Chris Blackwell, 61, wanted to leave a legacy behind after his February retirement.

With a passion for outdoor recreation, and being an avid traveler, Blackwell wanted to set Penn Hills up for success with the forthcoming Verona, Oakmont, Penn Hills and Plum (VOPP) segment of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

He did just that and his work did not go unnoticed.

Blackwell, who worked for Penn Hills for more than 30 years and served as its director of planning for 10 of those years, was the recipient of the Martin O’Malley Award from the Friends of the Riverfront on Oct. 21.

The award recognized Blackwell’s work as a major champion of the VOPP segment of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

“Chris was a major champion of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail’s (VOPP) segment. Over the last decade, he took the trail from concept to reality through his persistence and skill. Under Chris’ leadership, 1 mile of the developing 13.5-mile trail segment is complete, and he secured funding for another 4 miles, which will go to construction in 2026-27,” said Kelsey Ripper, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront.

The trail project is a collaboration between the aforementioned communities, with each municipality handling their sections of the trail.

Blackwell was the go-to guy in Penn Hills.

Blackwell said he was one of about 40 people on the VOPP team. However, he recognized the need for a person to keep the project in motion and decided to step up for the role.

“I’m the champion of the VOPP Trail,” Blackwell said. “The Martin O’Malley Award, it’s really to recognize these champions that are instrumental in recreational projects in Allegheny County. It’s a great honor to be recognized as one of those champions.”

Blackwell retired from his role in February and subsequently moved to West Virginia.

“I think with the knowledge that I planned to retire … and I got the (grant) money and I knew I had a couple of years left, I thought, ‘This is it. This is my job. I’m going to get this done,’ ” Blackwell said.

Blackwell spent years applying for grants and working on the trail. He was able to secure funding to cover the entire Penn Hills section of VOPP.

“The idea is to keep the momentum going (with the project),” Blackwell said.

Blackwell said recreation and transportation are necessities for the success of communities. He is advocating for a change in the culture and conversations surrounding the development of trails and other outdoor recreation and transportation.

The 2025 Martin O’Malley Award recognizes individual citizens for excellence in advocacy on behalf of riverfront trails and public access to rivers. It is named for two major trail supporters who were part of the Friends of the Riverfront organization. Martin J. O’Malley was the founding chairperson of the Friends of the Riverfront and a major force behind the creation of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, while Martin B. O’Malley was the mayor of Forest Hills and a frequent volunteer and supporter of Friends.

“They were very instrumental in a lot of the riverfront development as far as recreation and trails that you see today,” Blackwell said. “I think as the planning director of Penn Hills, I had the opportunity to be an advocate for recreation and transportation projects.”

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