If Mayor Waller has already issued a public apology for her mistake regarding the half masting of the flag, then please disregard this letter.

If she has not, then I strongly beseech her to do so. What she did was wrong and should be acknowledged by her formally. To do nothing on her behalf only puts her in the company of a vast majority of politicians who place themselves above the law. Step up to the plate Mayor, and do the right thing. It will only gain you points.

CTMCM Tim Weir, USN/RET

Winter Harbor, Maine

Turbines are

bad news

As a veteran of the wind turbine war over East Hill in Cherry Valley, I have advice for residents of Fulton and Richmondville.

First, ask any real-estate agent what happened to your property values since the Cobleskill Times-Journal reported on July 25 that Schoharie County officials are negotiating for 35 to 40 turbines on your hilltops.

If you live anywhere near the proposed sites, your property is worth a great deal less than before July 25. Property values plummet near wind turbines _ or even rumors of turbines.

Secondly, don’t buy into the argument that it is your patriotic duty to fight Arab oil moguls by helping develop "green" wind power.

Wind turbines are economically feasible only with taxpayer subsidies and because unreliable winds don’t take one oil or coal-fired generating plant off line.

This form of "green" power is a device used by outside entrepreneurs and a few local landowners to destroy your lifestyle for their profit. No local jobs or widespread economic benefit are created.

Thirdly, if you decide to accept wind turbines, do so under conditions laid down by the town of Cherry Valley when turbine entrepreneurs came knocking here.

Cherry Valley said turbines would be permitted but only under conditions written by local residents, not outsiders. Those conditions include _ crucially _ distance setbacks to ensure turbines are not located close to neighboring property lines or homes.

And don’t let anybody tell you we’re talking here about "windmills" under which little Dutch boys and girls play.

What’s being proposed by your political leadership for you folks in Fulton and Richmondville are industrial parks of 410-foot high concrete and steel monsters with whirling blades more than 100 feet long and strobe lights flashing through your night.

Conrad Fink

Cherry Valley

Council logic convoluted

Sometimes I am so stunned by an act of government that I cannot just shrug my shoulders and let it pass. And I am stunned by the folly of a decision by the Cooperstown Village Council to bite the hand that feeds it.

My wife and I have been traveling to Cooperstown at least once a summer (and this year twice) since 1996 to play in the Legends of Baseball tournament in your beautiful community. But that wonderful tradition is now in jeopardy because the council has decided to more than double the fees it charges our tournament organizers to rent Doubleday Field for week-long tournaments in July, August and September.

I come from a small town that hosts a major national sporting event, so I understand the strains on infrastructure and services that result. But Bowling Green embraces the challenge and welcomes its visitors rather than suggest they not come back.

Legends of Baseball has been paying the village $400 for every game it plays at Doubleday _ until now. The council has dramatically increased the fee to $1,000 per game, no doubt hoping and expecting that the Legends organizers will simply pass the increase along to the players. To the contrary, passing this huge increase along would mean only one thing: it would make the cost of the trip prohibitive for many of our players.

Consider what would be lost. In my case, my wife and I have spent roughly $2,000 each time we have come to Cooperstown. That’s 11 tournaments, or well over $20,000 we have put into the village economy. And we are hardly alone. Some 500 players and family members make the same journey every summer. Then factor in the economic multiplier _ the Cooperstown Chamber figures each dollar is spent 2.5 times _ and then tell me that would not be missed if it ended.

The September tournament, the largest of the three, provides its own special boost because it occurs when the big crowds of July and August have gone.

Ask the folks who run the Doubleday Cafe if the increase is fair. Ask the lady behind the desk at the Mohican Motel, or the Landmark Bed and Breakfast. Ask the manager of the Otesaga Hotel. At the August tournament, our entire team gathered for a team dinner at the Otesaga. Our bill was over $1,500. Ask the Cooperstown Bat Co. The Legends provide a personalized "rookie" bat to every first-time player. Ask the umpires who live and work in the Cooperstown area and make the calls at well over 100 games at the three tournaments.

If I understand the village council’s convoluted logic correctly, it assumes that penalizing the Legends in this manner will open Doubleday up to a lot of other organizations that want to come in for one day or one game. They will continue to pay just $400. That is an absurd double standard and it overlooks the fact that teams that come in for a day will not be there for a week, spending money. They will come in, they will play, and they will leave.

One other point: the Legends of Baseball organization has been a loving supporter of Doubleday Field. It established a foundation, the Friends of Doubleday, that helped provide a scoreboard, flagpoles, and tarps, and it has undertaken a capital campaign to help renovate the infrastructure of the grandstands and build an endowment for the future.

All of that is now at risk.

The Legends of Baseball seeks no special treatment. But all of us who love Cooperstown are dismayed by the way the village council treats its friends.

Thomas Walton

Bowling Green, Ohio

Cost hike unwarranted

First let me say I have been coming to Cooperstown annually to play in the Legends of Baseball Tournament since 1996. In fact, I have been there in August and September for the past six years. Additionally I have taken my two sons there recently to visit the Hall of Fame. In other words, I have been a loyal supporter of your Village and its economy.

And I am not alone. The Legends of Baseball Tournament brings about 400-plus players annually to Cooperstown plus many bring their wives and families. My wife, for example, has only missed one year of the 12 I have been there.

The Legends of Baseball organization is first-class all the way and its director, Thom Lach, works countless hours to assure that all of us have a tremendous experience in Cooperstown.

He is also a member of your Chamber of Commerce. The fee we pay to play in the tournament not only covers the fields (such as Doubleday) but also covers numerous items such as the banquet, gifts for the players, umpire fees, advertising and marketing costs, insurance, legal fees and much, much more.

It is the effort that Thom puts into Legends of Baseball that makes the program so successful and keeps us coming back each year.

I have also been involved as a "Friend of Doubleday" donor and have made a substantial contribution to the fund to assist in refurbishing Doubleday Field. In other words, over the years, I have spent countless thousands of dollars in Cooperstown and for Doubleday Field.

Needless to say, I am shocked to learn of the Village Council’s decision to show so little appreciation and respect to Thom Lach and a group of people who have been so supportive of Cooperstown and have contributed so much to its economy.

To say "thank you" by raising our rates from $400 per game to $1,000 per game to use Doubleday Field is unbelievable, unthinkable and is truly difficult to understand. Now we are told that others who come to Cooperstown for a day to use the field for one game will only need to pay $400 per game while we pay $1,000 per game.

Let me understand this _ if you come to Cooperstown for a week and stay in motels and B&Bs, dine out all week, shop in town all week, visit the museums and other attractions, you will be asked to pay 2.5 times more than someone who is in and out of town in the same day. This makes no sense at all. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Perhaps the Council’s thinking is that, since we enjoy the Legends of Baseball Tournament so much, we will continue paying the increased costs to come back to Cooperstown.

While Cooperstown has always been our first choice, this excessive price leaves me feeling somewhat unappreciated. Like most, we have a limited budget. To feel we are being treated unfairly will very much affect whether we come back to Cooperstown or encourage the Legends of Baseball organization to relocate to a friendlier location where our business and financial support is appreciated and not taken for granted.

I do want to thank all of the Cooperstown merchants and hotel owners for making us feel so welcomed in your community all these years. I am only sorry the same cannot be said for the current Village Council.

Larry J. Weiss

Bowling Green, Ohio