By Dan Israeli
The league - comprised of kids from Garden City South, Franklin Square and West Hempstead - has played the majority of its games, since 1958, at the Cherry Valley fields in Garden City, through a lease the Town of Hempstead signs with the Village of Garden City. GCSLL is issued a permit by the town to use the fields, which have been built and maintained by league volunteers over the years, according to Mike O'Connell, of the GCSLL board.
When the town applied for a renewal this year, however, the lease that has secured the fields for GCSLL in the past was presented a little differently. "This particular deal came with strings attached," said O'Connell. While the league was permitted use of the fields for the 2008 season, the lease states that there will be joint usage of the fields in 2009 between the GCSLL and the Garden City Athletic Association's (GCAA) baseball and softball programs. Over the next year, the GCSLL will need to explore possible alternative fields, because as of 2010, the Village of Garden City will stop leasing the fields to the town, and hence, end the little league's 50 years at Cherry Valley.
"Ultimately, we need to convince the village that we do need those fields, to continue running Garden City South Little League as usual," said Andrew Monteleone, president of GCSLL. "People are talking about other fields, but we want to play where we have been playing, in our community. We're not a traveling league, this is an intramural program for our children. We've put a lot into those fields."
While GCSLL plays most of its schedule at Cherry Valley - made up of a baseball, softball and a T-ball field - it does hold games at local schools, including H. Frank Carey High School, Washington Street School and John Street School. "We use our own school fields when we need to," Monteleone said. "But we are second fiddle to Carey baseball games, and other games at the elementary fields. It's not enough to accommodate the league, where we play 15 games a week."
Al Vanasco, president of GCAA, said that the issue of field usage at Cherry Valley is complicated, because the village is expecting a growth in membership over the next few years. "We don't have enough room for our own kids, who are playing shortened schedules due to the availability," Vanasco said. "No one wants to hurt anyone here, and this isn't an all or nothing thing, but as far as I know, the village has this resolved."
O'Connell argued that the GCSLL has been responsible for a major overhaul of Cherry Valley fields, through volunteerism, sponsorship and the town's help. In recent years, a batting cage was erected, a new fence was installed and an electronic scoreboard was donated by Pepsi, among other renovations and additions. The improvements were valued at roughly $100,000, according to O'Connell.
The battle over the fields has brought in the Garden City Recreational Department, board of trustees, and Town of Hempstead board to resolve a solution. Kevin Ocker, chairman of the recreational department, said that it's a matter that will be ultimately handled by the village board of trustees. "This is a policy issue, that will hopefully work out for everyone," he said. "If it is ultimately decided that Garden City is taking back its fields next year, its because of an anticipated increase in need for use, which so far, hasn't been determined. As a recreational department, we are hopeful that we can work together with our neighbors to help sustain their programs and ours."
For O'Connell, Monteleone and members of the Friends of GCSLL, Inc. - a community group fighting for the league to stay put - the argument over who needs the fields at Cherry Valley more is clear. Monteleone said that there are 16 other fields in Garden City that are being underutilized, which he even suggested could serve GCSLL if made available. "We want to work on a happy medium, and are willing to explore other opportunities for other fields in Garden City," he said.
O'Connell pointed to a situation last summer to illustrate his belief that GCSLL relied on Cherry Valley fields, while the Village of Garden City had other options. Last September, the village denied GCSLL an extension to use the fields for a little league tournament, after years of being allowed to do so. While the village had sole use of the fields, only two games were scheduled at Cherry Valley during the fall, according to O'Connell. "We have a dire need for those fields," he added.
