Public Works
Director
Rudy Sukal

PH: 412-343-3869
Email: rsukal@mtlebanon.org

GIS Coordinator

Michael Meseck

PH: 412-343-4583

Email: mmeseck@mtlebanon.org

710 Washington Rd.

Pittsburgh, PA 15228-2018

Hours

8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., M-F

It’s impossible to walk or drive anywhere in Mt. Lebanon and not see evidence of the work that the public works department does. They repair the roads, plow the roads, fix the sidewalks, maintain the traffic lights and the Uptown light poles, plant trees on the tree lawns and in the parks, do every bit of maintenance and upkeep in the parks and in other municipal facilities. They coordinate trash pickup with our waste hauler and coordinate traffic and engineering projects with our municipal traffic consultants and engineers. The public works department has 24 full-time employees with a range of specialties, including electricians, plumbers, carpenters and mechanics.

Urban Forestry

The forestry division of the Mt. Lebanon public works department maintains municipal street trees that were planted within the street right-of-way by the municipality as well as trees on municipal property such as parks and traffic islands. Mt. Lebanon has about 11,000 street trees and about 10,000 more in parks.

If a municipal tree in front of your house dies (either on the tree lawn—the strip of grass between the street and the sidewalk—or, if you have no sidewalk, in the 10-foot right-of-way from the street), the municipality will replace it at no charge. If you do not have a tree in front of your house, you may purchase one and have it planted for a total cost of $155.

To request a tree, call 412-343-3403. The forestry crew will select the most suitable spot and type of tree for your location, taking into consideration factors such as proximity to utility wires, possibility of obscuring the view for drivers and pedestrians, and the possibility of roots damaging sidewalks or underground pipes.

If you are considering planting trees on your own, make sure it is not  the street right of way. The right of way line is typically 25 feet from the centerline of the street. Call 412-343-3403  to confirm. See the following list of recommendations for tree selection:

Open space trees See the complete list of 214 recommended open space trees here.

Street trees Grouped into shade trees and trees suitable for planting under power lines. See the complete list of 37 recommended street trees here.

Restricted trees Trees that cause ecological damage or are experiencing pest or disease difficulties. See the complete list of 55 restricted trees here.

The public works department works with Gateway Engineering, the municipality’s engineering contractor, to compile the list of streets chosen for repair each year.

If the construction leaves you without the use of your driveway, you will be able to park on nearby streets overnight. The municipality will notify the police department of the project, so you will not need to request overnight parking permission. The contractor will leave a notice at your front door a few days before construction begins.

Leaf Collection

The public works department makes leaf collection a top priority in the fall. Mt. Lebanon puts six trucks on the road every day during leaf season to collect leaves. Collection crews work 10-hour days, including Saturdays, but as with many public works projects, leaf collection is weather-dependent. Please rake your leaves to the curb the day before your scheduled pickup.

The trucks do not move on to a new section until they have cleared all the leaves from the section they are working in. So if your pickup day is Tuesday and you don’t see the trucks that day, it doesn’t mean they’ve skipped you. It means they’re still working on Monday’s leaves and they will get to you when they’re finished.

If the trucks finish a section early, they will move on to the next day’s assignment to get a head start, so again, if your day is Tuesday but you see the trucks on your street on Monday afternoon and you weren’t planning on raking until Monday evening, don’t worry. They’ll come back to finish up.

The leaf chutes are about three or four feet wide; a pile that takes up more space  will require multiple passes. If you live near an intersection, keep your leaves as far back from the intersection as possible. That makes it easier to maneuver the big trucks.

It is not feasible to reach all locations with a vacuum truck. Dead-end streets offer limited turning room and high-traffic main streets are too busy to permit vacuum collection. Residents of these areas are advised to bag their leaves for Saturday collection each week. Place all leaves in biodegradable brown paper bags. Bags must be placed at the curb prior to 7 a.m. Saturday. See page 55 for a list of streets with Saturday collection.

Ice & Snow

First priority during a snowfall is public safety. Crews will make sure emergency vehicles can get around, and there is a clear path to St. Clair Hospital and the community’s assisted care facilities.

Schools and steep grades also get extra attention, as do brick streets, because their uneven surfaces make for difficult winter driving. Once those areas are cleared, crews begin working on the residential areas.

As you clear your driveway and sidewalk, it’s best to shovel the snow into your yard, behind your sidewalk. If you have to shovel snow into the street, shovel it to the right as you are facing the road, because that’s the direction the plows will be going.

Geographic Information Systems

The Mt. Lebanon Geographic Information Systems (GIS) office is part of the public works department. A variety of maps are available to the public through the GIS office. Maps include zoning, transitional overlay, street addresses, schools and parks. If you wish to request a map fill out the  map request form found on the Public Works GIS Mapping section of the municipal website, www.mtlebanon.org, and submit it to the GIS office, or drop off the completed form at the Customer Service Center, 710 Washington Road.

Map sizes range from smaller than 11-by-17 inches, at $15 each, to larger than 17-by-22 inches, at $30 each.

The office also has a selection of free, downloadable maps. The maps include a street map, schools, community buildings, facilities and parks. The map may also be picked up at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building, 710 Washington Road, at the Customer Service Center on the first floor.

Other downloadable maps include a business map of Washington Road, a map of the homes contained within the National Register of Historic Places, a neighborhoods map, maps of schools and parks, parking facilities, a map showing all of Mt. Lebanon’s wards, development zones and trail maps of eight Mt. Lebanon parks.