Hometown Oneonta 01-27-22

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ONEONTA

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

A letter to baseball from Babe Ruth’s grandson, page 4

ort h sidents eds supp ounty re All proce ncome Otsego C low-i

VISIT www.

Volume 14, No. 17

AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE

Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, January 27, 2022

COMPLIMENTARY

Invasive insects make a meal out of county’s hemlocks

By Kevin Limiti

Ted Potrikus

Talkin’ baseball MLB Network analysts Brian Kenny, left, and Jon Morosi, right, deliver their program from the National Baseball Hall of Fame gallery on Monday, one day before the Hall announced its Class of 2022 inductee, David “Big Papi” Ortiz. See more on page eight.

INSIDE ►HALF-CAF TRIPLE-SHOT LATTE: And whatever else holds up the drive-thru line as Oneonta preps for a new Starbucks, page 2. ►GLIMMERGLASS: The Festival sets ambitious schedule to welcome patrons back to the summer venue, page 3. ►where’d everybody go?: We know, it’s Winter, but there are still plenty of places to go and things to do, page 4. ►A FEW THOUGHTS ON IMPORTANT THINGS: Our columnists this week contemplate money in politics as a necessary tool and look forward to the new state budget 4 and 5. ►HEALTH CARE INNOVATION: Helios Care wins national plaudits, major grant in its effort to push ‘Choices’ in Palliative Care, page 6 Follow Breaking News On

AllOTSEGO.com

Village Democrats pick March slate as one trustee seeks to move future elections to November

By Ted Potrikus

Cooperstown’s upcoming mayoral and trustee elections take place this year on March 15, but if one village trustee has his way, subsequent year voting would move to align with general elections held in November.

Trustee MacGuire Benton says he wants the date change to expand voter access as “democracy comes under attack across America.”

“Right now village residents can vote from noon until 9 p.m. in March and not in November when every other election is held,” Mr. Benton said. “My proposal gives six more hours for voting because we could start casting our village ballots at six in the morning on Election Day. Right now, we have no days for early voting. My proposal would give nine days of early voting.”

“I want to expand ballot access,” he said.

“It’s a simple thing we could put on a referendum for the voters to decide.”

Trustees debated the measure during a

public hearing in Cooperstown on January 24, with Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh reading a letter from Cooperstown Democratic Committee Chair Lynne Mebust opposing the measure. Among her concerns – expanding what is now a two-month political cycle in the village to a potentially eight-month-long period during which candidates could be campaigning.

“We are not professional politicos here,” she wrote. “Finding candidates for office would be more difficult.”

Her letter as read also expressed concern that were the village to line up with the November general election, village races “would be tied to non-village matters,” including heavily partisan issues putting less focus on village-specific issues decided in March balloting.

Deputy Mayor Cynthia Falk said she is concerned that a longer campaign season – potentially March through November each year — would discourage candidates from stepping forward.

Continued on page 6

An invasive species with an odd name is causing concern in Otsego County after conservationists discovered the destructive insect at parks in Cooperstown and around Oneonta.

The Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (HWA) is a tiny bug that infests hemlock trees, which experts warn could cause catastrophic environmental damage.

The insect in question came from the Far East in the 1920s and was discovered in New York State in the 1980s, and gets it name from the wool-like mask it generates around itself and looks like a cotton ball in the trees when an infestation is bad enough.

Now, it has been found ravaging hemlock in Fairy Springs Park in Cooperstown and Robert V. Riddell Park in Davenport.

Otsego County Conservation Association (OCCA) Program Director Jeff O’Handley said his group plans to organize volunteers to survey the area to find out the extent to which the critters have made their way into town.

“If we get a widespread infestation we could lose a lot of the hemlock trees,” Mr. O’Handley said. “We could see changes in water, trout fishing, and economic destruction through soil erosion.”

The trees are important to the landscape, providing food and shelter for wildlife and maintaining water quality with shade. Common throughout the Adirondacks and the Catskills, they tend to grow on top of steep slopes; here they surround the shores of Otsego Lake and other spaces across the county.

The unwelcome insects feed on the base of the hemlock’s needles, resulting in the deaths of limbs, and ultimately cause the entire tree to die within a decade. And because they have no natural predators in Otsego County and reproduce quickly, HWAs could cause a lot of damage if left unchecked.

The Clark Foundation, OCCA, the Cornell Hemlock Initiative (CHI), and other organizations have worked together on combating HWA since 2017. Devin Merkley, who represents the Clark Foundation, said they have been aware of the HWA problem.

“This has been on our radar for some time,” Mr. Merkley said, telling The Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta he discovered the infestation near Fairy Springs Park. “Citizen science and volunteer scouting are crucial to detecting HWA infestations early, and early detection is crucial to management. We are working now to build awareness around this invasive species so that local landowners can monitor and Continued on page 2

A healthy hemlock (left) before the Hemlock Wooly Adelgid (right) decided to feast on the tree. Photos courtesy of Steve Kinne.

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

The

job scen job scene

Local java purveyors eye Starbucks plans

doesn’t see a problem with the coffee shop chain opening and isn’t worried about increased development or traffic.

“I don’t think it would be a bad thing at all,” Mr. Mowers said. “I’m not a Starbucks guy but I think I’ll certainly give it a try.”

He said the construction was delayed by supply chain issues, a common problem across the country, but expects the Starbucks will be complete by August at the latest.

Planning Board member Breck Tarbell said that there was “no concern at all at the planning meeting” regarding traffic congestion.

“There is an intersection and traffic light,” Mr. Barbell said. “People brought it up, but their questions were answered.”

Professional Engineer Mark Day said the majority of traffic would come from Courtyard Drive rather than Route 28, according to the April 5, 2021 Town of Oneonta Planning Board minutes. The site will include pedestrian walkways for safety. At Starbuck’s request, developers removed the one-way traffic entrance to the parking lot in the construction plans so cars don’t have to reroute around the building to grab their cups of brew.

Main Street in Oneonta has no shortage of good coffee shops, but feelings about the new Starbucks are a mix of worry and indifference.

Capresso Coffee Bar owner Kevin Irving is concerned the Starbucks would drive traffic away from his store because of brand-name recognition.

“We’re a mom and pop shop,” Mr. Irving said. “Tourists Rohan Klasik Irving, one of the owners of Capresso Coffee Bar on are going to flock to (Starbucks) rather than local spots Main Street in Oneonta, hands cappuccino to a guest. because they know it. People go with what they know. It’s probably going to hurt the coffee shop.”

By Kevin Limiti Capresso sits on Main Street in an area with heavy foot traffic.

The coffee shop has a homey atmosphere with Ready or not, a new Starbucks is about to be unleashed armchairs, couches, and light music in the background. in Oneonta in summer 2022. While many may celebrate the The Latte Lounge is across the street from Capresso and brand-name lattes and cappuccinos, some locally owned is connected with to the Green Toad Bookstore, an indepencoffee shops are concerned about the effect this will have dent book shop. on their small businesses.

Latte Lounge owner Corey Chang said it is impossible to The Starbucks rises on Oneonta’s south side — Route 23 near Buffalo Wild Wings — an area already congested with know how a new Starbucks will affect their business.

“It’s not built yet so I don’t know how it’ll affect things,” traffic and large businesses such as WalMart, Southside Ms. Chang said. “We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Mall, and a variety of grocery stores.

Dunkin’ is a major coffee shop chain which with locations Plans for the new coffee house include a drive-through, throughout Oneonta and is considered primary competition which in other locations often sees long lines of cars filled for Starbucks.

The franchise owner could not be reached for with eager coffee seekers hoping to get their caffeine fix. comment at press time.

Town of Oneonta Supervisor Randal Mowers said he

Invasive species targets county hemlocks Continued from page 1 scout for HWA on their own properties or perhaps anywhere they happen to be among hemlock trees.”

Steve Kinne, a volunteer for CHI, heads a Central New York HWA Hunters team and verified the infestation. Along with a group of volunteers, he surveys land to search for any sign of the invasive species.

CHI targeted Fairy Springs after seeing HWA patterns in the Finger Lakes region. They first found no evidence in survey areas but discovered a suspected infestation in December 2021.

“Having just looked at that area eight months before, that was a big deal,” Mr. Kinne said. “We went back to confirm his finding and sure enough, it was HWA. We fanned out even further, finding scattered infected trees until we examined trees right near the building at Fairy Springs and found obvious, wellestablished infections of most of the hemlocks. This was humbling to our team.”

Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek mentioned HWA at the city’s Common Council meeting on January 18, with the Environmental Board issuing a warning via its Facebook page by sharing a post from OCCA. Fighting a similar battle against HWAs at the NorthSouth Lake Campground in Greene County last year, the state’s Department of EnvironmentalConservation released predator beetles that feed only on HWAs throughout fall and winter.

One expert, though, said that strategy should not be the focus in Otsego County.

“Biocontrol is a long-term management strategy, a way to keep hemlocks on the landscape as a functional part of our forests,” said Caroline Marschner of the New York State Hemlock Initiative.

“The response Cooperstown needs to focus on right now

is short-term management, keeping today’s hemlocks alive and supporting the ecosystem they are part of right now. Both are critical components to an effective conservation strategy in the face of HWA.” HWAs are not the only invasive species threatening the environment in Otsego County. The Asian Longhorn Beetle causes devastation to urban New York, but could threaten upstate forests if it spreads. The Emerald Ash Borer damages ash trees, a common form of commercial timber.

OCCA recommends that those who find trees with a clear indication of infection take a photograph, make detailed notes about the location including GPS points if possible, and submit findings to the iMapInvasives

mobile app or email the DEC Forest Health unit at foresthealth@dec.ny.gov.

OCCA, along with Mohican Farms/The Clark Foundation, are hosting two workshops on HWA including an informational session on January 27 at 7

p.m. that gives an overview of the problem. Anyone interested in volunteering to help root out the uninvited bug can register for field training on January 29.

For more information, go to https://occainfo. org/occa-calendar/

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Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals Senior Victim Advocate Transitional Housing Navigator WIC Qualified Nutritionist FT Head Start Positions with school breaks and summers off: Family Partner Assistant Teacher Classroom Aide OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competitive wages, excellent benefits and opportunities for professional growth. For an application, submission instructions, benefit package summary and descriptions of all employment openings, visit www.ofoinc.org/jobs EOE The leader in developing innovative solutions to promote healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities since 1966.

Customer Service Logistics Coordinator

Sportsfield Specialties is seeking a Customer Service Logistics Coordinator to support the Customer Service department as the customer point of contact for all outgoing D1 and D4 Sale shipments.

Responsibilities include but not limited to: • Collaborate with D1 and D4 Sale teams to review backlog and shipping and delivery requirements for outstanding orders.

• Collaborate with Production Scheduling to verify ship dates.

• Update orders as necessary with correct address and site contact information.

• Gather details for product returns and Obtain Order Approval from Finance when necessary.• Cut metals with oxyacetylene or plasma.

• Collaborate with Customer Service if customer contact is required due to a Finance Hold.

•Prior to shipment, verify and follow up with Customer for written order approval and Tax Exemption status if not already received.

• Collaborate with Sales and Shipping to determine best shipment method of orders scheduled to ship.

• Release orders to ship to the Shipping Department.

• Produce and file RMA’s with Shipping and Finance.

• Gather details for product returns and Obtain Order Approval from Finance when necessary.• Cut metals with oxyacetylene or plasma.

• Be the primary point of contact for Purchasing and Finance to pack list vendor items and service fees.

• Be the primary point of contact for Purchasing and Finance to pack list vendor items and service fees.

• Other duties as assigned.

RequiRed qualification and skills: • Strong communication, organizational, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to interact and communicate effectively/respectfully at all levels.

• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment • Working knowledge of Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, etc.).

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, etc.).

• Flexible schedule when required.

• Ability to accept feedback and/or constructive criticism. expeRience/education: • Bachelor’s Degree or Associates Degree with 4 years’ experience in Customer Service/Logistics Environment in lieu of.

• Experience with ERP or SAP database.

visit

springbrookny.org/apply

to help a child reach their full potential.

Salary DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, life insurance, flexible spending and paid time off. To apply, submit application online www.sportsfield.com, apply in person at 41155State Highway 10 or fax resume to 607-746-3107 or send resume to: Human Resources, P.O. Box 231, Delhi, NY 13753.

Sportsfield Specialties, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer

THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3

News briefs

Don’t park overnight on village streets from November to April Cooperstown police remind residents and visitors that local law prohibits all-night parking on village streets and in villageowned parking lots between November 1 and April 1.

The village permits no parked cars on the streets specifically between the

hours of 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. during t h e s e months.

T h e prohibition applies year-round to Main Street from River Street to Pine Boulevard, and Pioneer Street from Lake to Church.

The law also prohibits overnight parking between November 1 and April 1 in the Doubleday Field parking lot except in designated areas along the lot’s west side and in the village-owned spaces in the parking lot behind the fire hall on Chestnut Street except for those vehicles owned by emergency responders parked only during the performance of duty.

AllOTSEGO.

dining&entertainment

February 5th 10am-5pm

The Southside Valentine's Craft and Vendor Show

Amazing local crafters and vendors

Just in time for Valentine's Day

Glimmerglass sets 2022 schedule Never mind that we’re in the middle of some typically bone-chilling January weather — summer is coming and with it, the 2022 Glimmerglass Festival. Tickets for the summer favorite go on sale Monday, January 24!

On the schedule: • The Sound of Music (July 8 – August 19) — the classic story of Maria, a young woman who leaves the convent for a job as a governess for naval captain George Von Trapp; • Carmen (July 16 – August 21) — the titular character at once familiar and inscrutable, an outsider who acknowledges no law but her own; • Tenor Overboard (July 19 – August 18) — famed comic playwright Ken Ludwig (“Lend Me A Tenor,” “Crazy for You”) has written a brand-new opera filled to the brim with rare Rossini masterpieces; and • Double Bill (July 29 – August 20) — “Taking Up Serpents,” an original story that calls into question faith, family, and destiny, paired with “Holy Ground,” a world-premiere opera parked at the intersection of satirical fantasy and divine comedy.

Patrons planning to see more than one

Location: The Southside Mall Oneonta, NY

by d e t n Prese

performance may purchase tickets need not wait until Monday — packages for two or more shows are available immediately. Those buying tickets for more than one show receive the greatest discount available, may purchase additional tickets at a 10-percent discount with no additional processing fees, and receive free exchanges.

The upcoming Festival offers additional events, including The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson on August 15 – 16, a new play with music celebrating the founder of the historic and groundbreaking National Negro Opera Company and starring acclaimed mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, and The Jungle Book on August 4 – 8, a retelling of the classic with a new look at the story of Mowgli, a threatened ‘human cub’ who seeks refuge from dangers of the jungle with a pack of wolves.

“After two long years,” says the Festival, “we can’t wait to welcome you back to the theater this summer.”

The Glimmerglass Festival box office is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.; call 607-547-2255 or email them at info@glimmerglass.org.

I would like to give a special thank you to Gretchen Sorin and colleagues Will Walker, Melanie Bruce, Brian Alexander, Erik Stengler, Cindy Falk , Katie Boardman, Doreen DeNicola and the Alumni and students of the Cooperstown Graduate Program...

For 25 wonderful years at the Cooperstown Graduate Program

-Cathy Raddatz

It is with our sincerest gratitude, we thank our community partners and friends who support Opportunities for Otsego throughout the year.

A&D Taxi A.O. Fox Hospital Alcohol and Other Drugs Task Force (AOD) American Mobile Dental Athelas Therapeutic Riding Bassett Healthcare Network Building Healthy Families Advisory Board Catholic Charities of Delaware, Otsego, and Schoharie Counties CDO Workforce Cherry Valley Community Center &KHUU\ 9DOOH\ 6SULQJÀHOG &HQWUDO School District City of Oneonta Clark Sports Center CNY Oral Health Care Community National Bank Cooperstown Methodist Church Cooperstown School District Country Club Auto Group Dr. Paul Weber, DDS Edmeston Central School District Elm Park Methodist Church

www.ofoinc.org

Empire Toyota Family Planning of South Central NY Family Resource Network Family Service Association First Presbyterian Church Oneonta First United Methodist Church Five Star Subaru Foothills Performing Arts & Civic Center Friends Of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties Hartwick College Head Start Health Advisory Committee Information Systems Division (ISD) Laurens Central School District Leaf Council On Alcoholism and Addictions Legal Aid Society Of Mid New York Legal Services of Central New York Mang Insurance Milford Central School District Morris Central School District Mothers and Babies Perinatal Network NBT Bank New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence

New York State Community Action Association New York State Department of Health New York State Department of State New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services New York State Division of Homes and Community Renewal New York State Head Start Association 1HZ <RUN 6WDWH 2IÀFH IRU WKH Prevention of Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Regional Council 1HZ <RUN 6WDWH 2IÀFH RI &KLOGUHQ and Family Services 1HZ <RUN 6WDWH 2IÀFH RI Temporary and Disability Assistance 1HZ <RUN 6WDWH 2IÀFH RI 9LFWLP Services, Advisory Council New York State Weatherization Directors Association New York State WIC Association 1HZ <RUN 6WDWH 2IÀFH RI 9LFWLP Services New York State Head Start Association Oneonta Boys and Girls Club

Oneonta City School District Oneonta Family YMCA Oneonta Free Clinic Oneonta Job Corps Academy Oneonta Public Transit Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) Otsego Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect Otsego County Chamber of Commerce Otsego County Child Advocacy Center Otsego County Council on Human Services Otsego County Department of Health Otsego County Department of Social Services Otsego County District Attorney’s 2IÀFH Otsego County Drug Treatment Court Otsego County Homeless Task Force Otsego County Integrated Domestic Violence Court Otsego County Planning Department Prevent Child Abuse New York Rehabilitation Support Services

5(/3+ %HQHÀW $GYLVRUV 5LFKÀHOG 6SULQJV &HQWUDO 6FKRRO District 5LFKÀHOG 6SULQJV &RPPXQLW\ Center Rural Health Network of SCNY Salvation Army of Oneonta Schenevus Central School District Sidney Central School District Sidney Federal Credit Union Sixth Ward Athletic Club Souther Tier Homeless Coalition SUNY Broome Community College SUNY Oneonta System of Care, Collaborative Hub of Integrated Community Empowerment Services (CHOICES) The Farmers’ Museum The Smile Lodge Townsquare Media Unadilla Historical Association Unatego Central School District United Way of Delaware & Otsego Counties Worcester Central School District And the countless businesses, donors, and volunteers who support our work.

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THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

ted potrikus

08 - 2021

ONEONTA

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch Tara Barnwell Publisher Ted Potrikus Editor Larissa Ryan Business Manager

Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production

Kevin Limiti Staff Writer Ivan Potocnik Web Architect

Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Historian

Editorial Board Elinor Vincent, Michael Moffat, Tara Barnwell, Ted Potrikus MEMBER OF National Newspaper Association, New York Press Association The Otsego County Chamber Published weekly by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Avenue, Cooperstown, NY 13326 Telephone: 607-547-6103. Fax: 607-547-6080.

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

the Red Sox to their first World Championship after my granddad placed a little hex on the Red Sox after being traded to the New York Yankees for Show Time money in 1919, the Baseball Writers took the cowards’ way out and refused to vote for a bona fide Hall-of-Famer who felt he had been slighted (rightly so).

Curt Shilling is no wallflower and his opinionated political statements drove the stake in his Baseball Heart by the BBWA Writers spiteful collective mind.

Maybe it’s not such a big deal because, at one time, Mel Ott, star slugger of the New York Giants, didn’t even show up in Cooperstown for his own induction ceremony in 1951. Ty Cobb was late for the first Baseball Hall of Fame ceremony in 1939 (He was actually elected with my grandfather in 1936 but the plaques were not ready). You cannot find Ty Cobb’s photograph in any of the Hall First Class assemblage. If you have a photograph of Ty Cobb in The First Class photo it was airbrushed in because he wasn’t there until later in the day.

Baseball is a team game despite what the Major League promoters try to sell you. To win a World Championship for the first time in OUND ED F86 years is not accomplished by One R Timely Home Run Hitter. There are momentous occasions in history ounded in 1808 when a fplayer’s actions on the field far outweigh anything he can say after his playing days are over. We have

become so politicized as a Nation that the collective poison has seeped into the Baseball Writer’s minds and this is a national crime.

Teammates who accomplish something after 86 years of futility deserve better. Curt Shilling is a Hall of Fame Pitcher in my book and is being denied because public sentiment outweighs public logic. Curt is a Hall-of-Famer in Red Sox Nation and will never be denied there.

As America continues to be “locked out” by the Baseball Collectivisto who hide behind anti-trust protection eschewing hard-working Americans the right to purchase $12 beers and $8 hot dogs at their local dens of iniquity.

After leading two organizations to multiple World Championships, my grandfather knew a little about being locked out, as the Major League owners conspired to deny him a managing job after erecting a stadium in his honor, filling it with American asses and living lavishly at my grandfathers expense.

You can honor an MVP and Cy Young award winner who hasn’t won anything with his team and deny a man who won a world series after the team has been denied for 86 years?

There is a special place in heaven waiting for Curt Shilling right next to my Grandfather, who was a pretty good pitcher in his own right.

James Bloomer Cooperstown Babe Ruth’s Grandson

their current job; 70 percent of guest workers stated they would seek work in other states. Owners of one-half of fruit and vegetable farms and twothirds of dairy farms would redirect their operations.

We cannot afford to lose more farms in New York. We cannot afford to lose those family businesses that have been a part of our communities for generations. The economic impact of the threshold change starts with the farms, but the effect is far reaching, long-lasting, and likely irreparable to our communities.

The answer is simple — do not change the threshold. This decision is supported by the New York Farm Bureau, the Grow NY Farms Coalition, and chairs of the Agriculture Committees in the Assembly and Senate.

This is a moment for responsive government leadership. We need the wage board to get this decision right, and support the needs of our farmers and the voices of its workers.

Dan Butterman Oneonta

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Today, February 25, the National Baseball Hall of Fame makes its annual announcement of who has made the cut and has answered the call.

This should be a number one priority on the daily news shows if baseball is America’s Pastime, but the truth is baseball is the game that time has passed.

Tom Brady’s speculated retirement has commanded a seven-minute segment on “The Today Show” promoting football’s greatest player before the once-greatest entire sport in America.

Product placement is crucial if you plan on competing, and once again the NFL has upstaged the brightest Baseball Analytic Champions.

Well, is it any coincidence that the player who will be inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame, David Ortiz, the star slugger who led the Boston Red Sox to their first World Championship since my Grandfather Babe Ruth was a Red Sox pitcher in 1918, was shot in the back six times “by mistake,” you will understand the precarious position Major League Baseball finds itself in.

Major League Baseball has shot itself in the back, six times in an apparent attempt to commit National Baseball Suicide.

David Ortiz’s teammate, Curt Shilling, will not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame after garnering 75% of the Baseball Writers Vote in Cooperstown ’s offiCial to newspaper 2021.

After demanding be taken off the writers’ ballot because he felt he was being snubbed after pitching

1808 BY

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The Babe’s grandson weighs in on Hall vote

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that way. It takes a ton of dough to get out the message, get out the vote, and get around the state. Tally the costs of travel, television and radio ads, social media engagement, almost militaristic on-the-ground get-out-the-vote operations, and campaign staff, and you’re looking at a wallet-busting industry that demands a little north of $20 million to fend off all comers.

I do not subscribe to the knee-jerk admonishment that campaign contributions pay for favorable public policy decisions. Running a political action committee and accepting political donations is tightrope work – a necessary part of the process but one open to hackneyed accusations of abuse at the drop of a press release.

Any group that feels wronged by a bill that may have gone through years of public discussion and debate will no doubt blame its perceived loss on “big money politics” and “donors with access.”

That’s not how it works. Sure, there are exceptions to every rule, and in the past couple of decades we’ve seen those who abuse the system in New York trundle off to jail and/or shameful resignation. Most every time, the system corrects itself.

I don’t see Kathy Hochul changing her mind on an issue because somebody gave money to her campaign, and I’ll say it again: don’t underestimate her. She’s no pushover.

letters

IA

The Hometown Oneonta welcomes letters to the editor that reflect the writer’s thoughts on an article or other item appearing in the paper.

They must include the writer’s name, address, email and telephone/ mobile number; the opinions expressed must be the writer’s own.

Hostile, offensive, factually incorrect or excessively inflammatory content will not be published. The length must be no more than 250 words.

The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit letters for clarity and space. Please send letters to: info@allotsego.com.

no, he’s not running for governor.

Attorney General Tish James saw the writing on the wall, too, when she abandoned her primary ideas a few weeks earlier.

Oh, and she raised a boatload of money for her 2022 campaign.

Nearly $21.6 million, to be exact, in the five-month period from the day she succeeded Mr. Cuomo last August. Record-setting and pretty darn impressive.

Long Island Congressman Tom Suozzi – who’s going to primary Governor Hochul from the party’s right -- pushes forward raising roughly one-quarter of the Hochul Haul, a little north of $5 million (boasting $3.3 million of that in six weeks). He’ll need a lot more in a very short period of time to boost his name recognition upstate (where, presumably, he’d garner more votes) and change the minds of the all-important New York City Democratic primary voters who, as we’ve seen, are likely to vote for the farther-left candidates.

Over on the Republican side, the front-runner-in-waiting, Congressman Lee Zeldin, has the most in the bank of any candidate to date, reporting a total of around $5 million in his account.

Like it or not, money and running for office are inexorably entwined and until someone comes up with a costfree way for politicians to get their messages out to the public, it’ll stay

L

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

Her beloved Buffalo Bills lost in a weekend heartbreaker, but aside from that, Governor Kathy Hochul has had a pretty good couple of weeks.

She’s able to talk about turning the corner against the winter Omicron surge, with seven-day averages for new hospital admissions, new cases, and cases-per-100,000 declining in every part of the state.

She laid out a blueprint for New York’s upcoming fiscal year, a $216 billion bonanza adorned with property tax rebates, pandemic recovery initiatives, infrastructure improvements, record-setting education aid, and big-spending ideas that aim to keep environmentalists green with joy. It’s a something-for-everybody package with enough in it to elate most of the disparate constituencies that constitute the Empire State.

She delivered it with a measure of optimism and grace we’ve not heard in a few years. Her predecessor made everything so stentorian he could make ordering a burger and fries from a drive-thru sound like a full-on death-scene soliloquy.

She rides high in the polls – Siena College’s Research Institute last week showed her with a 46 percent approval rating among likely Democratic voters, 30 points ahead of her nearest potential challenger, Bill de Blasio.

Mr. de Blasio, New York City’s nowformer mayor, immediately released a friendly video message saying that

E WIL

Where have all the people gone?

Seems like there’s no one hangin’ on.

Look through the windows, The houses are empty.

Hey! Everybody’s out of town.

Seems like I’m the only one around.

Hey! Better send some people down.

Everyone on Earth Is out of town.

Hal David wrote that apocalyptic lyric back in 1970, Burt Bacharach added some appropriately dyspeptic music with a wobbly trombone, B.J. Thomas sang it with the right tinge of loneliness.

The song came to mind as we stood at the top of Cooperstown’s Main Street late one frigid afternoon last week. The stroll to the post office didn’t do much to counter the desolation — plenty of doors displayed some semblance of the “closed until March” sign that turns up every year around this time.

As it must. It’s our slow season, that time of year when New Yorkers become temporary Floridians, when business owners can grab some much-deserved rest in between busier times, when people can escape the cold.

Three cheers, then, to the intrepid restauranteurs, shop owners, workers, and year-rounders who keep Cooperstown and its surroundings alive and kicking when it could just as easily be a pretty bleak couple of months. It’s a great time, for example, to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame. A national jewel that — absent COVID — can be a hectic place. January and February?

Study and stare at the displays to your heart’s content.

This page is an unabashed booster of our local businesses in every corner of Otsego County, and we urge you who have stuck around through these colder months to get out there and support your friends and neighbors.

There’s no better antidote to the winter blahs – all boosted by pandemic blahs — than stopping in for a good dinner (or take-out) from one of the many fabulous restaurants with lights on and kitchens cooking. They’ve not let up on their attention to safety; we’ve yet to see a restaurant in the area that hasn’t kept up with Omicron-fueled protocol all while maintaining a welcoming atmosphere and a tasty menu. Don’t discount the therapeutic value of shopping — there’s no mistaking the boost that comes from adding something to the shelf.

Thanks, too, to the groups out there keeping up winter programming. It’s a challenge, what with all the shifting requirements as to who can do what, where, and how, but they’re doing it — everything from events at local libraries and movie nights, to virtual museum tours and conversations with authors and shows at area art galleries. Get some fresh air and sign up for the ‘Octet Challenge’ or take a walk around our wonderful state parks, Glimmerglass, Betty and Wilbur Davis, Gilbert Lake, and Robert V. Riddell. They’re close by.

This week, we report on the 2022 Glimmerglass Festival and Baseball Hall of Fame inductions — two summer staples that bring thousands of visitors to the area each year and — COVID permitting — will again.

We’ll be writing soon about events through spring and summer across Otsego County, and don’t forget to keep up with the calendar on our website, allotsego.com.

Enjoy the peace and quiet while you can. Don’t forget to stop in to your favorite local stores and restaurants.

They’re open!

Don’t underestimate her

DG

Hello in there

JU

editorial

AllOTSEGO.com

LETTERS

Farms can’t afford threshold The future of agriculture locally may be in the hands of a three-member board. The decision they make will impact our farms immediately.

The decision to be made — should the overtime threshold for farm labor move from 60 hours to 40 hours?

The answer — no. According to a study from Cornell’s Dyson School and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (commissioned by New York State) 72 percent of workers stated they would not remain in

THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5 NEWS FROM THE NOTEWORTHY springbrook

Gov’s budget a reason to be cheerful Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library

135 Years Ago

The committee appointed for the purpose has negotiated for a clock to be placed in the tower of the Westcott building, with the Howard Clock Co. of Boston. The clock is to be of improved design, and its accuracy as a timekeeper is vouched for by a guarantee against a variation of a minute a month. The cost of the clock is $675.

The bell is to weigh 1,000 pounds, which will enable it to be heard plainly to the remotest ends of the village.

January 1887

70 Years Ago

Mayor Roger C. Hughes and the Common Council have received favorable reaction, not only at home, but from a wide area on their new custom of starting council meetings with prayer and an oath of allegiance.

Gridley Adams, director general of the United States Flag Foundation, 370 First Avenue, New York City, sent Mayor Hughes a clipping from the New York World Telegram telling of the Oneonta Council’s prayer and flag oath resolution. “Let me congratulate you gentlemen on your decision to open your meetings with both prayer and the pledge to the Republic for which the flag stands.”

Adams also called the mayor’s attention to his foundation’s 48-page Flag Code booklet. In Oneonta, the verbal commendations have been many. “ January 1952

50 Years Ago

The Reinhardt Oil Co. was formed in 1938 and throughout the years expansion has been the keynote. The firm now includes several companies. Reinhardt-Andrus is a combination of many small oil companies. Reinhardt Home Heating, George F. Andrus & Sons and a few other small companies were purchased and formed into a retail petroleum company. Reinhardt Petroleum Company is a group of service stations. Over the years Reinhardt has acquired Head Oil Co. in Worcester, the Shell distributors; the F.D. Marshall Co. in Norwich, and the S. & D. Petroleum Co. in Cincinnatus, and during the last year, the Binghamton Oil Co. The biggest step came with the forming of Budget Brands, Inc., with the objective of developing unbranded Self-Service Gas outlets in New York State, New England, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Washington, D.C. area. Budget Brands aims to build 100 stations which will employ 425 persons.

January 1972

20 Years Ago

January 2002

Solution: ‘‘Pumping Irony” (Jan. 20)

Happy New Year!

I had difficulty celebrating the 2022 New Year. I was certainly unable to make any resolutions.

After all, I’ve spent the last two years being very resolute. As the third year of the pandemic loomed, I saw the year beginning with a continued onslaught of information, from new or revised protocols, to new plans to protect our health, our community, and our way of life. But what I didn’t see was any real difference as a result of those protocols.

Our holidays were still upended by this pandemic.

The holiday season has always been a cherished time in my role at Springbrook. It offers a connection to the people who make up Springbrook, be they family members, students, residents, staff, or donors. I missed the celebrations and contact with the Springbrook community of individuals, families, and incredible staff!

Being connected to the people of Springbrook — to our mission — is one reason I chose the location of my office. My space looks out on Springbrook’s main campus playground and the pathways used by many of the students going to and from school. This vantage point gives me the opportunity to glance over my computer screen to see the reasons why I am at Springbrook.

I was glancing at students and staff while I watched Governor Hochul’s State of the State address

in December. I was cautiously optimistic. After all, we have a new governor, a new Commissioner for the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, and projected higher state revenues and federal stimulus money. As I listened, I realized it was the first time that the people who we rely on at Springbrook — the New York workforce of essential employees — were recognized at such a level.

They were told that they are a priority. They were promised recognition, educational opportunities, and a living wage. For health care workers, the essential direct support professionals (DSPs) who support people with special needs, for teachers and day care workers, I felt a surge of hope.

Fast forward to January 22 and the draft of the Governor’s budget that was released. There, in black and white, I saw opportunities for many people in New York State. In that draft was an ambitious agenda to: • Rebuild our healthcare and teacher workforce • Provide tax relief to people who need it the most • Speed up economic growth and create good-paying middle class jobs • Strengthen our infrastructure and confront climate change • Secure public safety and make housing more affordable • Ensure that every New Yorker has a roof over their heads An ambitious agenda, I have to

agree. An agenda that could get the Governor elected next year, perhaps.

More importantly, an agenda that is needed for the essential staff providing health care, support services, education, and child care for our community.

Springbrook just announced a significant increase to our wages across the organization. With the support of many and exceptional planning, we made those increases a reality. Springbrook has an ambitious agenda. One that continues to prioritize our essential employees.

An agenda that will be enhanced with the approval of the Governor’s budget.

While I had difficulty celebrating the New Year, I look to April as the time to pop open the bubbly!

I look forward to school graduations, employee luncheons, and employees being recognized at the level they should be! I urge you to look at the Governor’s budget. I urge you to encourage the Governor to add a base wage increase for DSPs. I urge you to support every essential person who has supported you throughout this pandemic!

Springbrook provides at-home care, residential and educational services, day services, and clinical, therapeutic, and behavioral support to over 1,100 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Author of this piece, Patricia Kennedy, is CEO of Springbrook.

BY Merl Reagle

You Light Up My Face…Ash me no questions…

ACROSS 1 Russians, e.g.

6 Juniper juice 9 ___ Crunch 13 Narrows 19 Closed a deal, perhaps 21 Melville tale 22 More island 23 Name for a cigar bar?

25 Preacher’s admonition 26 Conjuring prop 27 Root or Yale 28 Portent 30 Mind factor 31 Fertile Crescent land: abbr.

33 Cigar bar official?

38 Extinct New Zealand bird 41 He keeps on truckin’ 45 Therefore 46 How cigar bars list their cigars?

52 ___ drugs 53 Sgt., e.g.

54 Excited 55 Chaplin ending 57 Cigar historian’s nickname?

60 Take forcibly 63 Nation N of Havana 64 Scaleless fish 65 Vanishing sound 68 Son of Aphrodite 69 Laughingstock 70 Marty in Young Frankenstein 73 Name of the tobacco store next to the cigar bar?

77 Satiate 78 Capek play 79 68 Across backward 80 Bingo-card center word 81 A Gershwin 83 Phrase seen on menus 84 Adjust slightly 86 Clique of cigar bar regulars from Florida?

91 Sheikhdom on a peninsula 93 Paper amount 96 Cancel 97 On ___ (doing great) 99 Purchase a Tiparillo?

104 Iranian money 105 Have ___ (check out) 106 Sash for Sato 107 Cigar bar emanation?

112 Some rtes.

114 RNs’ org.

115 Tim Conway’s twit 116 Evocative of the ’80s, for example 120 Bit of help 124 Coterie

127 Cohiba-loving actress?

131 That one, to Abner 132 Mathematician Turing 133 Scold 134 Some photo enlargements 135 Calendar abbr.

136 Family nickname 137 Slow, in music DOWN 1 European duck 2 Pinatubo output 3 Yemen city 4 Otello fellow 5 “When” preceder 6 Comic Mort 7 Et ___ (and others) 8 Cambodian capital, partly 9 Corn center 10 Asian river, the ___ Darya 11 Writer Chaim 12 Words of denial 13 Join the NFL, for example 14 Stopped hunger 15 Weasel sound?

16 Fencing swords 17 Pete’s replacement 18 Suppressed 20 Sound feature 24 Relish 29 German donkey (from which we get a word that means “artist’s stand”)

32 Fire on from aircraft 34 Prelude to star or bucks 35 In the first place: abbr.

36 Palm Beach birds 37 Serling and Stewart 38 It means “wrongly” 39 T he Jeffersons theme, “Movin’ ___” 40 O rg. co-founded by Helen Keller 42 B. Davis and Blyth 43 Apple varieties?

44 1965 hit, “Hang On, ___” 47 House bid 48 Dairy “worker” 49 Concur 50 Part of 61 Down 51 Actress Rene 56 A piece of cake 58 Macaroni shape 59 It may leak 61 Feminist cause of the ’70s 62 Oprah’s role in The Color Purple 66 “___ little girl!”

67 Worry 70 Persian Gulf land 71 Solzhenitsyn topic 72 Get windy, perhaps 74 Fail tail?

75 Long 76 Crude shelter 77 Where Aïda debuted 79 Hardship

82 Like Scorsese films, often 85 Case alternative, beer-wise 87 School cafeteria buy 88 Mdse. stores on army bases 89 Thumbs-down 90 Facile 92 Gillette razor 94 Jai ___ 95 Salsa rating 98 Oahu keepsake 100 Firefighter props 101 Pastiche 102 It’s human 103 G oat antelopes (anagram of W.E. ROSS) 107 Cereus topics?

108 Marriage, for example 109 Simpson and Starr 110 Killer whales 111 Case for Mulder and Scully 113 Sun block of a sort 117 Runs out 118 Actress Hatcher 119 Bread choices 121 Bath’s river 122 Eye source for a witch’s brew 123 Bond classic 125 Cigar-smoking revolutionary 126 Allow 128 Opening 129 Busy bug 130 Course for immigrants: abbr.

THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

MeMories to Cherish

Helios wins national honors, program grant

Be sure to remind your funeral director to provide obituary information to our newspapers, along with your favorite photo of your loved one. Submit the information yourself, directly to info@AllotSego.com, or by filling out a special form at www.AllotSego.com/loved-ones/ O M C O PE

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

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Helios Care describes the program goals: stabilize symptoms through inhome intervention and care coordination, improve quality-of-care with patient-centered services that address social needs, reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and avoidable hospitalizations, and transition the person into appropriate longer-term programs.

The additional grant from The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation and the Tipping Point Challenge honor encourage Mr. Ayers in the new year.

Despite stories of staffing shortages throughout the health care industry, he said Helios Care maintains a strong staff of dedicated professionals.

“We have very, very loyal employees,” he said. “In some cases, we have more applicants than spots available. The job design is appealing — our nurses are on the road with flexibility for their schedules rather than being assigned to a (hospital) unit floor for 12-hour shifts. They get a real reward out of working so directly with patients.”

“They’re driven by their mission,” he said.

IN

the care of serious illness.” The John A. Hartford Foundation Tipping Point Challenge awarded its Silver Winner honor to ‘Choices’ and named it one of the top eight entrants of all national applications.

Under the sponsorship of the Center to Advance Palliative Care, the Hartford Foundation opened the Challenge to all health care organizaContributed tions, settings, Dan Ayers, President/ disciplines, CEO Helios Care and specialties across the United States.

Mr. Ayers explained the ‘Choices’ option as a path to maintain “highquality outcomes without using acute care facilities, emergency room visits, and in-patient treatments.”

“We want to prove the value of this service to the market for health insurers,” he said.

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Helios Care — formerly Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care — won a $200,000 year-end grant from The Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for its award-winning “Choices” program, designed to reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and address social needs for individuals with serious illness.

“The cost of the final year of life is the most expensive,” said Helios Care President and CEO Dan Ayers. “Any service that can show reduction of cost has a place in the future of health care. ‘Choices’ provides high-quality, lower-cost care, and in our pilot, we’re collecting good data. It’s an experiment that will let us prove we can provide the services people need and want.”

The December grant is the Cabrini Foundation’s second for ‘Choices,’ first seeding the program with a $300,000 contribution in 2020. Mr. Ayers said the new funding allows the program to serve more than 90 people through the end of 2022. The grant came just two weeks after Helios Care won national recognition for “innovative initiatives that have made — or will make — positive, breakthrough change in

every life has a story. everyone deserves a final appreciation.

JU

A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

founded

in 1808

AllOTSEGO.com

Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar.

Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home will take the time to find out what made your loved one special.

Whether it’s finding just the right flowers, or finding a musician to play her favorite tunes on her old guitar, we’ll do what’s necessary to make her service as unique as she was.

Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home 14 Grand Street, Oneonta • 607-432-6821 www.grummonsfuneralhome.com

Cooperstown village elections Continued from page 1 “If I decide in January to toss my hat in the ring for a March election, I only have two months to worry about for campaigning,” she said.

“The problem in the village is with recruiting candidates, not in adding hours to the voting day.”

Trustee Richard Sternberg said he had heard nothing from residents about voting access for village elections.

“Who here has heard a complaint, at any time, about

the voting hours?” he asked.

“The absence of evidence that this is a problem is evidence that there is no problem.”

Mr. Benton defended his proposal by pointing to the Hudson Valley Village of New Paltz, which recently moved its local contest from March to November, and said a November date would not force candidates to campaign for eight months.

A 6-1 vote kept open the public hearing on the matter

until the Board’s February 28 meeting; Mr. Benton cast the sole dissent.

With the 2022 contest cemented on March 15, the village’s Democratic Party caucused on January 19 to select its slate of candidates for this year’s vote. Party members chose incumbent Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh to run for another two-year term, incumbent Trustee Richard Sternberg for another three-year term, and newcomer Cindy Sheehan

to run for a three-year term as Trustee in place of Jeanne Dewey, who is not running.

Village officials report no Republican candidates to date; the final day for filing as an independent in Cooperstown is February 8.

Cherry Valley Democrats caucus to select one candidate for a four-year term as Trustee on January 20 at 7 p.m.; Otego Democrats caucus January 24 at 6 p.m., to select two candidates for two-year terms as Trustee.

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THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7

OBITUARIES Margaret J. D. Yerdon, 93 April 22, 1928 – January 18, 2022

Harris is rejoicing because he has Margaret to dance with again, while her family here is left feeling the loss. Margaret Jane Dubben Yerdon was reunited with Harris on January 18, 2022 at the age of 93, when she passed away at the home of her daughter. Margaret was born the first of four daughters to the late George and Dorothy (Green) Dubben on April 22, 1928 in Cooperstown. She was raised on the family farm in Middlefield.

She first attended school in the Middlefield School House and graduated from Cherry Valley Central School, Class of 1946.

Following graduation Margaret attended Oneonta Teachers College and graduated with a degree

in Elementary Education in 1950. On January 27, 1952 she married Harris, at the First Presbyterian Church in Cherry Valley.

Margaret retired in 1997 from Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School after teaching Elementary and Remedial Reading for 45 years where she was involved with student teachers, the Cherry Valley-Springfield School merger study in 1985, served as the CV-S Elementary Coordinator, and PARP Coordinator. For many years Margaret sold tickets at basketball games on Tuesday and Friday nights. Following her retirement Margaret continued to enjoy social events, her grandchildren’s events and gardening at her home.

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NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

nating the position of County Administrator as a department head pursuant to section 35(e) of NYS Civil Service Law.

NOTICE is hereby given that there has been duly introduced before the Board of Representatives of the County of Otsego, New York, a Local Law entitled: A Local Law amending Local Law No. 3 of 2021 and replacing it with a Local Law authorized by section 120-aa GML requiring, for all Solid Waste within the County of Otsego, source separation and segregation of recyclable or reuseable materials.

NOTICE is further given that the Board of Representatives will conduct a public hearing on the proposed Local Law in the Representatives Chambers at the County Office Building in the Village of Cooperstown, New York on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 9:50 a.m. at which time all persons interested will be heard. The location of the public hearing is accessible to persons with mobility impairment.

Secretary of State of New York (“SSNY”) on January 18, 2022.

SSNY is designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served and SNNY shall mail process to Rolling Hills Rentals, LLC located at 139 Quinn Road, Cherry Valley, NY 13320.

6LegalMar.3

Legal nOtice

NOTICE is further given that the Board of Representatives will conduct a public hearing on the proposed Local Law in the Representatives Chambers at the County Office Building in the Village of Cooperstown, New York on Wednesday, February 2, 2022 at 9:55 a.m. at which time all persons interested will be heard. The location of the public hearing is accessible to persons with mobility impairment.

The public hearing will be streamed via Facebook Live on the official Otsego County Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/ Otsego-County-NY102347451408765/ A copy of this Local Law is available on the Otsego County website.

Dated: January 27, 2022 Carol D. McGovern Clerk of the Board of Representatives Otsego County, New York 1LegalJan.27 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE is hereby given that there has been duly introduced before the Board of Representatives of the County of Otsego, New York, a Local Law entitled: A Local Law establishing the department called County Administrator and desig-

The public hearing will be streamed via Facebook Live on the official Otsego County Facebook page: https://www. facebook.com/ Otsego-County-NY102347451408765/ A copy of this Local Law is available on the Otsego County website.

Dated: January 27, 2022 Carol D. McGovern Clerk of the Board of Representatives Otsego County, New York 1LegalJan.27 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Baccello Plumbing & Heating LLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/09/2022 Office location: Otsego County.

SSNY is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 5001 ST HWY 23 STE PMB 190 Oneonta NY 13820 Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

6LegalMar.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Rolling Hills Rentals, LLC Office Location: Otsego County N.Y. Articles of Organization Filed with the

Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of BIG GUNS CONSTRUCTION, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/18/22.

Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 6451 County Highway 18, West Winfield, NY 13491.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalMar.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of ONEONTA ADVENTURE CLUB LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/13/22.

Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 139 Collins Dr., Oneonta, NY 13820, which is also the principal business location.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalMar.3 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF A DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC) Andrew Hunt Contracting LLC The Articles of Organization were filed with the New York State Secretary of State on July 20th, 2021.

OFFICE LOCATION: Otsego County.

The Secretary of state is designated as Agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served.

The Secretary of State shall mail a

Her flower and Presbyterian vegetable gardens Church (joined received much on April 9, attention and 1964) where garden produce she served as an was properly elder (ordained preserved.

Her January 23, 1977) pickles were the for 12 years and best.

Sunday School Those who were Teacher, advisor Margaret J.D. Yerdon in Cherry Valley to the Cherry on Halloween Va l l e y / C h e r r y will always remember the Valley-Springfield Alumni Main Street Witch, which Association, member of the Margaret enjoyed playing Cherry Valley-Springfield for 50+ years. Generations Retirees, life member of always made a point to New York State Rebekahs, stop in at her house to see member of New York State Mrs. Yerdon.

United Teachers, member of Margaret and Harris the Otsego County Retired believed in community and Teachers, a 50 year member the value of volunteering. of the Cherry Valley During the 70 years Margaret Rebekah Lodge, a 25-year lived in the Cherry Valley member of Delta Kappa Community, she faithfully Gamma and a member of the served many organizations New York State Draft Horse including the following: Association.

Margaret presently a member and and Harris enjoyed many board member of the Cherry draft horse events and area Valley Museum, charter parades with their horses member and member of June, Josh and Jeannie. the Cherry Valley Fire She was honored in 1990 Department Auxiliary, and 2018 as Otsego County active member of the First Firemen’s Auxiliary

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LEGALS

copy of any process against the LLC to 157 Canham rd, South New Berlin, NY 13843.

PURPOSE: To engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalMar.3 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of Cooperstown will hold the following public hearing on Tuesday, February 1st, 2022 at 5:00 P.M. or as soon thereafter as can be heard: Meeting location to be via videoconferencing, due to Executive Order 202.1 issued by the Governor.

21 Railroad Avenue -Applicant seeks an area variance for the construction of a 2-story residential structure within the side yard setback.

The plans for this project are on file with the Village Clerk’s Office at the Village Office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, and may be seen during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Public comments must be provided by email to the Zoning Officer at zoning@ cooperstownny.org or by regular mail to the address below no later than Thursday, January 27th, 2022 at 3:30 p.m. Requests for the Zoom link must be made prior to Tuesday, February 1st at 3:30 p.m. by anyone who wishes to participate in the public hearing.

Jenna Utter Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Tele: (607)547-2411 Email: jutter@cooperstownny.org 2LegalJan.27 Legal nOtice Cemetery Association Annual Meeting Notice is hereby

Legal

Legal

given that the annual meeting of the LOT OWNERS of the

325 Santoro Road, Garrattsville, NY 13342.

Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6LegalFeb.24

Hartwick Seminary Cemetery Association will be held at the Hartwick Seminary Fire House, Dept. 2, in Hartwick Seminary, NY. This meeting will be held on Sunday, February 6, 2022, at 1 PM to transact a business meeting, which includes the election of Trustees.

COVID restrictions, such as a mask, will be required of all attendees and no refreshments will be served, bottled water will be available.

3LegalFeb.3 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FILING OF ARTICLES OF ORGANIZATION IN NEW YORK

BY A LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY Name: Kent Jones Consulting, LLC. Articles of Organization filed with sec. of state of NY(SOS) on 10/1/21.

Office location: Otsego County.

SOS is designated as agent of LLC for service of process.

SOS shall mail copy of process to 13 Fernleigh Dr, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

6LegalFeb.24 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: SCHOELLIG’S FIELDCREST FARM LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 7 January 2022.

Office location: Otsego County.

SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to

Legal nOtice Notice of formation of Thistlemint Farm LLC Articles of Organizations were filed with New York Secy of State (SSNY) on 27 November, 2021.

Office location: Otsego County.

SSNY has been designated as agent for process and shall mail to: P.O.Box 132, Laurens, NY 13796.

Purpose: any lawful purpose.

6LegalFeb.24 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of CNY JOINT RECON LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/06/22.

Office: Otsego County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 5 Ravine Park South, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalFeb.24 Legal nOtice NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received as set forth in instructions to bidders until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at the NYSDOT, Office of Contract Management, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Bids may also be submitted via the internet using www.bidx.com. A certified cashier’s check payable to the NYSDOT for the sum specified in the proposal or a bid bond, form CONR 391, representing 5% of the bid total, must accompany each bid.

NYSDOT reserves the right to reject any

Member of the Year, in 2001 as grand marshal of the Cherry Valley parade and recently was honored with a new CV/CVS Alumni Award — The Margaret Yerdon Reading Award.

Margaret was most proud of her children: daughter, Janet (Keith) McCarty of East Springfield and son, Rodney (Donna) Yerdon of Middlefield and the proud Grandmother of Molli Jane McCarty and Ryan Keith McCarty. Family and friends were very important to Margaret, she is also survived by a sister Flora Polulech of Hartwick, special nephews: Jim (Althea) Madison of Methuen, Mass. and Steve (Adrienne) Madison of Cobleskill in addition to many other Dubben and Yerdon nieces, nephews, cousins and special friends of all ages.

She was predeceased by her parents, George (August 27, 1984) and Dorothy (March 11, 1991), by her loving husband Harris Yerdon on July 15, 2002, sisters Mabel

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or all bids.

Electronic documents and Amendments are posted to www.dot. ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/ const-notices. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all Amendments are incorporated into its bid. To receive notification of Amendments via e-mail you must submit a request to be placed on the Planholders List at www.dot.ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/const-planholder. Amendments may have been issued prior to your placement on the Planholders list.

NYS Finance Law restricts communication with NYSDOT on procurements and contact can only be made with designated persons. Contact with non-designated persons or other involved Agencies will be considered a serious matter and may result in disqualification. Contact Robert Kitchen (518)4572124.

Contracts with 0% Goals are generally single operation contracts, where subcontracting is not expected, and may present direct bidding opportunities for Small Business Firms, including, but not limited to D/W/MBEs. The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat.

252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federallyassisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged

Graham on April 2, 2019, Florence Kinch on March 9, 2009 and special niece Debbie Madison Deyo on May 2, 1986, and also along with all of her sisters and brothers-in-laws.

Family was important to Margaret, she never missed a chance to see them or attend a family reunion.

Calling hours were on Monday, January 24, at Ottman Funeral Home, Cherry Valley. The funeral service was held on Tuesday, January 25, at the First Presbyterian Church, Cherry Valley.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, PO Box 235, Cherry Valley, NY 13320; Cherry Valley Fire Department, PO Box 502, Cherry Valley, NY 13320; or Cherry Valley Fire Department Auxiliary, PO Box 244, Cherry Valley, NY 13320.

To send online condolences visit www.ottmanfuneralhome.com

Legal

Legal

business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/ handicap and income status in consideration for an award.

Farm LLC.

BIDDERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT AWARD OF THESE CONTRACTS MAY BE CONTINGENT UPON THE PASSAGE OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION BILL BY THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. Please call (518)4572124 if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.

Region 09: New York State Department of Transportation 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901 D264742, PIN 9WW02A, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga Cos., STRUCTURES WHERE & WHEN, 21/22 NYSDOT, various locations, Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $40,000.00), Goals: MBE: 5.00%, WBE: 10.00%, SDVOB: 6.00% 2LegalJan.27 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Dooalot, LLC, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on May 5, 2015.

NY Office Location: OTSEGO County.

SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served upon him/her to: C/O Dooalot, LLC, 255 County Highway 27, Richfield Springs, NY 13439.

General Purposes.

6LegalFeb.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Brookrose

Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/15/21.

Office location: Otsego County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Michael Telesco, 283 County Highway 57, Cherry Valley, NY 13320.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

6LegalFeb.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Chief Schenevus Farms, LLC Office Location: Otsego County N.Y. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (“SSNY”) on December13, 2021.

SSNY is designated agent of LLC upon whom process may be served and SSNY shall mail process to Chief Schenevus Farms, LLC located at 6004 Vista Linda Lane, Boca Raton, FL 3343 Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6LegalFeb.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of POLAR BEAR CONCESSIONS, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on 10/26/2021.

The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County.

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to: The LLC, 7 Maplecrest Way, Otego, NY 13825.

The purpose ofthe LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalFeb.3

THURSDAY, January 27, 2022

A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

‘Big Papi’ headed to Cooperstown Get ready to welcome the entire population of the city of Boston on July 24 when Fenway favorite David “Big Papi” Ortiz joins the ranks of the greats enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

He was the only one of the 30 candidates to reach the necessary 75 percent of votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and gets into the Hall in his first year of eligibility.

The tally leaves out career home run leader Barry Bonds and seventime Cy Young Award winner Roger Clemens, each of whom were in their final year of Hall eligibility before their candidacies shift to “Golden Days” committee consideration as early as December 2022.

Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling also fell short in his final year of eligibility.

“Big Papi” enters the Hall in ceremonies scheduled for July 24, 2022, at 1:30 p.m. at the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown.

That event is free of charge and open to the public, regulations permitting.

David Ortiz played for the Boston Red Sox from 2003-2016 either as a first baseman or a designated hitter, spending six years prior to that with the Minnesota Twins. His popularity in Boston solidified in his second year on the team when he slugged his way through the American League Championship Series and the 2004 World Series, leading the Red Sox to their first World Series victory in 86

News Brief

Farm Wage Board sets overflow meeting, decision soon?

Because so many people registered to participate in its three virtual sessions, New York’s Department of Labor this week added an additional public hearing to its Farm Laborer Wage Board schedule for Friday, January 28, at 2 p.m.

The three-member board is considering the existing 60-hour-per-week overtime threshold for farm workers in New York State “and the extent to which the overtime work threshold may be lowered.” Some

years. Upon his 2016 retirement, the Red Sox retired his uniform number 34.

Earlier this year, the Baseball Hall of Fame announced 2022 inductees through its “Early Baseball Era” committee (Buck O’Neil and Bud Fowler) and its “Golden Days” committee (Minnie Minoso, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat, and Tony Oliva). The Hall’s induction ceremony weekend this year also will honor ESPN analyst Tim Kurkjian with the Baseball Writers’ Career Excellence Award and Cleveland Indians broadcaster Jack Graney with the Ford C. Frick Award.

Among other players falling short of the vote count necessary for Hall induction this year: Alex Rodriguez (in his first year of eligibility), Scott Rolen, Todd Helton, Sammy Sosa (in his final year of eligibility), Billy Wagner, and Gary Sheffield.

Kevin Kurkowski

worker advocate groups want the threshold dropped to 40 hours per week; farm advocates are pushing back vigorously to keep the bar at its current 60 hours per week.

Analysts expect the panel to issue its findings soon. Opponents to the change, including Otsego County Assemblyman Chris Tague, have said they’re concerned that Governor Kathy Hochul’s budget proposal calls for a ‘wage tax credit’ for farmers – perhaps signaling her administration’s expectations that the Board will rule in favor of a 40-hour overtime threshold.

The January 28 session is reserved for those who registered to testify on January 20 but were unable to do so owing to time constraints.

The Department is taking 607-432-2022 22-26 Watkins Avenue, Oneonta no new registrants for the Monday through Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm January 28 session.

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News from the noteworthy C ommu n i ty F ou n dat i o n of O tsego cou n ty

Fund will support Otego library A donation to the Community Foundation of Otsego County from Otego author Dennis Fowler has created The Greater Otego Library and Education Fund, focused on maintaining the Harris Memorial Library building, supporting library programs and operations, and encouraging activities to educate and enhance the lives of the residents of the village.

“Otego is such a wonderful place,” said Mr. Fowler, a 50-year resident and writer with nearly 60 books published, including a recent science fiction novel, Earth’s Song. “I just want to see it succeed.”

He and his wife, Peggy, worked in New York City before moving to Otego in the 1970s, where they became deeply involved in the community — she in Orpheus Theatre and Habitat for Humanity, he in the Otego Harris Library, where he became board president and directed an expansion of the building.

“Dennis’s love for Otego and his piece of it is obvious in every sentence he speaks,” said CFOC Executive Director Jeff Katz.

“It was a pleasure to work with Dennis to create a fund which will enhance life in Otego for many, many years to come,” said Harry Levine, CFOC board president. “A key goal of the Community Foundation is to channel people’s generosity in the most effective way possible.

There couldn’t donors in meeting be a better way their charitable to start a new goals and invites year than to nonprofits announce the working in Otsego new Greater County to apply Otego Library for new awards in and Education 2022. There are no Fund at the application deadCommunity lines. For more F o u n d a t i o n Dennis Fowler information, visit of Otsego the Foundation’s County.” website at The Community Foun- cfotsego.org or email dation offers a range of contact@cfotsego.org. services and plans to assist

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