Town hires assistant building inspector
Date: 10/31/2012
By Carley Dangona
carley@thereminder.comWEST SPRINGFIELD — Mayor Neffinger announced that the Building Department hired John "Jay" Steup as its assistant building inspector, filling an integral vacancy, enabling the department to catch up on its abundant workload.
According to Steup, he joined the department at the end of September and jumped into a backlog, created by the absence of this position and the priority residential needs of the town resulting from the June 1, 2011 tornado.
"Things are going great," Patrick Moore, building commissioner, said. "It's like a huge weight taken off me. We've been doing our best [to meet the town's needs and are now doing a better job because the department] has nearly a full complement of people."
Steup added, "We're trying to catch up. I have been conducting inspections and following up on violations — I'm trying to contribute [as much as I can]."
Mayor Gregory Neffinger explained the benefits of filling the position. "We have so much we need to do — I don't want to delay the progress of the town," he said. "We need to have the department fully functioning."
Neffinger also explained the relief the job provides to the Planning and Development Division. "Mark Noonan, the conservation officer and assistant planner was helping out with inspections," he added. "Doug Mattoon, the director, is doing too many things [due to the understaffing], this is one less thing he has to do, he said."
A lifelong resident of West Springfield, Steup brings many skills to the department, in addition to his knowledge of the town. A self-employed contractor for more than the past 20 years, he has traveled throughout the country working with commercial entities such as Friendly's Ice Cream LLC, Starbucks Corp. and McDonald's.
The town currently seeks a director for the Planning Department.
