Good morning and welcome to the pre-agenda interview for Monday, March thirtieth, two thousand twenty-six for the director of the Department of Mobility and Infrastructure.

Would the clerk please read the title of the bill?

And for the record, we are currently joined by uh Councilwoman Kim Sellinetro.

Others may join us momentarily.

Um, director, as I believe you're aware, we have to provide an oath to you.

Um, and so after the oath, if you will simply say that you affirm what's been stated.

So do you Jeff Skelly can some solemnly affirm that the testimony you are about to give before this council shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

And do you further affirm that you will faithfully discharge the duties as the director of the Department of Building Infrastructure to which you have been nominated?

I affirm.

With that, I think we all know you, but we'll turn it over to you to say who you are.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and why you're willing to serve in this position.

Sure, I appreciate it.

Um you said uh Jeff Scalikan, I'm the acting director for Department of Mobility Infrastructure.

Um I'll go through a quick rundown of why I want this position and um who I am and what we've been doing.

Um, I had some things written down, but I'm honestly gonna go from my heart about why I'm here and what the cause is.

Um I've been with the department of mobility infrastructure is actually going to be nine years old this month.

Um we've when I first came here, I was the first person that was in the department.

Um I was asked from uh the old administration and assistant director Pat Hassett that, like, hey, let's form a department of transportation for the city of Pittsburgh.

I'm like, how cool is that?

Like who and how many people really get the opportunity to build an apartment for a city that they love for a city that you're a part of.

Um when I came here, um, like I said, it's been nine and a half years for me.

Uh we uh we were a group of one.

I was the first one.

Then a couple months later, about six months later, we had six of us.

Another six months, there was about 46 of us, and currently we stand at 127 um people in Domey.

Um I'm not done building the department.

I really want to add on to department of what we're doing.

We're doing a lot of great things.

Sorry.

Um, and we want to continue with that flow of how things are going.

Um we have a bridge division right now that we created.

We have about five people that are working on our bridges in-house, like to double that and triple that in the next three to five years.

Um I know positions are gonna be tough in the next couple years, but um, I think the little things that Domi can do that we do not do now, we can really help with simple things of like having two people that are gonna paint, like to have a couple painters are gonna paint handrails fences in the city of Pittsburgh.

It'll help lat the paint will help the the paint will help the fence and and the guy and the um hand railings um last longer and honestly it looks nice.

The little things in life that when you leave your house you see are very um, you know, makes it makes you feel good when you see something that's painted and looks nice instead of it's rusted and falling apart.

Um so my vision for the department is still growing.

We're still not done.

We have a great group of people.

I want to build on that and continue it.

Um yeah, just keep the flow really.

Thank you very much.

With that, I'll turn it over to Councilman Salonetro.

Jeff, thank you so much for your willingness to serve and be in this position and be so passionate about it.

Um I wanted to ask you a little bit about something we discussed in our office.

Uh we have biweekly meetings, um, and you do a great job at that.

Um and we talked a little bit about your ability to increase some of the grants that the city's been eligible for over the past several years.

So can you elaborate a little bit more on that?

Sure.

Um my background is I'm actually worked at Pendot before I came to the city of Pittsburgh and I worked with federal and state funding for the state.

Um since I've been here for like I said, the nine years, we only had a handful of projects that we were receiving federal and state funding.

We have about four to six.

Um I can happily say right now, as you guys are aware, you see me almost every week up here getting money, receiving money, and accepting money.

Um we have over 40 projects right now that are receiving federal and state funding.

Um we have great partners.

Um, since I've been here, be able to um have great relationships with people from Pendot and the federal government and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission.

It's our MPO for the city to receive more money.

Um, like I said, we have over 40 projects, and I'd like to continue that and you know, help improve our infrastructure, help sure we you know, make sure we um you know we keep our bridges, you know, um up and running, make sure we have traffic coming, make sure we keep their signals moving.

You know, city, we need help, we need money.

And um, one thing that I've been really well, you know, working well with the team is to receive federal and state funding for those projects.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you.

That's impressive.

That's impressive, and we need it.

Um, do you have any uh major priorities that you would like to um to begin saying you know now that you're in charge, this is a priority for me.

Um first thing I would like to do is really uh I know like I said, I know budget's gonna be tight the next couple years.

I get it, but I really would like to have uh you know the sign and paint, or I'm sorry, um, a paint two people that are gonna paint hand railings and paint fences in the city.

Um I receive a lot of phone calls and emails from the council districts that they would like to receive that they would like to have that um that opportunity in their district, and we don't have anybody, there's not a person in the city that does that.

So I'd like to add to the department for that part, and honestly, our bridge division.

Uh deputy chief engineer um Zach Workman has been really good at putting together our bridge division.

We have about five people currently in those positions.

I'd like to double that in the next three years.

We can clean the bridges, clean the scuppers, make the bridges, you know, more effective with in-house work.

Thank you.

I mean that's really all the questions I have.

I'm just you know thrilled that it's you and and I think uh you'll do the city really well.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um I think you just began to answer the one question I actually had.

Well, first let me just say you've been terrific to work with over the years.

Um so I appreciate all that you've done for the city.

You've always been very responsive, always very timely, always uh the constant professional when you're at the table.

So thank you for all of that.

My one question was I do know that department, we do contract out a lot of our work, especially as it relates to bridge and other things.

And you started to speak to it just now.

Is there anything that we should be looking for to maybe assist you in terms of budgeting to bring in-house where we wouldn't have to contract it out as much?

I think with the bridge division, we can have more in-house.

If we have more house people, people in-house working, we can actually just use the dollar will stretch farther for every like I think we had um 160,000.

I can't remember top of my head, um, in local dollars.

The first year, I think it would have been like six hundred thousand dollars if we had a contractor.

I think this year we have about a million dollars if we were using a contract, and honestly, it takes more time for a contract.

We have to write the scope of work, meet with the contractor, go out in the field.

Sometimes we have to come to council.

We'd love talking to you guys, but like we really need to get out there and get work done, right?

And if we have in-house workers, like that's a way we could do it a lot quicker, a lot more efficient.

Um, we have a small group right now.

Um, I'd like to get them a place actually in the city of Pittsburgh to work in.

Right now, they're buffed up with my traffic folks that are doing street signs and um the um this the signal shop.

Um, I like to get a place for that group so they actually have a place to put their equipment.

So when they go out for you know to fix a bridge, they come back, they actually have a place to put their stuff.

Um so my initiative as soon as I start is really looking for a place for them to be at.

We don't really have uh an office space for them yet.

Of course, I did I didn't know that.

Yeah.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um Councilman Sharlin, I saw you joined us.

Do you have questions?

Uh not really.

Um thank you.

I I just more than anything, uh director.

It's been uh a pleasure to work with you.

You've always been really responsive to me and my team.

Um I I share the council president's you know desire to see uh us bring more things in-house.

Um but even with that said, uh one thing I've I've always appreciated about your department is that you guys are able to make deadlines when when dummy's doing a project.

It is not a um we can count on it being done, you know, uh around the time that that we say we're going to.

Um so I I want to acknowledge that and um you know I do understand the desire to bring things in-house, but I do want to also acknowledge your your project managers that are able to get things done in a timely manner, and I think kind of set the gold standard for the city in that way.

I appreciate it.

I mean, uh council and I don't know if you're aware, but we have um a lot of the exec team and a lot of the project managers from Domi here.

Um we all support each other, and we really want to make sure we're doing a great thing for the city, get projects done, get them on budget, and be able to deliver.

So it's really a group effort, and you know, it means a lot that this team's behind me right now.

They're gonna get me sentimental and choked up.

Well, I want to, you know, applaud all of them except for your uh your your uh budget or finance uh he's no good, but everybody else.

So uh but uh you know the other thing you and I talked a little bit about the need for painters in Domi.

Uh could you talk about that?

Uh so other members can hear that.

I think that's something I would like to play for this year.

I apologize the need for what I'm sorry, painters.

Painters painters.

Yes, yeah.

Right now, we the city doesn't have any painters that are gonna actually go out and and paint and maintain hand railings, fences.

I know, like I said, a lot of um I receive a lot of calls for you know those types of work and maintenance.

I don't have any people to do it.

Um, for me to get a contractor, when I ask a contractor to take a look at it, a lot of them don't even want the work.

You know, it's just something they don't want to, it's too small, or they don't want to, you know, mess with it.

If it's on a road, it's you know, they have to worry about like closing a lane, and they just don't want to do it.

If we have an in-house, we can actually do it in-house and on our own terms.

And you know, we have the traffic folks that are able to close roads down and you know, do detours.

Um and hand railings.

I mean, councilman, you know, I know you are pretty passionate about this also about like um, you know, the little things when you live in a neighborhood like the south side that you see hand railings being painted.

Sure, it looks great, it's nice, it makes you smile, but it also maintains the integrity.

A lot of these um items you can't even get under contract anymore.

They're expensive when they fell and we have to replace them.

Unfortunately, it's the you know, the the more affordable version um that we're putting back up.

Um, you know, some of the hand railings that are out there now, they're historic, they're gorgeous.

They don't make them anymore like that.

And I think that's you know, I think that you're exactly right, but it's not it's not just the focus on the little things and the focus on the the quality of life in your road.

It's also um we we have some of these really talking about these railings.

It's something I'm I'm pretty passionate about.

Um we won't replace in time.

We won't we won't be able to find those in order to make those.

Um these a lot of them were done as like uh you know uh well the new deal projects, you know, and not things that we can do in today's uh environment.

So one of the things that my predecessor would always say and and uh predecessors before you, you know, the conversation they have was that you know, constant process talking to Director Rex and her one I think she said is is the the millions the city could save um just by making sure that we were adequately coding and painting our infrastructure.

Um I I think about that long, you know, in in terms of what what little expenses we can make now that will save us millions down the road.

Um so you know, I I do think that's a an important thing to fight for and uh look at as we look again at bringing some of those things in house um that that we can get done.

I think can make a huge huge impact in the city.

Uh what we thought, Director, you know, you said I I appreciate also your um you're very hands-on and when I send you a request, I I don't have to worry that you're you know, you're not gonna make it a priority.

Um and I just ask that you know, please keep that that up.

Um please make sure that your staff is responsive to my staff, and uh I'm I'm excited to get rid of that after me from your net.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

Uh that's all for me.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Thank you, Councilman.

Um admittedly, unfortunately, I didn't did not realize we didn't have a painter in-house.

So I'd certainly be willing to support you in that effort to bring that in.

Um it also just lastly reminds me of a request that I will be saying to you.

And this may be why it hasn't been done.

Um I recently met with residents of 151 First At um, a condominium building downtown.

And they talked about they had put in um 311 requests for painting of a crosswalk.

Um I want to say it's marketing sandwich, but I didn't need to double check that my notes, so I'll get that over to you.

Um, but maybe the reason why it hasn't been done is we don't have a painter.

So we could do crosswalks.

We do have painted division that does crosswalks.

Okay.

We don't but they're they're not this they don't have the same specialty of doing like hand railings and like fences.

So I send me that request over and we can get that done.

We'll do.

Um with that, uh Madam Clerk, if you put his confirmation on our agenda tomorrow.

Um with that, we've exhausted the business of this meeting, and so we are adjourned.

Thank you.