SUNY Delhi Students Boost CMLL Clubhouse Completion

The exterior of the clubhouse was finished last fall.

STAMFORD – The new little league complex in Stamford is known as the Field of Dreams for local players, who got to play their first games on the new fields in 2024 and have become the envy of other little league organizations. However, they have been operating without a key component to making the complex complete and setting the stage to host many more tournaments and events - the new clubhouse. Finishing the clubhouse has become a collaborative effort with many volunteers and donations, whether in money, time or expertise, according to Collin Miller, the league’s treasurer since 2020. He admits it has been a long journey, but he believes it has all been worth it. He and the other very dedicated volunteers just want to see kids enjoying America's favorite pastime, baseball/softball. 

This week, eight students in the SUNY Delhi Residential Construction course on mill working put some important touches into the clubhouse, which will eventually hold restrooms, a snack stand and announcer's booth. They pre-fabricated the steps, milled the railings, moldings and scorer's table in their shop on campus, then spent Monday installing them, measuring and cutting molding. The red oak lumber was provided by Quality Hardwoods, of Sidney. They worked under expert guidance from their instructors, Steve Boyd, also owner of Walton Stairs, who guided them through the prefabrication of the stairway and Doug Fairgrieve, who was overseeing installation of the handrails. The stairway and handrails will allow safe and easy access to the announcer's booth where local disc jockey Pat DelRosario donated and installed the sound equipment. Alan Smith, whose son played in the League last year, was an integral part of making a connection with the College where he also is an instructor in the program; Smith helped out with the trim and siding. Cody Hager finished what the original contractor did not complete, with all the siding and trim put up over the past year. Jeff Haynes, of Haynes Electric did electrical work and Clapper Construction did the roof. Now they are at the point where they can focus on completing the kitchen and bathrooms. TAB Construction will be donating time/materials to insulate the facility next week. The League is hopeful for completion this year, but expect it will take them past the opening date of May 2. Ceremonies on opening day will begin at 11 a.m. with the parade of players, followed by the throwing out of the first pitch and the shout of “Play Ball!”

"When we finally get it all complete, we will be able to host some more tournaments and rent a more complete facility," said Miller. For now, however, he is content just to see the kids show up and enjoy learning and playing the sport. It has taken longer than expected, but it has seen a great collaboration between the Robinson Broadhurst Foundation, CMLL and Clark Companies of Delhi - all working to see that the little league has a place to thrive for years to come. There has been a lot of red tape along the way, including the research of deeds in order for the village to sell the property, then getting it surveyed, developing the site plan, including requests and changes by all the agencies involved. The project has involved the transfer of land and the granting of an easement to the complex by Doug Murphy, as well as complying with the state Department of Transportation, state Department of Environmental Conservation and New York City Department of Environmental Protection. It has involved arrangements to hook into the village water system and it all took time. 

The new complex was dedicated and consists of a baseball and a softball diamond, known as the Robinson and the Broadhurst fields, along with a clubhouse. It is the fruition of a dream of the late Ken and Karen Peck. The R-B Foundation contributed $1.5 million to the project and a more recent grant to enable irrigation on the fields. In April of 2024, CMLL teams, all 17 of them, paraded into the field for the first opening ceremonies. 

The hard work and dedication continues.

Students in the SUNY Delhi Residential Construction Course, the mill working section, posed for a picture in the Catskill Mountain Little League field house on Monday where they were installing the pre-fabricated stairway, hand rails and moulding they created in the shop. Pictured from left are: Steve Boyd, instructor; Madison Provost, Aiden Messino, Elijah Oud, Chris Dibiccari, Connor Salisbury, Peter Lopiccolli, Paul Lamparillo, Felic LaManna and Doug Fairgrieve, instructor.

Students of the SUNY Delhi Residential Construction Course, mill working section,  measure out a section of the rail cap inside the Catskill Mountain Little League clubhouse in Stamford, along with their instructor Doug Fairgrieve. The students prefabricated the stairway and scorer’s table at their campus shop to be installed in the clubhouse.