Change of plans: Lettiere returns as director for Mifflin County department
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LEWISTOWN - Working in planning and development for local municipalities for the better part of two decades, Jim Lettiere knows there are extenuating circumstances that can be unexpected.
As hard as the 56-year-old Lettiere tries, even with the best supervision and coordination, there are just certain circumstances that are out of his control.
Such was the case in March 2020 when he opted to leave the Mifflin County Planning and Development Department as the assistant planning director and accept the planning director position for neighboring Huntingdon County.
While it was a promotion, the 50-minute commute one way soon took its toll on Lettiere. Fortunately for him, the planning director position in Mifflin County opened up and Lettiere was hired by the Mifflin County Commissioners.
His first day back in Lewistown was Monday, Aug. 28.
"It was a good experience and I enjoyed it, but I was spending two hours each day with the Huntingdon County job," Lettiere said. "The commute became somewhat tiresome.
"My wife and I live in Yeagertown, so it's now a 15-minute ride," he added. "It's also nice to plan in the community where I live, and I think that's pretty important. There's value added to that."
The commissioners were more than happy to welcome Lettiere back to the fold.
"Jim is certainly no stranger to our planning department," Mifflin County Commissioner Kevin Kodish said. "He provided nearly 10 years of service to us prior to his accepting the planning director post in Huntingdon County three and a half years ago.
"We are very pleased that Jim made the decision to return 'home' and become our director," he added. "He lives here and knows all of the municipalities quite well. He has definitely hit the ground running in his new post."
They approached him twice about the position.
"I took the Huntingdon County position because circumstances were different in my professional and personal life," Lettiere explained. "Then a different opportunity rose. The commissioners approached me, and I decided to apply on their second attempt. The first attempt I decided to stay where I was.
"Then I decided to make the switch," he added. "And low and behold, here I am."
Lettiere is a nationally certified planner with more than 29 years of experience in the planning and community development fields.
"The three commissioners are extremely accommodating to work for and the municipalities," Lettiere said.
"My familiarity with the county certainly helps, but I've been doing this for over 29 years," Lettiere explained. "When I was previously employed with Mifflin County, I was in part responsible for reviewing subdivision and land development applications. The process has not changed substantively for the most part, so I am able to hit the ground running so to speak."
He had similar responsibilities in Huntingdon County, reviewing and processing subdivision and land development applications for the 48 municipalities in the county, and administering the county's Act 13 Marcellus Shale Legacy Funding. Preparing requests for county infrastructure and capital projects and the management of project development were also important duties of the job.
From January 2015 to March 2020, Lettiere served as assistant planning director in Mifflin County. He oversaw the administration of Community Development Block Grants, HOME Investment Partnership Program, and acted as a liaison between the county, government and private agencies and the public with regard to various grant programs.
Prior to that, he had served as community development administrator in Mifflin County since August 2010. Lettiere has also served in similar capacities in Harrisburg and Cape Coral, Fla.
Lettiere is glad to be back and credits his staff with making his transition easier. "I had to get up to speed on some of the projects," he said. "They're all very competent, and they are the greatest asset for this department."