GUILDERLAND — A resident living in the neighborhood behind Keenholts’ Park believes Guilderland Babe Ruth has overstepped its bounds in developing the property, but his concerns are largely unfounded.

Roy Melby said the organization had erected buildings without town permits and cut down trees in areas that were meant to be kept “forever wild,” and that overuse has lowered property values nearby.

“This organization is out of control and has no respect for nearby residents,” said Melby.

Melby said there were a dozen trees marked to be cut down last weekend to make room for a batting cage, and said he would call the police if that happened. He also contacted the new supervisor, Peter Barber, about the matter.

Barber said he met with Guilderland Babe Ruth’s president, Bill Coons, at the park, and that there were trees marked, but they were not going to be cut down.

The park can be accessed from Hurst Road or Frenchs Mill Road in Guilderland Center.

The organization does want to construct a batting cage, he said, but there have been no decisions made about where it will go; the trees were marked as one possibility.

“Several locations are being considered; they are trying to figure out which would have the least impact on residents,” said Barber.

He said there is no area specifically designated as “forever wild” but there is a buffer of trees between the park and the neighborhood that backs up to it that will not be touched.

Coons told The Enterprise this week that the only work the organization has been doing in the park recently is maintenance work, trimming branches and mowing the grass.

“We have a license with the town to do the maintenance,” he said. “We’re making improvements.”

He said a storage shed was built in the park within the past year, but, since it is town property, and town employees did the work, no permit was needed. 

Coons said the organization, which uses the field from May to October, is an asset to the town, keeping the park property maintained and providing community recreation opportunities.

“We have 10 or 15 parents who volunteer at least five hours a week and then four to five parents who put in 20 hours a week,” he said. “The league is about learning skills and practicing team work, but also about making friends and being involved with the community.”

Coons reiterated that there are no plans to cut down trees in the near future and that the buffer of trees between the playing field and the neighborhood on Route 146 would remain untouched.