The extent to which the project will provide a visitor center for tourists, who will be encouraged to park their cars and ride the trolley to downtown and the Hall of Fame, is in question.

The nearly $5 million in state and federal grants may include caveats about spending money on anything but transportation improvements, officials said. It is almost certain state funds will come with that restriction. The federal appropriation is administered by the Federal Transportation Administration and discussions are still in the early stages with the agency.

``There is the potential funding won’t be available for the original plan,’’ said Bassett Hospital vice-president Joe Middleton, a member of the project’s technical committee.

The project was intended to help relieve traffic and congestion in the village during peak tourist times in the summer months by improving the appearance and capacity of the south trolley lot and access to Route 28. The facility would also provide additional off-site parking for Bassett Hospital and other employers and resolve long-standing issues with the Linden Avenue extension which had become a no-man’s land of confusing ownership and conflicting uses.

The shift in the project’s focus was mentioned by former mayor Wendell Tripp at the end of the meeting.

It seemed, he said, when the project started the primary aspect was the visitor center and Linden Avenue was a peripheral issue. Now Linden Avenue appears to be the primary concern and the visitor center is a peripheral issue.

``The average resident of Cooperstown is very little concerned with a visitor center,’’ he said, adding that ``if this fixes Linden Avenue all village residents would cheer.’’

Tripp said the visitor center did not arise out of a concern by village residents and he questioned if it would solve parking problems in the center of Cooperstown.

``If the whole project comes together it may have some relief in the village,’’ replied Otsego town supervisor Tom Breiten. ``Conceptually it may help.’’

Trustee Jeff Katz, a member of the project’s technical committee, said that if a traffic flow can be created into the parking area from Route 28, it can help the entire village even though most people who park there would be tourists.

Middleton said the welcome center is the key to finding a solution to traffic, parking and congestion in the village. The idea, he said, is to mass the people outside the village and then move them into the village where you want them to go.

Linden Avenue residents were well represented during the meeting and used the opportunity to discuss aspects of the design concepts presented by Peter Loyola, of CLA Site, the firm selected to do the site analysis and project design.

One design which would open Linden Avenue up to through traffic from Route 28 to Walnut Street was a concern because of the possibility of motorists using it as a shortcut into the village.

Removing school buses from Linden Avenue by re-routing them between the two schools on school property and creating a service road for village and county highway trucks would help reduce congestion and noise on the street, Loyola said.

But residents, frustrated by the deteriorating conditions on the street, were anxious to know how much longer they would have to wait.

``For the last five years we’ve been promised things and they haven’t happened,’’ said Margaret Buchanan. ``When will it start? Will Linden Avenue be left to rot if the project is five years away?

Katz said work on the street is being talked about for inclusion in the 2007-08 budget.

Buchanan also said she was concerned that residents’ needs will be dismissed in favor of Bassett Hospital or Jane Clark.

Middleton explained there have been parking issues in the village for years and the hospital became aware of a funding opportunity and initiated the grant process.

``One thing all Clark entities try to be is good neighbors,’’ he said.

Middleton said the hospital is not trying to encroach on the project which was started to help the village as a whole.

``We have the chance to address several issues at one time,’’ he said.

Grove Street resident Dan Naughton said he was concerned the village would be stuck paying the maintenance and operation costs of the visitor center and parking area.

``Who’s going to be accountable?’’ he asked.

``We have that question also,’’ Loyola said.

``It’s a big question _ who’s going to own it,’’ replied Breiten, who suggested it could be the village, town or an inter-municipal authority.

``Nothing is going to get built until that question is answered,’’ Katz said. ``That’s my opinion. Those questions have to be answered before a shovel is put into the ground.’’

Loyola responded to earlier concerns from Cooperstown Youth Baseball officials about the loss of its facility by presenting a new approach that did not call for relocating Beanie Ainslie Memorial Field and the organization’s new clubhouse.

Cooperstown Youth Baseball is one of the major stakeholders in the project and has more than 90 years left on its lease with the village for the land on which its facility located.

The field, and more recently the clubhouse, were built by community volunteers who created a facility that is the envy of many teams that come here to play. It is also a facility with which many of those volunteers have strong emotional ties.

In the newest design concept, is very similar to the design in which Linden Avenue ends in a parking area. The visitor center and parking lots are moved to avoid relocating the youth baseball facility.

The three design concepts already produced by CLA Site are available for viewing on the village’s website at cooperstownny.org.

The designs are concepts only and officials stress that ``nothing is set in stone’’ at this point.