LOWVILLE — A Pulaski woman with a background in environmental and community planning has been hired as Lewis County's newest planner.

Sarah J. Bullock — who last fall moved to the Pulaski area with her husband, Michael — on Monday began work in the county's Economic Development Department.

For the past seven months, she has worked as an environmental planner for the Central New York Regional Planning and Development Board, a public agency serving Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. She primarily worked on an assessment report for the clean-up effort of Onondaga Lake.

Before that, Mrs. Bullock — a native of Montrose, Pa. — worked 41/2 years for Rural Community Assistance Partnership in Pennsylvania. She handled community development planning, focusing on water and wastewater systems, for that national organization.

Mrs. Bullock graduated in 2000 from Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, Pa., with a bachelor's degree in environmental science. She is planning to begin work this fall on a master's degree in public administration through Marist College.

Mrs. Bullock said her initial focus will be to study transportation in the county — continuing prior work done by fellow Planner Renee J. Beyer — to determine the feasibility of offering more public transit options.

The hiring returns the Economic Development Department to a five-person office, including the trail coordinator.

Jacqueline S. Longton, who primarily oversaw the county's Empire Zone program, in February stepped down as business development director to take a job in the city of Watertown's Planning Office.

County officials in April contracted with Camoin Associates Inc., Saratoga Springs, to administer the Empire Zone program but decided to still replace Ms. Longton with someone to assist Mrs. Beyer with planning duties.