Tim Pitrowski has lived in Jones County for almost 40 years and has worked in the county’s Planning and Zoning Office for 32 of those years, 28 as head of the department.
Pitrowski, 56, considers himself a Floridian, having grown up there and not moving to Georgia until three months after high school graduation. He is not, however, a native of the Sunshine State.
“I was born in New York,” Pitrowski shared near the end of an interview conversation last week. “I was about a year and a half old when my parents moved to Florida. My dad’s parents had moved to Florida, and he followed them down. Maybe they didn’t want to raise me in that environment up there. Maybe that’s why they moved down. But I don’t remember.”
The long-time Jones County employee recalled his high school focus.
“I had three years of electronics. The teacher that taught our three-year electronics course in high school also taught the two-year associate’s degree program for electronics in college, and he gave us the same program.”
Pitrowski’s professor helped him land a job following graduation.
“I got a job as a bench tech,” he said, explaining that his position involved “troubleshooting electronics that have been manufactured by a company. So, all day long, you take a broken piece of equipment, find out why, and repair it, get it back in operation. And I just hated the work.
“I’m glad I didn’t go to school for another two years to wind up doing that.”
About three months after graduation, Pitrowski followed his parents, Bob and Claudia Pitrowski, to Jones County.
“They were tired of living in Florida. They wanted to move to the country. My dad’s brother lived here, and they came up to visit him. They found some land, bought it, and moved up here.”
Soon after moving here, Pitrowski, raised as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, went to work as an electrician and stayed with the company for seven years. At one point, he was sent to a location where Melinda Thompson worked.
“I was working on her Kingdom Hall in Warner Robins,” he recalled. “They had an electrical problem, and I went down there. I was just doing some work, and I met her there. We started dating not long after that.”
The two dated for about 18 months, he said, and married in August of 1990. Pitrowski believes a successful marriage depends on effort.
“Both of us being willing to work at it. Both of us have to work at it,” he stressed. “If you don’t, if only one person’s trying, it’s not going to work. I think us having a common faith and trying to live by Bible standards definitely kept our marriage strong.”
That faith is exemplified on a regular basis. Pitrowski and his family practice their Jehovah’s Witnesses beliefs by visiting with others Saturday mornings.
“We have a conversation with someone, see what’s on their mind. We can offer a scripture, scriptural encouragement from the Bible,” he explained. “We meet at the Kingdom Hall and break up into groups and go into assigned areas. Our congregation covers about half of Jones County, all of Twiggs County, a little bit of Bibb County as well.”
Pitrowski joined the Jones County Planning and Zoning staff in 1993 and quickly realized he was responsible for more than he had thought.
“I was hired as an electrical inspector,” he recalled. “The day I started, I was told that I inspect everything, and I didn’t know anything about anything except electrical.”
Pitrowski learned as he went, and, in four years, he took over as P&Z Director when the department head left.
“I’ve been with the county 32 years,” he said, pondering whether any other employee has worked for Jones County that long.
He pointed out his wife went to work there in 1994, as did Voter Registrar Marion Hatton. According to Sheriff Butch Reece, Earl Humphries has been with his department 39 years.
Despite his tenure, Pitrowsksi has no immediate plans to leave his job.
“My retirement paperwork says I can retire two weeks after I die,” he laughed.
Seriously, however, since he is just 56, he has no intentions of leaving in the near future.
“The biggest thing would be insurance,” the director figured. “What would I do about health insurance? That would be the biggest obstacle to retiring. I’m too young. I imagine I gotta hang out until I’m at least 62, probably 67.”
Pitrowski said, when he became director in ’97, dealing with the public was an important part of his job.
“I was over the day-to-day operations of this department, primarily answering questions,” he detailed. “I’ve got to be able to answer a question. If somebody comes in here and wants to do something, I’ve got to be able to tell them yes, no, or maybe.
“And so, anything somebody wants to do with their property, it’s either permitted or it’s not, and it comes through us.”
The veteran department head pointed out his job has not changed that much over the years, though the responsibilities have.
“When I first started, it was just doing building inspections and zoning,” he said. “And then over the years — storm water management, soil erosion sedimentation control, business licensing, flood plain management — those things have been added to this department, and so we’ve had to assume those duties.”
The office staff has not mirrored that change, however.
“We capped out at four people in 2008,” Pitrowski commented. “When we had the economic downturn in 2008, we let one person go, and we’ve maintained a staff of three since then.”
He said Terrie Creek is the staff member most likely to greet a visitor, and she has been with the office since 2008.
The zoning office budget has also changed little over the years, Pitrowski said.
“Except for salaries, our budget has not changed much at all. A vehicle here and there. Not much.”
Two of the key functions of his department present different challenges as well as different ramifications for those seeking his assistance, Pitrowski explained.
“With a building inspection, I can tell you it’s wrong. You know, I just don’t want this to collapse and hurt your family. We need to get it safe.
“But,” he pointed out, “for zoning, I’m telling them they can’t have it at all. Then that’s when people are ready to fight because you’re telling them they can’t use their property.” The number of building permits is one indicator of growth, and Jones County’s numbers have not increased that much in recent years, according to Pitrowski. In fact, he pointed out that the county is still below the levels in place prior to the 2008 economic recession.
“We still haven’t recovered from the 2008 numbers,” he said. “In 2006-2007, we probably did 350 houses a year, and we bottomed out at like 14 in 2014. Now we’re back up in the 100, 150 range of new houses per year.”
Pitrowski added that those numbers don’t include mobile homes or permits for remodeling or renovation.
Pitrowski noted that Jones County adopted the planning and zoning ordinance in 1968, much earlier than many other local counties. He shared a copy of minutes of a joint city-county meeting June 4, 1968, in which the proposed regulations, referred to as the “Guide,” were presented.
The minutes read: ‘After an eloquent speech by Mr. Freeman Henderson, the “Guide” was presented to a dazed and well informed joint meeting of City Council and County Comm. ...Since only a few members were well enough informed to ask questions, it was decided to not ask for adoption of the “Guide” at this time…’ “It gets interesting when I have to research history in my office,” Pitrowski said. “That reference in the minutes gave me a good laugh.”
Pitrowski believes that staying out of the limelight is the best practice and part of the key for a successful operation.
“I’m trying to keep this office going, keeping our heads down,” he declared. “And I think when we’re doing our job right, nobody knows we’re doing anything. If we’re doing our stuff, the commissioners don’t even know we’re doing anything over here.”
Pitrowski realizes with his experience and talents, he could earn more money at a larger government entity or even with a private company.
“I have given that consideration,” he acknowledged. “But then I stop to reflect on my time here. I have enjoyed working for Jones County. I work with a great team. I have also built good working relationships with our customers, and that helps a lot with the work environment.
“The commissioners have given me the tools I need and trusted me to do my job. When speaking with my peers, they can’t all say that.”
