The board of trustees labored over the details of a contract between the village and the Friends of Doubleday during a three-hour special meeting Monday night.

While no action was taken, the board worked to reconcile differences between the two sides in an attempt to reach an agreement.

The Friends of Doubleday want to conduct a fundraising effort to create an endowment fund for the field. The funds would come from the sale of personalized paving bricks which would be placed in a plaza-like area to be created in front of the main entrance to the grandstand of the field.

The village endorsed the idea and the concept of renovations to the field in September of 1999, but details of the plan were never finalized and last fall, the board again voted to endorse the concept, but asked the Friends to curtail sales of the pavers until a contract could be drawn up and signed by both parties.

"The basic purpose of the contract is to protect both parties," said mayor Wendell Tripp.

Trustee Stephen Mahlum had created a draft of a contract which was reviewed by the board and forwarded to the Friends of Doubleday. They, in turn, reviewed it and made changes of their own which were discussed Monday night.

A portion of the money raised will be used to pay for the individual paving bricks and their installation around the entrance to the field. The Friends would also like to see some other improvements to the field made at the same time the pavers are installed, but the remaining money would be earmarked for an endowment fund. Originally, the Friends believed a multi-million dollar endowment could be created.

How that fund would be used was one subject debated during the meeting.

The Friends, represented by Thom Lach of Columbus, Ohio, had used the terms preservation and restoration when discussing the intent for the endowment, but village officials balked at the terms.

"Preservation and restoration are too restrictive," said Mahlum. "There are a lot of things you can't do if it is preservation and restoration that you can do if its maintenance and improvements."

But Lach countered that it was not their intent to provide money to pay for normal operating expenses that the village currently budgets for each year. In recent years, the revenue generated by the field has been able to cover the costs incurred.

Lach said that the Friends envisioned the fund paying for long-term capital expenses or improvements.

Tripp told Lach he didn't believe the village ever thought the fund would be used for regular operational expenses, but that it is possible if the popularity of baseball wanes, the village may find the field is no longer self-supporting.

Trustee Lee Malone said she believed it would "blur" the intent of the gift if the fund was used for normal expenses.

Another sticking point in the talks was whether the village should be reimbursed for added expenses incurred in regard to the fundraising effort and management of the fund.

Tripp foresaw additional work being created in the clerk's and treasurer's offices. "The village has assumed task after task," he said, adding that in his time in Cooperstown the office staff has grown from one employee to four and soon there will be another. "These changes have come about subtly over the years," he said.

Lach told the board that many members of the Friends have donated their time and resources to get the effort off the ground and are not seeking to be reimbursed. He suggested the village should look at it efforts as an investment.

"This is an investment I would not make," Tripp countered. This village is engaged in enough activity for a small city. I have maintained it already does too much for a village this size."

Lach was also concerned about a provision in Mahlum's draft which would have allowed either side to terminate the agreement with 30 days notice. He asked that the village be required to provide the cause for a decision to terminate the agreement. With all the stops and starts and votes over this project, the Friends wants to have confidence in the village's commitment to the plan, he said.

"I can accept that," Tripp said.

The village board wants to hear public opinion about the fundraising plan and has set aside time for what is now being described as a public hearing on the issue. The hearing will be Monday Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m., before the board's regular monthly meeting.

Lach plans to take suggestions from Monday night's meeting and work them into a new draft of the contract. He anticipates having it done by the end of the month.

"I think a lot of work has been done, but there is a lot of work to do," Mahlum said.

"We're making progress," Lach said following the meeting. "This is the tedious aspect of working out the details. I am pleased the board has volunteered their time to help us work out the details. It is commendable they are making an investment on behalf of the village. There is real potential for the board members to do something with long-standing importance."