Hall of Fame Weekend
IN PHOTOS/B1-3 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
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E RE
F Volume 7, No. 45
City of The Hills
Complimentary
Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, July 31, 2015
City Hall Needs ‘Collaborator’ Murphy Gone, Mayor Southard Looks Ahead By LIBBY CUDMORE
W
ith the ousting of Martin Murphy, the second city manager in two years, Oneontans are pondering the question: What is City Hall looking for in a manager? “We need someone who can build collaboration among department heads,”
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Liz McGuckin and husband Brian Caulfield, reopened the Worcester General Store over the weekend, the only grocery between Oneonta and Cobleskill/SEE A4
City Hall After 5 CFA Grants In This Round
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FA grant application are due at 4 p.m. Friday at the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council offices in Utica, and City Hall is seeking funding for five projects: One, $423,000 for the redevelopment of the Stevens Building; two, $500,000 to extend Neahwa Park’s trail system; three, $600,000 to line and upgrade the water line from the reservoir to the water treatment plant. Also, two planning grants: $45,000 to study an “entertainment district” downtown, and $37,500 to examine upgrades to the sewage treatment plant on Silas Lane. NEW SLATE ROOF: Main Street Baptist Church, which anchors the eastern end of the city’s downtown National Historic District, has received a $5,000 grant from the state Landmarks Conservancy for a new slate roof. LEADER IN COUNTY: State Sen. John Flanagan, the new majority leader (replacing the indicted Dean Skelos), planned to hold a press briefing at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, July 29, on The Otesaga’s veranda. Details at WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
FOR TEXT of city manager’s settlement agreement with Common Council, go to
AllOTSEGO.com
www.
said Mayor Russ Southard, who returned to the city from a long-planned Outer Banks vacation Monday, July 27. “We’re Please See SOUTHARD, B4
Mayor Russ Southard
OPD, OFD ‘BATTLE’ TO AID RED CROSS
O
neonta police and city firefighters are going head-to-head noon-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 11, at the Elks Club. The goal: Collect the most blood, win a trophy, and save lives. To donate on behalf of one department or the other, make an appointment at www.redcrossblood.org, or call 1-800733-2767.
4th Biggest Ever Lifelong Hall of Fame members Neil and Linda Riddell, Oneonta, came armed with big hats against the blazing Induction sun. Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Cooperstown Induction Crowd Enjoys Oneonta Offerings, Too By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
T
he 45,000 fans who came to Cooperstown for Induction Weekend 2015 didn’t just stay on the village streets and hotels. “From what I’m hearing, businesses and lodgings were very pleased with the flow of custom-
ers,” said Barbara Ann Heegan, president/CEO of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce. “There were waits at the Red Caboose, the Yellow Deli, Sloan’s and other restaurants.” Over at the Southside Mall, manager Luisa Montanti saw what she described as “a surge of different faces ... Oneonta plays a huge role in Induction Weekend, Please See INDUCTION, A7
Dykstra Brings Induction Here Former Met ‘Regular Guy,’ His Oneonta Friend Asserts By LIBBY CUDMORE
O Kay Jewelers manager Bryan Gulnac gets Dykstra’s autograph.
neonta’s Leo Giovagnoli started as a fan of Mets player Lenny Dykstra, but now considers him a friend. “He’s one of us,” he said. “He’s a regular guy. You won’t see him walking around with a bunch of bodyguards. You can come up and talk to him.” Giovagnoli served as Dykstra’s host for Induction Weekend, ferrying him Please See DYKSTRA, A7
Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Lilliam Cipriano of Boston, a compatriot of Sox veteran Pedro Martinez, was among hundreds of fans waving the Dominican Republic flag and cheering, “Pedro! Pedro!” at the Hall of Fame Induction Sunday, July 26. Juan Marichal, inducted in 1983, is the only other Dominican in the Hall of Plaques.
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD