
it's
March
now
I
think
I
came
to
the
city
almost
nine
years
ago.
They
gave
me
nine
years
in
July
for
the
first
seven
and
a
half
years,
I
spent
in
the
Pittsburgh
partnership,
which
is
a
of
a
trust
funded
arena
within
the
department
of
human
resources,
personnel,
Civil,
Service
Commission,
and
it
deals
with
workforce
development,
employment
and
training,
but
not
for
city
employees
for
city
residents,
the
earn
program
which
touches
people
that
are
on
public
assistance,
the
Summer
Youth
Employment
Program
to
learn,
learn
program.
B
Those
are
programs
that
I
managed
in
my
previous
life
about
a
year
and
a
half
ago,
I
was
asked
if
I
wanted
to
come
into
the
Parks
and
Rec
Department
to
help
out
how
administrative
Lee
come
up
with
some
new
program
ideas
and
just
kind
of
move,
the
needle
in
the
different
direction
a
little
bit,
and
so
it's
been
September
of
2017
or
there.
Abouts
is
when
I
started
in
the
park.
So
about
a
year
and
a
half
now
and.
B
I
mean
that's
really
how
I
see
it
is
because
I'm
here
to
help
facilitate
what
they're
doing
they're
the
face.
They're
the
face
of
the
public
I
mean
they
they're,
the
ones
that
are
interacting
with
the
people.
Everyday,
not
me,
I'm,
behind
a
desk
and
monitors
all
day
or
not
all
day.
Every
day,
I'd
like
to
get
out
and
I
do
get
out,
sometimes
not
as
much
as
I
want,
but
it's
my
job
to
help
them
do
their
job
better.
So,
but
it
is
a
challenge
but
I
think.
B
What
brings
me
into
work
is
that
I
work
with
a
great
group
of
people,
I
really
do
it's
a
busy
day.
Of
course,
there
are
challenges,
there's
a
great
many
of
things
that
I'd
like
to
do
that.
The
administration
wants
us
to
do
that.
The
residents
expect
that
we
do
and
it's
how
do
we?
How
do
we
deliver
on
those
expectations
with
our
given
resources?
So
it's
not
some
days
are
rough.
Do.
B
Day,
I
really
do
I
think.
Every
day
we
move
the
needle
a
little
bit
every
day.
There's
an
impact
felt
by
someone.
So
every
day
the
team
collectively
is
working
really
to
do
that.
Just
that
I
mean
there
are
a
lot
of
long-term
staff.
Members
in
the
city
parks
department
that
that
predate
me
by
years
and
years
decades,
even
and
they're
there,
because
they
love
it
I
mean
they're
there,
because
they
really
value
what
they
do
and
the
impact
they
have
on
area
residents.
So.
B
There's
a
lot
of
things:
I
mean
one
thing
that
we're
trying
to
do
is
we're
trying
to
address
the
digital
divide.
You
might
hear
people
talk
about
that,
but
that's
just
literacy
when
it
relates
as
it
relates
to
technology
and
how
we
put
that
in
the
hands
of
kids
families
seniors.
So
there's
a
couple
new
positions
that
have
been
created
that
the
mayor's
kind
of
put
into
the
Parks
and
Rec
budget.
B
So
we're
going
to
be
onboarding
some
new
hires
to
help
us
do
to
kind
of
increase
our
deliverables
as
it
relates
to
learning
opportunities,
educational
kind
of
curriculum
based
things
not
not
too
heavy,
not
too
technical,
but
so
that
we
can
offer
more,
and
we
currently
do
in
our
after
school
programs
or
summer
camps
more
in
the
way
to
connect
people
with
learning
opportunities
that
can
help
them
help
themselves.
You
know
they
can
open
up
a
few
doors.
I
think.
B
As
we
all
know,
equity
isn't
just
something
that
you
can
expect
exist
across
the
whole
of
any
entity
agency,
city,
state,
etc,
etc.
So
it
takes
effort.
It
takes
effort
to
try
to
close
some
of
those
gaps.
So
I
think
one
of
the
biggest
initiatives
that
we
have
moving
forward
is
how
we
can
better
address
some
of
them,
as
relates
to
what
our
centers
feel
like
when
you
walk
into
them.
What
services
can
we
provide
to
seniors
or
youth
and
families?
B
Let
go
beyond
perhaps
the
weight
room
or
the
access
to
the
swimming
pool,
or
something
like
that.
So
those
are
big
challenges
but
I
think
as
we
move
forward
we're
making
some
good
headway
as
we
kind
of
bring
on
some
people
that
have
some
subject
matter:
expertise
in
those
areas
well,
we'll
make
some
significant
ground
Ross.
A
D
Is
what
high
blood
pressure
looks
like
you
might
not
feel
its
symptoms,
but
the
results
from
a
heart
attack
or
stroke
are
far
from
invisible
or
silent,
get
back
on
your
plan
or
talk
with
your
doctor
to
create
an
exercise,
diet
and
medication
plan
that
works
for
you
go
to
lower
HBP
org.
If
I
would
have
followed
a
treatment
plan,
I
would
not
be
in
this
situation.
A
Welcome
back
to
city
talk
well
when
there
is
a
crime
scene
in
the
middle
of
the
night,
reporters
show
up
and
somebody
needs
to
talk
to
them.
The
person
who
does
that
is
the
public
information
officer
for
the
Department
of
Public
Safety,
which
includes
the
police
and
the
fire
department
in
several
other
departments
and
say
hello
to
Chris
tony
arey,
who
welcomes
we
welcome
on
city
talk.
He
is
the
public
information
officer.
Chris.
Welcome
to
the
program
thanks.
A
E
A
D
E
Like
I
said
20
years
as
a
journalist,
I
never
thought
I
would
be
anything
else,
and
then
you
know
once
I
went
through
the
interview
process
and
I
liked
everyone
that
I
was
speaking
to
including
the
police
chief,
the
Public
Safety
Director.
She
Tara
Murphy
in
community
outreach.
She
was
part
of
the
process.
I
got
a
really
good
feeling,
but
even
after
I
got
the
job
offer
I
needed
a
week
to
sort
of
try
it
on
and
feel
get
get
an
idea
of
whether
or
not
I
would
be
okay,
not
being
a
journalist.
What.
E
Love
it
actually
I
love,
I
love,
seeing
how
investigations
develop
I
love,
you
know,
learning
all
the
things
that
I
was
trying
to
find
out
as
a
journalist,
now
I'm
behind
the
scene
that
I'm
watching
it
happen,
and
it's
really
fascinating,
and
it
also
has
really
shown
me.
The
amount
of
amazing
work
that
people
in
Public
Safety
do
on
a
daily
basis
that
never
gets
covered
and
give.
E
E
You
hear
of
officers
stopping
someone
from
jumping
off
of
a
bridge
or
officers
rushing
into
a
bill,
firefighters,
EMS
officers,
rushing
into
buildings
to
save
people,
there's
life,
saving
efforts
going
on
every
day
that
there
was
one
week
out
in
the
East
End
of
the
city,
where
officers
revived
saved
and
revived
a
baby
twice
a
different
baby,
but
twice
twice
in
one
week
where
they
were
called
to
was
seen
and
they
found
a
baby
that
was
unresponsive
and
not
breathing
and
resuscitated.
It
so
and.
A
E
E
A
E
It
was
a
three-alarm
Church
fire
in
the
Hill
District
and
it
was
in
the
middle
of
the
night.
I
think
I
got
to
the
scene
around
3
o'clock,
3
a.m.
and
you
know
my
philosophy
has
always
been
that
when
I
get
to
an
incident,
I
didn't
take
this
job
so
that
I
could
be
on
camera.
So
I
can
be
on
the
news.
I
want
the
members
of
Public
Safety
to
be
on
camera.
E
I
want
the
public
to
hear
from
the
fire
chief
and
the
EMS
chief
and
the
police
chief,
and
this
was
a
perfect
illustration
of
why,
because
I
got
there
and
there
it
was
still
a
very
active
fire
and
reporters
had
gathered
so
I
went
down
and
I
did
go
on
camera
and
I
briefed
them.
But
you
know
one
of
the
questions
was:
what
are
the
challenges
of
fighting
this
particular
fire?
I.
E
It
had
no
idea
two
hours
later,
though,
when
one
of
the
battalion
chief
was
able
to
come
down.
They
asked
that
same
question
and
he
talked
about
how
you
know
the
nave
had
collapse,
which
actually
was
a
good
thing,
because
it
let
them
fight
the
fire
from
on
top,
and
he
had
this
intelligent
response,
which
I
could
not
provide
and
I
said
there.
There's
proof
that
the
people
of
Pittsburgh
don't
want
to
hear
from
me.
They
want
me
to
get
the
supervisors
to
come
on,
to
talk
to
the
people
of
Pittsburgh,
so.
A
D
A
E
E
Varies,
it
depends
on
the
person
there
are
some.
You
know.
Police
has
a
Night
Watch
commander
commander,
Mike
pillock,
who
is
not
he's
friendly,
he's
a
good
representation
of
the
city
for
sure,
and
he
has
no
problem
with
when
he
sees
reporters.
He
just
goes
over
and
tells
them
what
happened
then
there's
just
some
people
who
do
not
want
to
be
on
camera
at
all.
Yes,.
E
E
A
E
Can
I
just
came
off
of
a
three-day
period
where
I
was
on
call
where
I
didn't
have
to
go
to
a
single
scene?
A
couple
weeks
ago
there
was
one
night
where
I
was
on
four
different
scenes.
There
was
a
SWAT
situation,
there
was
a
possibly
fatal
car
crash,
there
was
a
home
invasion
and
shooting,
and
then
later
on
in
the
night
there
was
someone
who
shot
at
officers.
That
was
all.
E
Would
recommend
being
a
journalist
first,
okay,
being
a
journalist
gives
you
a
skill
set
that
very
few
people
that
very
few
other
people
have?
By
being
a
journalist,
you
need
to
work
in
the
industry
to
understand
the
industry
and
I
spent
20
years
doing
it.
So
when
I
was
able
to
step
over
here,
I
know
what
reporters
wanted,
why
they
want
it
I
when
I
trained
supervisors,
people
who
will
be
speaking
to
the
media
I
tell
them
things
like
TV.
Reporters,
for
example,
are
gonna.
E
A
F
A
E
E
And
underpaid,
there
is
a
segment
of
the
population
that
dislikes
both
just
because
of
what
they
do
for
a
living
when
people
need
help
they
reach
out
to
journalists
and
officers,
people
do
it
because
it's
exciting
and
because
they
want
to
change
the
world.
There
are
a
lot
of
similarities
which
is
I.
A
E
There
are
there
are
times
when
I
have
a
five-year-old
son,
and
you
know
there
have
been
times
where
I've
been
away
when
we
had
the
major
train
derailment
in
the
Strip
District
I.
Don't
think
I
saw
my
son
for
three
or
four
days
in
a
row
Wow
and
of
course,
when
we
have
tragedies
in
the
city,
the
only
time
he's
gonna
see
me
is
on
CNN.
So
that's
that's
difficult,
but
you
know
I
just
try
to
be
available
every
moment
that
I
have
I
tried
to
be
there
for
him.
E
E
E
And
I
find
that
the
way
to
do
that
is
to
explain
when
we
can't
provide
information.
One
thing
as
a
reporter
that
always
frustrated
me
was
when
there
would
be
some
sort
of
an
incident,
and
then
you
know
the
police
would
say
taken
to
a
local
hospital
and
I
would
say
which
hospital
so
we're
not
releasing
that,
and
it
would
just
frustrate
me
because
I
thought
well
they're,
just
withholding
information.
So
when
I
became
Pio,
I
wanted
to
change
that
policy.
E
A
E
Victims
of
violent
crimes
yeah,
we
will
not
say
what
hospital
it
is,
but
that's
something
that
I
now
communicate
to
reporters
and
say
we
can't
say-
and
this
is
why
I've
always
found
as
a
journalist,
that
if
information
cannot
be
released
and
they
explain
why
then
I
then
I
get
it.
But
it's
just
the
no
comment,
mentality
that
I'm
trying
to
get
away
from
you.
A
F
There
are
16
million
children
struggling
with
hunger
in
America,
that's
one
in
five
daughters,
sons,
neighbors
and
classmates,
who
don't
know
where
their
next
meal
is
coming
from.
Yet
billions
of
pounds
of
good
food
go
to
waste
every
year.
It's
time
we
do
something
about
it.
Feeding
America
is
a
nationwide
network
of
food
banks
that
helps
provide
meals
to
millions
of
kids
and
families
in
need,
visit,
feeding,
America
org
to
help
them
feed
even
more
together
we
can
solve
hunger
together.
We're
feeding,
America.
A
Welcome
back
to
this
edition
of
City
talk
earlier
in
this
edition,
we
met
Ross
Chapman,
who
is
the
director
of
parks
and
recreation
for
the
city
of
Pittsburgh
and
he's
a
very
busy
man.
He's
got
a
lot
of
stuff
on
his
plate,
but
you
know
that
the
people
in
the
trenches
are
the
ones
that
do
the
real
work.
C
F
C
A
C
A
A
C
But
we
work
together
very
cohesively.
As
a
team,
we've
got
a
great
team
in
our
Parks
Department
and
we
branch
out
over
six
armed.
We
have
tennis
the
Mellen
tennis
bubble
underneath
our
programming.
We
have
the
after-school
and
summer
foods
program
with
the
rec
centers,
the
senior
centers
and
community
and
Richmond.
How.
A
A
C
C
A
A
C
C
C
Ask
the
city's
full
of
information
and
I
think
we
do
a
pretty
good
job
in
city
parks
of
sharing
that
information,
but
just
like
anywhere.
We
all
have
room
to
grow
and
get
better
at
it.
So
that's
one
of
the
things
that
I've
taken
on
trying
to
make
sure
we're
informing
as
many
people
as
possible
of
all
the
wonderful
opportunities
that
we
have
anything.