The Allegheny Conference on Community Development, the region's premier economic development group, intends to spend $8.2 million on 26 specific projects in 2006, including planning for Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary in 2008.

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Some items that may grab attention and headlines include about $85,000 for the development of a TV speakers' bureau, $104,000 to improve the conference's reputation outside Allegheny County, $300,000 on a renovation of Point State Park, and $483,000 on a study of city-county consolidation.

The figures and project descriptions are from a draft document, obtained by the Post-Gazette, that provides a rare look inside the conference's plans for the year, along with budget estimates for each initiative.

Founded in 1944 to clean Pittsburgh's skies and redevelop Downtown, the nonprofit conference has been under increased scrutiny lately, with funders calling for more measurable results and a tightening of focus. Last month, PNC Financial Services Group Chief Executive Officer James Rohr took over as conference chairman, replacing the outgoing Martin McGuinn, who also is stepping down this month as Mellon Financial's CEO.

Mr. Rohr, who board members have said wants to tighten the conference's focus, could not be reached for comment.

Conference spokeswoman Pam Golden said any information about 2006 programs "that you have at this point can only be considered preliminary." The conference's priorities and programs will not be final, she said, until March, when a council of businesses that invested money in the Downtown-based public policy organization will hear about plans for 2006.

But the draft document, updated as recently as late January, offers a blueprint for action. Many of the projects revolve around the long-standing effort to change the region's image.

The conference, for example, would like to start the ball rolling on a celebration of the city's 250th anniversary. It expects the planning alone will cost about $1.6 million, according to the documents, and expenses will cover the hiring of a consultant to help with marketing, as well as the costs of travel, meetings and data collection.

Several other projects will tie into the Pittsburgh 250 campaign, including a statewide tourism push designed around the path worn by British General John Forbes, who carved his way across Pennsylvania and captured The Point for the British in 1758. The conference wants to link all towns touched by the Forbes campaign, including Philadelphia, Lancaster, York, Shippensburg, Bedford, Ligonier and Pittsburgh.

The conference also wants to help with the completion of a Point State Park renovation by 2008, including spending $250,000 on design consultants this year.

It also plans to launch an initiative this year to raise Pittsburgh's profile nationally by developing a local roster of "photogenic, articulate, knowledgeable spokespersons" who can speak on a range of issues. A consultant would monitor newscasts on CNN, MSNBC and Fox News for issues of interest and offer the news outlets an interview.

"The presence of articulate persons would improve the national image of the region," the conference claims in its draft work plan.

It also plans to work to persuade local neighborhoods and outlying towns to adopt the Pittsburgh 250 theme.

But most of the big-ticket items for the conference in 2006 pertain to the ongoing task of recruiting new companies and convincing local firms to expand.

These include a budget of $2.1 million, with $80,000 allocated to travel costs, and a goal of getting one company with more than 250 jobs to move here and to get going on a project to attract one "blue-chip" firm to the area.

Another big expenditure -- about $1 million -- will be work in Oakland.

The conference wants to study the possibility of linking Oakland to certain points in the city via rail or trams, work on the planning for a new technology park in Hazelwood, and ensuring that the design of the Mon-Fayette Expressway addresses Oakland's traffic congestion and allows for a pedestrian trail from Oakland to Downtown.

Lastly, the conference plans to spend some time -- and about $480,000 -- this year examining the issue of city-county consolidation.

It intends to review efficiency of services provided by information technology, purchasing, police services, facilities and public works.

A benchmarking trip is planned, along with a study of economic development in Washington County and the relationship between Butler County and Pittsburgh.