Laurel: To planning ahead. Pittsburgh knew more than a year out that the 2026 NFL Draft would happen in the Steel City. It was an event expected to deluge the city with out-of-towners for three days — more if you consider the crews of people coming ahead to set things up.
That means a lot of food — sometimes followed by a lot of waste. The event showed what happens when that outcome is anticipated instead of dealt with as an afterthought.
More than 30,000 pounds of food has been rescued by nonprofit 412 Food Rescue. More is expected. That harvest did not occur by luck. Someone planned for the possibility vendors would overprepare. They built a system to respond.
The city’s Environmental & Sustainability Legacy Plan did more than set goals. It created a framework. It connected organizers, businesses and food recovery groups so what could have been waste was not wasted. When the crowds didn’t match every expectation, the response was ready. The food will still feed people.
That is what good planning looks like. It does not guarantee perfection. It prepares for opportunities.
And in this case, it turned what could have been refuse into something useful — because the work was done before it was needed.
Lance: To planning too late. There is nothing inherently wrong with Ligonier Township supervisors deciding not to rezone property for commercial use. Zoning exists for a reason, and sticking to it is often the right call.
But decisions like that are exactly why planning ahead matters.
The Ligonier Country Market is not a new idea that popped into someone’s head. It is a 25-year institution that draws thousands of people and supports more than a hundred vendors. That kind of operation depends on a familiar routine. It must have a location secured and approved well before opening day.
Instead, this year’s market has been on unsteady ground since at least January, when the lease with Loyalhanna Watershed Association fell apart. Then there was the idea of the Waterford Volunteer Fire Department property, but that wasn’t zoned for commercial use. Fixing that hinged on a request that was never guaranteed to succeed. When that request failed, it left vendors and patrons waiting to see what happens next.
There may be other options. Organizers have said as much. But options are not plans, and plans are what participants rely on when they decide where to invest their time, products and expectations. Right now, the only plan is that the market will start its season May 16 … somewhere.