PERTH — The incoming director of the boys’ facility at the Tryon Residential Center says he will work to close the rift between staff and residents there by listening to employees and resolving their concerns.

Joseph Impicciatore, 54, of Clifton Park, will start as acting director of Tryon’s boys operations on Sept. 16.

Impicciatore will replace Roger Rascoe. The Tryon Residential Center houses about 150 boys and girls ages 10 to 18 who have been found guilty of various crimes across the state. Impicciatore will oversee about 90 boys.

The facility is run by the state Office of Children and Family Services and has about 360 employees.

Edward Borges, director of communications for the Office of Children and Family Services, said that Rascoe has decided to retire. Rascoe could not be reached for comment Monday.

“What we would like to accomplish is to bring some unity back to the facility,” Impicciatore said. “We have a lot of folks that need to be validated and reassured that they do a wonderful job.”

Impicciatore started his career with what is now the state Office of Children and Family Services as a youth development aide in 1979.

Since then, he has worked at facilities throughout the region, including a stay at Tryon from 1988-1994, when he helped coordinate services and security.

He has been the supervisor of facility security since 2004, overseeing security efforts at all state Office of Children and Family Services facilities.

Borges said Impicciatore will keep his current salary of $73,000, though it isn’t yet known how long he will stay as acting director or when his salary could change.

“I’m looking forward to this challenge,” Impicciatore said. “I’m looking forward to working with the staff at all levels in this facility.”

Tryon’s operations have been troubled in recent years.

In 2006, a 15-year-old Tryon resident, Darryl Thompson, died from heart arrhythmia caused by stress after being restrained by staff, according to an investigation. No criminal charges were filed in the case.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Justice confirmed that it is investigating alleged civil rights violations by employees against residents at the Tryon Residential Center, but officials would not say what prompted the investigation.

However, local union representatives said that it is employees, not residents, who are in danger at Tryon, citing recent incidents of employees being injured in attacks by residents.

Darcy Wells, the director of public relations at the Public Employees Federation, said earlier this month that some teachers at Tryon don’t feel safe in their classrooms. PEF represents 90 of the employees at Tryon, mostly teachers and counselors.

“[The children are] in more control than the staff, and it’s clearly a dangerous situation for everyone,” Wells said then. “These are streetwise kids.”

Joyce Burrell, the deputy commissioner of juvenile justice at the Office of Children and Family Services, said Impicciatore will help implement new policies at Tryon to create a more therapeutic environment for residents.

Borges said workers will be trained to recognize why residents are acting out or misbehaving and not just discipline the behavior without addressing the cause.

“What we haven’t done is to coach people through this process,” Burrell said. “We talk about positive youth development and transformation, but we weren’t doing the coaching to help our staff to transfer that knowledge to their practice.”