A vacancy on the Starke County Planning Commission has been resolved. It was reported to the county commissioners Monday that the county’s township trustees voted four-to-three to have Oregon Township Trustee Mark Allen fill the trustee’s seat. The commissioners affirmed his appointment with a unanimous vote.
Meanwhile, the commissioners opted not to name an interim highway superintendent following the departure of Rik Ritzler. They felt the existing office staff and supervisors could handle operations until a permanent superintendent is hired. Charlie Chesak, the commissioners’ president and liaison to the Highway Department, would be available to help with any issues.
Only one application for the superintendent’s position had been received, as of Monday’s commissioners meeting. They discussed easing some of the requirements to encourage more applications. Auditor Rachel Oesterreich noted that Ritzler served as the county’s ADA coordinator and certified construction inspector, in addition to his basic duties. While the ADA coordinator title could be shifted to someone in a different department, Oesterreich said that would eliminate the ability to fund it with Highway Department revenues.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Mark Gourley was chosen to replace Ritzler on the U.S. 30 Coalition, a seven-county group advocating for the highway’s upgrade to freeway standards.
