’d be dating myself to give away the year, but let’s say Nirvana was still recording when I first met Dan Deiseroth of Gateway Engineers. I was a freelance newspaper reporter covering several South Hills communities, including Bridgeville Borough. I was not new to writing but I was new to covering government, so I asked a lot of questions, especially about technical issues. Deiseroth was Bridgeville’s contracted municipal engineer, and he was happy to explain it all, from road construction specs to storm water retention regulations.

As my career grew and I became a staff writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Deiseroth’s orbit blossomed as well. I began to see him at more meetings in more towns, including in Mt. Lebanon, after Gateway acquired Mt. Lebanon’s engineering firm, Vegeler-Ramsey. One day, I approached him with a story idea to help readers understand the environmental impact of sanitary sewer overflows. “How about if I write a story that follows wastewater from a Mt. Lebanon toilet all the way through the system, until it is eventually cleaned and discharged in the river to become drinking water,” I asked. Well, he is just about the only person other than my editor who got excited about that.

Deiseroth’s superpower is explanation — he is able to distill a complex issue to someone who doesn’t understand it without making that person feel like a toddler at preschool.

When I joined the staff of Mt. Lebanon Municipality in 2007, I met many more of the engineers from his firm. I’ve been lucky enough to learn from Matthew Bagaley, Dennis Flynn, Michael Haberman, John Malizia, Kevin Nadalin, Jim Naret and Josh Scanlon. Each one as patient as Deiseroth at explaining. They are the faces behind your traffic calming, your safe excavations, your artificial turf playing fields, your sight distances at intersections, your GIS map of your road reconstruction and your electrical panels in our business districts.

It’s not just Mt. Lebanon. They help Kennywood decide where to put new rides, they performed a complex survey to assist Phipps Conservatory with its Center for Sustainable Landscapes and they ensured the safe installation of the 24-foot tall BNY Mellon LED sign high atop one of Downtown’s tallest buildings.

When we were building the Managers Pavilion at the Mt. Lebanon public golf course a few years ago, Gateway jumped in and donated their services and some supplies in honor of the time and effort Mt. Lebanon managers have put into this town. They
also show up each year at our Manager’s Cup golf outing to help judge the putting and long drive contests.

I hope you’ll join me in wishing the more than 200 employees at Gateway Engineers a happy 70th anniversary. Please read writer Carrie Moniot’s story to learn more about the part Gateway has played in Mt. Lebanon. Next time you flush, think “Thanks, Dan!”