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Coronvirus pretty much made face-to-face engagement between the public and government representatives temporarily impossible. But the COVID-19 pandemic did not stop the lines of communication at several City Halls and municipal buildings around the state. In the Pittsburgh suburb of Bethel Park, municipal officials improvised when they closed the office last year. “We knew we could not communicate normally,” said Lawrence Christian, Bethel Park’s manager. “You can’t be transparent enough.” The local government posted its agenda and minutes on its website, including budgets and hired a part-time social media provider, produced its Quarterly Chronicles report and developed a system of having the mayor do two- to- three-minute discussions with constituents via their home phones, Christian said. ....