Unity roadmaster stepping down

Mike O'Barto, who in December will have served more than two decades as a Unity supervisor, is stepping down May 1 from the additional role of township roadmaster.

Fellow supervisors John Mylant and Tom Ulishney accepted O'Barto's resignation Thursday and agreed his experience helping to manage the 18-member road crew will be missed.

“Mike will definitely be missed,” said Mylant, who has served as a supervisor and roadmaster for about eight years. “He helped me out a lot when I first started.”

O'Barto, who is running for a seat on the Greater Latrobe School Board, said the timing was right for his early exit as roadmaster since he has accepted another job outside the immediate area — a position he declined to elaborate on.

Mylant, who replaced O'Barto as chairman of the supervisors in January, said he will meet with his two colleagues and have a plan in place for filling the pending leadership gap in the road department before the board's May meeting.

Unity used to have three roadmasters, one for each of its geographical maintenance districts. In recent years, O'Barto said, he has overseen one district while also working in the township office, and Mylant has directed crews in the remaining two districts.

“I think you do need a roadmaster to take my place,” O'Barto said. “Fortunately, we have employees who have been with the township a long time. They know what to do, but they need schedules and to know how much money we can spend and when is the cutoff.”

Mylant said roadmasters are “hands-on,” responding to unforeseen problems such as snowstorms and flooding. “When a call comes in, you have to respond.”

Supervisors also accepted the resignation of Tom Couch as a township representative on the Latrobe Municipal Authority board. Couch continues as chairman of the Unity Township Municipal Authority.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.