CENTER TWP — The township has a new supervisor, a new chairman and a new engineering firm.

Robert Sloan was appointed by the board and sworn in as a new supervisor at a reorganization meeting Tuesday night. He will serve a two-year term, replacing Ken Frenchack who did not run for re-election.

Sloan, a native of the township, has been on the planning commission for 15 years and will continue to serve there this year. He retired last year after 35 years in the medical service field.

He ran for the Republican nomination for a two-year term last spring and lost to supervisor Phil Wulff.

Sloan ran again as a write-in candidate in the general election, in which 154 write-in votes were cast, and lost to Wulff again.

He reached out to the supervisors and volunteered to fill the two-year seat, which Wulff turned down in favor of a six-year seat.

“I think I got quite a bit of support from the community,” Sloan said Wednesday about the two elections.

Supervisors Tuesday appointed The Gateway Engineers Inc. as its engineering firm, replacing Ron Olsen, who had been the township's engineer for more than 20 years. Their main contact will be engineer Dave Heath, supervisor Ed Latuska said.

The hourly rates of each firm are similar, though they vary based on what type of work is being requested, township Secretary-Treasurer Anthony Amendolea said. The change will not affect the township's operating budget, he said.

Sloan voted against the motion, saying he didn't have enough information as a new member of the board.

Latuska and Supervisor Ron Flatt said that it was a tough decision, but they believe that the township's need for engineering service will increase in the future.

“We appreciate all the years of service and hard work Ron Olsen provided,” Latuska said.

Supervisors had already been working with Gateway on designs for a proposed road to connect North Duffy Road to Lions Road and create more potential for development near the Abie Abraham Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Center.

Gateway, which has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, also has an office in Butler.

“The board felt that the range and depth of support staff was a benefit moving forward with the scope of the projects we're doing over in that corridor,” Flatt said.

The final design and report on the proposed road is expected to be ready in February and the supervisors might consider paying Gateway or a professional grant writer to assist with finding funds for the road construction, Flatt said. The project is estimated to cost $1.3 million.

The board also voted Wednesday night in favor of making Flatt the new chairman and Wulff the vice chairman. They are joined by supervisors Latuska, Sloan and Alan Smallwood.

Flatt said that Latuska wanted to step down after four years as chairman and he brings six years of experience as chairman to the role.