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After 22 Years Of Service, Zoning Officer Says Goodbye
By Keith Hagarty
Richard Megill has seen the once quiet, rural town of Jackson grow into one of the most sought after communities to live in throughout the state. After serving over a decade as the township zoning officer, Megill recently announced his retirement, saying it was simply just time to move on.
"I was a little younger than I am now, of course," Megill said with a laugh when describing his first days on the job to The Jackson Times. "But with working the hours that I was working everyday, and then the nights, which was another 15 to 20 hours a month at night, and then you've got to be back to work the next morning at 8:30 on time, at 68 years old, it just wasn't fun anymore."
After serving as a township building inspector in Howell, Megill joined the Jackson municipal ranks in 1985, working as a township building sub code official and inspector, before moving to zoning office in 1998, where he served as the township zoning officer.
The promotion to municipal zoning officer brought a new unique set of challenges that Megill was ready to tackle.
"The building inspector just goes out and inspects the homes to see if they are built according to the plans on the job site that were approved by the sub code official," Megill explained. "The sub code official reviews the plans, the application and all the information that comes in with it to see if they comply with the township's code."
Having a father who was a building contractor, Megill said he learned how to navigate a construction site at an early age, learning the ins and outs of what goes into the proper development of a home.
"My family was always in the building trade," he said, "so it's not like I decided one day to just look at how houses are built and see if it was right or wrong."
One of the most notable changes Megill has seen during his tenure in Jackson has been a rapid influx in applications to build large scale adult housing communities.
"You're getting a much older population coming in now, which we didn't have before, and they have different wants and needs than the generation before them," said Megill. "Plus, the amount of people wanting to do work on properties that now either have environmental restraints on them or fall under protected areas where people cannot do things to or build on has grown a lot."
As the town's population has grown, so has a family's desire to have larger additions built onto their homes.
"It just got busier and busier with more
people wanting to do more work," he said. "The more subdivisions you get, the more
corner lots you get, the more people want to put things in their backyards, side yards or front yards and often times, that actually did create the zoning board having a full agenda every meeting, which just wasn't the case years ago."
When asked about his retirement plans, Megill said his wife, Carol, already has him busy on the home front. While he's not looking to necessarily jump back into a fulltime position again, he's still leaving his options open for whatever life may offer.
"Right now I'm just going to take it easy and do some work around the home that's needed to be done for a long time," he said, "and then we'll see what's out there maybe."
Having any special proclamations or honors from the town isn't necessary for unassuming Megill, saying he would just like to be remembered for his years of dedication to Jackson.
"I gave my heart, body and soul to the town," said Megill. "I have a lot of family and friends in this town, and I just really enjoyed what I did."
Township Engineer Dan Burke is the town's interim zoning officer until a permanent replacement is found. No matter who is ultimately chosen, Megill is confi- dent his eventual successor will do a solid job for the town, and offered some simple advice for whoever that may be.
"You've got to learn a lot and continue to learn," he said, "and you have to keep an open mind. That's the most important thing is keeping an open mind, and just work with people and help them understand that these are the rules that are written by the town and I'm there to tell them what the town wants. Don't take it personal. Remember, I'm just the messenger."
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