COOPERSTOWN WINTER CARNIVAL HAS OLYMPIC THEME/ 3
HOMETOWN ONEONTA !
E RE
F Volume 6, No. 18
City of The Hills
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
♥Little League
Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, January 24, 2014
Oneontans
Complimentary
Vandalism At Doc Knapp Field Spurs Outpouring Of Support By LIBBY CUDMORE
PARENTS COOPERATE WITH OPD
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W Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Preston Withington, Oneonta, works at NOT toppling his tower during the opening day at The OWL’s Nest Children Museum Saturday, Jan. 18, in the former Palace Cigar/MORE PHOTOS, A7
Seward In Sync With Governor On Budget Plan ALBANY
O
tsego County’s Republican senator expressed general agreement with Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed state budget, unveiled Tuesday, Jan. 21, at the state Capitol. In particular, Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, agreed the surplus should be returned as property-tax relief and business tax cuts, and supported creation of a commission to review how the Common Core curriculum is being implemented. He also shared optimism that the budget will again be delivered on time. DEAN RECRUITED: Susan Turell, SUNY Oneonta’s new dean of the School of Social Science, joins the city Commission on Community Relations & Human Rights when it meets Feb. 4. GIBSON ENDORSED: The Otsego County Republican Committee, meeting Saturday, Jan. 18, in Milford, endorsed Congressman Chris Gibson, R-19, for reelection this fall. YOU CAN APPLY: City Hall reminds seniors they have until March 1 to apply for STAR exemptions on property taxes. For details, call the hotline before the end of January at (518) 4572016.
hen Oneonta Little League President Bill Erario went into Town Square Media for a radiothon at 8 a.m. Monday morning, Jan. 20, he was feeling devastated from the arson and vandalism that had destroyed the third-base dugout and left vulgar graffiti all over the concession stand. But by 10 a.m., Erario couldn’t stop smiling. “In two hours, we raised over $10,077, and more is still coming in,” he said. “The horror of Saturday night has been replaced by joy for all the good the community has done.” At 7:20 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, City Police Lt.
Cuomo Funds Neahwa Park’s New Entrance
ith cooperation from the parents, the OPD announced Tuesday, Jan. 21, it has identified three suspects under age 16 in the vandalisms. The investigation is ongoing, police said. For continuing updates, check WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Little League President Bill Erario examines a charred softball pulled from the wreckage.
Douglas Brenner got a report of a fire at the Doc Knapp Little League field. By the time police and fire crews arrived, the dugout was completely engulfed. “We believe it was intentional,” he said. “There’s no ignition source, no electricity, Please See SUPPORT, A6
REMEMBERING THE KING
Surprise State Grant First Step In Implementing Master Plan By LIBBY CUDMORE
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eeping with the ever-improving looks of downtown Oneonta, the James Georgeson Avenue entrance to Neahwa Park is due for its own facelift. “When people come from downtown to a ballgame in Damaschke Field, we want to give them a professional image in a welcoming community,” said City Manager Mike Long. In recent days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced $227,692 for that purpose, part of $67 million distributed statewide for bicycle, pedestrian and multi-use paths. Long, along with Jeff House, Housing Rehabilitation specialist, applied for a grant Please See PARK, A7
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Drummer Sadiq Abdushahid, above, leads the crowd in an African chant at the double-commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela Sunday, Jan. 19, at First United Methodist Church. At left, Reginald Brunson delivers King’s “I Have A Dream” speech; in front row are Mayor Miller, Assistant AG Roberto Barbosa. The Oneonta chapter, NAACP, sponsored the event.
Bank Of Cooperstown Plans City Ribbon-Cutting In Mid-July Bank of Cooperstown President Scott White holds up an artist’s rendering of the Oneonta branch, designed to echo the city’s railroad history.
By JIM KEVLIN
T Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
he Bank of Cooperstown closed the deal Monday, Jan. 20, on two lots a that will be home to the 5year-old institution’s first branch. Announcing the news a couple of hours later, Bank President Scott White said work – in the form of asbestos remediation on two buildings that will be razed – had already begun. All approvals – from the state Department of Financial Services and FDIC, as well as zoning and planning
approvals from City Hall (“It was very nice that that went quickly”) – are in hand, he said. In the weeks ahead, 34 and 36 Main street, homes across from River Street that had been broken into apartments and shops, will be demolished. White said he hopes to cut the ribbon on the new building by mid-July. Please See BANK, A6
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER