In today's New London Day.....

Norwich — City officials and the Connecticut Defenders have reached an agreement on overdue lease payments owed to the city and credits the minor league baseball team should receive.

The agreement resolves key financial issues as the City Council is set to vote Tuesday for capital improvements to the Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium.

Aldermen delayed action Aug. 20 on an ordinance to authorize $610,000 for several upgrades to the city-owned Dodd Stadium, saying they wanted a report on the financial status of the team's lease payments by the Sept. 4 council meeting.

In an agreement signed Friday by Defenders General Manager Charlie Dowd and Stadium Authority Chairman Michael Jewell, the parties agreed that the Defenders should receive a credit of $78,656.26 on lease payments to cover purchases and improvements the team made at Dodd Stadium. The team replaced broken equipment, painted portions of the stadium in time for the July 11 All-Star game and made some improvements to the skyboxes.

The credit will be subtracted from lease payments totaling $237,812.77, including July and August rent payments. That would leave the team with a balance of $159,156.51.

Glenn Carberry, attorney for the Defenders, said the team is committed to paying off the back balance within the next two months.

Acting City Manager Joseph Ruffo welcomed the agreement and thanked the parties for resolving the issues in time for Tuesday's vote.

“I especially appreciate the volunteer efforts of the Baseball Stadium Authority members involved,” Ruffo said Friday. “They put their time and effort into it, and we are grateful to have people like that.”

Both Carberry and Stadium Authority member Gary Schnip, who oversees stadium operations for the authority, said Wednesday's meeting to iron out the finances was productive and positive.

“It was very amicable,” Schnip said. “We didn't have any problems. It went relatively smooth.”

The Defenders' lease with the city runs through the 2012 baseball season, but the team has the option for an early buyout after the 2009 season, leaving some to question whether the city should invest large amounts in the 13-year-old stadium.

But the Defenders announced Thursday that the 2007 season that ended Thursday night saw the biggest increase in attendance in stadium history and the highest average attendance since the 2002 season — when the Norwich Navigators won the Eastern League championship as a New York Yankees-affiliated team.

The Defenders drew 195,235 fans this year, an increase of 24,428, or 14.3 percent, over last year. Team owner Lou DiBella said the upswing is a move in the right direction, but admitted Thursday that the team did not make money this year. DiBella said he is looking for further improvements in the next two years. He said the team's future is tied to improved attendance and advertising.

At the Aug. 20 public hearing, Schnip and Jewell told the council that the city must be committed to maintaining its facility as any other city-owned building, either for the Defenders' or for another professional minor league baseball team in the future.

Carberry said the agreement “clears up a bunch of issues,” and the team now looks forward to supporting the Stadium Authority's proposed capital improvement plan.

The proposed ordinance would pay for several upgrades recommended by the Stadium Authority. Chief among them, and most expensive, is the proposed $190,000 to replace the turf on the playing field. That work is required in the city's lease with the Defenders.

The ordinance also includes about $100,000 to move the outfield fences in, an effort to generate more home runs and offense. The team made that request, but Schnip and Jewell told the City Council that the move would be necessary for the long-term viability of Dodd Stadium as a professional baseball stadium.

Other proposed fixes include $100,000 to improve public bathrooms at the stadium, long a source of complaints by fans. The bathrooms were never finished prior to the first baseball season there, back in 1995. The bare concrete floors become wet and slippery with condensation.

c.bessette@theday.com