HARTWICK - The Cooperstown Dreams Park's latest three-year expansion plan was one of four Route 28 development projects approved by the Hartwick town planning board during its meeting Tuesday night.

The four projects were the subjects of public hearings which drew little comment from the public.

Hartwick resident Andre Conklin expressed concern about the continued growth of the Dreams Park which opened in 1996 and is about to embark on its third expansion program.

"How big can it get and still be manageable?" she asked. "I don't know what's too big."

Martha Frew, director of Otsego 2000, asked the planning board to reconsider the negative declaration the project received during its environmental review. The project, she said, hss "significant environmnetal impact."

Frey stated some concerns about the expansion plan's impact on traffic, a previous wetlands violation that is still be remediated with the Army Corp of Engineers and stormwater controls.

Other comments were made during hearings that were not specific to individuals projects, but aimed at Route 28 development generally.

Route 28 resident Jan Scrafford said she believed there was a "lack of foresight" in the planning for the highway corridor.

"I don't see what the overall plan is," she said.

"We are destroying the very things that make the area beautiful. I think we should think twice before we bulldoze another meadow," another resident said.

According to documents filed with the planning board, the latest three-year plan would increase the number of teams and players by 20 percent from its current l,160 to 1,400. The park, which completed its eighth season in August, increased its capacity by a similar amount in its last expansion program.

The proposal includes the construction of ten new clubhouses, four lighted ball fields, concession stand, storage and maintenance buildings, a bath house, an addition to existing clothing and souvenir center and an emergency access road to Route 28.

The estimated cost of the project is $1.5 million, according to Dreams Park CEO Louis Presutti. The proposal also includes previously approved facilities which have not yet been constructed. they are: the American Youth Baseball Hall of Fame, a dining/assembly building, coaches bath facility/lounge a memorial park and fencing and screening of the entire facility.

When the pre-approved portion of the plan is added to the new facilities, the project price tag jumps to $3.5 million.

The latest expansion also marks the park's first northward expansion onto a new 32-acre parcel of property that is currently owned by the Cooperstown Holstein Corporation and under contract to the Dreams Park, Presutti said.

Following the hearing, the planning board discussed concerns from the county planning department which reviewed the project. The town planning board and its engineer Wayne Bunn disagreed with the county on some points, but was largely satisfied with the site plan submitted.

One issue the board did focus on was lighting which has been a subject of complaints to the planning board in the past. The lights proposed in the new plan are identical to those currently in use at the park, Presutti said.

He assured the board that the maker of the lights was one of the top manufacturers of sports lighing in the country and that "we do our best, but sometimes the lights are out of aim."

Planning board member Orrin Higgins pressed Presutti about the lights and eventually an agreement was reached which stipulates that a lighting engineer will be retained to look at the plan and site and make recommendations to the planning board in an effort to minimize the spill over of light from the park.

Another isue that had been raised was traffic and the entrance to the Dreams Park. The New York State Department of Transportation said last year that a traffic light at the entrance was warranted, but that they would not force Presutti to install one which could cost as much as $75,000.

The planning board and Presutti agreed to revisit the traffic issue once the DOT had completed planned improvements to the state highway which will include a turning lane at the Dreams Park entrance.

The board approved the three-year plan in a unanimous vote.

Three other project were also approved:

• The Barnyard Swing project, which recieved no public comment, is a proposal to build a miniature golf course on the property formerly known as the Great Labels barn on Route 28. The plan also calls for concession sales and other activities.

• DiMaggio's Family Restaurant to be located on route 28 across from the Dreams Park.

• Hickey's Baseball Fields, located at the Cooperstown Fun Park on route 28 in Hyde Park. The proposal calls for four baseball fields which will be rented to teams for practice and games, Bob Hickey said. They are also planning a baseball fantasy camp in the fall.