City eyes transfer of Pipe Yard stadium

Muni workers get new contract

Lorain’s city stadium could be transferred to the school district.

Meanwhile, city municipal workers are the first among Lorain public employee unions to get a new collective bargaining agreement.

The issues were on the agenda for Lorain City Council’s regular meeting of Oct. 2.

Lorain City Council will consider transferring the 1,300-seat Pipe Yard stadium, 2840 Meister Road, and P.C. Campana Park to the Lorain City School Board to host the school’s athletic teams, according to city legislation.

The proposal came up for first

reading and Council will consider the legislation for a second reading. The agreement prompted little discussion and it appeared no school officials were in the audience for the deliberations.

Councilman-at-Large Mitch Fallis said more information was needed for Council consideration because the deal involves four parties, including the city, school district, FirstEnergy and the Lorain County Ironmen baseball team.

Along with the Lorain County Ironmen, the park in recent years has hosted a number of special games and tournaments involving youth and amateur teams.

The Ironmen have played there for several years, finishing their 2017 season 1329, according to the team website.

In 2015, the Ironmen announced the team would play in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.

In 2011, the stadium got a new moniker with a new sponsorship. In an eightyear agreement, FirstEnergy Solutions was to contribute $500,000 toward the park, which formally is called The Pipe Yard Stadium Powered by FirstEnergy Solutions.

The energy company was to contribute $55,000 this year and the same amount in 2018 and 2019, according to the sponsorship agreement.

In other business, Council voted 9-0 to adopt a new union agreement with the United Steel Workers Local 6621, which represents about 168 municipal workers.

The three-year contract will cover years 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The workers will get lump sum payments of $500 this year; they will get 1 percent raises next year and payments of $250 in December 2018. There will be a reopener clause to negotiate raises for 2019.

Worker contributions to health insurance premiums will increase from $71 a month to $80 a month for single coverage and from $154 to $205 a month

for family coverage. There will be a new health insurance category for the employee plus one person for an employee contribution of $160 a month, according to terms of the contract.

Starting in January 2018, employees also will pay the full cost of dental coverage.

“It was a concessionary contract,” said USW Local 6621 President Jason Daniels.

Going into negotiations, the workers knew they would face cost increases in dental care coverage, with little or no increases in wages. “That’s how it turned out,” said Daniels, who works in the city Utilities Department.

News about a possible business venture to produce pig iron at Republic Steel has been a reason for hope, Daniels said. Republic Steel announced the plan in the summer and it could lead to more company employees and more tax dollars coming to the city.

Lorain police and firefighters remain in contract negotiations with the city administration, said Mayor Chase Ritenauer.