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Little league fields stalled
Rotterdam baseball club upset about delay, coffers dwindling away
By John Purcell As of Friday, June 22, 2012 -3:27 p.m.
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#ROTTERDAM — A youth baseball league is hoping a deal to secure new fields doesn’t strike out.
#Rotterdam Little League officials are concerned players will be benched next season after an agreement to build new fields has languished amidst developer negotiations with the town over where to place sewage infrastructure.
#An approved plan to build a 248-unit apartment complex is moving the Little League from its temporary home on North Thompson Street. Developer Timothy Larned agreed to sell the county 8.7 acres of land off Burdeck Street to use as parkland that will serve as a permanent home for the league, but the sale has hinged on Larned receiving a building permit for the unrelated apartments.
#The County Legislature in March 2010 approved purchasing the parcel for $260,000, tapping funds designated for expanding and improving parks. County Attorney Christopher Gardner said Larned wouldn’t sign off on the sale until the apartment complex proceeds.
#“I believe in the next day or two all those issues will be resolved,” Gardner said on Tuesday, June 19.
#Larned allowed the league to continue using its current fields for the 2012 season, which concluded on Friday, June 15.
#Once the sale is final, the league will lease the land from the county and primarily be responsible for constructing the new fields, Gardner said, with the county assisting “however it can” within its “budgetary constraints.”
#The league has other, issues, however. At the start of this year’s season, power was to the league’s concession stands was cut off in April as demolition work began on the old Rotterdam Republican Club, through which power was previously fed.
#League President Matthew Rash said the powerless concession stands yielded only a fraction of the previous year’s profit, amounting to a 90 percent loss of revenue, or roughly $25,000.
#“This constitutes a major portion of the money used to fund the league,” Rash said. “We could not be in a worse scenario moving forward to the 2013 season.”
Rash pleaded to the Rotterdam Town Board for help during its meeting on Wednesday, June 13, asking town officials to do whatever they can to move forward efforts to open the new fields.
#“We are here today to beg for help for our league’s future,” he said. “Failure to initiate the construction quickly on the new fields will destroy Rotterdam Little League and have a ripple effect on the Babe Ruth programs, as we are a feeder program for that league.”
#There are more than 300 youth participating in the league, stretching from T-ball to majors, according to Rash, and he is hoping the new fields can be prepared in time for the upcoming season.
#“A new home has been found for the league, but it is just out of reach,” Rash said. “This is a hard pill to swallow for the families of the youth that participate in the league and desperately want the tradition to continue.”
#Grass seed would need to be placed by this fall to ensure the fields are ready for the season, Rash said.
#Rotterdam resident Peg Raymond, a mother of two children playing in the league, also implored the board for a speedy resolution.
#“You all could be a part of making history for the town,” Raymond said.
#She said her 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter are looking forward to playing for years to come.
#Town Supervisor Harry Buffardi said the town doesn’t want to impede the league and is working towards opening the fields for next season. Buffardi blamed politics for stalling the project.
#Buffardi said after entering office this year he was informed Larned wouldn’t be paying parkland fees associated with developing the site, which is required of any site developed in the town.
#“I was told that there was a handshake agreement that allowed the principals of this site not to pay the parkland fees,” he said.
The associated fees totaled around $124,000, according to Buffardi, which he said would have to be made up by other taxpayers.
#“I quite frankly did not buy into that deal,” he said. “I kind of thought that might nix the deal. It did not, negotiations continued on.”
#The original plan called for a sewage pump station for the apartment project to be built at the site of the current fields. This would pump sewage downhill and the developer would maintain the site. Buffardi said sewage pumping is needed because the project isn’t eligible for a septic tank.
#Developers now want to move the pump station off the property and onto town-owned land, which the town would maintain. If this was pursued, the project would go back before the town Planning Commission.
#Buffardi said he talked to some planning members and they were “not real favorable” to having the pump station at the bottom of a hill and publicly owned.
#Richard Larmour, a Schenectady resident, said for decades the Little League has used donated land, but for the past five years the organization knew it was going to lose the area.
#Larmour also said other local baseball complexes wouldn’t be able to house the league.
#“The Woestina fields, the complex isn’t large enough for what needs to be done,” he said. “The Carman complex is also not large enough to incorporate adding Rotterdam Little League with it … it wouldn’t work out.”
#In October 2010, County officials said the site plan for the new facility includes three baseball fields, a pair of dugouts and bleachers for each field, a central concession and restroom building, a plaza area with some landscaping and a parking lot with 120 spaces.
#Buffardi remained confident a deal could be reached. #“I see no reason to panic at this point,” he said. “I hope that gives some assurance.”
OK, 1 month to grow grass assuming it is planted today! Panic at this point, yes??