OLD ORCHARD BEACH — As the days get closer to a national baseball tournament, town officials are scrambling to get a management structure in place for The Ballpark.
Town Manager Jack Turcotte said in a phone interview Tuesday that he has been frustrated with the lack of structure for The Ballpark project.
However, he said, “I see this as a real positive problem.”
The Ballpark project has hit a turning point, and it’s not all about painting bathrooms and laying down grass anymore, he said. In May, The Ballpark will host the United States Collegiate Athletic Association’s national baseball tournament for small colleges. The facility must be ready to operate when the tournament comes to town in 90 days.
“We are no longer dreaming about the dream, but we are preparing to operate the dream,” said Turcotte at a Town Council workshop Tuesday night.
A facility of this magnitude cannot be operated without an organizational business plan, said Turcotte. He said that he wanted to streamline the construction process and create an organizational structure.
According to a letter from town attorney Christopher Vaniotis, the Town Council has primary responsibility for the care and management of The Ballpark.
“The Council can delegate some of its responsibility, but the delegation must be in writing, it must establish clear lines of authority, and it must be open to public view,” said Vaniotis.
The restoration of The Ballpark has been overseen by the Ballpark Group, a group of volunteers under the 50 Acre Wood Subcommittee of the Conservation Commission.
Ballpark Group leader Tom LaChance said the group needs to raise $12,000 in order to cover costs for the facility to be ready for the tournament.
The project has generated much interest and donations from people in town and beyond, and group members said they believed they could raise the funds.
However, group member Dave Goyet said they may not have all the funds available by April, when the necessary inspections will take place prior to the tournament.
Councilor Michael Tousignant said he supported The Ballpark project. He said the group had done a remarkable job, and he believed they could raise the funds. However, he said that the group had not planned to use taxpayer money, and he did not support the town giving the project money at this time.
“There will be no more money from the town, in my opinion, until there’s structure,” he said.
Ballpark volunteer Al Lappin suggested the town look at the idea of an events coordinator, as The Ballpark has “an unbelievable potential” to be host to a number of events. He also suggested The Ballpark have a board of directors.
Council Chairwoman Sharri MacDonald said she liked the idea of an operations manager at The Ballpark, but she felt the town could not afford it. She thought that maybe the job could be split between three town employees, and each could “put a little more on their plate.”
“It doesn’t hurt to try something for a year or six months,” she said. If it doesn’t work, the council could revisit the decision, she said.
MacDonald said that a board of directors would be appointed by the Town Council.
Councilor Robin Dayton said that the council shouldn’t lose focus on the immediate need, and the project needed a general manager.
“I think we need someone to hit the ground running,” she said.
Councilor Laura Bolduc said that she felt the Ballpark Group had taken way too much in the realm of liabilities. The group was an “all exclusive group effort,” with a lot of people in charge, and it needed to be reined in so the group is not making financial decisions that the town should be making, she said. Bolduc said the group, like any successful business, needed a “legal eagle” and a “money mastermind.”
She suggested a seven-member board of directors, with two staff people and five people from the community.
Councilor Shawn O’Neil said that the council needed to move forward quickly, and get a board of directors in place as soon as possible, as there was not much time before The Ballpark needs to be up and running.
“We can’t procrastinate,” he said.
Another workshop on The Ballpark management structure will be held on Monday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. at the town hall.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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