Committee members earlier rejected a concept that would have allowed Linden Avenue to become a thoroughfare to Route 28 south of the village and on Friday morning narrowed options again.

Peter Loyola, of CLA Site, which is doing the site analysis and design work for the multi-million dollar project, told the committee ``for the benefit of the project you have to seriously hammer out if we’re moving the ballfield.’’

The simplest design would leave the ballfield where it is, Loyola said, adding that it would mean more conflicting activity around the youth baseball complex.

Dr. David Borgstrom, the president of Cooperstown Youth Baseball, said the organization would prefer the complex be left alone.

``It will be easier and cheaper for everyone,’’ he said. ``It troubles me a lot that we are left to defend a piece of property that was thrown to them (youth baseball) 15 years ago that was a city dump.’’

The organization, he said, has put a great deal of time and effort into making it what is today and has visions for the growth of its programs in the future.

``I feel like the kids are getting squeezed,’’ Borgstrom said.

Mayor Carol Waller said the village is trying to work with the organization, but has parking pressures it is trying to deal with.

``We’re being squeezed by the county, the hospital and the Hall of Fame,’’ she said. ``We’re trying to work together and we might all have to give a little. Parking has always been a problem. We’re not trying to hurt anyone and I know it a band-aid on the parking problem.’’

``We’re just trying to protect the opportunity for boys and girls to play baseball in Cooperstown,’’ Borgstrom replied.

Loyola said they looked at relocating the baseball complex to the NYSEG property, but because of state and federal wetlands on the property, it is ``relatively unusable.’’

Another factor driving Friday’s decision is the funding.

Waller repeatedly expressed her frustration with the federal funding of the project.

What started out as a $5 million federal appropriation from former Congressman Sherwood Boehlert is now described by federal officials as an earmark. Waller said there is currently $2 million to spend, but the remainder of the money is not guaranteed.

``I feel like we’re chasing our tail here with the FTA and the DOT,’’ she said.

The mayor said she wants to see a project that can be completed with the money now available. The village will work to keep all the funding in place and if more money is available, can add to the project.

``We have $2 million now. I don’t want to go for a $5 million project and get halfway done,’’ she said. ``At the end of $2 million I want to see something done.’’

Giles Russell, the chairman of the trolley committee, worried that none of the design options have enough parking spaces to satisfy the village’s parking needs in the future.

``I never felt this would be the answer to the parking problem,’’ Waller replied. ``We need a concept to fit with the $2 million we have.’’

The concept selected by the committee would end Linden Avenue at the road to the waste-water treatment plant. Motorists may turn into one of the parking lots that would be created, but the roadway does not directly connect with Route 28. The youth baseball complex would remain where it is and there would be three parking lots with a total of 351 spaces.

The design also calls for the rail siding to end before the access road to Route 28.

Mayor Waller said she believes this is the time to present the design to the public in an informational meeting. Loyola said he will present the design selected by the committee, but will also discuss other designs and why they were not selected.

The informational meeting about the project will be on Thursday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in the second floor courtroom of the county courthouse.

PDF files of the design concepts are available on the village’s website www.cooperstownny.org.