No matter where he goes, POA Director Craig Myler seems to become the prototypical "big man on campus," not only because of his 6'4" height but also because of his ability and willingness to take on leadership roles. Although he and his wife, Janice, have only lived in the Harbour permanently since 2017, he is already completing the third year of his term on the POA Board. With only a few months' respite after his term ends, he will assume the position of Commodore for the Fairfield Harbour Yacht Club, so his volunteering will continue.
In 2019 former Board member Maury Thompson approached Craig, explaining that our community needed people to volunteer, and asked him to run for the Board.
Craig accepted the challenge and has spent the time since his election fulfilling the heavy responsibilities demanded of a Board member.
Board members generally work with the Community Manager and vote on matters that require Board approval. Their decisions impact the entire community aesthetically and financially, so they are taken very seriously. Each Board member also serves as a liaison to several committees. Craig has been a liaison to the Roads and Streets Committee, the Small Boat Storage Lot, and the Nature Preserve ad hoc committees.
Craig humbly says, "Accomplishments I participated in are moving the maintenance of our roads forward. The Roads and Streets Committee has some dedicated people who work hard to make things happen. I was pleased with the Walking and Biking Trail on the old Shoreline Golf Course. It creates an opportunity to get exercise while enjoying the open areas we all own. I'm happy to be a part of that. The Small Boat Storage Lot was an exciting project as there was a lot of difference of opinion in the Harbour, and that committee worked to find consensus on what has been, I believe, a success. The only negative comments I've received are about why we aren't making it bigger. I worked with the Community Manager to make the Bench project a success and have been very happy with those results, especially the benches on the walking paths." Recent maintenance of our roads includes substantial repaving. In the last year, we completed 29 road repairs and repaved the three streets having the worst pavement condition score. The repaving of the walking and bike trail, the boat storage lot, and the welcoming benches around the Harbour are significant accomplishments that enhance the community.
Craig's previous experience has provided many life skills. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute, entered the Army, and married Janice, a fellow Pittsburgh native. They moved around while in the Army, including some time in Germany. He served as an instructor at the US Military Academy at West Point and has a BS in Chemistry and MS and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering. His career in the Army and afterward strongly focused on nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare. He also spent a great deal of time with the destruction of the US stockpile of chemical weapons. He is interested in the water and waste treatment in Fairfield Harbour because he has also taught and worked in those areas as an engineer, scientist, and university teacher. He retired from Bechtel Corporation in Reston, Virginia, as Chief Chemical Engineer and Chair of the Bechtel Fellows. He comments, "I think all of my previous experiences relate to having a position on the Board. I don't mean that lightly. The not-so-old adage, 'Everything you need in life you learned on the playground,' sums it up for me."
Craig said he desires happiness and has the same hope for everyone else living here. Our community comprises all kinds of people, and the Board represents them all. He believes that being on the Board allows him to work with many people to help others enjoy their lives.
Craig will go off the Board in June and encourages others to volunteer. He says you don't have to have a specific skill or knowledge to volunteer. The best thing for a volunteer is to have the desire to be part of something bigger than yourself and a willingness to work with others. He admonishes us all to get out and enjoy Fairfield Harbour and all that it offers! We thank you, Craig, for serving us over the past three years and in the future.