As 2026 begins, the Alle-Kiski Valley faces a choice. We can continue managing aging systems, stretching them, patching them and hoping they hold, or we can decide, deliberately, what kind of region we want to be going forward.
For generations, our communities carried the weight of industry and adapted when that world changed. We learned how to keep things running with less, solve problems locally and take responsibility when systems didn’t perform as expected. Those lessons are why this moment matters.
2026 should be about applying what we’ve learned and rebuilding with intention, using systems designed to last rather than fixes meant to buy time.
Across the AK Valley, there is growing recognition that short-term solutions are no longer enough. Infrastructure, public services, and local government structures were built for a different era. Keeping them alive through patchwork approaches may feel familiar, but it isn’t sustainable.
That shift is already starting. We’ve seen it through regional police mergers that strengthened public safety while reducing duplication and through the serious work underway to create a regional EMS authority focused on long-term stability. These efforts reflect a willingness to rethink systems instead of endlessly propping them up.
Rebuilding means prioritizing reliability, accountability and long-term planning over quick wins. It also means recognizing cooperation across municipal lines doesn’t weaken local identity; it protects it.
As we step into 2026, we are building on hard-earned experience, and the choice before us is one we should make together: to build systems that last.
Dwight Boddorf
Tarentum