OLD ORCHARD BEACH — A new town ordinance for The Ballpark has been approved.
The ordinance defines The Ballpark as a 49-acre parcel including the stadium, playing fields and parking area and states that The Ballpark is to be operated as a sports, entertainment and events facility ”“ and not as a public park.
Under the ordinance, a Ballpark Commission will be appointed by the Town Council. Subject to Town Council oversight, the commission would be responsible for the improvement, maintenance and operation of 49-acre Ballpark property.
The council approved the new ordinance in a 3-1 vote Tuesday night, with Councilor Robin Dayton voting in opposition and Councilor Laura Bolduc absent.
Council Chairwoman Sharri MacDonald made some changes from a prior draft of the ordinance after hearing comments from a public hearing two weeks ago.
The number of people on the commission was raised from five members to seven members after she heard from citizens that they did not think a quorum should be just three people.
The number of meetings was raised from eight to 12 per year, and the commission will report to the council quarterly.
She also added wording to define The Ballpark as land owned by the public that is not a park, so it was clear that it was public property.
Dayton said that she thought the public should have had the opportunity to review the changes in the proposed ordinance before the council voted on it. She also took issue with the 49-acre parcel being called “a facility.”
She said that during a community workshop process in 2006, all the study groups wanted to have low density recreational use such as walking trails and gardens on the property.
“At no time during that seven-month-long planning process did anyone to the best of my knowledge ever once consider that property, the entire property, as a facility,” she said.
MacDonald read from a flyer she had made for a fundraiser last June for The Ballpark, which referred to an effort to raise funds for a “stadium, ballfield and surrounding facilities.”
“It was called a facility back then,” said MacDonald.
The text was sent to her by a colleague, who she said, “used to be on the same page” as her.
Dayton said she was the colleague to whom MacDonald had referred.
“I don’t appreciate my words being bastardized,” she said.
She said she had been referring to the area defined by a “notice to proceed order” by former Town Manager Stephen Gunty, which was the stadium and buildings.
At no time, she said, did anyone consider the entire 49 acres as a facility.
Councilor Shawn O’Neill said that suggestions from the past workshops had gone by the wayside, but in the interim a group of volunteers came forward.
“That group took the ball and ran with it. And they’ve done one hell of a job,” said O’Neill.
Dayton said there had been many attempts to continue the workshops.
O’Neill said the effort has been positive and the ordinance was necessary to give the group proper guidance by the council.
“Let’s move forward professionally, courteously and cohesively so we can build something we can all be proud of,” he said. “The bickering needs to stop.”
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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