03/01/07 — With less than three months to go, nobody can say for certain whether the 115-year-old Conneaut Lake Park will open on schedule this year.

And, at this point, it’s uncertain who will make that decision.

It will be up to an as-yet-unnamed board of directors to be appointed to succeed court-appointed overseer, LeRoy Stearns, who announced Tuesday he will ask to be relieved of his duties within the next 20 to 25 days.

Mark Turner, director of the Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County, said once the board is named it will have to decide whether it can or should open the park.

After reviewing a proposed master plan prepared by the EPA for the park’s future operation, Stearns said he agrees with it. It includes the recommendation that a new board of directors be named.

Stearns had proposed sale of 3.3 acres of land to give the park the money to pay off some of the debt and give it money to open. However, the plan doesn’t mention the sale of the land.

Turner said the plan wasn’t to focus on opening the park this year. “None of the work we have done has anything to do with the operating issue (for 2007) — it was long-term.”

However, once the new board is established, the EPA will work with the board to “get into the issue of whether we could or should open the park.”

His plans are to help provide direction for new board appointments.

He said the park has been operating at “serious losses” for years and noted “you have to give it a year or two before it makes money.”

“I don’t think anybody really knows,” he said of whether the park will open this year. The board will “work with creditors to ask for their help — not necessarily lending money, but staying (delaying) of payments.”

He said the new board will come up with an operating plan and address the creditors about it.

Once the plan is complete that “shows the operating loss at only $50,000 or $60,000 a year, we can borrow against it until we turn it around long-term.”

He’s convinced that once the board takes the business plan showing the park’s future development to a local lending institution, a loan will be granted.

In the meantime, Stearns said his focus is completing three legal projects before stepping down.

He will petition the court to approve:

–– The proposed sale of 3.3 acres of land to developer Greg Sutterlin.

–– A request by local developer Jeff Davenport to purchase an easement from Route 618 to the lakefront to be used in conjunction with his planned Snow Waters housing development.

–– A request by Conneaut Lake resident Carl Burkett to grant an easement over property he owns that he can sell.

As far as the park opening, Stearns said that decision in the past has been made as late as May 17.

For him, however, that “won’t be my concern in 20 days,” he said, referring to his removal as court-appointed overseer.

The master plan calls for satisfying the park’s debt through fees and annual leases from development, management and lease agreements, with funds to be used to “manage the affairs of Conneaut Lake Park, including the satisfaction of debts.” According to the report, that debt now totals $2.7 million.

The plan is in general terms with no specific amounts for any of the leases or developer agreements listed.

In the meantime, general manager George Deshner said Wednesday that for him it was business as usual. He understands Stearns’ decision, noting it didn’t “come as any real surprise.”

“I don’t think LeRoy has gotten credit for the work he has been doing for Conneaut Lake Park,” he added.

As far as his future, Deshner said that decision will be up to the new board of directors.

He said the timing is unfortunate in that the park is at a very critical stage with work to be done to open and no money to call back employees. Also, critical decisions need to be made such as hiring a chef for Elizabeth’s Restaurant, a manager for the Beach Club or leasing the hotel and other revenue centers to outside contractors. He said the new board will have several options to consider.

Although the park had an agreement with Conneaut Concessions for the company to lease the Beach Club until this end of this year, that lease was terminated mutually, according to Stearns.

“I am going to continue to do my job,” Deshner said, noting that if a new board’s decision is not to keep him, “it will be fine with me as well.”

At the same time, he said many people don’t understand the magnitude of CLP operations. “It’s very easy to criticize when you are not here on a day-to-day basis.”

Unfortunately, he said the small group of naysayers have created a lot of controversy. “I am here to do a job and will continue to do my job. I will wait and see what happens.”



PARK MASTER PLAN ONLINE

The Economic Progress Alliance of Crawford County announced Wednesday that it has completed and released a master plan for the revitalization of Conneaut Lake Park.

The 45-page plan consists of an in-depth review of current operations, governance and financial conditions, as well as a review of property ownership and an assessment of infrastructure and facilities owned by the park.

Information and data collected serve as the basis for recommendations concerning adoption of new governance and operating models for CLP. A complete review of the plan and its associated documents is available online at www.economicprogressalliance-.com.

The plan was developed with funds provided by a $175,000 state grant.