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Allegheny County Council

County exec uses quarterly address to highlight residents’ benefits from NFL Draft prep.

Written by Amy Whipple

The NFL Draft may not have lived up to expectations, but event preparation was a win according to Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato.

Innamorato gave her quarterly address to county council during its April 28 meeting. She highlighted the weekend itself with 150 small businesses and vendors that contracted with the NFL, “minimal arrests for an event this size,” and increased use of public transit.

More so, Innamorato said, was that the region is better off because of the work that went into preparing for the event. For instance, a county-wide cleanup clocked 40,800 volunteer hours and removed 7.3 million pounds of debris, including 53,384 tires. “We all benefit from that,” she said.

“It also gave us a deadline to do some really big permanent projects for the people who call Pittsburgh home,” she said, such as the new Arts Landing and renovated Market Square. Downtown now has its first playground as well as public restrooms. “These are going to be public civic spaces that are going to be enjoyed for generations.”

Aside from the NFL Draft, Innamorato noted quality-of-life initiatives around affordable housing, growing green spaces, and childcare subsidies. The county’s health department also adjusted its food permit process so simple permits like concession stands for youth athletics have their own queue, bringing the wait down to three days from a high of 80.

She added that Welly Bottle Company opened its manufacturing facility in Leetsdale. Welly is the only reusable water bottle company that is entirely American made.

Connections to this story

Topics:
Economic Development
Governments:
Allegheny County Council
Public meetings:
Allegheny County Council Regular Meeting · May 12, 2026

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