Town hires veteran building inspector to replace Fellenz

Roger Kison will succeed Rick Fellenz as the Town of Port Washington building inspector on Dec. 31.

Town Chairman Mike Didier announced last week that Kison has agreed to accept the job when Fellenz retires at the end of the year.

Kison is currently the building inspector for the village and town of Belgium and does commercial inspections for the Village of Fredonia.

He also filled in for Fellenz for several months in 2017 after Fellenz was seriously injured in a fall from a ladder at his home. But Didier warned that Kison won’t necessarily be a long-term employee.

Kison, Fellenz said, is about 70 years old and will likely renew his licenses for another four years.

Fellenz, who is also the Town of Grafton building inspector, announced in April that he would be retiring by next June, although he didn’t have a definitive date at that time.

Fellenz said this spring that he will continue to do plumbing inspections for the City of Port Washington “as long as they want me.”

His retirement will end a decades-long career in town government.

Fellenz, who was town chairman from 1983 to 1989, has been the building inspector for the town since 1989. He has been the Town of Grafton building inspector since 2000.

Fellenz started his career as a plumber, beginning as an apprentice in 1968.

He needed to earn continuing education credits to keep up his certification and began taking uniform building code classes. Ultimately, he earned certification in residential and commercial building codes and commercial plumbing, and he’s a master plumber and electrician.