Groton OKs collegiate baseball plan

Groton - It's a fact of baseball: When squads of collegiate all-stars take the field at Fitch High School this summer, one team will win and the other will lose.

But the plan to bring a new team to Groton is a "win-win" for the community, said Mayor Jim Streeter Tuesday night, when the Town Council gave final approval to a plan to bring a New England Collegiate Baseball League team to Groton this summer.

The deal is sweetened further by an anonymous donor, who is paying for about $500,000 in improvements to Fitch High's baseball field, creating a small stadium that will be home turf for a team for eight-week seasons each summer.

The council voted unanimously to approve the arrangement with the Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club, which is moving its team to Groton this summer.

Students in Groton and Stonington were asked to suggest names and mascots for the team. "I spoke with the school superintendent the other night, and the name is still under wraps," Streeter said.

"Everyone I spoke to thinks this is a great opportunity for us and can't wait to have these young men play in our town," said Councilor Bill Johnson.

When the games begin this summer, locals will have the opportunity to see action similar to games played in the well-known Cape Cod Baseball League. Twenty-one home games will be played at Fitch.

Plans are under way to improve and expand the current field, adding lights, stands, a press box, fences and improved dugouts. Basic components need to be in place by mid-May, Superintendent of Schools Paul Kadri said.

The New England Collegiate Baseball League plays an eight-week season that starts in June and runs through playoffs in August.

The league was founded in 1993 and has teams from all six New England states.

Other actions

The Town Council also voted unanimously Tuesday night to schedule a public hearing to discuss plans to repair a portion of River Road that was damaged in March's floods and only recently re-opened. That hearing, required because the road is officially designated as "scenic," is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at the Town Hall Annex on Groton Long Point Road.

During a closed-door session ahead of the Town Council meeting, the council conducted its annual review of Town Manager Mark Oefinger. During the regular meeting, Streeter said Oefinger's performance "exceeded expectations." However, citing "the present economic situation," Streeter said the town manager had agreed to forgo his annual raise.

m.collette@theday.com