Editor

The village board of trustees reaffirmed its relationship with the Friends of Doubleday following a special meeting Friday night.

The vote to continue the relationship did little to change the current situation beyond formally stating the need to formulate an agreement between the two parties.

Mayor Wendell Tripp had called for the special session after some heated discussions about a fund-raising proposal by the Friends to sell personalized paving bricks for the entrance to Doubleday Field. Most recently, the board deadlocked on the question of whether the group should be allowed to sell bricks to corporate sponsors. The tie was broken by Mayor Tripp who voted to allow corporate sponsors, but on Friday he voted against continuing the relationship.

The mayor repeated his frequent comments about having reservations about relationships between a municipality and a private group. "What concerns me is potential problems that may arise in a long-term relationship with private group," he said. "Any relationship between the village and a private group must be forged, if at all, with great, great care."

Tripp was joined in his dissenting vote Friday night by Trustee Carol Waller, who has expressed concerns about the entire proposal and especially about the commercialization of the field through the sale of corporate paving bricks. She has also insisted on the need for working out the details of the relationship between the village and the Friends of Doubleday.

Friday evening she again chided the board for going so far in the relationship without having a contract in place.

But Waller and Tripp were in the minority. The remaining five trustees all went along with a resolution from Stephen Mahlum which called for the continuation of the relationship and committed the board to reaching a "legal, detailed agreement with the Friends of Doubleday which meets the mutual interests of the parties." The motion also states the understanding that if such an agreement cannot be hammered out, the village board will elect to "dissolve the relationship."

Trustees David Sanford and Ed Tripp, who last month balked at the idea of selling corporate pavers went along with the motion, but not before again expressing worries what would happen if the Friends of Doubleday struck out with the pavers and had to abandon the project. Although perhaps not legally liable for more than a pro-rata refund to paver purchasers, both men said they would feel a moral obligation to refund the full purchase price.

Ed Tripp, who played on the field while growing up in Cooperstown, commented that he and Sanford had discussed the possibility of asking for a performance bond from the group. He also suggested the establishment of timeframe for installing the pavers and the possibility it be done in phases instead of waiting for all the bricks to be sold. He reminded fellow trustees that he had said from the outset that they would not touch the outside of the field.

"I'd like to see the overall proposal downsized so as not to include commercial pavers," he added.

""When I first head about it I thought it was a great idea and I still think it is a great idea," said Trustee Stephen Mahlum. "I would like to find a way to continue the relationship with the Friends of Doubleday."

Mahlum agreed on the need for a "well-defined relationship" which he said would be in everyone's interest.

Trustee Lee Malone said she worries about the future of the field and doesn't want to see taxpayers burdened with the cost of maintaining the field. She added that she does not feel the project can continue without the sale of corporate pavers.

Trustee David Sanford, who described himself as cautious, said he believes the certificate that is to be signed by the mayor is a contract and wants some type of assurance the pavers will be installed. "I'm a little uneasy. We haven't seen anything about costs or expenses. We have no assurance any of this is happening," he said.

Sanford added that he was willing to go forward with the proposal based on the understanding that a contract would be completed.

Stu Taugher, the chairman of the village's Doubleday Field committee, said he believes the project is a "terrific opportunity."

Thom Lach, representing the Friends of Doubleday, assured the board it was their love of baseball that motivated them to want to do something for the field. "It's not about what's in it for us," he said. "It's about protecting the field and doing something for the village."

Lach agreed with the trustees that a contract spelling out the details must be completed. His group had begun working with the Doubleday Committee rather than the entire board and said perhaps they should have done more to keep all the trustees up to date.

"If you don't feel comfortable with this, let us know now so we don't waste our time either," Lach said.

Lach was joined by New York City attorney John Rudy, a part-time village resident and member of the Friends of Doubleday board of directors, who said the group was volunteering its time to preserve and enhance Doubleday Field.

Both Lach and Rudy said the group would likely turn to professional fund-raisers to get the job done and would have to pay for that with some of the revenue generated by the sale of pavers.

Mayor Tripp told the board a decision had to be made about the future of the relationship and whether it would continue and Mahlum's resolution was approved by a 5-2 margin.

"This is a group of people who love baseball and Doubleday field and wants to work with Cooperstown to enhance and maintain Doubleday field. I love the concept and look forward to working with them. I have confidence this [the contract] can be done and look forward to a fruitful, successful relationship," Mahlum said.

"We agree it is important to have an agreement amenable to both sides. This is a worthwhile project. It is unfortunate there needs to be such concerns when you try to make a gift to the village. We're trying to do something nice for the village," Lach said following the meeting.

The board of trustees was scheduled to meet again in special session Wednesday to begin work on the contract.