By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

Paul Crossman stopped work just long enough to eat a piece of pizza while he walked through the clubhouse, checking the progress of rooms undergoing major renovation.

The Old Orchard Beach resident is one of dozens of volunteers who have spent hundreds of hours in the past year breathing new life into the town-owned Ballpark. The baseball stadium fell into disrepair after the Maine Guides left town in 1988 and event planners stopped using the facility for concerts.

Town councilors are in the process of establishing a management structure for the facility as it transitions from a construction zone to a ballpark ready for community use. Discussions of the management structure followed a letter from Town Manager Jack Turcotte asking the council to decide how they want the facility to run.

Crossman and Leo LaChance, an Old Orchard Beach native who now lives in Dayton, spent Monday working in the clubhouse, spackling walls while a portable heater roared in the corner. Crossman said clubhouse renovations should be done this week and will be used during a college baseball tournament in May.

Crossman said a “tremendous” amount of work has already gone into renovating the clubhouse, concession stand and stadium. In a clubhouse shower room, volunteers spent hours scrubbing black spray paint and fake blood from the walls. The paint was left from a Halloween haunted house created years ago when everyone assumed the life of the Ballpark was over, he said.

Crossman attributed other damage in the clubhouse to vandalism. He said volunteers – especially professionals like plumbers and electricians – still are needed to help with the project.

Tom LaChance, Leo LaChance’s brother, spearheaded volunteer efforts and provided the council an update at a Feb. 2 workshop on Ballpark management. He said volunteers need to raise about $12,000 to have the facility ready for the baseball tournament. He promised the money would be found and the work done in advance of the event.

Crossman agreed the work will be done, even if that means working around the clock.

“This is a community project,” he said. “People within the community have banded together to see a project through to fruition.”

In a Jan. 26 letter to town councilors, Turcotte asked them to determine how they wanted to manage the facility to avoid confusion. The renovation project is headed by volunteers who work with donated money and services with little financial contribution from the town.

“Because money is not available the council needs to designate one person in charge of reconstruction, authorizing him or her to make decisions for the town. The town needs to develop a plan where the council is in full control of the restoration projects, the operation and the event scheduling,” he wrote.

Turcotte – who said the Ballpark drew him to Old Orchard Beach – provided councilors a letter from town attorney Christopher Vaniotis during the council workshop on Ballpark management.

In a Jan. 27 letter to Turcotte, Vaniotis said the council has primary responsibility for the Ballpark’s care and management because it is public property. The council can delegate some of its responsibility, but the delegation must be in writing and establish clear lines of authority, he wrote.

Vaniotis suggested three possibilities for facility management. He said the council could create a new position for Ballpark manager. The manager could be appointed by the council, town manager or by the town manager subject to council confirmation. A job description should spell out specific duties, responsibilities and authority, he said.

Vaniotis also suggested the council could create a new Ballpark management committee that would be overseen by the council.

“That committee could be given as much or as little independent authority as the council deems appropriate, within the confines of a budget to be set by the council,” he wrote.

Vaniotis also suggested the council consider creating and funding a separate not-for-profit corporation with a board of directors appointed by the council. The council could then lease the Ballpark to the corporation for a period of three years or less; the terms of lease would control how the facility is operated and used.

Turcotte said at the workshop it is important to establish a clear management structure before the facility is officially opened in 90 days for the college baseball tournament. He said the story of the Ballpark’s restoration is “remarkable.”

“We’re no longer dreaming about the dream but preparing to open the dream,” he said. “I believe we will be ready. I also realize we can’t operate a facility of that magnitude without structure.”

Council Chairman Sharri MacDonald said negative publicity about Ballpark management has been stressful but should not overshadow the work that has taken place.

“This is the beacon of light. People came in and they’re energized because of the work the Ballpark is doing,” she said. ‘This is the new vision of Old Orchard, this could be big for us. We need to embrace it and make it happen.”

Councilor Laura Bolduc also praised the facility’s project, but expressed concern that volunteers are dealing with town issues such as fire safety.

“I sense they are involving themselves in concerns that are town matters,” she said.

Council Vice Chairman Mike Tousignant said volunteers have done a “remarkable job” raising money to pay for renovations.

“There will be no more money from the town, in my opinion, until there is a structure,” he said. “The whole thing hinges around coming up with a plan that legally works.”

MacDonald said she supports creating a council-appointed board of directors to oversee the Ballpark. Ballpark matters currently are handled by the Ballpark Committee, under the Conservation Committee.

MacDonald said she also liked the idea of hiring a facility manager, but that is not an option because of budget constraints. Asking three town employees to pick up extra responsibilities could be a more viable option, she said.

“It doesn’t hurt to try something for a year or six months,” she said. “If it doesn’t work we can revisit it.”

Councilor Shawn O’Neill said he understands the immediate need of addressing Ballpark management and talking about the issue is a good thing for the town because “right now we’re under the gun.”

“We’ve got to step up to the plate and recognize our responsibility,” he said. “I don’t want to see this fail, I don’t want to see tournaments go by.”

Tousignant said a Monday night workshop again centered on the idea of creating a board of directors. Councilors have not decided if the board will have five or seven members. Any plan needs to be approved by the town attorney to make sure it is legally viable, he said.

Turcotte said he was pleased the workshop was positive and he felt councilors made progress by creating a flow chart of the organizational structure. The council still needs to fine-tune responsibilities of a council-appointed board and expressed their desire to move forward with plans as quickly as possible, he said.

Assistant Town Manger V. Louise Reid said it is possible councilors could vote on a management structure as early as Feb. 16. The council agenda was not finalized before the Courier’s Tuesday publication deadline.

Tousignant said the council remains focused on making the Ballpark a success for the town.

“It’s marvelous people stepped forward to revitalize the park. Now we need to make it work financially. That will be the tough part,” Tousignant said. “One way or another we’re going to play baseball.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.