Old Lyme — The town has hired a new sanitarian from Guilford.

John Sieviec, who has served as the Guilford’s registered sanitarian for 25 years, will begin his new position in Old Lyme on Feb. 9, announced First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder.

Reemsnyder updated the Board of Finance on Tuesday about the hiring and told the board that Guilford is very similar to Old Lyme in many aspects when it comes to sanitarians.

“He really came with a lot of great experience,” Reemsnyder said of Sieviec.

Sieviec comes to the job with a background in geology and soils, and also has conducted many restaurant inspections, a trait that will make him a “great addition” to the town’s health department, she added.

Sieviec will replace Sonia Marino, Old Lyme’s chief sanitarian since March 2013 who became the new health director and registered sanitarian for the town of Westbrook in early January.

Old Lyme’s sanitarian job description calls for administering permits and inspections for well and septic system installations, conducting food service inspections and working with the Water Pollution Control Authority, according to an earlier advertisement for the position.