Hampton accepting applications for next municipal manager

For the first time in nearly 40 years, Hampton is looking for a new municipal manager to supervise its hundreds of employees, finish the construction of a multimillion-dollar wastewater treatment plant and navigate infrastructure repairs, among other duties.

“We want somebody who’s going to put Hampton first, somebody who can creatively contemplate multiple paths forward when we’re contemplating a project along with each of their possible outcomes, particularly when we’ve run into obstacles and then pick the path that’s going to be most beneficial for our residents,” said Carolynn Johnson, council president, who will choose the next manager alongside four other council members.

Chris Lochner, the current manager, formally announced his retirement at a May meeting, effective Feb. 1. Lochner received undergraduate degrees in urban studies and geography and his master’s in public administration from the University of Pittsburgh. After stints as an intern for the City of Pittsburgh Planning Department and as manager for Edgewood Borough, he came to Hampton in September 1986.

Since then, he has seen the township’s operations and facilities grow considerably to support its nearly 18,500 residents. For example, Lochner said that when he started, there were about 30 full-time and 25 part-time employees. Now, the numbers are 65 full-time, 50 part-time and up to 100 seasonal employees.

Under his tenure, the township constructed a police building, baseball and soccer fields complex, salt storage facility and the $7.5 million community center. In the 1990s, he said, Hampton issued more single-family housing starts than any other municipality in Allegheny County.

“We did a generation, which is 25 years’ worth of growth in 10,” Lochner said. “We had growing pains like any other organization did, but we worked our way through them, and … I think we not only did them effectively, but we did them in a financially responsible manner.”

Lochner said these developments wouldn’t have been possible without annual strategic planning meetings — a daylong process where he discusses “critical subject matters” from personnel to community services with council members.

Johnson said after working with Lochner for more than five years, replacing him isn’t going to be an easy task: “No one knows the ins and outs of Hampton to the extent that he does.”

The International City Management Association honored Lochner last year for his public service.

“He is very good about seeing the possibilities that might come about from any decision that’s made,” Johnson said. “And he always tries to make sure that council is well aware of the consequences of any actions that we might take both good and bad.”

Applicants have a June 30 deadline to submit their cover letter and resume to manager.position@hampton-pa.org. Johnson said council is looking for someone with a master’s degree in public administration and experience managing a similarly sized township. The job’s salary range is listed as $120,000 to $150,000.

Johnson said starting next month, council will conduct a series of remote and on-site interviews. Finalists will deliver a presentation to council members and department heads about how they plan to tackle some of the challenges Hampton faces.

In August, council will likely select a new manager who will then train for a few months with Lochner before formally starting in February.

One of the township’s biggest challenges, Johnson said, is completing construction on the Allison Park Wastewater Pollution Control Plant — the largest capital improvement project in township history. According to the township’s website, the project is expected to cost more than $45 million and address equipment deficiencies, limitations to the aeration system and more.

She said the new manager also must be prepared to repair and maintain aging infrastructure, such as roads and bridges, and secure funding to implement the township’s new 10-year Comprehensive Recreation Park and Open Space Plan. The plan outlines steps to protect Hampton’s natural resources, educate the community on conservation efforts, implement walking and biking routes and more.

Lochner added some more challenges to that list, including replacing multiple top staff members who will retire in the next three to five years, implementing a comprehensive maintenance plan for township facilities, building a new Emergency Response Center for fire and EMS operations, and improving scheduling and space issues for youth sports.

“The successful candidate will walk it, talk it, eat it, sleep it, drink it. I mean, that’s what they’re going to do. They’re going to immerse themselves in the community,” Lochner said. He expects anywhere from 10 to 20 people to apply for the position.

After retiring, Lochner plans to stay in Hampton — although he envisions traveling to warmer destinations in the winter. He also said he expects to play a lot of golf.

Looking back on his time as manager, he said he’s thankful for township staff who made a “positive difference in the lives of the residents.”

“The average life of a municipal manager in 1980 and 1970s was seven years,” he said. “The fact that I started then, and I’m still here now, sometimes it’s kind of amazing.”