The winds will once again be harvested at Lake Metroparks Farmpark as the new wind turbine has been installed. “Lake Metroparks has been at the forefront of providing publicly accessible, educational demonstrations of renewable energy and energy efficiency,” says Andy Baker, Administrator for Lake Metroparks.”
Lake County Probate Court Judge Ted Klammer has appointed Dennis E. Eckart, a northeast Ohio businessman and former U.S. Congressman, to the Lake Metroparks Board of Park Commissioners. He replaces Mark P. Oesterle, who served on the board for just over four years before requesting not to be reappointed so that he could spend more time with his family.
Judge Klammer said, "Mark did an extremely fine job for the parks system. There were a number of people - fine people - who submitted applications," but that Eckart most impressed him. "Dennis brings a lot to the table and should help improve the parks system."
A graduate of Xavier University and Cleveland Marshall College of Law, Eckart worked his way through college and law school at Fisher Foods. His first job after law school was as an Assistant Lake County Prosecutor.
Eckart was first elected to the Ohio General Assembly in 1974 and served through 1980 when he was elected to the United States House of
Representatives. Eckart served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1980 to 1992 in such wide-ranging roles as chairman of the Small Business
Subcommittee on Antitrust, Deregulation and Ecology, and as a member of the House Energy and Commerce and the Education and Labor committees. In Congress, Eckart authored numerous pieces of national legislation, including Title II 1990 Clean Air Act Reauthorization, Superfund Reauthorization, Telecommunications Reform, cigarette health warning labels, and several labor and education initiatives.
From 2000 to 2003, he served as president and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. In that role he facilitated the group's merger into what is known today as the Greater Cleveland Partnership. Eckart serves on numerous community and corporate boards, including the Kent State University Board of Trustees, Cleveland Chapter of the American Red Cross, Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame, Lake Geauga Fund of the Cleveland Foundation, and the Ashtabula County, Ohio Port Authority. He and his wife Sandy reside in Concord Township. They have one adult son, Eddy.
"Dennis has a tremendous background being involved in both the private and public sector for years. Just look at what he's accomplished," Klammer said. "I believe he'll fit very well with the other park board members as well as the parks system's employees, which are some of the finest in the country."
"I am honored to be chosen and eager to serve as a park commissioner," said Dennis Eckart. "I am an advocate for the environment and look forward to working with the other board members, staff and community to continue to strengthen an already great park system."
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