Cedar Fair fires some Geauga Lake workers

Wednesday, 06 September 2006

By BRANDI BARHITE
brandibarhite@sanduskyregister.com

SANDUSKY - Cedar Point's sister park is losing six of its employees.

As part of a restructuring plan, parent company Cedar Fair fired six full-time people at Geauga Lake in Aurora, Ohio.

Cedar Fair acquired Geauga Lake before the start of the 2004 season.

While attendance hasn't met expectations, efficiency also had a lot to do with the decision, said Stacy Frole, director of investor relations for the Sandusky-based partnership.

No other Cedar Fair parks are affected, although the partnership has been letting go and shifting positions at the five Paramount Parks the partnership acquired in June, she said.

"It has nothing to do with individuals and their performance," Frole said Wednesday about Geauga Lake.

Frole said some people at Geauga Lake and Cedar Point had similar jobs and Cedar Fair wants to reduce costs and streamline operations.

"People were doing the same job in the same region," she said.

Lexi Robinson, public relations coordinator for Geauga Lake, was laid off Wednesday, she said in an e-mail to media. Frole confirmed Robinson being laid off, but clarified the company's use of the word, "lay off."

"They will not be coming back," Frole said.

Some of the marketing for Geauga Lake will now come out of Cedar Point, which is 90 miles from Geauga Lake.

At year-end, Geauga Lake had 85 full-time employees and 2,000 seasonal employees. The recent layoffs affected less than 10 percent of the full-time staff, Frole said.

Attendance at Geauga Lake this year isn't expected to exceed the disappointing 700,000 in attendance in 2004 and 2005.

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