"All I can say is that it's a city personnel matter," said Warrenton Director of Operations Terri Thorn. "I can confirm that Mr. Schwerdt is no longer employed by the city and beyond that I can't comment." Schwerdt was reached at his Warrenton residence and said he did not wish to make any comments regarding his firing. As public works director, Schwerdt was in charge of Warrenton's infrastructure system, including the maintenance and upkeep of all roads and water and sewer lines. This past winter, when the city's highways were hard hit by ice and snow several times, aldermen praised Schwerdt and his crews for their efforts to keep the main city streets cleared and open to traffic. Schwerdt's departure marks another in a series of personnel changes within the city over the past year and a half. Building Commissioner Nick Beelek was dismissed by the city this past January after less than a year on the job. Former building inspector Bill Penney, the man Beelek had replaced, lasted only about six months with the city before he resigned. Prior to Penney's hiring, building inspector Bob Soderholm was dismissed by the city in the summer of 2006. Thorn said the city of Warrenton hoped to find a replacement for Schwerdt "within the next several weeks." The city did announce one new official had been added to its staff recently. Neil Fick, who had been with the Warrenton Fire Protection District for about five years, including the last two as the department's assistant fire marshal, was officially introduced as the new building commissioner at the regular board of aldermen meeting on Tuesday night. "I'm excited to have this opportunity to be with the city of Warrenton," Fick said. "Our city continues to grow and expand and I look forward to the challenge of being an important part of that process." Fick said his duties as building commissioner would include inspections and reviews of building plans for all new structures, as well as erosion control responsibilities. "It's really pretty much of an extension of many of the same duties I was performing as fire marshal," he noted. "In most instances, I'll still be looking at a set of building plans as I check to make sure the structures are in compliance with all codes." Fick said the city of Warrenton uses the same International Code Council (ICC) requirements, adopted in 2003, as those employed by the fire district. "The only differences now are that I will be focusing on specific issues such as the foundation structure, plus plumbing and electrical concerns," Fick continued. "With the fire district, my primary focus was on fire safety-related issues when I looked at building plans or did inspections," he added. Fick added he thought he would be able to make an easy transition from fire marshal to building commissioner. "I'll still be working with the same contractors and the same sets of building plans," he said. Fick will be paid an annual salary of $49,000. Fick holds an associate's degree in architecture from Ranken Tech, and an undergraduate degree in business administration from Lindenwood. He is currently pursuing his master's degree.