Recycling director expected to be hired
Petuch previously has worked for the county's solid waste district.
YOUNGSTOWN -- Mahoning County commissioners were expected to hire James R. Petuch as director of the county's recycling division at their meeting today.
Petuch, who has been manager of support services and recycling at Youngstown State University since 2001, was one of five people who submitted applications for the job to replace John Cox, who retired as interim director in December.
Harold Moore, who did not apply for the job, has been serving as interim director since then.
The county's last permanent director was Timothy Berlekamp, who left in September 2004 to take another job.
The recycling director is responsible for developing, coordinating and supervising the implementation of the county's solid waste management plan.
The director will manage an office staff of about eight employees and oversee a budget that exceeds $4 million annually. Petuch will start at $55,000 and probably will begin his duties in April, said James Petraglia, county human resources director.
Cox made $65,000 as interim director.
Green Team
The recycling division, also known as the Green Team, gets its revenue from fees charged to haulers who bring material to the county's three landfills. Ohio law places restrictions on how that revenue can be used. It's required to go toward recycling-related uses and can't be used for county general fund expenses.
The recycling division is located at 108 Westchester Drive, Austintown. The division, through public education and working directly with government, business and industry, promotes four concepts: reduce, reuse, recycle, and don't litter.
Petuch, of Boardman, also formerly worked as waste minimization specialist with the county's solid waste district in the early 1990s, and was the recycling, litter prevention and environmental education specialist for the Youngstown Health Department for several years.
Vindicator files also show that he served as director of the county health board's state-funded litter control program in the late 1980s.
He has a bachelor's degree in education from Slippery Rock University.
Commissioners had sought an applicant with a bachelor's degree in management, environmental studies or related field and a minimum of eight years experience in solid waste management with at least five years of progressive levels of responsibility.