Large crowd attends ceremony for new Middletown police chief

A large contingent of the Middletown Division of Police witnessed the pinning ceremony new police Chief David Birk at the Jan. 7 meeting of Middletown City Council.

After an overview of Birk’s record as a Middletown police officer, sergeant and deputy chief was presented by Acting City Manager Susan Cohen, Birk’s wife, Kila, pinned the new gold badge on the chief. Their children, Nathan, Maegan and Paityn, were also at the ceremony.

Council also approved an ordinance denying a request to change the zoning for a parcel located at 1407 Winona Drive from an R-3 residential classification to a B-2 community business district classification. Middletown Fuel Services LLC, the property owner of the 0.28-acre parcel located near North Verity Parkway, was seeking to demolish the house on this property and the existing convenience store building on the adjacent property in order to build a new convenience store building with a drive-thru.

The city planning commission recommended to City Council that the re-zoning request be denied at its Nov. 13, 2019 meeting citing the zone change did meet the map amendment review criteria required outlined in the Middletown Development Code.

The commission said the expansion of the gas station further into the residential would create adverse conditions by adding more traffic impacts and would be a detriment to the surrounding residential homes/neighborhood.

Monroe city council

Newly appointed Monroe Mayor Jason Frentzel presided over his first meeting on Tuesday as council approved the creation of an energy special improvement district and a plan for public improvements in cooperation with the Monroe-Liberty Twp. Special Improvement District.

City Manager Bill Brock said Monroe will do an energy improvement project to replace the lighting in the council chambers to improve lighting and save on energy costs.

Middletown created a special improvement district for energy improvements and completed its demonstration project with lighting, roofing and other improvements at the Robert “Sonny” Hill Community Center.

Monroe council also approved a 2 percent cost of living increase for all non-union city employees.

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