ONEONTA _ Cooperstown All-Star Village was investigated for violations of federal and state handicap accessibility standards and ordered to fix deficiencies, the state Attorney General's office said Tuesday.
The baseball camp, which opened in 2004, attracts teams from across the country that each play in weeklong tournaments throughout the summer.
After the investigation, Cooperstown All-Star Village made extensive changes so that it is fully accessible to visitors with physical disabilities, according to a media release from the Attorney General's Office distributed Tuesday.
The camp agreed to pay the state $2,000 for costs related to the investigation, which was prompted by a complaint about two years ago from the Oneonta-based Catskill Center for Independence.
"The Attorney General's Office was very good about it," said Chris Zachmeyer, the center's executive director.
Zachmeyer said the center had worked with the camp before its opening, but center officials later found out some of the accessibility problems it had identified had not been resolved.
In addition, the center received inquiries from local people and camp clientele about accessibility issues, Zachmeyer said.
"It's unfortunate that this is the route we had to take," she said.
Facilities within the camp that were modified to ensure access to those with disabilities include:
¤ Parking areas.
¤ Pathways throughout the camp, including one leading to the lower level.
¤ Sleeping rooms, including bathrooms.
¤ The restaurant, general store and gift shop, concession building, laundry room, game room, infirmary, fitness facilities, lower-level pool, spectator areas and bunkhouses.
Cooperstown All-Star Village officials cooperated with the investigation and were willing to promptly resolve the problems, according to the Attorney General's Office.
Cooperstown All-Star Village owner Marty Patton did not immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.
Catskill Center for Independence is a nonprofit that provides services to people with disabilities in Delaware, Otsego and Schoharie counties.
___
Jake Palmateer can be reached at 432-1000 or (800) 721-1000, ext. 221, or at jpalmateer@thedailystar.com.