Cambria County, Pennsylvania — Art Martynuska is officially Johnstown’s city manager, and council members say the motions they passed unanimously are all part of a puzzle that shapes the future of the region.
The agreement, reached at Wednesday’s Johnstown City Council meeting, ensures Martynuska a six-figure salary through the last day of 2025.
The approval came after former Johnstown City Manager Ethan Imhoff resigned from his position in May and Melissa Komar temporarily took over the position.
“There are just a lot of things that have been on the table for some time, and it’s nice to see them now coming to fruition and us making progress,” says Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic.
The council also approved nearly $70,000 for installation and training on new license plate readers at the Johnstown Police Department.
Also on the agenda is approval of a temporary lease for the ITC parking garage in downtown Johnstown.
Council members say the city leases 500 parking spaces on the site to 1st Summit Arena for events. They say customers will soon be able to purchase those spaces through online platforms. The agreement states the arena must pay the city 50% of gross revenue each month.
“So it worked out really well for everyone involved and we were able to tax the property and create those jobs,” says former Johnstown acting city manager Melissa Komar.
Councilwoman Laura Huchel sparked a discussion about the obvious need for animal control in certain parts of Johnstown.
“We desperately need an animal control solution. So if we could save the money that the city and other municipalities across the county are willing to donate, we could put together a more attractive package to have someone do animal control for us,” Huchel says.
Also at today’s meeting, Melissa Komar will be approved as a consultant to the city.
