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Former ORDA events director to head park district

Jeremy Freeman started this week as the town of North Elba’s new park district manager. (Provided photo — Adrienne Relyea)

LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba announced a new park district manager, Jeremy Freeman, who began his new position on Monday. Matt St. Louis, who took over the role in January from long-time manager Butch Martin, will be returning to his former role as superintendent of the Craig Wood Golf Course, according to North Elba Deputy Clerk Adrienne Relyea.

Freeman was most recently the director of events at the state Olympic Regional Development Authority, a role he took in 2021 after about two decades in leadership roles at his alma mater, St. Lawrence University.

A native of Syracuse, Freeman has deep roots in the Adirondacks. His father’s family hails from the area around Corey’s Road between Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake. His grandparents were hunters, fishers and loved the outdoors, and he spent many summers in the area.

“I’m an avid outdoorsman, so I love hiking and fishing and just spending time outside,” Freeman said.

When he moved to Lake Placid to work with ORDA, Freeman got the opportunity to get to know the community and the people in it. He left his role at ORDA in November, without knowing about the role that would soon open up with the town park district that same week. He says it was “serendipidous.”

“This is just kind of a continuation of wanting to serve and be a part of the community,” Freeman said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do for the town, its youth and also the opportunities to bring folks to the area and enjoy what everybody here in town already does.”

In a statement from the town, numerous leaders expressed their approval of Freeman’s appointment to the park district manager role.

“Jeremy’s wealth of experience and innovative thinking make him a great choice to lead our park district,” Town Superviser Derek Doty said. “His proven ability to manage complex operations and foster community partnerships will be invaluable as we continue to enhance our recreational offerings for residents and visitors alike.”

Freeman holds a master’s degree in kinesiology from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from St. Lawrence University. He spent around 12 years as an assistant athletic director at the St. Lawrence University before working another eight in admissions leadership roles. The athletic roles, however, were closer to what he wanted to do, focusing on events and facility management.

He’s happy to return to much of that work now. During his time at St. Lawrence, he managed the ice hockey arena, which also meant dealing with health permitting, contracting and insurance. These are all things that are highly relevant to his new role, along with his experience managing staff.

“There’s some longevity here with the staff that are at each of the venues, and so they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience too,” Freeman said. “So I really look forward to learning from them.”

His work in Lake Placid is also all about the people, Freeman said. At ORDA, he had the opportunity to get to know key members of the Lake Placid community, as well as the venues. Now, he looks forward to working with a new team, even as the town prepares long-term plans for recreation and sports for the properties managed by the park district.

St. Louis could not be reached before the deadline.

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