North Royalton resident Jessica Ciaccia-Fenos has been named as the Mayor’s appointment to the city’s Planning Commission. The North Royalton City Council unanimously approved the appointment at its March 7 meeting for a term that is effective on March 7 and expires on September 29, 2017. She is filling the place of Cheryl Hannan, who stepped down to take the Council position vacancy of Ward 5, after Councilman Steve Muller resigned in January.
According to the city’s Charter, the function and duty of the Planning Commission is to control the planning of the city and recommend regulations for the adoption of City Council relating to the platting of the land in order to “secure the harmonious development and to provide for the coordination of streets with other streets and with the official master plan and to provide for open spaces for traffic, utilities, access for fire-fighting apparatus, recreation, light and air, and for the avoidance of congestion of population.”
Ciaccia-Fenos joins Mayor Bob Stefanik, Acting Chairman, Timothy Miller and Frank Castrovillari on the Planning Commission, as well as Council President Larry Antoskiewicz, as Council Representative. She works as a Planner for the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District, where she has served since 2008. She is a 2007 graduate of Cleveland State University, where she holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Urban Studies. She also attended Cuyahoga Community College. “I am very grateful to Mayor Stefanik and Council for the appointment,” said Ciaccia-Fenos. “ Being a part of this Planning Commission Board provides me an opportunity to play an important role in preserving the integrity of my hometown. I enjoy my work in public service and as a planner, so I am excited to be more involved with my community in this way.”
The appointment “kind of came by accident that we found her,” said Mayor Bob Stefanik. He said that Ciaccia-Fenos had come to a few meetings to make a presentation regarding recycling on behalf of the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District. “She was very polished,” said Stefanik.
Ciaccia-Fenos is the Vice President, Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) – Ohio Chapter, a member of the Association of Ohio Recyclers (AOR), Ohio Association of Litter Prevention and Recycling Professionals (OALPRP) and the Northern Ohio Service Directors Association (NOSDA). She has lived in North Royalton for 37 years, attended St. Albert the Great School and graduated from North Royalton High School in 1997. Her husband, Jason, also grew up in North Royalton and runs a business here. This “gives you an idea of the depth of my roots and investment in the city,” she said.
The North Royalton Planning Commission meets at the Council Chambers at the North Royalton City Hall twice, monthly. The open caucus begins at 6:45 p.m. and the meeting begins at 7 p.m. The meeting schedule and agendas can be found on the city’s website at www.northroyalton.org/en-US/Planning-Commission-Meetings.aspx.
By GLORIA PLEVA KACIK
Contributing Writer