Lorain Public Properties plans programming with new Parks and Recreation Supervisor

LORAIN — After almost two decades, Lorain has a superintendent to lead the Parks and Recreation Department. Now in his second week, Eric Lahetta is still getting the lay of the land — including navigating the city's 54 parks, but he said he is excited to bring programming back to the International City. Lahetta most recently served as director of athletics at Bryant and Stratton College and worked in intercollegiate athletics for almost 30 years. This is his first parks and recreation job, he said, but the skill set is similar. "I'm basically starting up a program from the ground up," he said. "It's really very similar to my last job." He added later, "It's going to be a process. I take a little time each day to go out and get the lay of the land, where things are and just take some notes and see what updates we need and changes need to be done or maintenance done. I've seen more of Lorain in the last two weeks than I had my entire life." In late 2009 the city slashed positions due to budget constraints, many of those in the Parks and Recreation Department. The move effectively reduced the staffing down to just maintaining the parks — keeping the grass mowed and trash cleaned up, Director of Public Properties Lori Garcia said. And since then, that's about all the department has been able to do. But adding Lahetta means someone will be responsible for not just keeping to the maintenance schedule but organizing summer camps, sports teams and other activities for residents. Those programs or camps won't be fully in place until next summer, Lahetta and Garcia expect, but will coincide with major improvements made at parks throughout the city, including the planned opening of the Oakwood Park pool. Lahetta is also tasked with receiving his certification to operate Oakwood's pool, once the city receives its licensure from the state. "One goal, both of ours, is to bring youth programming back in recreation programming," Garcia said. "Whether it be camps that are once a month for the three months, or for five weeks straight a camp at a different park … Eric's going to research this winter for us to decide which… Almost going back to the old school days where the kids could go to the neighborhood park and there would be park counselors there to do programming with them." The upgrades to Campana Park will hopefully start in October, Garcia said, depending on whether the city can get a waiver to spend its federal grant funds early. The project received $1.6 million from the National Park Service to construct seven new soccer fields, a new football field, a new softball field and rehabilitate the 11 existing baseball fields and Pipe Yard stadium in collaboration with Lorain Schools. While not all the work will be done for 2023, some will hopefully be completed for the start of girls' softball next spring. "I really think Campana Park, with the program Eric can build up with doing tournaments and things like that, I think it will be a park that people will come to and be very interested in coming to that it's going to help the city all over … I think it can be a very good shot in the arm to the economy in the city," Garcia said. Lahetta agreed. "We want Campana Park to be the main attraction for youth baseball and softball (and soccer) in Lorain County," he said. Garcia's goal is to get younger kids on the city teams to not only bolster the program, but eventually help build it all the way through high school. For kids not interested in sports, Lorain resident Gloria Buxton is piloting Arts in the Park this weekend at Sgt. Samuel L. Felton Jr. Central Park in conjunction with the city — and if all goes well that program could expand to other parks throughout the city next year, Garcia said. The last time the city had camps at its parks was in 2017, she said, all funded by the Nord Foundation. Lahetta is a member of the City of Lorain Municipal Administrators Group, or COLMAG, and is paid $66,135 a year. A second Parks and Recreation superintendent hired at the same time as Lahetta later backed out of the job, Garcia said, and the other position will remain vacant for the time being. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.