Cortland thanks longtime fire chief
David Rea retiring after 33 years of service
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CORTLAND -- As his first act as fire chief, Todd Price took a commemorative photo of retiring fire Chief David Rea, who was honored with a proclamation by council for his length of service to the city.
Rea will retire Thursday after more than 33 years of service to the Cortland community.
"It's been a great career," Rea said. "A bit of a roller coaster -- there's always ups and downs, but it's been a good 33 years."
Rea began his firefighting career with the Bazetta/Cortland Joint EMS District in 1993, joined the Cortland Fire Department in 1995, and has served as fire chief since 2013, overseeing the addition of a new fire truck in 2020 and plans for a new safety services complex.
Rea thanked city council for the recognition of his service and for promptly appointing his successor. City council approved Price's appointment as fire chief Monday, with a formal swearing-in planned Aug. 3.
Also Monday, council heard from residents who were unhappy with property damage and dangerous conditions resulting from crews digging for underground fiber optic utilities. Mayor Jim Bradley gave an update on such work in the township, saying the underground digging, known as directional boring, is under a moratorium in the city. He said there is a stop-work order preventing any work by Brightspeed fiber optics from proceeding.
Also, there are no approved peddlers or door to door solicitors from the company authorized to operate within city limits.
Bradley said a Brightspeed contractor recently struck a gas line, causing a leak, and thanked first responders for quickly securing the area. Similar incidents elsewhere in Ohio have resulted in explosions after directional boring crews damaged gas lines, including incidents in Girard and in Twinsburg located in Summit County.
Councilwoman Chelsea Munroe, who is chairing a committee drafting legislation to regulate the companies, said the city needs to work quickly to protect residents.
In other business, council:
• Requested an advance from the Trumbull County Auditor of $100,000 from general property tax collections, $200,000 from police levy collections and $200,000 from fire levy collections.
• Decided to have a public hearing to update the official city zoning map. The details of the hearing will be advertised on the city website.