Anyone who has stopped by Ironton's water filtration plant has probably met Mark White, but they will be seeing a lot of more of him starting Monday.

The Wheelersburg resident who was hired Aug. 19 on a part-time contractual basis as a class-4 certified water plant superintendent will take over the duties full-time Monday.

White, 44, has 21 years of experience in the water field and was most recently the assistant director of water for the Portsmouth facility that serves 44,000 customers.

"I am really excited and looking forward to working for the city of Ironton and the community of Ironton," White said. "Coming out of Portsmouth, they said they hated to see me go, but I told them I wanted to go somewhere I could help people. And that is what I want to do. I want to serve the community until I retire."

Mayor John Elam said White's enthusiasm, familiarity with the city and glowing recommendations all lead to the hire.

"Mark brings a lot of experience to the city,"

Elam said. "It is not only experience that he brings but also a tremendous passion and professionalism about his work."

Elam credited White with initiating the repair of one of the city's water storage tanks. If successful, it will save the city thousands of dollars each year.

Former superintendent Jennifer Donahue left the city last year because her husband was transferred to another job out of the state. John Schwab, facilities manager for the city, began working as the full-time class-3 water filtration plant superintendent but White worked at the plant part-time to meet Ohio Environmental Protection Agency requirements.