“I’m excited and would like to get some things done for this community,” St. Louis said.

St. Louis, 37, graduated from Lake Placid High School in 2004. He served in the U.S. Coast Guard for 10 years before returning to Lake Placid and serving as a village police officer. In 2021, he accepted his current role at the town-owned golf course and will start as park district manager on Friday, Jan. 5.

“Matt’s qualifications are exemplary. He’s a boots-on-the-ground kind of guy who understands everything about building, maintenance, equipment purchases. And then you move into his administrative qualities, where he’s a very fair leader,” said North Elba town Supervisor Derek Doty. “We’re looking to Matt to be just a great ambassador for the town of North Elba, and in so many respects he will be exposed to a greater degree of the public than I am here as supervisor.”

Doty said that the town had four “very qualified candidates” who were all locals and St. Louis had all of the qualities the town was searching for in a successor to Martin.

“He’s going to be a good person to ask a few questions (of), which I’m sure I’ll have,” St. Louis said of Martin. “They’re very large shoes to fill. I think he has 57 years total going toward his retirement.”

Martin started his career in 1967 as a rink attendant and was the director of operations at the Olympic Center during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games. He became park district manager in 1982. He also coaches the Saranac Lake Placid girls hockey team.

“I have had the privilege of working closely with Matt over the years. His passion for our community and his expertise make him an ideal successor,” Martin said in a statement. “I am confident that the park district will continue to thrive under his leadership.”

The park district manager oversees Craig Wood, the town’s athletic fields, North Elba Show Grounds, Lake Placid Airport and the land that the state Olympic Regional Development Authority leases from the town, such as the Olympic Jumping Complex, the Olympic Center and the ORDA office building on Church Street. The role includes “constant interaction with the public,” Doty said, as well as regular communication with the town supervisor, town council and the Lake Placid Sports Council.

The manager also oversees the Lake Placid Toboggan Chute on the shore of Mirror Lake and employees who maintain the town’s public parks and the municipal beach. The park district’s budget, which underpins the operations orchestrated by the park district manager, is $2.6 million this year. Of that, $1.4 million is collected from taxpayers.

“It is one of the most responsible jobs in the town,” Doty said.

St. Louis said that he wants to use the role to encourage the feeling of community in Lake Placid, something he feels has been declining in recent years.

“Being from Lake Placid and, you know, seeing how we’ve kind of lost that community sense … it drove me to want to get more involved from my current position here at Craig Wood to better the community sense around here,” he said.

Some of his priorities are to get the horse show “back to its former glory,” maintain the lacrosse fields and enhance the toboggan chute.

St. Louis lives in Lake Placid with his wife, Lauren, and children Olivia and Jaxson. He was officially hired on Tuesday night, Jan. 2, at the North Elba Town Council meeting.

Martin will retire on Thursday, Jan. 4, though St. Louis said he will be helping him throughout the transition. A retirement party for Martin will be hosted by the town at Craig Wood from 6 to 8 p.m. on Jan. 11. The party will be open to the public and feature appetizers and a cash bar.