Mar 10, 2015 By Suzanne Elliott 2 min read

Peters Township Council agreed March 9 to amend its personnel manual and create a deputy police chief position.

Council made the move at the urging of Michael Silvestri, township manager. Silvestri told council that Captain Michael Yanchak, the police department’s second-highest ranking officer who has also been on the force for more than 30 years, is expected to retire by year’s end.

Silvestri said it is important to get a deputy chief hired before Yanchak retires, “so there is some overlap between the two.” That is especially critical because, police Chief Harry Fruecht is expected to retire by the end of 2016.

“We will advertise internally and externally,” said Silvestri, who hopes to have a new deputy chief in place in the next “four to five months.”

Applicants for the position will have to have a college degree in a related field, such as criminal justice or management, as well as five years of experience. The pay grade for this position would be $60,000 to $93,420, Silvestri said. Fruecht makes $102,000, Silvestri said.

In other business, Silvestri said the township Parks and Recreation Department has received surveys from residents about what they would like to see in a new plan for the six township parks and recreation space as the department works on its comprehensive plan. The majority of the people surveyed said they want a swimming pool, something the township does not have.

“Fifty percent of the responders said they use the Upper St. Clair recreation center,” Silvestri said. The next step in the comprehensive planning process will be in-person interviews, he said.

The township agreed to buy two new pick-up trucks for its Public Works department from Day Ford at a cost of $64,108.

Separately, Silvestri said ADT Security Services, a national security system company, ranked Peters Township as the 19th safest community in the country based on national crime data reporting.