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Boardman trustees swear in Pitzer as fire chief
By jordyn grzelewski
boardman
Township trustees swore in Mark Pitzer as the new fire chief Thursday, marking Chief George Brown’s official retirement from the position.
“He’ll do great. He’s got the passion and the desire and he’s a hard worker. And he’s very much about customer service,” Brown said of Pitzer. “He’ll do well.”
Pitzer, a Canfield native, joined the Boardman Fire Department in 2003 and was one of five other members of the department who was considered for the position. Trustee Thomas Costello credited Brown with the strong applicant pool from which the trustees chose.
“Thanks to the leadership of Chief Brown, we had five very qualified candidates come forward,” Costello said. Costello said Brown made it possible to hire internally, rather than seeking candidates from elsewhere.
“I want to thank Chief Brown for his years of leadership,” Costello said.
The swearing-in ceremony was an emotional experience for Pitzer, who had tears in his eyes while his two sons, who are 9 and 6 years old, pinned his badge to his uniform.
“I’m thrilled that this is happening. Today was a great day for me,” Pitzer said. “I’m just happy to be here, happy to work for the township in this capacity as fire chief, to provide the best fire protection for the community as possible.”
Pitzer started as interim fire chief at the beginning of July, and Brown stayed on to train him. Pitzer said he feels prepared to take on the job on his own.
“I feel great, comfortable, I have a great support network. ... It’s been a great transition and everyone is looking toward the future,” he said. The new chief will be paid $72,000 annually.
In other business, the trustees voted unanimously to adopt a resolution approving the demolition of a building at 7405 Hitchcock Road, as well as a resolution approving the continuation of the township’s participation in a natural gas aggregation program.
The program allows residents of participating communities who enroll to get the same fixed rate from Interstate Gas Supply Inc., a natural gas provider. The resolution is to renew the township’s contract with the company.
“This program has been very successful, and people can get a better rate than they would on their own,” said township Administrator Jason Loree.
The board also heard a report from Road Superintendent Larry Wilson regarding the recent closure of West Parkside Drive. The road closed last week after engineers warned that it was dangerous because of a collapsing culvert.
Wilson said his department is waiting to hear back about obtaining emergency funds from the Ohio Public Works Commission.
“I appreciate the fact that everyone acted so proactively, and prevented a tragedy,” said Trustee Larry Moliterno. “If we don’t get this emergency funding, that road could be closed for a year.”
Police Chief Jack Nichols reported to the board that his department is in the middle of the process of hiring a police officer to work at the high school.
“For the first time, the police department is providing a full-time officer to the high school,” Nichols said. “I have a very good feeling about it.”