At the January meeting of the Malverne village board, tensions were high as the leaders of the Malverne Little League confronted the mayor and trustees about their failure to receive exclusive permits to use the local baseball fields.
The board's refusal to grant the league the rights to and fields, seven days week in the spring, summer and fall, which they had received in the past, stemmed from the fact that another youth league, the Malverne Mud Hens, had requested field time too. A heated discussion broke out between Malverne Little League President Joseph Ariola, Vice President Jim McDaniels and members of the board at the meeting, which then continued on Patch when other residents and readers weighed in on
But less than a month later, the feuding appears to have stopped. At the Feb. 1 meeting of the village board, Ariola said a resolution had been reached between Malverne Little League, which will kick off its 61st season this spring, and the Malverne Mud Hens, a competitive travel league that formed in May 2010.
"I had a meeting two weeks ago with [Malverne Mud Hens President] Ken Rung," Ariola said. "We were able to work out issues and dates."
They agreed that the Mud Hens would be given 16 dates to use Whelan Field between the spring and summer. Ariola said the dates would be posted on Malverne Little League's Web site, to avoid any "confusions or problems," so that "all of his managers will know the field will be used at these times."
Mayor McDonald said Ariola had reached out to her following last month's meeting and arranged to sit down and talk. She thanked him for his efforts and for working the situation out with the Mud Hens, and the members of the public present at the board meeting applauded the news.
"The Malverne Mud Hens would like to thank Mayor McDonald, the Village Board and Joe Ariola for agreeing to provide use of the fields for our organization," Rung later told Patch. "We look forward to further cooperation and good will between MLL, the Board and the Mud Hens."
