By Frank Mustac, Contributor
A changing of the guard was celebrated by friends, family and colleagues alike during a recent Hopewell Township Committee meeting, as one officer retired and another took his place., After more than 25 years as a member of the Hopewell Township Police Department, officials gathered during the April 12 meeting to thank and honor the service of now former Sgt. Joseph R. Giordano., According to officials, Giordano first began working at the department back in 1992 as a police dispatcher. Two years later he made his way through the police academy and was taken on as a patrolman in 1994., As a patrolman, Giordano was assigned to a number of different outfits, including as a community policing officer and a bicycle officer., Six years later, Giordano was promoted to the rank of sergeant, where he took on a supervisory role for his fellow officers., Though his career was remembered on Monday, Giordano has been off the force since April 1., In an effort to fill the void left by Giordano’s retirement, the township committee approved the subsequent promotion of Det. Michael Sherman to the rank of sergeant in the police department., His promotion, effective April 3, will come with an annual salary of $119,414., In other news, the township committee approved the hiring of Mark Kataryniak as the new director of community development. The position comes with an annual salary of $140,000 a year., Kataryniak, a civil engineer with a degree from New Jersey Institute of Technology, previously worked for Edison Township as its engineer, and director of engineering and planning., He also previously worked for French and Parrello Associates; Medina Consultants; and Birdsall Services Group., The position of director of community development is a new post within the Hopewell Township administrative staff. The job essentially combines the position of community development coordinator with township engineer., Hopewell Township will need a a new municipal engineer when Paul Pogorzelski, the current township engineer and administrator, retires at the end of 2017. Also, the township’s previous coordinator of community development retired at the end of 2016., In his role as the director of community development, Kataryniak will also serve as the township’s zoning officer; planning board secretary; and storm-water program coordinator, according to the published advertisement for the job., The director will also perform as liaison to the municipality’s Environmental Commission; Historic Preservation Commission; Green Team; and Deer Management Committee and all municipal departments.
