Boardman Township hires new Zoning Director

July 11, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

BOARDMAN

Krista Beniston will start Aug. 1 as the township’s director of zoning and development.

She will succeed Sarah Gartland, who left several months ago after serving as director for two years.

Beniston accepted the job June 29 and will start with a three-year contract at an annual salary of $60,236.

“I’m just really excited to be a part of it; it’s a great opportunity; it’s a fantastic community, and I’m just really looking forward to have an impact where I live,” she said.

She applied for the position because she thought it fit with her background and interests. She also has said her past experience with planning and community development has prepared her for this position.

Jason Loree, township administrator, said he and the trustees took about three months looking through a number of candidates to find the ideal person to fit the community’s needs.

Beniston’s experience has focused heavily in planning and development, even in her current position as the planning coordinator for the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study and her previous job as a planning assistant for the Land Use and Long Range Planning in Dublin, Ohio.

Beniston earned a master’s degree in city and regional planning from Ohio State University, as well as bachelor’s degrees in urban and regional planning and in geography from Miami University in Oxford.

Loree said the trustees also thought Beniston’s background was the most valuable because it isn’t just something that can be taught, but learned through doing.

“You really don’t have a lot of college courses or background fields out there that specifically deal with zoning,” he said. “So someone that has that a familiarity with it like Krista does through her time in Akron and her time at Dublin – she gets that, and that was an exciting prospect for us.”

What Beniston is looking forward to most is diving head-first into her work in August. She’s also looking forward to learning more about the community and working with the township officials.

Marilyn Kenner, the new road superintendent, will assist Beniston as she gets acclimated to the department.