Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania

Jefferson Hills is a borough, run by an elected seven-member council and mayor. The administrative staff run by the borough manager runs the borough to the objectives set by the council.

Council President · Karen Bucy Council Vice President · David Montgomery Council Members · Nicole Ruscitto

         Keith Reynolds

· Vickie Ielase · Frank Sockman · Melissa Steffey · Mayor . Janice R. Cmar

Jefferson Hills is represented by Pat Toomey and Bob Casey, Jr. in the United States Senate and Mike Doyle of the 18th District of Pennsylvania in the House of Representatives.[5] The borough's representative in the Pennsylvania State Senate is Pam Iovino of the 37th District and Mike Puskaric of the 39th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The District Court judge for Jefferson Hills is Michael Thatcher.[6]

Jefferson Hills police department is in the Municipal Center. It has 18 officers and several community service staff. The police take part in programs such as Drug Abuse Resistance Education) in the West Jefferson Hills School District. The force belongs to TUPPER, in which police from nine nearby communities collaborate, sharing regional criminal information. It also takes part in the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Regional Narcotic Task Force and the South Hills DUI task force.

The borough has emergency management and volunteer firefighters. There are three volunteer fire companies - Floreffe Volunteer Fire Company, Gill Hall Volunteer Fire Company and Jefferson 885 Fire Company.[7]

Crime in Jefferson Hills is well below state and national averages. The rates for 2005, based per 100,000 people:

Jefferson Hills has six land borders with Pleasant Hills and West Mifflin to the north, Clairton to the east, West Elizabeth to the southeast, Union Township in Washington County to the south, and South Park Township to the west. Across the Monongahela River, Jefferson Hills runs adjacent with Elizabeth Township, Elizabeth Borough and Forward Township.

The West Jefferson Hills School District is a midsized, suburban, public school system for residents of Jefferson Hills, West Elizabeth, and Pleasant Hills. Each of these South Hills communities are suburbs of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. West Jefferson Hills School District encompasses approximately 20 square miles. Per the 2015 local census data, it serves a resident population of 20,500. School district officials reported, in school year 2015–16, that the West Jefferson Hills School District provided basic educational services to 2,863 pupils through the employment of 205 teachers, 122 full-time and part-time support personnel, and 17 administrators.

The West Jefferson School Board is constituted of volunteer members who serve four-year terms after being elected to office. The school board works to set policy and long range plans for the district. The current members of the board are Brian Fernandes, Board President; Suzanne Downer, Board Vice President; David Dominick, Board Vice President; Jill Bertini; Carolyn Bourgeois; Kerri Gonot; John Hosmer; Anna Louise Lilley; and Darlene Schreiber. The school district solicitor is Robert McTiernan of Tucker Arensberg.

In 2012, West Jefferson Hills School District’s graduation rate was 96%. In 2011, the District's graduation rate was 93.6%.

In 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued a new, 4-year cohort graduation rate. West Jefferson Hills School District's rate was 93% for 2010.

According to traditional graduation rate calculations:

• 2010: 98%
• 2009: 98%
• 2008: 97%
• 2007: 97%

Thomas Jefferson High School serves grades nine through twelve with a current enrollment of approximately 883 students in a community of approximately 20,500 residents, comprising West Elizabeth, Jefferson Hills and Pleasant Hills Borough. There are 74 full-time faculty and staff working at the school to support a strong core academic focus with a variety of elective experiences. The building and facilities have been updated through various renovations. The most recent project was the reconstruction of the stadium. This included the field and track area as well as the stands and press box. A field house was also added at this time. Thomas Jefferson High School is well known for high academic standards and competitive athletic programs. Approximately seventy percent of graduating seniors go on to four-year college programs. Construction of a new high school building is currently underway with an anticipated opening for the 2018 – 19 school year.

A survey completed by the senior class of 2015 yielded the following results:

• 69.3% plan to enroll in a four-year college/university
• 13.2% plan to enroll full-time at a 2-year college or community college
• 6.3% are undecided
• 4.4% plan to enlist in a branch of the military
• 2.4% plan to pursue full-time employment
• 2.4% chose “Other”
• 2% plan to enroll in a trade/technical school or an apprentice program

Pleasant Hills Middle School is located in the Pleasant Hills Borough at 404 Old Clairton Road. The school serves students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades. The school was constructed in 1965 and recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary. A major renovation was completed in 2004 providing an upgrade to classrooms, facilities and additional learning spaces. According to the PA Department of Education’s School Performance Profile, the school’s enrollment in 2014 was 684 students. Twenty three percent of those students receive a federal free or reduced price lunch due to family poverty. The school employs forty seven teachers. Pleasant Hills Middle School’s School Performance Profile score in 2013-14 was 90.2 earning recognition from the PA Department of Education for exceptional performance as a Title I school. In 2015, the school was recognized as a “School to Watch” by the PA Association of Middle Level Education (PAMLE) and the National Forum to Accelerate Middle Grades Reform. Pleasant Hills Middle School is one of only 33 schools in the state and 370 nationally to earn this recognition.

Jefferson Elementary School currently has an enrollment of approximately 550 students in grades K-5 and implements a half day Kindergarten program.

Gill Hall Elementary is one of three K-5 elementary schools in the West Jefferson Hills School District. Gill Hall was originally built in 1955 with only 8 classrooms, and was renovated in 1962, 1992, and 2002.

Mrs. Mayer has been the principal of Gill Hall since 2007. Staffing consists of 11 regular education teachers, 1 Special Education teacher, 1 Reading Specialist, 1 itinerant gifted support teacher, and 1 itinerant speech teacher. Itinerant music, art, physical Education, and library teachers are also staffed. There are two classrooms at each grade level, with class size ranging from 20-26.

The doors to McClellan Elementary opened on January 3, 1956, when there were only 165 students in grades 1-6. As the population continued to increase, McClellan has undergone three renovations (in 1958, 1981 and 2002). McClellan Elementary currently has a population of approximately 433 students in grades Kindergarten through fifth, with a staff of 38.

Thomas Jefferson High School

Mon Valley School is a comprehensive, public, non-residential special education center for students aged 5- to 21-years old. It offers a wide range of both full- and part-time programs. Mon Valley School readies students for work and life through meaningful educational programs and hands-on activities both in the classrooms, and outside in the gardens and scenic trails. The building is designed to accommodate students’ needs with specialized programs, a sensory room and handicapped accessible restrooms. The school offers numerous specialized classrooms, such as:

Autistic support, Emotional support, Life skills support, Physical support, and personal care assistance.

Mon Valley School offers an array of vocational programs and the building includes an auto body, woodshop, kitchen and warehouse. The specialized vocational programs prepare students for many careers, including:

Auto body, Buildings and grounds, Food service, Industrial production and maintenance, Materials handling, Auto mechanics, and Nurse’s aide (Employment-oriented home economics)

The Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School provides career and technical training to 11 high schools in southern Allegheny County. They offer a half-day curriculum for students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. While at the Steel Center Area School students are offered a wide curriculum of training opportunities including fields such as auto mechanics, advertising and design, and computer information systems. The Steel Center Area School also offers adult education programs for local residents in the fields of auto mechanics, nursing assistants, facility maintenance, and manicurist technician/esthetic skin care.

Jefferson Hills Public Library

Jefferson Borough Library was founded in 1959 by the joint efforts of the Jefferson Borough Lions' Club and a group of private citizens. Library shelving was initially placed in the Council Chambers and later moved to the renovated basement of the Municipal Building at 3008 Old Clairton Road.

Under the leadership of Charlotte Hill and Madeline Conklin, volunteers were organized to staff the library. The library was financed by a yearly donation from the Borough Council, donations from the Lions' Club, local businesses and citizens. Legislative grants were also received over the years.

Volunteers staffed the library until 1963 when Joyce Schmidt was hired as a librarian. Joyce and her volunteers worked to help the library grow for the next 30 plus years.

In October 1992, the library moved into the newly erected Municipal Center at 925 Old Clairton Road.[26]

The municipality operates five parks including Gill Hall Park, Andrew Reilly Memorial Park, Lobb's Park, Beedle Park, and Tepe Park spread throughout the community. These parks offer a variety of amenities from various sports fields, tennis and basketball courts, and playground equipment. Additionally, the borough has several pavilions and the Gill Hall Community Center available to rent to borough residents.

The Great Allegheny Passage is a system of biking and hiking trails spanning 150 miles (240 km).[27] These trails run from Cumberland, Maryland to Pittsburgh.[27] In 2006, the Great Allegheny Passage connected with the C & O Canal Trail to create a 318-mile-long (512 km) journey from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.[27] This effort was coordinated by the Allegheny Trail Alliance, an organization of the seven-member trails stretching from Pennsylvania to Maryland.

Jefferson Hills Trailhead

Jefferson Hills is uniquely positioned with two members of that Alliance, the Montour Trail and Steel Valley Trail system, intersecting in nearby Clairton. Local trailheads include Triphammer Road, Jefferson Hills (Gill Hall Road), Route 51 - Large, and Clairton trailheads.

The Montour Trail is a multipurpose trail extending 40 miles (60 km) from Coraopolis to Clairton.[28] The trail is made of crushed limestone, making it ideal for biking, walking, and cross-country skiing in the winter.[28] The Montour Trail also connects with the Panhandle Trail, a trail of 29 miles (47 km) trail between Carnegie, Pennsylvania and Weirton, West Virginia.[29]

The Steel Valley Trail runs 14 miles (23 km) from Clairton through McKeesport to West Homestead.[30] The Mckessport-West Homestead section is part of the GAP trail which connects Washington, D.C. to Pittsburgh solely on bike trails.[31] At the Clairton Trailhead 40°18′19.44″N 79°52′59.14″W it connects to the Montour Trail which is a 40 miles (64 km) loop south of Pittsburgh.

Two major roads run through Jefferson Hills, PA Route 51 and PA Route 43. Route 51 runs from Uniontown to the Pennsylvania/Ohio border. In Jefferson Hills Route 51 serves as the terminus for Route 43, otherwise known as the Mon–Fayette Expressway. Route 43 is a toll road and part of the Pennsylvania Turnpike system.[32]

The Port Authority of Allegheny County offers bus services in and around Jefferson Hills. There are several buses that directly pass through the borough, including:[33]

Jefferson Hills is located 45 minutes to the southeast of Pittsburgh International Airport, which handles most air travel in the Pittsburgh metro area. Additionally, the borough is a short drive away from the Allegheny County Airport, located in the neighboring South Hills community of West Mifflin. The Allegheny County Airport serves as the primary FAA-designated reliever airport for Pittsburgh International Airport. In this role the airport supports a high volume of business and corporate-related activity.[34]

Electricity generation in Jefferson Hills is supplied by both Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light. Natural gas service for the borough is supplied by Equitable Gas Company. Republic Services handles the trash removal and recycling for Jefferson Hills.

Jefferson Hospital

Jefferson Hills is home to AHN Jefferson Hospital, formerly Jefferson Regional Medical Center, a 373-bed hospital $30 million hospital that opened in the spring of 1977.[35] It serves the South Hills region of Pittsburgh.[36]

As with all communities in the Pittsburgh area Jefferson Hills receives the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, .[37] The borough has two local papers, the South Hills Record and the Union-Finley Messenger.

Jefferson Hills as a member of the Pittsburgh metro area is served by a variety of local television and radio stations. The major network television affiliates are KDKA-TV 2 (CBS), WTAE-TV 4 (ABC), WPXI 11 (NBC), WQED 13 (PBS), WPGH-TV 53 (Fox), WPCW 19 (CW), WINP-TV 16 (Ion), WPNT 22 (MyNetworkTV), and WPCB 40 (Cornerstone).[38] WEPA-CD 16 is an independent station owned and operated by the Bruno-Goodworth Network.[38]

There are a wide variety of radio stations serving the Pittsburgh market. The first was KDKA 1020 AM, which is also the first commercially licensed radio station in the United States, receiving its license on October 27, 1920.[39] Other popular stations include KQV 1410 AM (news), WPGP 1250 AM (conservative talk), WKST-FM 96.1 FM (pop and hip-hop), WBZZ 100.7 FM (adult contemporary), WDVE 102.5 FM (album rock), WPGB 104.7 FM (talk), WXDX 105.9 FM (modern rock), and WAMO 106.7 (hip-hop, rap).[40] There are also three public radio stations in the area; including WESA 90.5 FM (National Public Radio affiliate operated by Duquesne University), WQED 89.3 FM (classical), and WYEP 91.3 FM (adult alternative).[40] Three non-commercial stations are run by Carnegie Mellon University (WRCT 88.3 FM), the University of Pittsburgh (WPTS 92.1 FM), and Point Park University (WPPJ 670 AM).[40]