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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 4, 2013

Volume 5, No. 16

City of The Hills

HOMETOWN ONEONTA Complimentary

FIRST NIGHT Oneonta Icon Frank ‘Diz’ Lamonica, 1911-2012

The Magic Of It All

Quietly Aided Many In Need

By JIM KEVLIN

‘A

Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Michael Hamilton of Oneonta crosses the finish line to win the Family Y’s Frostbite 5K Run, a late-day-of-year tradition held Monday, Dec. 31. Mike’s time was 17:32:6

Damon Flick On Fracking Opens Locally

M

att Damon’s latest, the anti-fracking movie “Promised Land,” opens Friday, Jan. 4, at Southside Mall.

Damon plays a leasing agent for a natural gas company who experiences life-changing events after arriving in the fictional McKinley, Pa. Frances McDormand and Hal Holbrook co-star.

GOODBYE, TREES: You can dispose of your Christmas trees by placing them curbside, dropping them at the Silas Lane brush dump site, or calling Public Works at 432-2100 to arrange a pickup.

STATE OF STATE: The Otsego County Chamber’s annual State of the State panel discussion is at breakfast this year, beginning with networking at 8 a.m.

Monday, Jan. 7, at SUNY Oneonta’s Morris Conference Center. $20; reservations at 432-4500.

DEPUTY RENAMED: Mayor Miller planned to rename Council Member Mike Lynch deputy mayor when Common Council met Wednesday, Jan. 2.

INVADER ALERT: Otsego County Cooperative Extension is asking us to alert them if we observe an invasive-species outcropping. Check www.nyis.info

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

More than 50 in 20 downtown venues again filled downtown Oneonta with music, dance, art – you name it – on First Night 2013, bookended by a parade down Main Street at 4 and fireworks over Neahwa Park at 10. Cosmic Karma Fire’s Greg Lee was at it again with a twilight performance in front of the Foothills Atrium/ MORE PHOTOS, A3

‘Cash Mob’ Concept Aiming To Help Float Local Business

O

neonta’s Mark Kleszczewski came back from Europe (see Page B1) with souvenir mugs and lots of photos – plus some ideas on how to revitalize his adopted hometown’s economy.

His first idea is the “Cash Mob,” where localbusiness boosters, each committed to spending $20, descend mob-like on a local retail outlet and buy something.

“You spend money and it’s a social event – we’re all going to the B-Side Ballroom afterwards,” said Kleszczewski, president/CEO of Kickstart Capital, which seeks financing for promising enterprises.

The idea – “Cash Mobs” have already happened twice in Norwich – is to use social media to solicit votes to establish a winning establishment each month.

“Mom & Pop stores thrive in places that are much more expensive than here,” he said. “My idea is to connect Oneonta socially and economically.”

Kleszczewski’s has proposed his idea to the Otsego County Chamber and elsewhere, and the idea is to form the first “Cash Mob” event near Valentine’s Day. – Libby Cudmore

nybody in a tough spot – Dizzer was the first one you could call on,” said former mayor Sam Nader, “He was the best.”

Nader’s sentiment was echoed by many at the news that Frank A. “Diz” Lamonica, the most senior of Oneonta’s Grand Old Men, had died Sunday evening, Dec. 30, in Bassett Hospital, just a few days short of his upcoming 102nd birthday on Jan. 9.

“He gave guys jobs because they needed jobs,” said Bruno Scavo, for years one of Lamonica’s key salesmen at HOMETOWN ONEONTA Northern Eagle Bever- Frank “Diz” Lamonica and his wife Jo-Ann at his age. “He didn’t need them, but he’d give them 100th birthday celebration a few days work – clean at Sabatini’s on Sunday, Jan the warehouse, wash the 9, 2011. trucks.”

“He was an easy clip,” “He helped me when I Tony Drago, the retired needed help,” said Oneonta OHS athletic director, native Alex Shields, the recalled with affection. “If retired county rep who now anybody needed money, Diz lives in Richfield Springs, was very easy about handing “and I wasn’t the only one in it out. He was a soft touch, I Oneonta he helped.”

Please See ICON, A7

Village Rethinks Sidewalk Project To Fit With State ‘Green’ Initiative SUNY Oneonta CGP Professor Cindy Falk Applied Lessons Of Academe Editor’s Note: This is the first of articles exploring Otsego County projects that won Cuomo Administration economic-development grants.

By JIM KEVLIN HOW DID WINNERS hen newly elected DO IT? Village Trustee PART ONE Cindy Falk took office last April 1, the need to do something about the bad impression made by Cooperstown’s deteriorating sidewalks was largely accepted.

The previous Village Board had contracted with Cooperstown’s McManus COOPERSTOWN

W

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Coopertown Village Trustee (and SUNY Oneonta prof) crafted the CFA that captured the county’s largest EDC grant.

Engineering, which had already conducted a preliminary survey that, among other Please See GRANT, A5

HOMETOWN ONEONTA, THE LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER IN OTSEGO COUNTY, 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

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The Sewards’ granddaughter, Nora Thomas, and her dad, Felix, watch the proceedings.

Her grandparents will mark their 40th anniversary this year.

THURSDAY-FRIDAY, JANUARY 3-4, 2013

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA & The Freeman’s Journal

State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, is sworn in for a 14th term by the state Supreme Court Judge Michael V. Coccoma, Cooperstown, on New Year’s Day. Cindy Seward holds the Bible. In the background is Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller, who emceed the gathering in the Foothills’ Atrium. Seward also hosted swearings-in of Assemblymen Bill Magee, D-Nelson, and Claudia Tenney, R-New Hartford, who represents the county for the first time.

ch n u L r o ’ IN f K O O C S ’ T A H W AT THE HAWKEYE?

New Lisbon Town Supervisor Bob Taylor, who has depicted President Lincoln in the past, adds gravitas to the proceedings. Next to him is county Rep. Betty Ann Schwerd, R-Edmeston, and Stacy Bishop, wife of Seward aide Jeff Bishop.

In the background are former county Rep. Alex Shields, Richfield Springs, and his wife Barbara.

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Enjoying a light moment are, from right, SUNY Oneonta Associate VP Tom Rathbone of Milford, his wife Lola, the Catskill Area Hospice president/CEO, and John Remillard, Fox Hospital administrator.

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EN THE OTESAGA REUB Cheese, iss Sw ef, Be d rne Co Sliced nd Sauerkraut, Thousand Isla e Ry e rbl Ma on ing ess Dr $8.00 OLD SLUGGER FISH AND CHIPS Beer-Battered Haddock $9.00 FRESH BAKED QU ICHE DU JOUR Served with Salad $8.00

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rgies. ver know of any food alle n-Free. Please let your ser ute Gl nu prices. de me ma the be in ed can m lud This menu ite Sales Tax are not inc te Sta k Yor w Ne 8% ff and the people or more.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013

FIRST NIGHT 2013

HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3

Maestro Charles Schneider of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra takes a bow after bidding farewell to the Oneonta Theatre, which curtailed its operations as of New Year’s Eve.

The Sweet Adelines’ City of the Hills Chorus performs seasonal favorites at First UM Church.

Front, from left, are Jo Melmer, Sue Dana-LeViness, Terry Hait and Joanne Burdick. Second row, Pat Ashe, Karen Adolfsen and Jennifer Withington.

Third row, Bettie Bennett, Joy Sanders and Dorcas Ross.

Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Tinny Wilkens’ Indonesian Dancers pause in the Foothills’ Atrium, awaiting their 7 p.m. performance at First Baptist Church. From left, May Griffin, Linda Roseboom and Connie Dean, who perform in the Banda Urang style.

Ethan Harris of Garrattsville, Central New York Junior Idol in 2011, croons “That Night� and other cuts from his “Ethan Harris� CD, released in 2012, at the FoF Stage On Main during Oneonta’s First Night 2013, which drew New Year’s Eve revellers from throughout the region to the “City of the Hills.�

Sky Miritello leads SkyanI at the Crystal Palace Barber Shop on Dietz Street, which also hosted the Hop City Hellcats.

Sky is daughter of Randy Miritello of the Horseshoe Lounge Playboys, who were playing a block away at the Oneonta Theatre.

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The Stanley Wade School of Dance troupe takes a bow on the Foothills Main Stage. From left are Taylor Hesenring, Jordan Fisher, Meg Brosi, Casey Podjurski, Drue Quackenbush, Alexis DiBartolomeo and Emma Meliski.

Director Scott Rabeler leads the Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble at First UM.

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G Volunteer as a Basic Literacy or English as a Second Language tutor— We’ll train you!

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HOMETOWN Views

A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013

EDITORIAL

O

With Mike Long, Common Council Tightens Focus On Future

ur newspaper’s annual Otsego County Yearbooks are a lot of fun to put together – and readers like them – but they aren’t comprehensive, of course. With one photo from each of 52 weeks, not all worthy events can be included.

One event that we’re sorry we missed, however, was the Friday, Sept. 7, hiring of Oneonta’s first city manager, Mike Long. The Village of Cooperstown had an unsuccessful experience with professional management toward the end of the last century, but – other than that – Long is the first professional chief administrator of any Otsego County governmental entity.

When you think of how complex local government has become in the 20th and 21st centuries, that’s astonishing.

• At lot’s riding on Mike Long’s success, both in affirming public support for the position within the city, and as an example for the rest of the county. Little fuss has been made about the $115,000 salary – it’s the cost of doing business – but, best case, Long has a chance to prove, once and for all to any holdouts, that the investment’s a pittance (in a $20 million budget) compared to the return.

Mayor Miller and Common Council set challenging 2013 goals for the city manager, but Long’s comment on them was one of the best quotes of the year: He called the challenges “opportunities, opportunities I’ve been involved in in the past. It’s what I do. It’s what I like to do.”

That’s a professional’s response.

EDITIONS OF SEPT. 13-14: After his swearing-in, Oneonta’s first city manager, Michael Long, is flanked by four mayors who campaigned for the new City Charter that created the position. From left are John Nader, Kim Muller, the current mayor, Dick Miller, and David W. Brennan. Former mayor Sam Nader also supported the new position.

Most of us would find brain surgery daunting – but tell a brain surgeon you expect him or her to complete 100 brain surgeries in 2013, and the response might be, “So few?”

Discuss Common Council’s expectations for Long next year, and they fit together. For instance, closing the “structural deficit” – the city (like every Upstate city in these times of trial and mandated public-pension hikes) has been spending more than it brings in. Inevitably, the day of reckoning will come.

Long can’t wave a magic wand, but a second expectation, to establish development plans for the city’s economy, downtown and housing are steps to get there. So

‘CITIZEN VOICES’ SPEAK

IBM’s Founding In Oneonta Provides Lessons For Today Editor’s Note: This is the fifth of a number of position papers that Citizen Voices, the business group headed by Oneonta businessmen Bob Harlem and Tom Armao, has prepared for publication. We welcome these articles, and welcome any ensuing debate. To participate, e-mail Letters to the Editor to jimk@allotsego.com

S

omething happened on a recent Saturday night in Oneonta that merits discussion before continuing with our series about our local economy.

Several of us had the chance to attend Orpheus Theatre’s performance of “The Sound of Music” at SUNY Oneonta. The actors did an absolutely wonderful job of entertaining us. However, the actual entertainment is only one of the things that impressed us.

What we got in addition was a brief glimpse of what was one of our community’s greatest strengths or assets – joining together to support our own and the community.

All of the performances were sold out – a clear demonstration of support of a common goal.

Now the question is: How can we do the same with our economic future?

We have talked about the public-sector component of our economy. Now let’s take a brief look at the manufacturing and retail/services sectors.

Our early history is steeped in the entrepreneurial tradition. A look at our early history reveals that Oneonta was home to George Fairchild, who represented us in Congress and was co-founder and first Chairman of IBM. About 1905, construction began on what would become the world’s largest railroad roundhouse – a place to store and maintain the steam locomotives of the day. According to once source, “the economic climate of Oneonta benefitted greatly from this facility”.

Back then, Oneonta was encouraging growth and, as a result, prospered and Please See VOICES, A6

is “rigorous evaluation” of department heads – not punitive, but rigorous – to ensure optimum use of increasingly scarce resources.

We might consider beautifying the city’s entrances to be a frill, but first impressions matter.

(Economic developers in Carbon County, Pa., used to route firsttime visitors so as to avoid culm piles – ugly black mountains of tailings from anthracite mining – so old Mauch Chunk, “America’s Little Switzerland,” would be the first impression.)

• Long – as you might expect, given his credentials and experience, in Auburn in particular – already had ideas on how to proceed. He’s made contact with

21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080.

E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com

tions over the 2013 city budget.

At issue was whether to eliminate two vacant police-officer positions, reducing an all-time-high and (due to turnover) neverachieved 29.

The complement stood at 27.

In the end, Common Council kept one of the two positions. A veteran retired, a new officer hired, so staffing remains at 27. State Police Troop C, Oneonta, reportedly received 25 recruits from the recent police academy graduating class, so the city certainly has some flexibility right now.

Absent a major crime wave, it would have sent the wrong signal to eliminate all other vacant City Hall positions, yet leave police intact. Mayor Miller also created a task force to study how to best manage the police officers we have, with the idea of ending up with better policing from the same number of officers.

• The point is that Long’s addressing the structural deficit, drafting sector-development plans, and making the city more enticing are all part of a piece. The piece also includes shared services, sharing resources and consolidation (which would make Southside sales taxes directly available to the new Greater Oneonta city/town.)

It may not be comfortable now, but it will be a lot more comfortable when City Hall has balanced revenues with costs as far into the future as we can see, and can actually invest in making the City of the Hills’ vaunted quality of life (enjoyed) even moreso.

LETTER

The ‘One Removed’ Must Find Solace, Acceptance Elsewhere To the Editor: I received this statement from Christine Drew Martin, East Lansing, Mich., a former resident of Oaksville who is the daughter of the late Ruth Yule, beloved English teacher at CCS. I believe that what Christine said here is essential to our understanding of the men who have been responsible for such terrible events as those occur-

ring in Newtown and Webster.

I believe we must act upon our understanding of what she states here.

We must find ways to reach out to such isolated persons, making available to them the services they need to find that solace and acceptance so essential to their peace of mind – and ours.

“Most groups reject the anomaly within the group. It is human nature.

If the one removed can find solace and acceptance elsewhere, he will be OK. If he can forgive the group for rejecting him, he will be OK. But it he can do neither, it is within his nature to decompensate, sometimes into madness, and to be capable of acting without mercy. It is the nature of pain.”

HILDA WILCOX Cooperstown

MAYOR DICK MILLER OTHER VOICES

Mayor Recounts Foothills Successes Since 2011 Editor’s Note: This is Mayor Miller’s year-end memo to the Foothills Performing Arts Center board, which he chairs. It is reprinted with his permission.

T

he progress we have made since the beginning of 2011 has been remarkable. More than 422 events have been held including: • 43 private rentals by individuals and corporations • 26 commercial concerts ranging from Gordon Lightfoot, “Crazy About Patsy” Cline and George Winston to the Ultimate Idol competition. Most recently, The Capitol Steps.

• 143 events for not-for-profit and government entities like Orpheus, Springbrook, Hartwick, the National Guard and the Oneonta City School District.

• 210 rehearsals and instructional experiences conducted by 15 different

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch entities like the Little Delaware Youth Ensemble, Catskill Symphony OrchesJim Kevlin tra and the Stanley Wade School of Editor &Publisher Dance.

Tara Barnwell M.J. Kevlin Earlier this summer, we announced Advertising Director Business Manager an impressive core schedule for the fall and an agreement to host the MetAmanda Hoepker Tori Meiswinkel, Susan Straub ropolitan Opera Live in HD series with Office Manager Sales Associates the cooperation of the Glimmerglass Libby Cudmore Ian Austin Kathleen Peters Sean Levandowski Festival.

Reporter Photographer Graphic Artist Webmaster Our program committee is busily at work scheduling a core series of major MEMBER OF New York Press Association • The Otsego County Chamber events for 2013. Use of Foothills for Published weekly by Iron String Press, Inc. private events, education, not-for-prof-

HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Housing Visions of Syracuse, a not-for-profit that redevelops blighted properties, then puts them back on the tax rolls. (Check www.housingvisions.org) There are many prospects for this, including the Allison Building that’s costing the city $300,000 a year to maintain, and some of the imposing Main Street blocks, not to mention individual blighted houses that dot our neighborhoods.

Long’s identified the former D&H yards as a prime candidate for commercial redevelopment, what with rail access (and soon, if the Constitution Pipeline’s “Alternate M” is chosen, natural gas aplenty).

Al Colone’s GO-EDC – the Greater Oneonta Economic Development Council – has already brought in Cornell prof Michael Tomlan’s Design Connect students to examine what they envision as a “River Corporation Commerce Park.” (Check www.designconnectcornell.com) These aren’t pie-in-the-sky big government ideas, but ways to create opportunity for private enterprise to flourish here. Government costs tax money; private enterprise creates tax dollars; i.e., addresses the “structural deficit.”

• The over-arching intellectual framework for all this is Mayor Miller’s five-year budget projections. If you know today you’re going to be broke in 2014, that focuses the mind; it inspires creative thinking.

Right now, it’s not a comfortable way of thinking, evident in the sometimes rancorous delibera-

From www.holmesart.com

Cooperstown sculptor Jeremy Holmes’ creation is a centerpiece of Foothills’ atrium.

its and elements of government will continue at an ever increasing rate.

Operationally, we have been able to begin reducing our bank debt and stabilized and professionalized our staff of four full-time individuals.

Our group of 18 directors listed on the letterhead are hands on individuals providing oversight, control and guidance.

Our records have been externally audited through 2011 and all required government filings are up to date.

We have identified, received and are seeking grants primarily to keep our facilities in first-class condition and to

broaden our technical capabilities.

Our challenge will always be to provide a base level of private support to assure our continuing ability to host events and stage programs that support community residents, and establish Oneonta as a regional site of first-class entertainment.

We have proven that our region needs, will make good use of, and will benefit from the increasing vibrancy of the Foothills Performing Arts & Community Center. I hope you will continue to support accomplishing that worthy result.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WELCOME • E-MAIL THEM TO info@allotsego.com

FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013

HOMETOWN

HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5

History

Compiled by Tom Heitz with resources courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library

100 Years Ago

Democrats, who sat in silence as the governor delivered his annual message to a joint session of the legislature, was negative. “When are we going to open the concentration camps?” asked Assemblyman Manfred Ohrenstein of Manhattan.

was made from papers in her pocketbook. Other articles found with Gardner’s skeleton were taken to his wife, who is now living in Franklin, and she identified them as belonging to him. The girl’s parents are both deceased.

The dance given Miss Ella Deitz Bull by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Bull at the City Club ballroom at The Oneonta Monday night proved delightful in every way. Miss Bull, one of the season’s attractive young debutantes, had as guests about 60 of the younger set, all of whom declared the event one of the happiest occasions imaginable. Mr. and Mrs. Bull were assisted in chaperoning the party by Mr. and Mrs. Perry R. Young. The music for the event was furnished by Gardner’s full orchestra and the music was enticing. The young folks found keenest pleasure in the merry dance.

During the intermission a delicious collation was served in the club dining room by Mssrs. Millard of The Oneonta.

January 1933

January 1973

60 Years Ago

30 Years Ago

There was one inch of snow on Oneonta streets yesterday morning, costing the city an estimated $135 to clean up before pedestrians could walk, or automobiles could ride, without slipping. “People don’t realize how much money it costs just to clear a light snow such as this, just to make it passable so people can get around,” said Edmund Shultis, Sr., foreman of the Department of Public Works. “The snow was just enough to make it slippery and greasy,” Shultis said. He estimated other costs as follows: Nearly three tons of salt, at $50; four loads of stone grit (20 tons) at $32; labor cost for three men on the salt truck and three on the sanding crew, $35; plus equipment wear and tear covering items as tires and chains at $18. “You can just imagine what it would cost if the city had to dig out from a heavy snowfall,” Shultis added.

January 1913

80 Years Ago

A 13-year-old mystery was solved yesterday when the skeletons, one of a young girl and the other of a man, were discovered near Mount Upton yesterday. Identification of the remains revealed that they were Beatrice Deforest, 15, and Harry Gardner, 27, who disappeared in 1919. At the time it was thought they had eloped. Dr. E.W. Wilcox of Norwich, coroner, yesterday afternoon gave a verdict of murder and suicide. The verdict was based on the fact that an axe and a number of bottles which had contained chloroform, carbolic acid and paregoric were found with the remains. The skull of the girl appeared to have been beaten in. The gruesome find was made by George Miner of Johnson City, a pitcher of the Newark, New Jersey International League baseball team. While hunting in what is known as the Michigan swamp, two miles from Mount Upton, just at dusk the day before, he stumbled over a skull. He hastened back to the village, but it was too dark to return to the scene until yesterday morning. Identification of the girl’s remains

Penn State’s Nittany Lions, who have been playing intercollegiate football since 1887, were crowned national champions for the first time Sunday according to the final Associated Press poll. Penn State defeated number 1- ranked Georgia 27-23 in Saturday night’s Sugar Bowl showdown and moved up from the number 2 position to claim the national title with an 11-1-0 record over undefeated Southern Methodist University, which took second with an 11-0-1 record. The Lions were defeated 42-21 by Alabama in the fifth game of the season. “Obviously, we’re all thrilled at Penn State,” Coach Joe Paterno said when informed of the final rankings. “This kind of makes up for the times we didn’t get it.”

January 1983

January 1953

10 Years Ago

40 Years Ago

The creation of a county executive, Medicaid reform and a reduction in New York State’s health care costs are among the issues on the Otsego County Chamber’s 2003 agenda, chamber officials said Friday morning. The seven initiatives on the agenda emphasize change “over the long haul and sustained economic growth,” said Rob Robinson, president and chief executive officer of the chamber. “We’re facing this year the biggest challenge we’ve had in years, maybe decades,” Robinson said.

Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller asked the legislature Wednesday for mandatory life sentences for all hard-drug pushers and was met with prolonged Republican applause and negative Democratic murmurings of “concentration camps.” Saying that attempts to rehabilitate drug addicts have accomplished little, Rockefeller called for tough new measures against addicts and pushers alike. “Our neighborhoods have been effectively destroyed by addicts as by an invading army,” he declared. Immediate reaction from the

January 2003

Village Rethinks Sidewalk Project To Fit With State ‘Green’ Initiative GRANT/From A1 things, established that the pedestrian-unfriendly sidewalk at the village’s one stoplight could be shortened by several feet.

Still, Falk, who Mayor Jeff Katz appointed to chair the Streets & Buildings committee, reflected over a cup of tea the other day: “It was clear ... there was no money to follow through.”

Still, the Cuomo Administration had just completed its first round of grants, processed by 10 regional development councils, intend-

ed to rationalize the annual distribution of $1 billion in economic-development money to localities based on strategic plans developed regionally.

The main vehicle to accomplish this was the CFA, the comprehensive funding application. “It was so fortunate that the CFA project came along,” said Falk.

The new trustee, a tenured professor at SUNY Oneonta’s Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies, had applied for grants in the past. But

they had been personal in nature: To the University of Delaware for a fellowship to obtain her Ph.D. there, bolstered by grants from the duPont family’s Winterthur, the arboretum/decorative arts museum.

Figuring the process was similar, she obtained a list of state grant programs – 46 pages in all – from the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Council (MVREDC), which includes Otsego County.

In August, she attended the Vernacular Architecture

Forum on Madison, Wisc., where she heard an enthusiastic presentation on that downtown’s “rain gardens” – aka, “bio-retention areas” – and loose-fitting pavers, designed to clean up runoff into the city’s four lakes.

Eureka. Back home, Falk thumbed through the 46 pages and identified money available through the Environmental Facilities Corp.’s Green Innovations Grant Program. The village rethought its sidewalk upgrade in an environmentally friendly way, and applied

for $1.9 million.

Now when it rains, water runs over the deteriorating concrete sidewalks and down Main and other streets directly into Otsego Lake or the Susquehanna. The money would be used to replace the sidewalks with historically evocative bricks or other pavers that would allow rainwater to sink into the earth, to be slowly strained of impurities before it eventually leaches into the lake.

Rain gardens – in effect, larger openings around

trees (replaced, in some cases, with species that better flourish in the damp) – would be installed. Flowers would be planted in the openings – again, to absorb water – and in some cases, perhaps, vegetable patches.

“The idea is to ‘treat it where it falls’,” said Falk.

On Thursday, Dec. 13, word arrived: Of the $1.4 million awarded to Otsego County in CFA’s second round, the Village of Cooperstown would receive $639,000.

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Without Locally Based Companies, Communities At Disadvantage VOICES/From A4 grew. Today we are passing moratoria to restrict the use of our roads and to the keep “unwanted” business out.

What has changed and why?

The manufacturing sector is generally a very capital-, labor- and energy-intense component of the overall economy and one that is vital to having a vibrant and prosperous “middle class.”

The capital and labor are needed to fulfill the vision of an entrepreneur seeking to make a profit.

When we think of manufacturing, we think about what we have observed with Chobani Yogurt in South Edmeston. They invested in buildings, machinery, equipment, trucks for distribution and hired about 1,500 local people (labor). Together the people and equipment take raw material, including milk, from nearby farms

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(if they can meet the need), water and energy to create a product that has a greater monetary value than the sum of the costs it took to make it. That value is what we know as profit and it’s that profit that drives a healthy economy.

Often times the manufacturer will sell its product to distributors at a wholesale or discounted price. The distributors then sell it to retail outlets across the country or the world. IBM is a good example. Their headquarters is in Armonk, and they have several manufacturing facilities that eventually provide product to a retail dealer who sells to the public in Oneonta.

If the manufacturing concern is locally owned, there is a very strong likelihood that it will be using other local businesses such as farmers, banks, insurance companies, energy providers, local retailers and other services.

If a business is deemed “successful” and attracts outside investors, it may go “public” and issue shares of stock that people in our community could buy. If that happens those buyers expect, no demand, “their” company make a profit so that they, the shareholders,

get an acceptable return on their investment in the form of dividends, additional shares or an increase in the value of the shares they hold.

In the meantime, businesses that sell products to this manufacturer and businesses that sell products to that business’ employees prosper – as does the public sector. Because these manufacturers have a tie to the community they generally are generous in their support of local “causes” or needs.

Much of this area’s “old money” resulted from investing in IBM stock when it was just starting up.

Our area has several manufacturing operations.

Growing new manufacturing businesses will help stop our current “brain drain” by providing career paths that enable our children to find quality work and will attract new talent to our area.

The retail/services sector provides the goods and services that we use in our everyday lives. This sector is impacted by location (remote or close to population centers) and population density. Over the years retail has changed from being dominated largely by local entrepreneurs to one which is now dominated by

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the “Big Boxes”.

In the past there were many “Ma & Pa” businesses which were the backbone of our community, e.g. Stevens Hardware or Hotaling’s Grocery store on lower River Street. They not only provided the goods and services the community required, but they also supported the community by using local non-public sector services such as banks, insurance companies, car dealers, etc.

They served on the local school boards, in local government, service groups and not only gave their time but also donated their resources.

This has changed with the dominance of the “Big Boxes.” The “Big Boxes” use very few local services and generally do not take an active role in the communities they serve. However, their large product selection and perceived low price attracts customers from outlying towns and villages to come here to shop, eat and buy gas.

The area benefits from the sales tax generated and the property taxes and wages they pay. Unfortunately, the money spent in those “Big Boxes,” except for salaries and taxes paid, doesn’t stay here and re-circulate, thereby reducing the wellknown “ripple effect.”

These “Big Boxes” do not use local services such are banks or insurance and their commitment to an area may be limited. Thus a mix of locally owned and operated businesses and businesses that are part of a chain based somewhere else seems to be the logical alternative.

With the advent of the Internet, the retail business has been dramatically changed.

Being “home” to one of these internet businesses or distribution centers could be a good thing. Cabelas, for example, tends to create centers of economic activity around their stores. Is that a model worth pursuing?

Based upon what has been learned from other communities, having a diverse base for our economy seems prudent. Businesses tied to tourism and agriculture need to be a part of that economy. However, as we have learned from other communities, they cannot be the only components.

Our area is fortunate to have good services. Local insurance companies, banks, restaurants, churches, and car dealerships do an admirable job in meeting our basic needs while serving as significant employers and contributing to the tax base. However, we are not doing as well on the retail side. Main Street Oneonta is experiencing the same difficulty as “Main Street” almost anywhere.

That may be as much a symptom of how our society has changed as any of the other possible explanations, but it is a problem and needs to be addressed. Efforts like “Main Street Oneonta” are exploring ways to revitalize our downtown.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 4, 2013

HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7

Diz Lamonica Always There When Oneontans Needed Help ICON/From A1 guess you’d put it.”

Here are the facts: • Diz Lamonica was born in Oneonta on Jan. 9, 1911, the son of immigrant parents from Palermo, Sicily.

He grew up with brothers Samuel and Carl, and sisters Marian and Sylvia (later a longtime OHS Latin teacher) on Market Street and Watkins Avenue, (where Gordon B. Roberts Agency is now.) His siblings predeceased him.

• He ran the family’s banana distributorship and bowling alley. Older brother Sam eventually took over the former, younger brother Carl the latter, with Diz as president. He bought a small beer distributorship in 1949, and it was the dominant Northern Eagle Beverage by the time he retired in 1986.

• In the 1940s, he promoted amateur boxing for the Oneonta Recreation Commission under Dutch Damaschke, and trained local athletes Butch Katanic, Kid Cuyle, Brad Blasetti

Artists

Off Main

. . . . is here to stay!

January Hours: Thurs-Sat 11-5pm 15 Commons Drive Cooperstown 607.434.3418

Diz Lamonica Rites Jan. 5 At St. Mary’s ONEONTA – The funeral mass for Frank A. “Diz” Lamonica will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, with the Rev. Joseph Benintende, retired pastor, officiating.

Burial will be in the spring in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Emmons.

Calling hours are 4-7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 4, at St. Mary’s. and Dom Mastro.

• He was a director of Wilber National Bank.

• He was a life-long member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, donating the St. Mary’s School Chapel. He sponsored a Little League team for over 25 years, and was a steadfast supporter of other civic undertakings.

• He was a long-standing member of the Elks, the Sixth Ward Athletic Club, an officer of the Otsego County Boating Association, and a National Bowling Hall of Fame inductee.

• Hartwick College named him its Citizen of the Year in 1989.

• Mayor Miller and Common Council proclaimed Jan. 9, 2011, as “Diz LaMonica Day” in Oneonta, an expression of affection and admiration on his 100th birthday.

He is survived by his wife, the former Jo-Ann Bridger; the couple resided at Emmons Heights. Also, daughter Judith DiMartin; two grandchildren, Tracey Smith and her husband Paul, and Frank Di Martin; and three great-grandchildren, Dalton Smith, Dakota Smith and Robert Di Martin.

But there’s so much more.

Diz Lamonica first helped out Alex Shields, then 8, now 74, when Shields’ dad

was injured while working at Elmore Feed Co. Awaiting the first disability payment, the Shields family was running out of cash. So he went to Diz, who hired the lad as a pin boy in the bowling alley. (Shields remembers how Lamonica periodically rented the back room at Jack’s Restaurant to treat the pin boys to dinner.)

Later, Alex spent a decade at Bendix in Sidney, working on a business degree at night, and had been able to accumulate a little company Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA stock. Laid off, he thought: Frank A. “Diz” Lamonica accepts accolades from Now’s the time to finish that Common Council in 2011, as it declared Jan. 9 of that year “Diz Lamonica Day in Oneonta.” college degree at SUNY Oneonta. young 17, quit school to put odrich. “This guy worked He went to see Diz Lait back on a firm footing. so hard, you couldn’t dog it. monica, who then ran the “Diz paid everybody back You had to work along with family’s banana distributor100 percent on the dollar,” him.” He was there at 6 ship and bowling alley.

Nader said. a.m., said Drago, and closed “What do you want?”

In 1949, Diz bought a the place at 6 in the evening.

Shields remembers his mensmall beer distributorship And that energy was tor asking. on Market Street, renamed it evident in his driving, to “Twenty-five-hundred Lamonica Beverage Co. and the degree that the sales bucks.” moved it to West Broadstaff would offer to drive “Here.” Lamonica way at the Fonda Avenue en route home from sales reached into the office safe footbridge, which conmeetings in Rochester and handed the cash across nected with the D&H yards. and elsewhere. One time the desk.

A decade later, renamed when Diz was behind the That was too easy for Northern Eagle Beverage, wheel on the Thruway near Shields. He asked Lamonica he moved it to Railroad AvSyracuse, Scavo – he was to take a promissory note, riding shotgun – remembers with the shares as collateral. enue; he sold the company to Lou Hager in 1986 and the car overtaking a small “Whatever you want to retired. plane that was landing on an do,” said Diz. He threw the When Scavo joined the airstrip near Syracuse. shares and note in the office beer distributorship in Through all this there was safe and never mentioned 1957, it was still a growing fun, too. Nader remembers it again. Eventually the concern.

Genesee was the Diz had a penchant for pracbeneficiary, degree in hand, company’s first mainstay; tical jokes, some spinning reclaimed the stock and paid also Beverwyck, an Albany off from the city’s ethnic off his benefactor. brew. At one point, more mix.

“When money was tight, Genny was sold per capita When the circus would he’d help you,” said Alex. in Oneonta and Binghamton come to town, the elephants, Diz’s father was the than anywhere.

Then Budcamels and the rest would family’s original entrepreweiser was added, and the be unloaded at the depot neur, founding the banana distributorship grew with – now Ristorante Stella distributorship and developBud, (with Molson, Coors Luna – marched up Market ing an entertainment center Street and over the viaduct – the bowling alley, a dance and others added later.)

But it didn’t just happen. to The Flats, where River hall (that featured dance Scavo, Drago and others all Street School is today. marathons during the 1920s) remarked on Lamonica’s Once, Diz paid the camel and even a swimming pool hard work and dedication. tender $10 to divert one – in the building where The “It was sort of contaof the animals to nearby Green Earth is today. gious,” said Scavo, who was Monser’s garage.

He then The Depression hit and part of a team that included sought out Sam Monser the enterprise got in fiSam Stam and Ralph Go– like Nader, who related nancial trouble – Frank, a

y a p e W SH! CA t s e h g i H rices p aid p

the story, of Lebanese descent – and bet him $10 that “these animals find ‘their own.’” Monser wagered the $10, before returning to the garage and finding the camel there.

While there was hard work and fun, there was also tragedy. Diz’s son Frank, then 16, died in a car crash in 1961. Lamonica’s first wife, Mona – young Frank’s mother – succumbed to cancer a week later.

And the fabled vitality was slowed a bit by an accident in the 1960s, when Lamonica slipped off the loading dock next to the railroad track that ran behind Market Street and his arm was crushed between a railcar and the building. He felt pain from the phantom limb for the rest of his life, Drago recounted.

Jo-Ann Lamonica – they married in 1989 – remembers her husband’s good heart and “street smarts” in encouraging her to get involved in public life.

Together, the Lamonicas were strong supporters of St. Mary’s, and when the former St. Mary’s School was built 15 years ago, they funded the school chapel.

She was the school’s first “Distinguished Partner in Education” in 2009.

“I always was honored to be Mrs. Diz Lamonica,” she said, “and never wanted anything more.”

The final chapter began Christmas day, when Diz Lamonica fell and injured his hip, said Drago. His doctors determined he was strong enough to undergo an operation, but pneumonia developed and he succumbed at about 8 the following Sunday evening.

To Nader, 9 years younger, Diz Lamonica was a big presence since his boyhood, and the news of his death was a blow. “He was a real icon,” he said.

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MLS#85743 - Circa 1880 renovated home on a quiet street in Richfield Springs w/5 BR, 2 baths, wrap-around porch, sunroom w/fireplace, carriage barn, on a large lot.

Priced to sell. $179,000 Call Rod and Barb @ 315-520-6512

MLS#86367 - Charming late 1800s farmhouse and 3 barns on 79 acres overlooking the Otsdawa Valley. 2 ponds, pastures, fields, horse stalls, and a hen house! $289,000 Call Lynn Lesperence @ 607-434-1061

MLS#86175 - Totally rebuilt 4 BR, 2 bath home. Lots of new: kitchen, flooring, electric and plumbing, furnace, hwh, windows, roof and freshly painted exterior. Full bath (up), laundry/ ½ bath (down), woodburning fireplace in LR. $149,900 Call Tom Platt @ 607-435-2068

MLS#85578 – Location, seclusion and views make this solid contemporary build ideal for working, living and playing in the Cooperstown area. Within minutes of Dreams Park, Otsego Lake and Baseball Hall of Fame. Bring offers! $239,000 Call Adam Karns @ 607-244-9633

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MLS#84612 – Close to Oneonta and Delhi, this secluded location on 10.8 acres is convenient to schools, hospitals and shopping. Must see to appreciate. $229,000 Call Adam Karns @ 607-244-9633 MLS#84136 – Ranch near Oneonta has 3 BRs, 2 baths, dry basement and 2-car garage. New windows, appliances, furnace, water heater, and water treatment system. Master BR suite is efficiency apt but could be converted back. $129,900 Call Tom @ 607-435-2068

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MLS#86121 - Circa 1840 colonial farmhouse, completely restored, sits on 103 beautiful acres in Springfield. Home features 4 BRs, 3 baths, wide plank floors, 2 wood-burning Rumford fireplaces, chef’s kitchen, large veranda, 2-story barn, and heated workshop. Lake rights to Otsego Lake. $799,500 Call Rod and Barb @ 315-520-6512

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MLS#85025 - Motivated sellers will consider all offers.

Come take a look at this great Cape Cod set on a 2.62 acres.

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NEW LISTING! MLS#87288 - Cape w/2 living quarters, lap pool and seasonal cabin on 53+/- acres, w/breathtaking view of Otsego Lake. Home has skylights, wood floors, built-ins, gas fireplace, porch, stone patio, deck and 2-car garage. $599,000 Call Kathy @ 607-267-2683

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MLS#84218 - Ranch on a corner on quiet residential street in Richfield Springs. This 6 yr old home w/3 BRs, 2 baths and open kitchen/LR floorplan is in mint condition. $154,900 Call Rod and Barb @ 315-520-6512

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oneontarealty.com Jim BenJamin

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NEW LAND LISTING! MLS#87308 - 7+/- acres in the heart of Fly Creek. Land is open, level and improved with driveway.

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DeSiraBle loCation! $22,500 mlS#87426

FOR SALE OR RENT Imaginative ideas wanted for this 2800 sq ft building with endless possibilities and a great corner location!

Contact Liz at 607-287-1500 for more information.

Lizabeth Rose, Broker/Owner Cricket Keto, Lic. Assoc. Broker John Mitchell, Lic. Assoc. Broker Stephen Baker, Lic. Assoc. Broker Peter D. Clark, Consultant

locally owned & operated

single & multi-family homes, commercial property & land

office 441.7312 • fax 432.7580 99 Main St Oneonta • oneontarealty.com

HUBBELL’S REAL ESTATE (607) 547-5740 • (607) 547-6000 (fax) 157 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326

(607) 431-2540 • www.prufoxproperties.com

Start the New Year in Your Own Home!

Right place, Right house, and Right price!

Exclusively offered at $139,000 Recently renovated and updated, this 3 bedroom home is ready for immediate occupancy. It is located on a quiet country road, 2 ½ miles from the center of the village. New front deck for sitting and enjoying the sounds of summer! Large side and rear yard. Newly redone full bath; ½ bath on the first floor. Living room, dining room and den on the first floor. New appliances. Buy now and take advantage of low interest rates while they last. Call for an appointment to see this country home.

Village Home

E-Mail Address: info@hubbellsrealestate.com Visit Our Web Site at www.hubbellsrealestate.com

Exclusively offered at the new price: $154,900 Centrally located village home. Large corner lot.

Living room, dining room, large kitchen and family room. Three bedrooms and 1.5 baths. Nice front porch. Interior freshly painted. Walk to school and the hospital. Great possibilities!

DraMatiC anD Dazzling

Affordable, spacious family home in a nice country setting Mini farM on 14+ aCreS

CooperStown Colonial

(7668) This attractive 4 BR/2 bath home has been remodeled. It offers large rooms, modern kitchen, office, formal DR, newer windows, roof and electric, gas woodstove, laminate flooring, laundry room, garage, and a large front porch. Cooperstown Schools.

Hubbell’s Exclusive. $249,000

(7623) Custom, spotless 3 BR/3 bath countryside Dutch Colonial enriched by valley views on 9.5 acres.

Light and airy, with finished basement, formal LR and DR, working kitchen w/eating area and keeping room, and 2 Rumford fireplaces. 4-season room w/pellet stove leads to patio, large deck, and hot tub. Hand-hewn beams, period hardware, wide pine floors. Handsomely styled Colonial ambiance! One owner. Cooperstown Schools.

Hubbell’s Exclusive. $479,900

(7551) 1850s eyebrow Colonial with a valley view. This 3 BR home features back porch, beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, formal DR. Offering horse barn w/4 box stalls, riding rink, hi-tensile fence. A fix-up! CV-S Schools.

Hubbell’s Exclusive. $134,000

For reliable, honest answers to any of your real estate questions, Don Olin Realty at 607.547.5622 or visit our website www.donlinrealty.com

Main Street CooperStown

CooperStown Village CoMfort

(7589) Partake of the delights in this superbly kept 3 BR home. Many extras include formal DR, hardwood floors, modern kitchen, garage, and large front porch. Near shops, lake, and golf course. Cooperstown Schools.

Hubbell’s Exclusive. $285,000

(6447) Business block on Main Street. Four 2 BR apartments. 2 commercial spaces—2,500 sq ft total commercial space. New windows, new hot water furnace. Storage space in cellar. Well kept stone and brick building. Good income producer.

Hubbell’s Exclusive $525,000

46 aCreS

(7601) Mostly wooded with 2 building sites, underground electric and phone, 170' drilled well.

1374' road frontage with good access, sub-dividable.

Hubbell’s Exclusive $125,000

A great location close to Cooperstown. This 3 bedroom, 2 full bath home is ready to move into. Direct TV/ Internet is Clarity Connect.

Quiet neighborhood with similar well kept homes. One floor living, easy to live in, low maintenance home. The back and side yards are perfect for children and pets to safely enjoy. Room outside for 4 seasons of fun! Full basement could be finished into more space if desired. Large garage provides ease of entry plus additional storage. Kitchen/dining area has sliders to a private rear deck overlooking the backyard. All within minutes of the village.

Exclusively offered at $199,500.

CooperStown Village Cape

(7497) Well kept 4 BR, 1¾ bath home features formal DR, built-in bookcases, fireplace, eat-in kitchen, playroom, oak floors, and newer furnace. Garage, workshop, basement, and enclosed porch. Close to hospital, sports center, and schools. One owner.

Hubbell’s Exclusive. $299,000

For Appointment Only Call: M. Margaret Savoie – Broker/Owner – 547-5334 Marion King – Associate Broker – 547-5332 Don Olin – Associate Broker – 547-8782 Eric Hill – Associate Broker – 547-5557 Don DuBois – Associate Broker – 547-5105 Tim Donahue – Associate Broker – 293-8874 Cathy Raddatz – Sales Associate – 547-8958 Jacqueline Savoie -Sales Associate -547-4141 Carol Hall - Sales Associate -544-4144

Don Olin REALTY

Make yourself at home on our website, www.donolinrealty.com, for listings and information on unique and interesting properties.We'll bring you home!

37 Chestnut st., Cooperstown • phone: 607-547-5622 • Fax: 607-547-5653

www.donolinrealty.com

PARKING IS NEVER A PROBLEM

Make yourself at Home on our website http://www.donolinrealty.com for listings and information on unique and interesting properties. We'll bring you Home!