Speakers at a ceremony in Sterling Heights dedicated the city’s new amphitheater to Pat Lehman, the community’s first community relations director, highlighting her role in creating local communications and arts programs.

An unidentified speaker called her a foundational figure, saying, "She was our community relations director from 1982 to 2005." The speaker credited Lehman with launching the city magazine, helping develop "Sterling Heights TV" and the city’s first website, and said many current programs are "an outgrowth of what she established."

Speaker 2 offered a brief tribute to Lehman’s impact: "Pat Lehman's legacy remains unmistakable. She deserves to be remembered, honored, and celebrated for all she gave a city she loved." That remark framed the dedication as recognition of both Lehman’s administrative leadership and her personal commitment to community engagement.

A third speaker recalled Lehman’s passion for the arts and music, describing her as "an incredible jazz singer and an incredible musician" who helped create events that brought residents together. They said Lehman had envisioned a community gathering space of this kind and that "it's just an honor to her to have something like this done."

Speakers singled out several institutions and initiatives they said Lehman helped build, naming the arts commission, the Aetna Community Commission and a beautification commission, and praising Sterling Fest as a key, long-running summer event for the area.

The dedication recognized Lehman’s stated years of service and her role connecting residents to local government through communications and cultural programming. The ceremony concluded with speakers expressing thanks and calling the amphitheater a fitting tribute to her legacy.