City eyes new parks director position

Lorain could get a new leader for parks and recreational programming.

But not before City Council has additional discussion on hiring a new recreation/parks superintendent.

The request from Mayor Joe Koziura sparked some discussion and several votes when Council took up the issue on Oct. 7.

Ultimately Council voted for its Parks & Recreation Committee to deliberate on the hiring on Oct. 14.

On Oct. 7, it appeared Council was ready to vote and approve the position — at least for the job description, if not an actual candidate.

Council voted to add the item to the agenda on the meeting night.

Koziura asked Council to send the request to committee for additional discussion because his staff were not entirely sure of the final funding for the position.

The job would pay $66,105, with benefits costing an additional $31,035, for a total cost of $97,140, according to city legislation.

Funding sources will vary, but the salary could be covered by rental fees from various projects that the employee oversees, according to the legislation.

The city records included a three-page job description for the post.

Ward 2 Councilman Dennis Flores asked for a schedule and Koziura said the superintendent could come on by the end of the year.

Acting sooner

Councilman-at-Large Mitch Fallis moved Council send the item to committee.

But the longer the city waits, the more Lorain risks losing revenue from not having sports leagues such as baseball teams using parks, said Councilmanat-Large Tony Dimacchia.

“I think the sooner we put in place, the sooner we can start getting some revenue and the start organizing Campana Park and the Pipeyard,” Dimacchia said. He referred to the 1,300seat Pipe Yard stadium, 2840 Meister Road, and P.C. Campana Park.

Koziura countered that the administration was not sure if the city would have a revenue stream through sports tournaments to pay for the position.

“So we’re not going to create a position that we can’t fund,” the mayor said. He added he hopes to get

a commitment from Lorain City Schools to use the parks as well.

Ward 8 Councilman Joshua Thornsberry agreed with Dimacchia. Citing his own experience as coach of a youth baseball team, Thornsberry said leagues are planning their tournaments now for summer 2020.

“I know that seems weird, it’s October, some of these tournaments aren’t ... until July of next year,” Thornsberry said. “But believe me when I tell you, that’s how early some of these tournament sites get posted and things like that. So delaying this is only going to jeopardize the opportunity for somebody to get in there and actually get the park posted on tournament websites and start getting teams signed up.”

Any delay now could lead to a loss of tournaments in 2020, he said.

No to committee

Council voted 6-4 to defeat the motion to send the issue to committee. Nay votes came from Dimacchia, Thornsberry and Ward 1 Councilwoman Beth Henley, Ward 4 Councilman Greg Argenti, Ward 5 Councilwoman JoAnne Moon and Ward 7 Councilman Cory Shawver.

Voting in favor were Fallis, Flores, Ward 3 Councilwoman Pamela Carter and Councilwoman-at-Large Mary Springowski.

When Springowski, acting as president pro tempore, asked for a follow-up motion, Fallis asked to hear from Public Property Manager Lori Garcia, who was in the audience and whose department oversees parks

and recreation.

Koziura said Garcia would not speak on the issue, but Springowski chided him, saying it was Council’s meeting and they would decide who speaks.

The job has not yet been approved by the Lorain Civil Service Commission, Koziura said, repeating his recommendation for committee discussion. Springowski again said it was Council’s meeting and Koziura was a guest, so she was waiting for further discussion or a Council motion.

When Fallis suggested Garcia come up to discuss the ordinance, she appeared to decline to speak publicly.

More time

Fallis moved to approve the legislation then, but Safety-Service Director Dan Given again asked for more time for discussion.

The position is important for Lorain’s recreational program to go forward, and the administration wants the Pipeyard stadium to be used next year, Given said. But the administration still has questions about funding, he said.

“All we’re saying is, the answers aren’t crystal clear yet and we’d appreciate some more time,” Given said.

The Council voted 8-2 to reconsider the approval, then 8-2 to send it to committee. Dimacchia and Thornsberry voted no on those motions.

Council’s Parks & Recreation Committee is scheduled to meet after a Streets & Utilities Committee meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. Oct. 14 at City Hall, 200 W. Erie Ave.