Park employees saddened by closing

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May 22, 2007

By Jane Smith The Meadville Tribune Tue May 22, 2007, 09:10 PM EDT

5/23/07 — CONNEAUT LAKE — Mary Hoagland and her husband, Dale, have worked at Conneaut Lake Park for 20 years.

Both were among the employees who lost their jobs Tuesday with the announcement that the park wouldn’t open.

“It’s heartbreaking,” said Hoagland as she stood among a group of about 15 employees gathered to hear the news. “It’s been special. I have a lot of good memories,” said the 73-year-old, who worked in housecleaning.

“My heart dropped in my mouth,” she said when she heard the news, but agreed it wasn’t unexpected. “I guess I just thought somebody would come forward with the start-up money,” she added.

“It was like a death in the family,” she said. Both she and her husband are eligible for unemployment and have been receiving it during the off-season. She had no hard feelings for court-appointed LeRoy Stearns or director of operations George Deshner. “They did everything they could,” she said, noting without money they could do nothing more.

Sobbing and her voice shaky, Bonnie Easler, manager of Hotel Conneaut, was also upset. “Deep down, probably not,” she said when asked if the announcement of the closing was a surprise. She was especially concerned about the number of weddings booked at the hotel and their guests. “It breaks my heart,” she said.

“It’s nothing against George and LeRoy. They worked very hard,” she said, noting that in her opinion “it was too far advanced to do a blooming thing,” referring to the debts that have been piling up over the past 10 years.

“It’s the saddest day for me. I’ve been here 11 years. It is so heartbreaking for me,” she added.

“It’s a sad day,” said Mike Saletra, a resident who lives inside the gated area of the park. “It’s even sadder that there are about 100,000 people in the community and only 5,000 tokens were sold,” he said, referring to a recent sale to raise money to open. “They just want the land; they want to put in condos,” he said of his opinion of who may take over the operations. His other concern was what would happen to him “if they are going to sell the park. I live on their land,” he added, referring to the fact his home is on leased land.

While employees were saddened, Don Weyel, president of Conneaut Lake Area Business Association and group sales volunteer, wasn’t ready to throw in the towel.

“It’s still opening as far as I’m concerned,” he said, sitting on a bench outside the park office. “The judge can change this. I’ve been here 54 years (as pony ride operator) and I’m not giving up hope. Don’t be surprised if it’s sold. It’s all up to the judge.”

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