HOLLIDAYSBURG — Tyrone-area resident Todd Lewis will retain his seat on the Blair County Planning Commission, as county commissioners have agreed that they’re no longer interested in Lewis’ resignation.

In early February, commissioners asked for resignations from four planning commission members, including Lewis, when commissioners were fielding complaints about the county’s lack of an updated hazardous mitigation plan.

The updating effort, which remains in hands of the planning commission, is reported to be progressing in consultation with the state’s Emergency Management Agency.

Lewis, who became planning commission chairman in February and handled that role at the commission’s March 26 meeting, recently received a short letter from the commissioners, indicating that they were no longer asking for his resignation.

The letter was issued after a March 9 appeal hearing at the courthouse, where Lewis challenged the commissioners’ request for his resignation, mostly by pointing to his limited time as a planning commission member and his desire to remain on the board. The appointed position includes no pay.

Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling said Thursday after the weekly commissioners meeting that of the four resignations requested, Lewis was the only one who appealed. And that process led to what Kessling described as “a pretty good system.”

Lewis’ appeal hearing was convened under a section of law addressing appointments and removals.

“It gave us the opportunity to take in and digest what Mr. Lewis said in response to our request,” Kessling said.

Commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke also signed the letter to Lewis indicating that they were no longer asking Lewis for his resignation.

Webster said the hearing provided her with an opportunity to recognize Lewis “as a relatively new member” who was relying on fellow members with more experience.

Lewis told commissioners that he learned about the expired hazardous mitigation plan in August, six months after walking into his first meeting as a board member. In August, planning commission member Ben Postules distributed an email proposing that the planning commission board, at its upcoming meeting, discuss the lack of a hazardous mitigation plan in executive session to avoid media exposure. Lewis told commissioners he didn’t know if the session was convened because he wasn’t available to attend.

At his March 9 appeal hearing, Lewis told commissioners that if allowed to remain on the board, he would work on efforts to see that the plan is updated and on related communication issues.

Burke said Thursday that Lewis’ commitment was among her reasons for keeping him on the board.

“He showed an interest in moving forward … and that he was taking it seriously,” Burke said.

During the March 9 hearing, Kessling pointed to potential risks in light of the county not having an updated hazardous mitigation plan. He said that could jeopardize post-disaster relief funding. He also said the municipal grant applications are on hold for lack of an updated plan.

“We started getting involved because people were reaching out to us with concerns that weren’t being addressed,” Kessling said. “Not having an updated (hazardous mitigation plan) has the potential to impact as many as 122,000 county residents. We couldn’t not act on that.”

In response to the commissioners, planning commission members Herb Shelow, Jim Dixon and Nick Ardizonne resigned in February. That left Lewis on the board with two new members, Rodney Estep and Rodney Green, who were appointed in December to begin terms that started Jan. 1. As Lewis pointed out during his March 9 hearing, the commission at that time had only three members, leaving it short of a quorum of five to convene a meeting.

Three days after Lewis’ appeal hearing, commissioners named Sheree Ott, Jessica Sheets and Peter Folen to succeed Shelow, Dixon and Ardizonne. They also named Donald Delozier to fill a vacancy and on March 26, voted to appoint Dave Reese to fill an additional vacancy. Two additional seats on the nine-member board are still vacant.

“If we wouldn’t have retained Mr. Lewis,” Kessling said Thursday, “the whole planning commission board would be brand new.

The planning commission, formed years ago by Blair County’s municipalities interested in sharing resources, regularly handles required reviews for land development proposals, transportation projects and related reviews. It convenes monthly meetings to review plans and projects and offer input to local municipal leaders for their consideration.

Municipal representatives were among those who attended a Governmental Advisory Board meeting convened March 16, where the planning commission’s ongoing tasks were reviewed.

Mirror Staff Writer Kay Stephens is at 814-946-7456.