Ripken Stadium lawsuit moving closer toward settlement

IronBirds baseball owners, Aberdeen reach agreement on maintenance projects

A memorandum of understanding regarding the maintenance of Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen has been approved by the Maryland Stadium Authority’s board of directors, part of a series of steps on the path to the city and the owners of the Aberdeen IronBirds settling their ongoing lawsuit.

Tufton Professional Baseball LLC, the business entity that owns the IronBirds, filed suit against the city in October 2018, alleging breach of a December 2000 contract.

Former Baltimore Orioles and Harford County natives Cal Ripken Jr. and Bill Ripken are majority owners of Tufton, which filed suit in Harford County Circuit Court after months of fruitless negotiations with Aberdeen officials over the management of non-baseball events during the off-season and costs for stadium maintenance.

Tufton leases the city-owned Ripken Stadium, which opened in 2002, for the IronBirds. The team, a minor-league affiliate of the Orioles, plays a short season between June and September in the New York-Penn League.

The memorandum of understanding, which the stadium authority board approved Tuesday, lays out how the city, Tufton and the Maryland Stadium Authority will collaborate to handle immediate repair and replacement projects at the stadium, conduct an assessment of the facility and develop long-term plans for routine maintenance and capital improvements.

“We are happy that the issues have been resolved, and we are pleased that the Maryland Stadium Authority will be leading the facility assessment regarding capital and maintenance improvements to ensure Ripken Stadium remains the great community gathering place it has always been,” John Maroon, a spokesperson for Tufton and the Ripkens, said in a statement Thursday.

Aberdeen city officials could not be immediately reached for comment Thursday.

$300,000 grant for stadium maintenance was approved by the Maryland General Assembly during its 2019 session, plus the legislature has “pre-authorized” another $700,000 grant which would be allocated in the 2021 fiscal year, according to the memorandum.

The 21-page MOU, dated Nov. 4, has been signed by Cal Ripken, managing member of Tufton, and Randy Robertson, city manager for Aberdeen, according to a copy of the document provided by the stadium authority on Thursday. It must still be approved by the Maryland Board of Public Works.

“Tufton and Aberdeen have agreed upon the terms of a Settlement Agreement resolving this litigation that is contingent upon approval of a separate Memorandum by the Maryland Stadium Authority and the Maryland Board of Public Works,” Frederick Sussman, city attorney for Aberdeen, wrote in a Nov. 5 letter to Harford Circuit Judge Kevin Mahoney, who is presiding over the lawsuit.

The city and Tufton had “agreed informally” to halt further litigation pending reaching a settlement agreement, according to Sussman’s letter.

Mahoney replied to Sussman and other attorneys for both parties in a letter dated Tuesday, indicating he agrees with the continued halt to litigation pending settlement. “As always, I appreciate your efforts to resolve this matter without the need for further litigation,” Mahoney wrote.

The terms of the MOU include a stipulation that the Maryland Stadium Authority will not spend its own funds related to the agreement or projects identified within. Any related administrative or management costs must be reimbursed, according to the document.

The agency is, however, empowered to engage and hire contractors, supervise the planning and performance of work and pays invoices, later reimbursed by the city or Tufton.

Millersville Elementary School fifth grade student Kaylee Post is surprised during her lunch period by her mother, Brianna Post-Burkholder, who had just returned from an Army deployment in Afghanistan. program is a pilot. And a department spokeswoman pledged that DPW would do more to spread information about the funding that’s available to residents.

“We’re always willing to look at new ideas,” Garbark said, “and work with those to try and get something right.”

Council members said they want to improve the reimbursement program, as well as explore other steps the city can take to help people who have dealt with sewage backups. A lawyer who worked on a similar problem in Cincinnati videoconferenced into Wednesday night’s hearings to discuss ways his city goes further than Baltimore, including setting residents up with contractors at no charge so people don’t feel like they have to clean up hazardous waste themselves.

Advocates told the council that city crews should help residents get rid of the sewage in their homes.

Until then, Bettenhausen and others have had to pull on rubber boots and gloves to deal with the sewage themselves.