Two state senators representing the north country see things quite differently over a bill that would have allowed the Watertown Family YMCA to lease parkland from the city.

The legislation is lodged in the Local Government Committee, chaired by Sen. Elizabeth O'C. Little, and wasn't passed before senators took a summer recess. Since the lease can't be approved without the home-rule legislation, the lack of action could wind up costing the nonprofit agency about $27,000 this year.

"I wouldn't try to do anything to hurt the YMCA," said Mrs. Little, R-Queensbury. She blamed Sen. Darrel J. Aubertine, D-Cape Vincent, for the lack of action.

"I never heard from Darrel in regards to the bill or about any importance of the bill," she said. "He just didn't put it on a priority list or didn't make a request to have it put out."

Mrs. Little is referring to the "request out" form, through which Mr. Aubertine can ask her committee to consider the bill.

Andrew G. Mangione, Mr. Aubertine's spokesman, said the senator, through his conference, twice identified the YMCA legislation as a top priority bill in memos to the Senate majority. The memos were dated April 4 and June 4.

"To claim that they did not know, or that if Senator Little had known, things would be different, is disingenuous," Mr. Mangione said. "It's just a red herring. They're playing politics. This is exactly what needs to change in Albany."

Mrs. Little, whose campaign committee contributed $6,000 to Mr. Aubertine's Republican opponents between January and June, insisted the lack of action was not politically motivated. She said she wasn't aware of the bill, which is among more than 100 in her committee, until she read about it in Friday's Watertown Daily Times.

"He never filled out the request to have the bill put out," Mrs. Little said again. "Other senators do it. We do it. People talk to you all the time about bills they want to get through."

Mr. Mangione said because the Assembly passed a companion YMCA bill, the Senate version was automatically forwarded to the Senate Rules Committee.

Since the Rules Committee trumps the Local Government Committee, Mr. Mangione said, Mr. Aubertine bypassed the "request out" form to focus his efforts on the more important committee. At the time, Sen. Joseph L. Bruno, R-Brunswick, was the Rules Committee chairman; Sen. Malcolm A. Smith, D-Queens, was its ranking minority member.

If the legislation is passed when senators return to session, YMCA officials said they will buy the former Ultimate Goal from Watertown Savings Bank for $1.7 million and negotiate a new property lease with the city.

The YMCA plans to upgrade the facility once both deals are complete.