Shelby Township Approves One-Year, $104,500 Contract for Fire Chief

Acting Fire Chief James Swinkowski was promoted to the position of fire chief by the board of trustees Tuesday, Jan. 15.

After eight months of performing the duties of Shelby Township Fire Chief, the township board has officially granted Chief of Training Lt. James Swinkowski a contract and title to match. Swinkowski, who was was appointed Acting Fire Chief in May following former Fire Chief Gene Shepherd's death, has accepted a one-year contract for the position with an option to extend or terminate the agreement on Dec. 31. Want more Shelby Township and Utica news? Sign up for Patch's e-newsletter. Supervisor Richard Stathakis said nine candidates from within the fire department took the Civil Service Commission’s written and oral test as part of the application process for the position, with Swinkowski posting the high score. As fire chief, Swinkowski …

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Shelby Board to Consider Fire Chief Promotion, Permission for Overnight Bridge Work

The promotion of Acting Fire Chief James Swinkowski and a zoning ordinance for proposed M-53 bridge work are on the table for the board of trustees meeting Tuesday, Jan. 15.

A zoning variance that will allow bridge repairs to take place during the overnight hours and approval of a contract for Shelby Township's new fire chief are among the issues officials will take up at tonight's township meeting. The Michigan Department of Transportation has three bridge repair projects on its 2013 agenda that will shut down portions of the 21 Mile, 22 Mile and 23 Mile road bridges over the M-53 freeway. Want more Shelby Township and Utica news? Sign up for Patch's e-newsletter. To speed up the process – and minimize the inevitable aggravation to motorists – MDOT has proposed performing the work overnight and on weekends. However, as Shelby Township's zoning ordinance only allows for construction between the hours of 7 a.m…

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Funeral For Shelby Fire Chief Gene Shepherd Held Today

Shelby Township's Fire Chief Gene Shepherd will be laid to rest today.