HEATH — Colrain resident Tyson Howard has been hired as the new highway superintendent, replacing Jeff Johnston, who left in July to take a job in Shelburne.

The Selectboard invited Howard for a second interview on Tuesday, after which members discussed and offered him the job on the spot. Howard accepted the position at a rate of $30 an hour, which will be reviewed after 90 days.

Howard will begin work after Oct. 25, once he returns from his daughter’s wedding in Georgia. Interim Superintendent Steven Thane will continue working with the department until then.

Selectboard Chair Robyn Provost-Carlson said the Highway Department is one of the most important departments in town, and the town needed to find someone who cares about the roads as much as its residents do.

“It’s our lifeline out of here,” she said of the Highway Department. “We need to grocery shop, we need to go to doctor’s appointments, we need to go to the hospital, go to work … whatever we need to do, we need to go somewhere else to do it. Our roads are that important.”

She added that she feels confident with the new hire, saying Howard’s answers in his first interview were thorough and promising, and that his references spoke highly of his work ethic and efficiency.

Howard has decades of experience in trucking and plowing. He told the Selectboard that he is excited to learn about Heath and its roadway needs. In Colrain, he volunteers as a firefighter and is an ordained minister.

“I have passion in what I do,” Howard said.

One of Howard’s first tasks, set by the Selectboard, will be to update the lists of culverts in town and create a master list of town roads, their condition, what work is needed and what work has been done.

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.