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Volume 12, No. 17
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HOMETOWN E!
E FR
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, January 30, 2020
Republican May Dent Democratic Blue Wall Village Hall Solidly One-Party Since 2012 By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
M
ary Margaret Robbins Sohns, whose years-long
battle against Lyme Disease, culminating in a heart transplant last summer, inspired the community, is contending to be the first Republican elected to the Village Board since 2010. Please See CAUCUS, A7
Visit www.
AllOTSEGO.com
TO SUCCEED SEWARD, A LOCAL MAN
It’s Oberacker For NY Senate Tague Drops Bid, Opening Up Field For Schenevus Rep
Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Congressman Antonio Delgado, D-19, told those gathered for the annual State of the State Luncheon that he was the only member of Congress to have two bills passed and signed by the President. The luncheon was held Friday, Jan. 24 at SUNY Oneonta.
By JIM KEVLIN SCHENEVUS
P
E-Pioneer To Address Graduation ONEONTA
B
eth LeTendre ’90, chief executive Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA officer of GroupM Honoree Fred Lemister received a lot of hugs, including this one from Hartwick EMT Performance U.S., has been Sue Hascup, as well as handshakes and accolades at the Saturday, Jan. 25, testimonial in chosen as the speaker for his honor at Bassett Hall. At right is Sue’s husband Chuck. Hartwick College’s 2020 commencement at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, May 16, at Elmore Field. In 1998, LeTendre and EMT Pioneer, Lemister Trained Hundreds; her Hartwick friend Heather They Packed Reception To Wish Him Well Frahm ’90 launched Catalyst, a specialty search, soOtsego County gathered to cial, and ecommerce marketBy JIM KEVLIN celebrate Fred Lemister and ing agency that now serves to thank him for his training Fortune 1000 clients. COOPERSTOWN prowess and for 48 years of Eight years later, the pair service to the Cooperstown negotiated the acquisition of or decades, they had Emergency Squad, where he Catalyst by WPP, the world’s learned from him. responded to a record 9,400 largest communications They had emulated emergency calls. service company. him. They had admired him. “No one’s going to surpass After he hailed colleagues as “Good SamarAnd Saturday, Jan. 25, hun- those numbers,” said John the audience rose as one in a standON OTSEGO.com dreds of EMTs from around Please See LEMISTER, A7 itans,” ing ovation. Frank Capozza is at center.
For Fred, Outpouring Of Praise, Thanks
F
All
►BASSETT HOSPITAL’S proposed 143-car employee parking lot was met with generally favorable reviews at a public hearing during the Cooperstown Village Board on Monday, Jan. 27. ►OF monsters and men were announced as the second band in the newly revived Brewery Ommegang concert series on Friday, June 5. ►CAROL LEE WHEELER, who was mentored as a Mary Kay consultant by the founder herself, died Saturday, Jan. 18.
Arson Trial Testimony Sorts Tangled Tale By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
T
he morning of Dec. 29, 2018, fire in front of Heather Engler’s apartment door at 5 Walling Ave., Oneonta. Her stepmother, Rochelle Engler, Libby Cudmore/HOMETOWN ONEONTA told District Attorney John Muehl Gabriel Truitt and his legal team. that accused arsonist Gabriel
►FOR UPDATES of the Truitt arson-murder trial, check at noon and late afternoon at
AllOTSEGO.com
www.
Truitt had contacted her. “He messaged me on Facebook to say that Heather’s house was on fire,” she said. “I didn’t understand, so he called me. He Please See TRUITT, B2
artner in his father’s market, executive with a multinational food corporation, entrepreneur in his own marketresearch firm, town supervisor, county representative and, now, candidate for state Senate from the Otsego-County-centric 51st District. Grounded in Main Street Peter Oberacker and Wall Street, Peter Oberacker confirmed Tuesday, Jan. 28, that he will seek to carry forward the 34-year legacy of Please See OBERACKER, A7
OYA Seeks Acreage For Solar Farm Canadian Firm Sends Letters To Town Of Otego Residents By LIZZIE COOPER
F
or the second time in a month, word is out that a solar energy company is hoping to site a project in Otsego County, although much smaller than Storke LLC’s 3,000- acre project that’s surfaced in West Laurens. In the new project, New York and Toronto-based OYA Solar has sent letters of inquiry to landowners in the Town of Otego whose land appears to fit the requirements. Please See SOLAR, B5
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
A-2 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
HOMETOWN People
1st Week, Girl Finds Carnival Medallion
BARNES ON LIST: Taylor Barnes, of Sidney, is participating in the Siena College Study Abroad program for the Spring 2020 semester. Taylor is studying in Athens, Greece.
Vince Foti
607-432-2022
22-26 Watkins Avenue, Oneonta Monday through Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm
When
February 6* 4 to 7 pm
WheRe
Libby Cudmore/The Freeman’s Journal
Recreating the scene where she found the 2020 Winter Carnival Medallion at Lakefront Park, Cali Paterno, right, poses with her family, from left, dad Brian, brother Joey and mom Angie.
someone always found it before we could,” said Angie. “She came home from school and said, ‘Mommy, we have to go to the lake.’ I thought our chances were slim – it could have been anywhere around the lake!” Joe searched up the hill, while Cali searched the path before she found the dummy rock covering the medallion. She is friends with last year’s winner, Frankie Panzarella, who found the 2019 medallion in Badger Park. She will collect her winnings – $500 – during the Cooperstown Winter Carnival Closer on Sunday, Feb. 9 at Upstate Bar and Grill She is splitting the prize with Joey, and although they’ll get to treat themselves a little, the majority of the prize will go into savings accounts. “I tried to tell her that the rules say Dad gets to keep it,” joked Brian. And she made a bold prediction about next year’s medallion. “I think it’ll be at Council Rock,” she said.
By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
C
ali Paterno, 9, immediately noticed something was off about the rock at the bottom of Lakefront Park. “I hit it with a stick and it didn’t sound like a rock!” she said. Underneath, she discovered this year’s Winter Carnival Medallion, laying claim to the $500 prize in the first week of the contest. “The first letters of each sentence spelled out LAKE,” she said. “And the only thing the moon could reflect off is the lake. I took the word “eye” to mean the statue looking towards where the medallion was – and it was!” She convinced her parents, Brian and Angie, to bring her and her brother Joey, 11, to Lakefront Park on Monday, Jan. 27, to begin the search. “We’d never gotten the chance to look;
Six Named To Provost’s List
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R
yan Atwell, Oneonta, was one of SUNY M-F 9-5:30 Satsix9-4:00 Oneonta students named to the Provost’s List for the Fall 2019 semester. Also on this list were five Oneonta students: • Brian Butler • Robert Dudley • Michael Fiscaletti • Michelle Rossi • Joshua Wikoff
Featuring: Tours, Demonstrations, Conversations with Industry Leaders
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I would like to genuinely thank all those who either attended or sent congratulatory messges to my EMS retirement party on Saturday, January 25th. For me, it was a once in a lifetime event. The outpouring of good will was indeed humbling. I thank all who had any part in this event.
I shall remember it for the rest of my life! With sincere gratitude,
Fred
A. Fred Lemister
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Award-winning news and programming. Listen from your radio, or any device, or online at wamc.org
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Enjoy the
Winter Carnival! Russ Smith Garbage Collection and Roll-Off Service 607-547-9618 339 County Hwy 26 Cooperstown
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BaCk alley Grille
8 Hoffman Lane, Cooperstown Opening for the season in May!
a big shout out to The Roaring 20s Annual Lip Sync Showdown! sign up now! Get your group together and email cooplipsync@gmail.com For a complete Winter Carnival 2020 schedule, check out the insert in today’s papers or go to www.cooperstownwintercarnival.com
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presents a Wine-derful Tasting Event!
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Enjoy the 53rd Cooperstown Winter Carnival! Best wishes from your friends at
Connell, Dow & Deysenroth, Inc. Funeral Home
Visit us online at sfcuonline.org, stop by or call 1-877-642-7328.
Peter A. Deysenroth
Co-Chairperson 2009 Cooperstown Winter Carnival
82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown • 607-547-8231 www.cooperstownfuneralhome.com
Federally Insured by NCUA | EOE
join us for winter carnival #53! Thursday, Feb. 6, 7pm--Trivia Night @ UpsTaTe Friday, Feb. 7, 9pm—scattered Flurries @ UpsTaTe saturday, Feb. 8, 9pm -- Dove Tones @ UpsTaTe sunday, Feb. 9, Noon-3 -- Karaoke Contest @ UpsTaTe sunday, Feb. 9, 1-3 Mac n’ Cheese Contest & Carnival Closer @ UpsTaTe Sponsors ork pizzeria new y
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hey kids! Join in the fun and enter the coloring contest! For complete coloring contest rules, go to allotsego.com!
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Ellsworth & Sill
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Have a great 53rdWinter Carnival!
C OOPERST OWN WINTER
Church & Scott Pharmacy
F E B RUA RY 7 - 9 , 2 02 0
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IA
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OUNDED
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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
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A-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
HOMETOWN Views
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
EDITORIAL
Job #1 For Otsego County’s Parties: Elect Local Candidate To Senate
T
his story’s been related in this space before: Congressman Tim Holden, a Democrat from Pennsylvania’s anthracite county, used to tell campaign crowds: “I’m the only one of 435 Congressmen who gets up every morning and says to himself, ‘What can I do for Schuylkill County today?’” It’s also said that if you don’t appreciate what you have, you lose it.” • The vignette and the aphorism are germane today, with the prospective year-end retirement of state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and now, with the emergence of county Rep. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, as his prospective successor – and, so far, his only prospective successor from Otsego County. Oberacker put it well: “It’s
been reassuring to have a state granted, somewhat parochial, senator who knows us by ruminations. name.” Of course, former Oneonta If he knows us by name, he Mayor John Nader, now greets us on the street, he lisSUNY Farmingdale presitens to our opinions and, when dent, came to mind, as did we need his help, he responds. the charismatic Dan Crowell, To Otsego County citizens, former county treasurer and a there is no greater issue in this military man. fall’s election than to keep Mayors Herzig of the 51st State Senate District Oneonta and Tillapaugh represented by a local man or of Cooperstown are proswoman. (Wait, wait: After all, pects and, even moreso, The Freeman’s Journal Tillapaugh’s predecessor, Jeff regardless of how the county Peter Oberacker makes the case for a votes, New York State will Katz, still in his 50s and with county administrator at a county board plenty of brains and drive. go for the as-yet-unnamed hearing last fall in Oneonta City Hall. Democrat.) Come on, Democrats, put • your best (local) foot forward. Barber, the prospective DemoIn last week’s article on Repub- cratic standard bearer. • lican Assemblyman Chris Tague’s Regardless, Peter Oberacker is In our defense, that part of the prospective run for the 51st, it was article dealt with trying to idena fine prospect. pointed out that no mention was On the one hand, he’s got a tify in-county successors to Jim made of Jim Barber, the Schoharie Seward. down-home personality, a friendly farmer and son of former Ag & smile and welcoming demeanor. But we’ll admit that Barber Markets Commissioner J. Roger He’s easy for everyone to talk simply didn’t figure in our,
VIEW FROM FLY CREEK
Sanctuary Concept Fits In Home Rule Context
A
s Americans have by sanctuary communities to become dissatisprotect illegal immigrants. fied with various The legality of all these policies imposed by the moves remains unresolved. federal government, they In the meantime, other have sought ingenious new activists have recently means of resisting them. endorsed the sanctuary idea. One strategy, first develAs reported in this newspaoped by activists upset with per, Oneonta resident Kaleb federal immigration policy, White and newly elected was to establish “sanctuary” county Rep. Rick Brockcommunities to proway, R-Laurens, tect undocumented following other immigrants, particuSecond Amendlarly from Central ment activists, America, who were are promoting targeted by the fedOtsego County eral government as as a “sanctuary illegal aliens to be county” for the deported. Second AmendIn 1985, San ment, in which ADRIAN Francisco kicked “local authorities KUZMINSKI off this trend when would simply it declared itself not enforce “A City of Refuge” New York state’s by passing an ordinance SAFE Act and its gunprohibiting the use of mucontrol provisions.” nicipal resources to assist The sanctuary movement the enforcement of federal has its precedents. In the immigration laws. classical world temples ofIn the wake of the Trump fered sanctuary to criminals Administration’s crackand other fugitives, a tradidown on undocumented tion maintained by medieval immigrants, the number of Christian churches. The idea sanctuary communities has was that a sacred precinct exploded. automatically extended its By 2018, 560 municiprotection to anyone needpalities in the United States, ing protection. primarily in blue states, The old sanctuary tradihad declared themselves tion has disappeared, but the sanctuary communities. In modern revival of the idea is reaction, about a dozen red selective rather than states have banned attempts Please See KUZMINSKI, A6
HOMETOWN
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
LETTERS
BROCKWAY: PROTECT 2ND AMENDMENT RIGHTS
Guns Part Of Otsego County Heritage To the Editor: In last week’s edition of this newspaper, Larry Bennett stated his opinion of me and the Second Amendment sanctuary movement here in Otsego County. Let’s face it: Mr. Bennett is not native to the area and does not understand the people of rural, Upstate New York. In my opinion, he also has limited knowledge of the law, especially the Constitution of the United States. Mr. Bennett referred to me as “a Republican grandstander and fearmonger with zero understanding of the law.” I’m surprised he didn’t call me a gun-toting deplorable as well.
To the Editor: I have never seen this complete list (see box, at right) before now. I don’t think anyone has compiled this data before now. There are probably many more which did not make it to the newspapers. You are one of the first to see this. This list was not easy to compile! Few of these names were in the newspaper. My purpose here is not to violate anyone’s privacy. However, IF it is true that these vehicles are unsafe and causing injuries and death, then someone should be tracking this data. Someone should be keeping track of these incidents, and tracking the workers’ specific injuries, progress and recovery. As far as I can tell, no “official” agency is doing this. These industry workers
H
ere’s the list of crashes involving trucks carrying compressed natural gas in the Northeastern U.S. compiled by Bill Huston, Dimmock, Pa., who is monitoring the industry. After the Schuyler Lake crash (7/12/18), XNG transports were largely rerouted to Chenango County. ►May 15, 2014: Raymond N.H., /XNG/ Peter Smith, 61, rollover crash ►Feb. 21, 2017,: Forest Lake, Pa. /XNG/ Alison Mayes, 29, rollover crash ►May 27, 2017: Forest Lake, Pa. /XNG/ Patsey D’Alessandro, rollover crash ►Sept. 12, 2017: Hartwick , NY/XNG/ Roy Waldron, rollover crash ►June 2, 2018: Albany (Bethlehem), NY/ XNG/, Unknown Male, rollover crash
are REAL PEOPLE, and deserve our compassion and support. Industry wants to keep this information secret and away from the public’s view, and they hide behind medical privacy laws to get away with it. The manufacturers
Y
Managing Editor
James Cummings Reporter
Ian Austin Photographer
Ivan Potocnik Web Architect
Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production
Tom Heitz Consultant
Amanda Wilsey Consultant
IN MEMORIAM: Mary Joan Kevlin, Co-Publisher, 2006-17 MEMBER OF New York Press Association • The Otsego County Chamber Published weekly by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080. E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com
(Hexagon Composites, Quantum Fuel Systems), with the operators (NG Advantage and XNG), and the regulators (USDOT/ PHMSA, DOE, FERC) should work together to ensure these vehicles operate in a safe manner, ensuring
the general public, and the workers aren’t in danger. WILLIAM HUSTON Dimmock, Pa. Huston has been monitoring CNG trucking from his home in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Seizing The Moment
Libby Cudmore
Thom Rhodes Advertising Consultant
►July 12, 2018, Town of Exeter, NY/XNG/ Fred Groshans, 42 , rollover crash ►March 3, 2019, Central Bridge, NY/NG Advantage-KAG/ Krzysztof Glazowski, 60 , rollover crash ►Sept. 23, 2019: Binghamton (Fenton), NY (Fatal)/XNG/ Jeffrey Lind, 52 , rollover crash ►Oct. 11, 2019: Orange, Mass., (Fatal)/NG Advantage-KAG/ Lois Ann Johnson, 62, rollover crash ►Dec. 5, 2019: Lebanon, NH/XNG/ Unknown Female, 46, severe head trauma from failed high-pressure hose or fitting. (XNG is Xpress Natural Gas, Boston; NG is NG Advantage, Colchester, Vt.; and KAG is Keenan Advantage Group, North Canton, Ohio.)
FRONT PORCH PERSPECTIVE
Tara Barnwell
Larissa Ryan Business Manager
stated that we have “certain unalienable rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The Constitution guarantees these rights. But when I see every Democratic candidate running for president in the upcoming election outright saying that once elected they will take our guns away, I’m concerned. Adolf Hitler said, “To conquer a nation, you first must disarm its people.” Larry, I know a little bit about the law. I have a bachelor’s degree in English and American History. I know the county can’t pass a law overriding a state law, and the state cannot pass Please See BROCKWAY, A6
►10 COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS CRASHES LISTED
Advertising Director & General Manager
Larry, the intent of your statement was only partially correct. I am a very proud Conservative Republican. I’m not a grandstander, but I will definitely stand up for what I think is right. I wouldn’t say that I’m Brockway a fearmonger either, represents but I do worry for my county children and grandBoard children, as I see the District 3. dramatic shift to the extreme left in this country today. The Declaration of Independence
When CNG Crashes Happen, Public Doesn’t Know
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
to, evident in his repeated election in the Town of Maryland and, now from his Maryland/Westford, Worcester/Decatur district on the county board. On the other hand, he can operate in sophisticated circles as well, working for Fortune 500 U.S. companies and German food-processor Budenheim. He’d be equally comfortable on the sidewalks of Edmeston and Albany’s plush Senate chambers. Plus, he has ideas and the oomph to move them forward, evident in championing the 30-job distribution center on Schenevus’ I-88 exit. • Let’s get behind an Otsego County successor to Senator Seward. So far, Oberacker’s the only one. Other ones may emerge. But if they don’t, he’ll do fine.
William The Conqueror
ou know me. A synapse sparks inside my skull, and I’ve shot back 1,000 years to grab a good story. Sorry, but it’s an old habit. And after four-score years, I’m unlikely to break it. And, besides, in this instance, this one’s not a JIM 1,000-year leap, but only ATWELL 954. That takes us back to 1066 AD, a date that’s been stuck to the inside of your skull since fifth grade. In 1066, your teacher said, King William of Normandy controlled much of eastern France. On a clear day from
the coastline there, he could gaze across only 20 miles of water at something very tempting to him: England. William was sure he remembered a former English king, now dead, had made him a vague promise that William could succeed him on the English throne. But when that old boy died, nobody called William to tell him to pack his bags and paddle right across the Channel. Instead, word came that they’d crowned somebody named Harold, not a kingly name at all. Further, according to William’s wholly objective Please See ATWELL, A6
AllOTSEGO.com
LETTERS TO EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
HOMETOWN
HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5
History
Compiled by Tom Heitz and SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
150 Years Ago
Suicide – John VanBenscoten, a farmer in independent circumstances near New Kingston, committed suicide by hanging himself in his barn, Saturday morning last. He got up before daylight, took a lantern as was his usual custom and went out, as was supposed, to do the chores at the barn. Shortly after, other members of the family having gone to the barn, found the lantern with the light burning, on an inverted measure, and he hanging dead. He was about fifty years of age. No cause can be assigned for the act. Fire at Schoharie – A destructive fire occurred at Schoharie Court House on January 17. It was first discovered about noon in a barn of the Eagle Hotel. The hotel, with outbuildings, the Court House, one or two stores, dwellings and other buildings were destroyed. The loss is estimated at $40,000. January 1870
40 Years Ago
have been possible, but they didn’t want it. They wanted war. I can only tell England and France, “They’ll get their fight!” January 1940
60 Years Ago
Mayor James Georgeson said last night he disagreed with the theory that Oneonta’s present government needs “streamlining or revamping.” “It’s not that I won’t change my mind,” the Mayor said. “But, no one’s convinced me yet it needs changing.” Last Friday, Second Ward Alderman Francis Feeney advocated the present government be “streamlined and overhauled.” He suggested a strong-mayor type government and abolition of the present Commissions. Under Feeney’s proposal all department heads would replace the Commissions and be directly responsible to the Mayor. “The Commissions do a tremendous amount of work,” the Mayor said. “I think the board or commission government is sound.” Mayor Georgeson attributed the friction with Commissions in the past to lack of clarification and personalities who didn’t conduct themselves as city officials. January 1960
125 Years Ago
Local: A wholesale house for the sale of Chicago-dressed beef will soon be opened in Oneonta. Merlin L. Platt, who has built and stocked a large ice house, will handle meats directly from the famous Swift Company of Chicago, the goods being shipped in refrigerator cars. A subscription paper was circulated in the railroad shops at Oneonta last week for a fund towards funding an Emergency Hospital for the sole benefit of D. & H. employees. Over $200 was at once subscribed among the shop men alone, and the sum will be augmented as soon as opportunity to subscribe is given to conductors, engineers, firemen, and trainmen. January 1895
100 Years Ago
Among all the communities of Otsego County, West Laurens, one of the smallest is probably the hardest hit by the influenza, there being nearly 40 cases of that disease and five cases of pneumonia. Most of the flu victims are the children, the school being closed as nearly all the pupils are, or have been suffering from the disease. It has spread quite rapidly. It is now believed that the epidemic is at its crest as there were no new cases reported yesterday. Last evening more than 100 ladies gathered at K. of P. Hall to spend a social evening and consider the proposed organization of a Mooseheart Legion” in this city. The speaker was Charles W. Southworth, the first member of the Loyal Order of Moose in the city. He pointed out the many merits of the organization. Mrs. C.A. Boswell of Binghamton followed with an address on Mooseheart, the home maintained by the order. T.E. Blanchard was the third speaker and spoke of the order’s aims, purposes and teachings. Some 15 new names for charter members were secured, bringing the total to date to 58. January 1920
20 Years Ago
While some stock market analysts are encouraging investors to buy Amazon’s stock, critics are wondering if the company will have enough cash on hand to operate the entire year. However, Jeff Bezos, founder and chief executive of Amazon.com, who recently was named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, is laughing. “I’m just plain having fun at Amazon.com,” Bezos said. “I’m a change junkie, and I cannot imagine an environment more changing than the Internet in general and Amazon.com in particular.” The e-commerce company which began as a bookstore now sells most January 1980 everything. Amazon’s fourth-quarter sales are expected to total more than $650 million compared to $253 million for the period in 1998 and greater than its $610 million in sales for all of 1998. The company boasts a customer base of 16 million people. Adolf Hitler, his voice shrill with emotion and knife-sharp January 2000 with bitter irony, predicted ominously before a vast mass meeting that England and France alike will get “the fight” he said they had asked for, and voiced his utmost confidence that Germany would win the war. It was the seventh anniversary of Oneonta Mayor Dick Miller said Wednesday night that his elevation to Chancellor. Hitler’s speech was the first formal Andrew Weber, Oneonta Tigers General Manager, has one he had made since November 8, when he barely escaped confirmed that his NY-Penn League franchise will move death in the Munich beer hall explosion. A wildly enthusiastic to Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut for the 2010 throng was there to hear him pronounce the determination of season. Miller’s written statement states: “The fact that they the German people and its leadership unshakeable; its army the are leaving a year earlier than planned is unfortunate but greatest in the world; its position safe “from the rear” because understandable given the unanticipated opportunity preof its alliance with Russia, and bulwarked by an unchanged sented to them by the N.Y. Penn League in Connecticut.” “close friendship” with Italy. Hitler’s voice quivered, then rose Oneonta was among four N.Y. Penn League franchises in to a high pitch as he told how Germany’s enemies at home had the running for Dodd Stadium. The N.Y. Penn League also gotten the war which “they wanted.” Then, he threatened: “In considered moving the Batavia Muckdogs, the Jamestown 1939 the western powers dropped the mask and sent Germany Jammers and the Vermont Lake Monsters. a declaration of war despite all our attempts at an understandJanuary 2010 ing. Today, they admit an understanding with Poland might
80 Years Ago
10 Years Ago
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES
Often, Jail Opens Door To Help Drug Offenders Editor’s Note: This is the second of occasional columns from the county’s Alcohol & Drug Task Force on the unintended consequences of the state’s bail reform. By MATHEW JOHNSON
B
ail Reform seems to be the headline in the media these days. The debate continues on the risk versus benefit to all residents – whether charged with a crime or not. While the debate continues, we are missing an opportunity to help those with addiction and mental health disorders. People with addiction may be arrested for many different reasons. They may be charged with possession of a drug that feeds their addiction. They may be charged with a crime that directly or indirectly supports their addiction. In the past, bail was set and these residents were incarcerated because they
were unable to make bail. So what are the opportunities missed? Incarceration can be the first point of contact for an individual with a substanceuse disorder to access preventive services. It may be the very first step on their road to recovery. It starts at intake when the correctional officers and the corrections medical team assess and address the needs of an inmate with a substance-use disorder. This is the starting point where the individual will receive support for the acute withdrawal. The pathway forward is often moving the individual from incarceration in jail to an addiction rehabilitation and treatment center. This intervention helps to prevent the individual from suffering unintended consequences of substance-use disorder. So what happens when individuals have no support system following an arrest, Plase See JOHNSON, A6
THE VIEW FROM WEST DAVENPORT
How To Reduce CO2 – Trees Or Solar Panels?
A
s I’m sure many of you did, I read with great interest about the proposal to build a 3,000 acre solar farm near West Laurens. It’s a great opportunity for the affected landowners – much like the Marcellus gas and the Constitution Pipeline would have been for many New York landowners. Why is the solar farm being greeted with enthusiasm while the potential to drill for natural gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel, was greeted with loud protests? Let’s see MIKE if we can come up ZAGATA with one or more good reasons for the difference in receptivity. Those who protested the gas drilling and pipeline voiced their concern that the gas would go to New York City and thus Upstate wouldn’t benefit. Guess what, the electricity from this solar farm will go to the city. The environmental impacts – more on that later – will be borne by Upstate residents just like they were when the city flooded our valleys to build
reservoirs to supply its residents with drinking water. Then they came back and bought the remaining land so the local towns would have no way to grow their tax bases. Why would they do that, you say? It’s all about the money. • If development were to occur in the Catskills, the EPA might force the city to install a filtration system for its drinking water at a cost of about $7 billion to construct and $600 million per year to operate and maintain. That happened in 1996 and the city avoided doing that by signing the Watershed Agreement to get the EPA off its back. So much for where the energy is going. What about the environmental impacts?
With directional drilling, many wells can be drilled from the same pad. That greatly reduces the surface impacts. The pipeline right-of-way (ROW) would require clearing a few hundred acres of vegetation during construction for the ROW. However, that ROW would immediately be revegetated and thus would still provide habitat for early successional (grasses and brush) wildlife species and sequester carbon from the air. Then, via photosynthesis, that carbon, existing as carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air, would be converted to sugar to help build wood fiber and oxygen. • Recent research findings tell us two important things about that early succession. First, it is in short supply and DEC, Audubon and The Nature Conservancy are advocating forest cutting to create more of it. Why? Because 43 species of migratory songbirds are in trouble due a loss of that habitat type. Second, early successional/young forests sequester more carbon per acre than older, mature forests. The solar farm in question would put 3,000 acres, and that’s just one of many solar farms to come, under glass. Please See ZAGATA, A6
A Downtown Business Improvement District Can Help Oneonta Thrive
‘W
hat does Downtown Oneonta need?” This is a question I’ve heard and asked nearly every day since I moved to the City of the Hills in mid-2015. Answers vary but they usually fall within three categories: more people, fewer storefront vacancies, and more stuff to do. In 2017, the City of Oneonta received a $10 million award through Governor Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative. The intent of the DRI was to spur development downtown by revitalizing the Market Street
Corridor, improving the connectivity of downtown walkways, restoring upper-floor housing, improving building facades, DANNY and improving downLAPIN town’s marketability. Since the announcement of the DRI, downtown Oneonta has seen nearly $2 million awarded to local businesses and property owners,
one mixed-use housing project approved with another being proposed, the launch of a new marketing campaign, and the purchase of the abandoned car dealership on Market Street. With all the positive momentum flowing through the city, I would argue that it is time to think about how to sustain it moving forward. After all, it is not every day that the city can get a $10 million boost. Sustaining the positive momentum will require three things: 1) The ability to identify and make small bets that yield a high return;
2) The ability to coordinate marketing and branding efforts; and 3) A steady revenue stream which can be readily reinvested Downtown. Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) represent one possible way to make this happen. BIDs are city-designated districts where property owners and businesses direct funding to improve the vibrancy of a commercial corridor. BIDs are complicated quasigovernmental organizations typically led by an executive director. The executive director is overseen by a Board of Directors comprised
of downtown stakeholders. Funding for BIDs come from a special assessment billed to property owners, which is decided by the BID’s Board of Directors. BIDs can undertake a wide range of activities, ranging from streetscape beautification, to trash cleanup and snow removal, to security, to marketing and branding. Ultimately, the decision of what to do is left up to the BID’s Board of Directors. It can be argued that Downtown Oneonta has all the pieces in place for a BID. Otsego County’s one-stop shop Please See LAPIN, A6
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Via Sanctuaries, Bottom Defies Top BROCKWAY: Gun Control KUZMINSKI: for a significant rebellion, even a blue cians and legislation through lobbying KUZMINSKI/From A4 state-red state civil war, may be in place. donations. universal. It assumes that a local Is Taking Away Our Rights community can choose for whom it will Increasingly, the very legitimacy of state andThelargecommon theme here is the BROCKWAY/From A4 laws that supersede a federal law, but we can make a statement. If you read the Constitution and particularly the Second Amendment, you should be able to understand that it gives the people “the right to keep and bear arms,” and “that right shall not be infringed.” The U.S. Supreme Court in Heller vs. District of Columbia in 2008 ruled, “The Second Amendment guarantees an individual’s right to possess firearms independent of service in a state militia and to use firearms for traditional lawful purposes including self-defense within the home.” Now let me explain this so even you can understand it. Governor Cuomo, along with the Downstate Democrats, passed the Safe Act in the middle of the night, substantially limiting our gun rights. The Red Flag Law was also added to his anti-gun repertoire. This year, the governor is proposing several new anti-gun laws including: • Limiting the purchase to just 20 rounds of ammunition a month after passing a federal background check for that purchase. • Closing all gun ranges. • Requiring every gun owner to buy a million-dollar liability policy in case someone is shot with one of our guns. • Restricting the type and number of the guns we can purchase. • Passage of a state Senate bill (S7065) that would require a purchaser of any firearm, rifle or shotgun to submit to a mental health evaluation. Now I might be a dumb country boy, but that sure sounds like infringement to me. We love our guns and don’t plan on giving them up. We grew up hunting, target shooting and just plinking at tin cans in the back yard. We were taught gun safety and how to shoot and hunt by our fathers and grandfathers. It was a way of life and still is. When I went to high school, we hung our shotguns on racks in the back windows of our trucks and drove to school each day. The first day of deer season was like a national holiday. School was closed. During those times there were no incidents or mass shootings. Hell, we even had a rifle team in our school. All persons holding public office have to raise their hand and swear on the Bible or the Constitution to uphold the Constitution of the United States. It doesn’t mean just the parts you like. It means all of it, including the Second Amendment. Obviously Mr. Bennett, you didn’t follow the news very closely last week. Ninety-one out of 96 counties in Virginia have declared themselves sanctuary counties for the Second Amendment. On Martin Luther King Day well over 20,000 gun carrying, heavily armed, law-abiding citizens showed up to protest Governor Northam’s new gun laws and not a single shot was fired. Much to the dislike of our liberal media, it was a peaceful demonstration unlike the ones at colleges and universities when the students dislike hearing a Conservative speaker. In fact, those attending the Virginia protest even picked up all the garbage and protest signs before they left. It’s important to note that the extreme left-wing governor of Virginia threatens to send in the National Guard to confiscate guns if the citizens don’t surrender them. Good luck with that! Even our own Senator Gillibrand has suggested similar gun confiscation, charging any gun owner with a felony and imprisonment if they don’t comply. If cities, counties and states can declare themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants, protecting them from arrest and deportation, why can’t legal, law-abiding citizens declare their counties 2A sanctuary zones? We should be protected from being arrested and criminally charged for the rights that our forefathers fought so
hard for with their sweat and blood and are afforded to us by the Constitution of the United States. Making Otsego County a Second Amendment sanctuary means that local law enforcement won’t use its resources to prosecute the proposed “unconstitutional” anti-gun laws. Whether such a resolution has any teeth will depend on our local officials, but these measures are a reflection of the people’s sentiment on gun control. We don’t want Otsego County or New York State to be a gun-free zone. Presently we have over 2,400 members in the Otsego 2A Sanctuary Movement, and it’s growing every day. We have collected thousands of signatures on our petitions. Mark my word - this is just the beginning. In fact, the New York Times last Tuesday had a headline that read, “The Second Amendment Sanctuary Movement Isn’t Going Away.” It should be noted that some people who disagree with this movement went on social media and around Cooperstown and other communities in Otsego County, threatening to boycott those businesses that have 2A Sanctuary petitions on their counters. These actions are not acceptable. We are not alone. The Second Amendment movement started a year ago in Western New York. Wyoming County became the first sanctuary county in January 2019. Today there are groups forming in Delaware, Chenango, Ulster, Schoharie, Oneida, Madison, Hamilton and Herkimer Counties, and I’m sure there are many more that I don’t know about. Australia passed a law forcing all their citizens to give up their guns. Their crime rate went up 400 percent in less than a year, because criminals didn’t obey the law. Cuomo already released most recently arrested individuals that were held on bail and wants to close a number of the prisons, just turning dangerous, convicted criminals out on the streets. Tell me Mr. Bennett, what are you going to do when one of them crashes through your door at three o’clock in the morning? Call 911? The police might make it to East Merideth in about an hour - maybe not. Do you feel safe with that reality? Thomas Jefferson was adamant about including the 2nd Amendment in the Bill of Rights. He wrote, “The beauty of the 2nd Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it away.” He also said, “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is at the last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.” It is estimated by the FBI that there are more than 420 million guns in the United States, yet the largest number of gun crimes is in cities with the toughest gun laws and are governed by Democrats. There were over 500 gun-related killings in Chicago last year. Hundreds of others were wounded. Baltimore is just as bad, and I bet none of those weapons were legally obtained through background checks. Gosh, maybe politicians should try confiscating guns in our inner cities from gang members and criminals before they attempt it with law-abiding citizens. I asked a good friend of mine one day, “Why do you always carry a gun?” He simply replied, “I don’t plan on being a victim!” My wife commented, “What person in America would be OK with taking away any of our rights? This is not a partisan thing. Republicans are not the only ones who hunt and own guns. We have to protect the Constitution.” Believe it or not Larry: If we lose the Second Amendment, the rest will soon follow. RICK BROCKWAY Laurens Rick Brockway represents Laurens and Otego on the county Board of Representatives.
serve as a sanctuary, no matter what the law says, thereby embracing some fugitives but excluding others. Communities offering selective protection are likely to end up segregating themselves from neighboring communities which make different choices, further fragmenting the country. Sanctuary communities are controversial, insofar as they stand in defiance of the law. They are a form of civil disobedience, a radical step people take when normal options fail to work. Climate change, pro-life, civil rights, anti-war, pro-labor and anti-corporate activists have all turned to civil disobedience at frustrating points in their struggles. There have always been grievances arising out of accumulated moral affronts and economic insecurities. But there seems to be deepening polarization at home and abroad, evident in seemingly intractable problems like climate change, social identity, and economic inequality. This new desperation says a lot about where we are as a nation, politically and culturally. It suggests that the normal channels of political give and take are no longer functioning as they should. We haven’t yet reached anything like revolution, but the preconditions
and federal government is being called into question. What kind of rebellion is brewing? The willingness of activists of all stripes to defy state and federal law suggests that this isn’t a traditional left-right conflict, but a revolt by those at the bottom (local communities) against those at the top (concentrations of economic and political power). This conflict is largely due to two powerful, mostly politically unaccountable forces bearing down on us: big government and big business. Right wingers complain about big government and give big business a pass, and left wingers complain about big business and give big government a pass. But, in fact, both big government and big business are a problem for everyone. The sanctuary movement reveals the threat by big government to local values held dear by the left (multi-culturalism and open borders) and the right (personal freedom and the Second Amendment). Resistance to big business by both the left and the right is similarly evident in the growing opposition to the threats to small businesses and local communities by corporate giants like Walmart and Amazon, and to their control of politi-
disempowerment of individuals and communities. Big corporations and big government are largely free to override local interests. Local governments have little authority to defend their values and way of life against decisions made in Albany, or Washington, or in distant corporate board rooms. The irony of the sanctuary movement is that local communities can provide little sanctuary for their citizens when it comes to regulating social and economic power coming from the outside. It could be otherwise. Short of civil disobedience, the Home Rule provision of New York State was successfully invoked by activists to pass anti-fracking bans which were instrumental in persuading Governor Cuomo to ban fracking in the state. That shows what communities could do to protect their interests if they were more broadly empowered. Expanding the scope of Home Rule powers is an important (and neglected) way to make political and economic power more accountable, and make our communities truly sanctuaries. Adrian Kuzminski, former Hartwick College philosophy professor and Sustainable Otsego moderator, lives in Fly Creek.
ZAGATA: Trees Absorb CO2; Solar Panels Avert It ZAGATA/From A5 The trees and other vegetation would be gone – thus no longer would wildlife, except maybe for a meadow vole, call it “home.” What about carbon sequestration? Gone! Not only would that land no longer be good for wildlife, but it would cease sequestering carbon. Has anyone done the math to determine if the solar energy produced on those acres will at least replace the loss of the carbon that was being sequestered? Where have all the protesters gone? It is likely the county will be happy, as the land will no longer be taxed as agricultural land but at a much higher rate as industrial land. That about the landowners who lease their land? You might be tempted to ask why the company isn’t offering to buy their land. It’s quite simple. After about 20 years, the expected useful life of the solar panels, the company will walk away, and the landowner will be faced with the cost of disposal of the hazardous wastes associated with 3,000 acres of toxic solar panels. That will be a tidy sum and could be even greater if the solar farm were declared to be a superfund site. Remember, those Albany scientists that want to over-build our renewables energy capacity by three-fold despite what that will cost to those of us who
use that energy? Recall that solar energy has a reliability factor of about 25 percent. (It can be depended on 25 percent of the time – that means that 75 percent of the time you can’t depend on it). Wind is slightly better with a reliability factor of 35 percent. So, with solar the un-reliability factor is 75 percent and with wind it’s 65 percent. During that time the energy being produced is zero. It doesn’t matter if I overbuild by a factor of three or a factor of five – 3 x 0 = 0 and 5 x 0 = 0. That’s how much energy will be available to keep your pipes from freezing during the un-reliability periods. You might be tempted to say that we may be able to use Lithium-ion batteries to store the energy. Aside from the environmental impact of mining those materials, consider that we get them from countries that are not friendly. If you’re old enough to remember the oil embargo in 1973-74, then you know what the OPEC countries were able to do to our economy and way of life. It wasn’t pretty. Do we really want to repeat that mistake again? I asked earlier about the glaring absence of protesters because their absence would seem to be revealing. One might ask if their concern was
really about the environment or if we’re looking at a social agenda geared towards changing the way we live that would have little or no positive impact on the environment. Indeed, it could be quite negative – both economically and environmentally. That should concern you. Read the story about Crescent Dunes, a Nevada solar power project, in the Jan. 16, 2020, issue of The Wall Street Journal. The Obama Administration, against the recommendations of its own scientists, went ahead and made $737 million in loan guarantees for this project and it went belly up – that’s $737 million of your tax money and another $140 million of private investor funds that went up in smoke. Combine that with the fact the Chenango County solar farm is only producing 10 percent of the energy promised and you have no choice but to question where we’re headed. The environmental impacts are only now being recognized and no one seems interested in the adverse economic impacts. Renewables are today’s “poster child”, but how will they fare with age? Mike Zagata, DEC commissioner in the Pataki Administration and a former environmental executive for Fortune 500 companies, lives in West Davenport.
ATWELL: The Conqueror Grabbed Lemons, Made Lemonade
ATWELL/From A4 spies, Harold was a ninny. He was too indecisive to run a village shop, much less a kingdom. “Indecisive” had no place in William’s vocabulary. And so, absent invitation, he did pack his bags, plus 7,000 soldiers and lots of horses. Then he waited, but not for long. For in late September 1066, the prevailing Channel winds swung westward. That’s when William stood on his lead ship’s quarterdeck and shouted, “Anchors aweigh!” which is to say, “Hoist anchors!” Even so, his stalwarts couldn’t respond by singing “Anchors Aweigh,” (since it wouldn’t be composed till 1904 and first be sung at an Army-Navy game, where it inspired the Midshipmen to a 10-0 victory over the Cadets.) But William’s seadogs
could each reach up and tug their forelocks (origin of the military salute), and then bellow out, “Aye, my lord!” Then they began cranking up anchors by the hundreds. The westerly winds held steady, and in just a few hours, William’s own ship, first of his invasionary force, plowed into the shore to “quench its speed in the slushy sand.” (Somebody else wrote that phrase much later – and with steamy overtones that shocked Victorians. If you don’t believe me, look it up yourself.) OK, I’m pausing just a moment, wondering if I’ve dropped the reins of free association, and the horses have run away with me. Well, tough taffy! I’m having too much fun to rein them in. . . “Now,” as good old Paul Harvey used to say, “for the rest of the story.” Anxious to
LAPIN: BIDs Useful Tool
LAPIN/From A5 for economic development is located at 189 Main St. There’s an energized city government and staff. Destination Oneonta coordinates marketing for its members and hosts events. And the buzz of redevelopment has reached the ears of many downtown property owners. BIDs can empower downtown entities to coordinate with one another, decide how monies should be invested, and have the skin in the game necessary to encourage strong decision making. BIDs have been implemented successfully in communities of varying sizes nationwide ranging from smaller municipalities like Hyannis, Mass., to a large metropolis like New York
City. However, BIDs, on their own, are not a surefire key to downtown success. The public must be given the opportunity to weigh in on the services the BID could provide. Administration of the BID must not hinder the delivery of services. Outcomes achieved by the BID must be tracked, verified and reported on. The completion of the DRI will lead to a more vibrant, resilient downtown. As we look longterm, past Common Council terms and economic upswings and downturns, Oneonta will need the services of a BID or equivalent organization to make targeted investments that make our community a great place to live, work and play. Danny Lapin represents the City of Oneonta’s District 13
be the first ashore, William swung one armored foot over his landing boat’s side and planted it firmly in the sandy slush. (Sorry.) But then, alas and alack! When he swung down the second foot, he must have caught his boot’s toe on an oarlock. And so what next plunged into the mud were his royal head and face, neck and shoulders, hands and forearms. Horrified gasps from everybody clambering out of nearby boats. Sancta Maria! The king on his hands and knees in the muddy water! If this is an omen, it’s a hell of a one for starting an invasion. But wait! Just watch how this canny guy saves that disastrous moment and spins it into a triumph! William rears back on his knees and pauses, water squirting from every crack in his armor, eyes closed seemingly in prayer. (They are really stinging something fierce from grit and salt water.) Then he slowly stands, but not before grabbing up two fistfuls of mud. He holds these up in triumph. and he shouts. “See how I grasp this land as God has destined!” In that one boffo instant, brilliant Will turns falling face-down in the mud into
something solemn, Godintended: He’s kissed the coastline, then knelt in prayer, and then triumphantly raised up those symbolic clumps of mud. What a guy! No wonder they started calling him “The Conqueror”! As you might imagine, I’ve always held that moment in William’s life as the very symbol for anybody’s rescuing victory from the jaws of defeat. It’s quick thinking that does the trick. And for my many years as academic administrator, it worked for me more times than not. But not always, and not on my very first day as a dean when, in terms of appropriate dignity, I might as well have plunged headfirst into plashy mud. No room to tell you about that in this column. So now I’ll add only this: There’s a guy living in Hastings right now, in 2020, who’s profiting greatly by association with William, making a great living by constructing sidewalks all over East Sussex. His ads all call him, “William the Concretor.” Jim Atwell, retired college administrator and Quaker minister, lives in Cooperstown.
JOHNSON: Jail Can Open Doors
JOHNSON/From A5 arraignment and release on their own recognizance? What happens when an individual who has a substance-use disorder that is the underlying cause of the crime is released, only to continue to feed their addiction? While bail reform is needed, the residents of New York State need a well thought out approach; one that respects equality and does not leave those who need services
the most to suffer in silence. Has bail reform created unintended consequences, missed opportunities or both? It would benefit all of us if the legislature can find common ground to address these issues, without collateral damage to anyone. Mathew Johnson is an R.N. and community health nurse with the county Public Health Department, with experience as a R.N. at the county jail and county Family Services’ Division of Juvenile Justice.
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7
EMTs Celebrate Lemister, Who Affirms The Good They Do
God’s work.” LEMISTER/From A1 The audience erupted into Phillips, a member of the a standing ovation. Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Young Fred, shortly after Department and its ambureturning from Holy lance squad. Cross College in For an hour Worcester, Mass., following a two-hour joined the year-old reception, Lemister, Cooperstown squad with wife and helpin 1970, two years mate Karen by his before taking over his side, was showered family’s restaurant, with praise, gifts and Sherrie’s, where fond remembrances. Mel’s at 22 is today. But, true to form, he Satriano His first call, in turned it around. March 1971, involved Taking the podium a Fly Creek man who died as the evening neared an while snowblowing. The end, he declared to the rapt young recruit was devastated, gathering, “You are a unique but “Dunnie” – Alton G. breed, people. Don’t ever forget that. You are different. Dunn, Jr., one of the founding squad members – “applied Fortunately different. You verbal first aid to me.” And are not like most people, and he stayed, and soon was be thankful for that. mentoring others. “Life is a gift, people,” he On arriving from Long continued. “And we need to Island in 1989 with two give back for that gift. You years’ professional experipeople here have given back ence in Queens, Bob Satriano for that gift. I look upon you – to Fred, “Babalouie” as being Good Samaritans, – was immediately drafted as helping other people in by Lemister into the need without any thought of Cooperstown squad. reward. In his remarks, Satriano “You are indeed doing
Fire Chief Jim Tallman in his remarks. “So much so that the State of New York said the whole class had to take the test over again. “On the retest, everyone did just as well or better.” Eric Pierce, Cooperstown’s squad captain, chaired the organizing committee (and emceed the evening), and said he had no trouble lining up support. Brian Wrubleski, Mel’s at 22 Proprietor, Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA organized the catering – built around beef tenderloin – from Morris EMT Adam Weissman holds up the Cooperstown Fire Department’s plaque bearing his vacation in Hawaii. the name of lifetime members: Fred’s name had In addition to Pierce and been added to the last empty nameplate. At right Satriano, the organizing is Fred’s wife Karen. committee included Monica Carrascoso, Diane Nicols, recounted one of his first “I thought Fred would Mike Simons, Victor Jones, experiences, wading through need HIS blood pressure Alicia Lasher and Allison chest-high snow in response taken. ‘Babalouie, take her Phillips. to a call at a German Flatts into another room and do Fred and Karen, who are trailer with the unflappable not come out until she can also Rudy’s Liquor Store veteran, who handled such take blood pressures – and proprietors, have been challenges routinely. accurately,’” said Satriano. “I spending as much time as Soon recruited to help think we finished about 1:30 they can in Florida with Fred with EMT training, he a.m. Exam night, they all the families of son Andrew recalled how, just before passed with excellence.” (including twins Addison and a state exam, a student And that wasn’t unusual. AJ, both 11) in Jacksonville, admitted she had never taken “I remember an EMT final and daughter Kimberley blood pressure during six exam given and whole class and her family (including months of training. did unbelievably well,” said
McKenna, 9, and Cassidy, 7) in Oviedo. So one of the gifts they received were airline tickets, as well as a Cooperstown Bat and a bowl of 9,400 M&Ms, one for each of Lemister’s calls. Brinton Muller, Bassett Healthcare’s network director for emergency preparedness, announced the EMS Room in the ambulance bay at the Cooperstown hospital’s emergency room will be renamed in A. Fred Lemister’s honor. In his remarks, Chief Tallman also picked up on the family theme, thanking Karen “for loaning Fred to us,” and for “the missed dinners, the holidays, the birthday parties, and times you were left at a table in a restaurant … That is dedication.” He pointed out Fred would have been in the fire department 51 years this March, in addition to joining the squad in 1970, the year after it formed. He recalled the many calls and his success as an instructor. “That is dedication,” he repeated.
Otsego County Rep. Oberacker Republican Runs At Democratic Wall Planning To Seek Senate Seat Farmingdale president, and dent, moved the company to OBERACKER/From A1 Dan Crowell, the former the Town of Maryland, east of the retiring state Sen. Jim county treasurer who is Schenevus. Seward, R-Milford. leaving the Army Reserves Oberacker and his wife “It’s been reassuring to after returning this month Carol have two grown have a state senator who from Somalia, have both said children, Holli and Derek. knows us by name,” said the they are not interested in a During this period, 53-year-old Republican from Senate campaign. Oberacker had been calling Schenevus, That’s also “the Oberacker and his two on accounts nationwide and hardest part: trying to emulate sisters were born on Long commuting back and forth Jim Seward, how he’s been Island. As his father, Peter between College Station and serving the district for 30-40 Sr., used to tell it, the family’s the family’s home on Smokey years in a calming, nonVW bus “ran out of gas and I Avenue. He was elected controversial way. bought a house.” Actually, the Maryland town supervisor The way forward opened son says, his mother’s parents and, then, in 2015, was up Tuesday evening as lived in the area. elected to the county Board of Assemblyman Chris Tague, The son was 5 at Representatives, succeeding R-Schoharie, whose the time and grew up Worcester’s Don Lindberg. district includes four locally, graduating He quickly began to Otsego County towns from Schenevus’ accumulate responsibilities, and was seen as the Andrew Draper High for the past two years as leading Republican School, then studying chairman of the Public contender to succeed food sales and distriWorks Committee, which is Seward, took himself bution at SUNY Delhi. currently studying a possible out of the running. He He joined his father combined highway garage at cited loyalty to his in operating Spicy the Northern Catskill BOCES 102nd District, where Pete’s Meats, a retail in Milford, among other he was elected less Tague and wholesaler. When initiatives. than two years ago. his father passed On learning of Seward’s In the next two away in 1993, the son joined decision to retire, Oberacker weeks, Oberacker said, General Spice, then became said he was concerned that county Republican Chairman an executive chef at Conagra, initiatives of particular Vince Casale will be introdeveloping Wendy’s spicy interest to him – a prospective ducing him to the county chicken breast, among other 300-job distribution center chairmen in the other eight products. at Schenevus’ I-88 exit, counties in the 51st District, By the turn of the century, and finding a safe berth for asking for their support. he was working for Germanstudents in the financially Initial soundings he’s troubled Schenevus Central taken are encouraging, Casale based Budenheim USA, a food-additive company. School District – would fall said. “It’s important for us When Budenheim laid off by the wayside. to keep representation in The first step of any Otsego County” – it’s also the U.S. executives, he and a colleague, Ron Wheeler, prospective candidate, he geographic center of the 51st founded their own company, said, is “you go to your – “as we’ve enjoyed for the FormTech Solutions. wife, and you basically ask past 34 years,” he added. The R&D firm located in permission.” Then “I called Asked about Oberacker’s College Station, applying my business partner. He intentions, Seward said “I’ve research developed by Texas looked at me as if I’d lost my known the Oberacker family A&M scientists to industry. head.” However, “they both for decades. He has the In 2018, Oberacker, the CEO, supported me,” and the effort right skill set, demeanor and and Wheeler, the COO/presiwas launched. experience to make a great candidate.” If Oberacker wins the support of the county GOP chairmen, “he certainly will have my full support. I would consider him a very worthy successor.” Before Seward announced he will be retiring on Dec. 31, when his current term ends, Jim Barber, a Schoharie farmer and son of J. Roger Barber, state Ag & Markets commissioner in the Carey Administration, announced he was seeking the Democratic BUY • SELL • RENT nomination. It’s unknown if other Democrats will now Also specializing in Property Management emerge. Locally, two possible Rob Lee Democratic contenders, Licensed Real Estate Salesperson former Oneonta Mayor John Nader, now SUNY 607-434-5177 roblee1943@gmail.com
CAUCUS/From A1 With two open seats in the Wednesday, March 18, election, she will be contending against two incumbent Democrats, Joe Membrino and MacGuire Benton, both of whom are facing their first contested election. “It’s time to give back to the community that’s given me so much in terms of support,” said Robbins, accompanied to the Saturday, Jan. 25, caucus by husband, Matt, a Morgan Stanley senior vice president and financial adviser with a local office at 21 Railroad Ave., and their daughter, Maggie, 9. Three days before at a caucus in Village Hall, Democrats, by acclamation, nominated Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh for another term as well as Membrino and Benton. Lacking a write-in challenge, Tillapaugh would be unopposed on March 18. In nominating Tillapaugh, former mayor Jeff Katz said, “It’s not a given that productive government continues.” For her part, Tillapaugh said she is running to complete construction projects now underway, many of which were begun in Katz’s six-year administration that ended in 2018: the $8.6 million sewage-treatment plant reconstruction to the $5 million Doubleday Field renovations. The impetus continues with the Pioneer Park redo and “a lot of infrastructure projects,” she said. Membrino, a retired U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs lawyer whom the mayor appointed in April 2019 to serve out Lou Allstadt’s term, thanked the 40-some attendees for their confidence in him. Asked later about the Robbins entry, he said, “I think it is an inspired decision on her part, and a generous one.” Benton, the county’s Democratic deputy elections commissioner, who was elected in 2019 for a one-year term to fill a vacancy, called his first year in office “a huge education.” All seven Village Board members are Democrats, and have been since 2012, when Republican then-Mayor Joe Booan and Trustee Willis Monie completed their terms. The year before, 2011, four trustee positions had gone to the Democrats, with the election of newcomers Jim Dean, Walter Franck and Tillapaugh, and Katz’s reelection. The next year, Katz was elected mayor in an uncontested race. For the previous several years, village elec-
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A smiling Mary Margaret Robbins Sohns accepts the Republican nomination to run for Village Board at the Saturday, Jan. 25, caucus.
tions had been contested, but that ended. “In short order,” said Katz, “people realized we were making progress and things were changing,” and support solidified. Since, Republicans fielded only one candidate, Landmark Inn proprietor Fred Schneider in 2018, when Democrats Dean and Cindy Falk were reelected. Katz and the Democrats had championed paid parking, which began to generate $400,000 annually, and in the year that followed, funding and grantsmanship underwrote investment in streets, sidewalks and sewerage, not just downtown but throughout the village. The past year, however, has been punctuated with controversy, from diagonal parking on lower Pioneer Street, a proposed apartment complex between Chestnut Street and Pine Boulevard, the addition of blinking lights at crosswalks and a zoning revision that would allow larger homes to be broken up into apartments. A native of Delhi, Robbins said she was first asked to run for village office some 22 years ago by the late Stu Taugher, the longtime trustee, mayor and community leader, when she had recently moved to the village as a young pharmacist. She was intrigued, but wasn’t able to follow through at the time. “I think it’s time we work together,” she said. “I’m hoping to represent the people of the community.” While the Republican nominee, Robbins recalled her grandmother advising her when she first registered to vote. “You never vote along party lines,” the older women told the younger one. “You always vote for the best candidate.”
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MLS#124807 $90,000 Terrific Property Large yard, 3-BR, 2-bath double-wide on 6 acres. Attached 2-car garage, full basement, shed, fenced-in Spacious 4 BR, 2 bath house ispasture. close to I-88. Large Call Melissa Klein @ 518-705-5933 (cell)Make your backyard, workshop/garage, small shed. appointment today. Priced to go this week! Virtual Tour: www.RealEstateShows.com/708598
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MLS#124820 $259,000 Multi-use Property in Edmeston Redeemed to perfection. Investment property of 3,436 sq ft, private home, horse stables. Amazing price! Call Donna Schulz @ 607-267-6330 (cell)
MLS#124487 $83,000 Village Farmhouse Built in 1890 on a corner lot. 2,366 sq ft of living space. Wide plank floors, pine wainscoting. 4 BRs, 2 baths. Waltons’ porch Call Pamela Andela @ 315-717-1907 (cell)
MLS#123203 $174,900 Well Maintained home on .5 acre in Worcester has detailed moldings, upgrades, hardwood floors, fireplace, large detached garage w/electric. Call Melissa Klein @ 518-705-9849 (cell)
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MLS#114624 $59,900 MLS#122670 $159,000 1982 double-wide w/3 BRs, 2 baths and 1½ story, 2-car Possible Farmette in all directions. 3 BRs, garage. New heatingViews system, updated electrical, new built 1854 w/dairy barnNew on 7ceiling acres.in28’ x 40’bath. 3-bay wallsinand ceiling in 1 BR. master garage, plusP.steel carport, concrete RV pad. Call Sharon Teator @ 607-267-2681 (cell) Call David Mattice @ 607-434-1647 (cell)
MLS#124733 $299,000 Goodyear Lake Remodeled Home Comes w/canoe, kayaks, paddleboat. Successful baseball rental. 3 BRs, 2 baths, large decks. Great lawn. Call Stephen Colwell@ 607-435-6542 (cell)
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MLS#124400 $535,000 Location, Location Retail corridor— 1.4 acres on State Rte 28, Hartwick. Money maker. 6 units, a lot collecting rent. Diligently maintained by owner. Call Sharon Teator @ 607-287-2681 (cell)
MLS#124662 $49,000 Don’t Pay Rent! Low taxes! Move in now! Seller owned for 52 years. Roof, boiler and water heater are 12 years old. Call George (Rod) Sluyter @ 315-520-6512 (cell)
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MLS#122007 $239,000 Secluded Peaceful Setting On 4 acres. 1-floor living w/2,746 sq ft in Otego. Energy-efficient, enclosed porch, 2 decks. 4 BRs, 3 baths. Call Carol Olsen @ 607-434-7436 (cell)
MLS#123824 $239,000 150’ Lake Frontage View of entire lake. End of road, dock, boat lift, full deck, 3 BRs, furnished, freshly painted. Move-in condition. Call George (Rod) Sluyter @ 315-520-6512 (cell)
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OTSEGO.life
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THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
from
ATURE, INSPIRATION
what’s fun
in Otsego County
BEST BETS
Michael Whaling reconnects with the muse that allowed him to create rustic furniture from flotsam and jetsam, and counting its buyers among a Fortune 500 CEO. At right, he leafs through “The Garden Wall at Beekman Farm,” a collaboration with Leila Durkin.
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Ian Austin/
Kirsten Gargash and daughter Skylar stir up their beef and venison chili at the CANO’s 2019 Chili Bowl.
Chili Bowl Returns, Wings And Things And Chilly Harvest
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Jim Kevlin/
Michael Whaling Masters Wood, Stone
I
“Go see her,” she urged; the two had been girlhood volunteers together at the American Natural History Museum on Central Park West. “I will call ahead and let her know you’re coming.” • In the woods, Whaling, the stone mason and woodworker, had happened on a branch in the form of a 90-degree loop. “I thought: That’s half a chair,” he said the other day during an Please See WHALING, B2
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
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hen Susie Weil, longtime Smithy Pioneer Gallery trustee, saw Michael Whaling’s first chair, she urged him to take an example to her girlhood friend, Aurelia “Thistle” Brown, at the Windspread Gallery in Northeast, Maine. Whaling’s railings on the Hagers’ Woodland Lodge were written up in Architectural Digest in 1995.
With Affection, Revered OHS Principal Bid Adieu Friends Remember Bud Pirone As Inspirational Leader book,” she said. “When it was finished, I took it over to him, and he just grinned ONEONTA from ear to ear.” Pirone, revered history ven when William teacher, principal, tennis “Bud” Pirone was coach and co-founder of at Fox Nursing the Oneonta High School Home, Madolyn Palmer Alumni Association, died wanted to make sure on Jan. 13, 2020, one day he was still part of the shy of his 81st birthday. A Bud Pirone in Alumni Association he his heyday. funeral was held Saturday, helped create. Jan. 25, in the Belden Ian Austin/ OTSEGO.life “He was still able to commuAuditorium. With hands on the box with Bud Pirone’s ashes, nicate with us about the program Please See PRINCIPAL, B2 Pastor Breuninger says a final prayer. By LIBBY CUDMORE
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t’s everyone’s favorite fundraiser as CANO hosts the annual Chili Bowl. Buy a handdecorated bowl and fill it with as many types of delicious chili as you can eat, then vote for your favorite! Noon-4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 2, CANO, 11 Ford Ave, Oneonta. Info (607) 432-2070. LIBBY • CUDMORE There’s more good eats in Richfield Springs! Show off your slow-cooker skills with a free-to-enter Crockpot contest, then stick around for a Wing Fling, with tasty wings to eat in or take out. 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. contest, 2:30 for wings Saturday, Feb. 1. Richfield Springs Veterans Club. 13 Lake St, Richfield Springs. (315) 858-9924. • Go back in time to a wintery tradition with an ice harvest. Help pack the ice house, then cozy up with a hot soup buffet. Cost, $9/adult/teen. Children under 12 enter free. 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, Hanford Mills Museum, 51 Co. Hwy. 12, East Meredith. (607) 278-5744. • Celebrate opening of exhibit of paintings by Julia Allidi depicting old Oneonta and D&H railroad. 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, Greater Oneonta Historical Society, 183 Main St, Oneonta. Info (607) 432-0960. • Foothills presents The Met Live in HD: “Porgy and Bess.” 12:55 p.m. Saturday, Feb 1, Foothills Performing Arts Center, 24 Market St., Oneonta. Info (607) 431-2080. • Work up a Super Bowl appetite with a 90-minute spinning class to benefit the Mobile Cancer Screening Coach. 8:30-10 a.m. Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. 607-547-2800, ext. 129.
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Truitt Trial Spins Tangled Tale TRUITT/From A1 told me he didn’t do it because he was sitting in jail, but that Heather should be dead because she had him arrested.” “I thought she died,” Engler continued. “He said, ‘It is what it is.’ When I asked him how he knew about the fire, he said that he had his ways.” But Heather, who spent the night with a friend, wasn’t dead. Instead, John Heller, a former Oneonta firefighter, died of smoke inhalation just inches from the same thirdfloor window that he helped his fiancée, Amber Roe, and their four nephews, Donovan, 9, Maddox, 7, Macall, 5, and Rawley, 2, escape through. Gabriel’s trial in the fatal fire – where he faces charges of arson in the first degree, murder in the first degree and two charges of murder in the second degree, began Tuesday, Jan. 21 with jury selection,
and opening statements on Thursday, Jan, 23. • “I ran outside and yelled ‘John Heller is in that house!’ He was a firefighter, I thought maybe they’d try a little harder to find him.” The night of the fire, Heller and Roe were hosting their nephews for a sleepover. “John jumped up and said ‘The house is on fire.’” She went out onto the fire escape first and Heller began to hand her the boys. But John didn’t come out. Now trapped on the fire escape, she screamed for help, which woke up neighbors John and Cailin Purcell, who called 911, retrieved a ladder and kept the family inside their home while firefighters battled the blaze. “I ran outside and yelled ‘John Heller is in that house!’” said Roe. “He was a firefighter, I thought maybe they’d try a
little harder to find him.” Firefighter Matt Hitchcock testified that when he found Heller, he was face-down in front of the window by the fire escape. “I noticed no signs of life,” he said. Investigator Bill Haynes of the Sotera Investigative Group traced the fire to the front of second-floor Apartment C, later identified as Engler’s apartment. He took three samples of wood from the scene and mailed them to Analytical Forensic Institute, a laboratory specializing in chemical analysis of ignitable liquids in fire debris. “I determined that an ignitable liquid had been poured at the bottom of the stairs and in front of Apartment C,” he said. Muehl also brought Laurel Mason, owner and laboratory director of Analytical Forensic Evidence, to testify that the two samples taken from either side of the doorway came back positive for isopropyl alcohol. •
“He stored (rubbing alcohol) in a closet to the left of his barber salon. He used it to disinfect combs, brushes and skin.” Heather Engler, who had previously been in a “rocky” romantic relationship with Gabriel, testified that she saw him at the Sip & Sail, where she went with a friend, Niko. Outside the bar, Gabriel attacked Niko and the two, along with another man, were arrested. Heather went home with another friend, and when she woke up on Dec. 29, she had a message from Rochelle telling her about the fire. “I got up and ran to my apartment, and the fire trucks were already there,” she said. Engler testified that she had been in Truitt’s Tru Cuts Barber Shop “over 100 times” and had often purchased large bottles of rubbing alcohol for him. “He stored it in a closet at his barber salon,” she said. “He used it to disinfect combs, brushes and skin.”
Surveillance video from Tru Cuts shows Gabriel, Terrence and an unidentified individual entering the back door of the shop at 4:03 a.m. Gabriel is seen squatting in front of his barber cabinet, grabbing two square bottles – Muehl said the label matches the brand of rubbing alcohol Heather said she purchased – and putting them in his pocket, then walking out the door. The fire is believed to have started 10 minutes later. • “You went to Heather Engler’s place because you knew what your brother was going to do.” Terrence Truitt said he went to 5 Walling Ave. from Tru Cuts to help his brother look for the keys he’d allegedly lost at the Sip & Sail. That’s when he saw the fire, he told the jury, and after he went inside, he called 911 from a cab driver’s phone. “You went to Heather Engler’s place because you knew what your brother was
going to do,” said Muehl. “You went into the burning building looking for your brother.” Gabriel’s attorney, Public Defender Michael Trossett, asked Terrence if he saw his brother at 5 Walling Ave. “No,” he replied. Video from Tru Cuts shows Terrence pacing the floors and checking his phone for seven and a half minutes before leaving out the front door of the shop. In his final piece of evidence, Muehl showed the jury an interview with Oneonta Police on Dec. 31, 2018. Gabriel claimed it was Terrence who left Tru Cuts barber shop, while he stayed inside and waited for a cab. He told police Terrence came back in a cab a short while later, contrasting what Terrence said and what the surveillance footage from the barber shop showed. “The people rest, your honor,” said Muehl.
Nature Michael Whaling’s Muse WHALING/From B1 interview in the renovated horse-barn where he lives in Sharon Springs. Collecting other pieces of wood that intrigued him, he attached them with stainless steel screws, wove a seat from dogwood branches, and some 30-years later was still sitting on the sturdy result across his living room from the Jotul wood stove he’d picked up for $2 after that 1992 fire damaged the Doubleday Café’s building. His furniture, eight pieces in all, some built on contract, “reflect the randomness you see in the woods. Michael calls the result “one-of-a-kind Adirondack-style furniture.” Whaling had gotten interested in furniture on seeing a rustic piece while working on a redo of Lou Hager Sr.’s former Woodlands Museum building. The museum closed in 1975, and in the ’80s Lou Hager Jr. had contracted with architect Phil Frisbee to convert the building into a Woodlands Lodge, for parties and lodging visitors. The redo included banisters and second-floor railings by Whaling, and were included in a write-up that appeared in the July 1995 issue of Architectural Digest. It was about that time Whaling did that first piece of furniture. He still has a second chair, built on a wildly ragged piece of apple wood he picked up by the side of a road during a local flood. • At the time he was also living in Blue Hill, Maine, and, picking up on Susie Weil’s suggestion, he crafted another chair, also from apple wood found in the woods there. He put it in the back of his truck, drove up to Northeast and introduced himself to Thistle Brown. Her reaction to Whaling’s chair was immediate. “Please bring that in,” she said. “I want to put that in my gallery right now.” • Whaling’s horse barn in Sharon Springs, with a handsome stone front and wroughtiron entry way, was renovated by his father, a plumber. Michael, born in Cobleskill, was raised in the house – “my aunt was my sixth gradeteacher; that didn’t work out too well,” he recalled – and, except for boyhood winters in Florida and a Navy stint, has lived in that village most of his life.
Returning from the Navy in 1968 – with top-secret clearance, he was assigned to the Middle East and Black Sea – he became a stone mason. For a period in the 1990s, he drove for UPS and enjoyed it. But he was promoted to manager and didn’t enjoy it, so he returned to his trade. Among his notable works is the stone fence at the Beekman Mansion, renovated a decade ago by “The Fabulous Beekman Boys,” Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge, four miles south of the traffic light at Sharon Springs. Whaling collaborated with the Roseboom photographer, Leila Durkin, on a “The Garden Wall at Beekman Farm,” a photo book issued in a limited edition, now sold out. Working with the stones at hand, he used an obelisk-like natural pillar as the centerpiece of a gathering spot for the Beekman Boys’ goats – and, sure enough, they are still drawn to gather there today. The woodwork at the Woodlands Lodge also opened opportunities for him, and one notable project was the porch at the Blue Mingo Restaurant. Whaling also become identified with local environmental movements, in particular the campaign in the early 2000s that resulted in a statewide ban on burn barrels. He was a founding member of Sustainable Otsego, and has received the Brookwood Award and other recognitions. • A week after Michael dropped off the chair at the Wingspread Gallery, the phone rang. Is was Thistle Brown: “There’s a man very interested in purchasing your piece, and he wants to meet you.” Whaling got into his truck and drove down the coast. It was Arthur Martinez, then chairman/ CEO of the Sears, Roebuck & Co. of Chicago. “Thistle said you are with Sears,” said Michael. “I guess you really ARE with Sears.” “Would you help me take it around the corner to my cottage?” asked Martinez. And some cottage it was, a large, elegant Queen Anne with turrets and a slate roof. How did you come to build furniture? the captain of industry asked the craftsman. “I decided I’d rather work with my hands,” Michael Whaling reports replying. Martinez, he recalled, “had a funny look on his face.”
Pirone Inspired OHS Students PRINCIPAL/From B1 “There is no more fitting place to gather today than here in this building, where Bud gave his service to the community,” said the Rev. Dick Breuninger, the retired United Methodist pastor. “As we look around this auditorium, each one of us could tell a story of a beloved dad, husband, coach, teacher or principal.” An Oneonta native, Pirone learned to play tennis in Wilber Park, and was watching a tennis match one day when he saw George Waddington looking worried. “Bud had just gotten tenured at Sidney school, but Mr. Waddington was worried about who was going to teach history and tennis,” Breuninger recounted. “But within three minutes, Bud had a new job!” He quickly became an inspiration to his young charges. “Kids thought history was just memorizing facts until they met Mr. Pirone,” said Breuninger.
He became principal in the mid-‘80s, and fostered an “active-learning environment” by enriching athletic and club opportunities and developing a wider variety of courses. “He wanted students to be wellrounded,” said Breuninger. “Even if that meant taking four years of math.” “My first encounter with Bud was in 1975, and I knew he was a teacher who commanded respect,” recounted Dave Forbes, the retired SUNY Oneonta track coach, who also spoke at the service. “He motivated his students to do well, and when he became principal, he led by example. He wasn’t a fan of drama; he was a problem solver. His only real problem was that he was a Red Sox fan, but what can you do?” Pirone also helped created the OHS Alumni Association, with Palmer, former business manager, and Tony Drago, the legendary basketball coach.
what’s fun in OtsegO COunty ________
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
AllOTSEGO.life
what’s fun _______
All OTSEGO. dining & entertainment
in OtsegO COunty
►Thursday, Jan. 30
Year-Round Saturday Market January - April: 10 AM - 2 PM May - August: 8 AM - 2 PM September - December: 9 AM - 2 PM EBT service available during Market hours. Ask about SNAP Match!
new york pizzeria 2 large plain pizzas $25* Tax included! Toppings extra
75 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown · 607-547-2930 126 Main Street/ Rt 20, Richfield Springs · 315-858-0405 Not valid w/other offers • 1 coupon per person
AmAzing Specials! Martini Mondays BOGO Wine Wednesday BOGO Happy Hour Friday
50% off all pizzas, well drinks & beer & wine BOgO Friday First Come, First Served 5 - 8 pm
5438 State Hwy 28 • Cooperstown • 607.282.4031 • www.boccaosteria.com
24 beers on tap HappY HoUr
5 to 8 pm Mon, tues, thurs: 1/2 off Drafts, select wines, well Drinks wed 1/2 off wings
5418 State Highway 28, Cooperstown • 607.282.4525
BLOOD DRIVE – Noon - 5 p.m. Give blood, help save a life. Upstairs Ballroom, Hunt Union, SUNY Oneonta. PRESENTATION – 1:15 p.m. “The Middle East” with Kathleen O’Donnell. Cooperstown Senior Center, St. Mary’s Church, 31 Elm St., Cooperstown. coopseniorcenter@gmail.com EXHIBIT RECEPTION – 5 - 7 p.m. “Catching Light: 3 Glass Artists,” features works by 3 artists who use different tools to create works of glass & light. Artist talk at 6, refreshments, live music. On show thru 3/20. Martin-Mullen Art Gallery, SUNY Oneonta. 607-436-2445. PRESENTATION – 6 - 7 p.m. ‘History of Voting.’ Learn importance of the past, how you can impact today! Union Square, Hunt Union, SUNY Oneonta. TRIVIA NIGHT – 8 p.m. Fun evening answering trivia about animals. Bring a donation for Susquehanna SPCA to participate. J&D’s Wagon Wheel, 18 Water St., Oneonta. 607-5478111.
►Friday, January 31 GRAND OPENING – 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. Celebrate opening of new business. See showroom, enjoy refreshments Noon - 3, enter raffle to win Dewalt Tool set. Oneonta Window & Door, 20 Lewis St., Oneonta. 607-353-8088. BLOOD DRIVE – Noon - 5 p.m. Give blood, help save a life. Upstairs Ballroom, Hunt Union, SUNY Oneonta. LAUNDRY LOVE – 1 - 3 p.m. Free laundry service to those in need. 2 loads/individual. Metro Cleaners, 115 Main St., Cooperstown. 607-433 8000. FILM – 6:30 & 9 p.m. Presenting “Knives Out.” Cost, $3/ person. Red Dragon Theater, SUNY Oneonta. FILM SERIES – 6:30 p.m. Cabin Fever film series concludes with showing of ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor’ (2018) directed by Morgan Neville. Film begins at 7. Free, donations accepted. Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. 607-547-1400. MORE CALENDAR Pg. 5
GET IN THE GAME 1 5 7 7 8 8 11 11 18 18 22 22 23 26 29
FEBRUARY SWIMMING & DIVING VS. CORTLAND WRESTLING VS. OSWEGO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. BROCKPORT MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. BROCKPORT WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. GENESEO MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. GENESEO WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CORTLAND MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. CORTLAND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL VS. OSWEGO MEN’S BASKETBALL VS. OSWEGO WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. RPI BASEBALL VS. CLARKSON BASEBALL VS. CLARKSON (DH) MEN’S LACROSSE VS. BARD BASEBALL VS. RIT (DH)
1:00PM 7:00PM 5:30PM 7:30PM 2:00PM 4:00PM 5:30PM 7:30PM 5:30PM 7:30PM 1:00PM 1:30PM 12:00PM 5:00 PM 12:00PM
4 18 20 21 21 21 24 25 27 27 28 28 28 28 31
MARCH MEN’S LACROSSE VS. SUNY MARITIME MEN’S LACROSSE VS. ITHACA BASEBALL VS. NEW PALTZ BASEBALL VS. NEW PALTZ (DH) WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. POTSDAM MEN’S LACROSSE VS. KEAN SOFTBALL VS. ITHACA (DH) BASEBALL VS. ITHACA BASEBALL VS. OSWEGO SOFTBALL VS. OSWEGO (DH) BASEBALL VS. OSWEGO (DH) WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. GENESEO SOFTBALL VS. CORTLAND (DH) MEN’S LACROSSE VS. GENESEO SOFTBALL VS. RPI (DH)
4:00PM 4:00PM 3:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 3:00PM 3:00PM 4:00PM 3:00PM 3:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 12:00PM 3:00PM 3:00PM
4 4 4 4 7 8 10 10 11 11 11 15 17 18 24 24 25 25
B-3
APRIL WOMEN’S TENNIS VS. HARTWICK MEN’S TENNIS VS. RIT WOMEN’S TENNIS VS. RIT MEN’S LACROSSE VS. BROCKPORT BASEBALL VS. MOUNT ST. VINCENT WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. CORTLAND MEN’S TENNIS VS. FDU-FLORHAM WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. OSWEGO MEN’S TENNIS VS. FARMINGDALE MEN’S LACROSSE VS. GENESEO MEN’S TENNIS VS. OSWEGO WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. ST. JOHN FISHER SOFTBALL VS. FREDONIA (DH) SOFTBALL VS. BUFFALO ST. (DH) BASEBALL VS. CORTLAND MEN’S TENNIS VS. SCRANTON BASEBALL VS. CORTLAND (DH) WOMEN’S LACROSSE VS. BUFFALO ST.
10:00AM 12:00PM 12:00PM 1:00PM 4:00PM 4:00PM 2:00PM 3:00PM 10:00AM 12:00PM 4:00PM 4:00PM 3:00PM 12:00PM 4:00PM 4:00PM 12:00PM 1:00PM
Follow us on social media @REDDRAGONSSPORTS
Note: All game times subject to change. All games are played on on the SUNY Oneonta campus at 108 Ravine Parkway. Visit our website at www.oneontaathletics.com for more information and for the latest schedules. *FREE ADMISSION TO ALL GAMES
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
B-4 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
IN MEMORIAM Beatrice Gage Merzig, 97, Oneonta; Managed Husband’s Medical Office
ONEONTA — Beatrice “Bea” Gage Merzig, 97, mother of City Attorney David Merzig, who managed her husband’s Oneonta medical practice for 30 years, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2020, following a brief illness. Born Feb. 3, 1922, she was the daughter of Scott and Florence Gage of Morris. She attended Morris Central School and graduated with honors from Houghton Academy in 1940, and graduated from Wheaton College in 1944 with a degree in Christian education. In 1945 she married John Edward Merzig of Ebenezer, Erie County, in St. Louis, where he was attending St. Louis University Medical School. She worked at Strong Memorial Hospital during John’s internship and the couple returned to Morris in 1948 to set up private medical practice. They were active in the Morris Baptist Church. Following the births of three sons, Edward, John and David, Dr. Merzig, Bea
and family were posted by the U.S. Public Health Service to Fort Defiance, Ariz., to provide medical services on the Navaho Reservation and then to Bethesda Naval Hospital in Washington, DC. Returning to Morris in 1954, Dr. John opted to specialize in anesthesia and took training at Albany Medical Center. Intent on establishing the anesthesia department at Fox Memorial Hospital, the family moved to Oneonta in 1957. Bea managed Dr. John’s medical office until his retirement in 1987. Because of her lifelong devotion to Jesus Christ, Bea quickly took up duties as teacher and administrator at Main Street Baptist Church. She served in all children and adult education levels and briefly as Sunday school superintendent. In 1966, she founded the Main Street Children’s Center. She was active in Couple’s Club, served as a deaconess and on the Christian Education Committee.
Richard ‘Dick’ Pindar, 90, Oneonta; Owned Cross Supply, Dick’s Golf Shop
She is survived by her sister, Barbara (Jack) Monson of Manlius; sons, Edward (Chris) of Albany, John (Roberta) of Telford, Pa., and David (Margery) of Oneonta. She leaves behind former daughterin-law, Barbara Merzig; grandchildren, their spouses and great-grandchildren. She will be greatly missed by these and by many nieces, nephews and friends. She was predeceased by her parents; brother, Laurence; and husband, John. The family will greet friends at an open house at Bea’s home from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1. Memorial donations in Bea’s honor may be sent to Main Street Baptist Church in Oneonta, msbchurch.org, or to Scripture Union, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, scriptureunion.org. Interment in Hillington Cemetery in Morris will follow in the spring. Arrangements have been entrusted to Johnson & Stanimer Funeral Home.
ONEONTA — Richard “Dick” Pindar, 90, of Oneonta, owner of Cross Supply Co. who, on retiring, started Dick’s Golf Shop, offering custom clubs and professional repairs, passed away on Jan. 22, 2020, at Cooperstown Center for Rehabilitation & Nursing. He was born on Sept. 6, 1929, in Harrisburg, Pa., the son of Albert P. Pindar and Dorothy (Tipple) Pindar. He graduated from Oneonta High School. He married Patricia “Patt” Cross Pindar on July 8, 1950, at First United Presbyterian Church in Oneonta. Dick and Patt celebrated 66 years together in 2016. After high school he served in the Marine Corps from 1946 to 1952. He achieved the rank of staff sergeant. After his discharge he worked for Cross Supply Inc., for 43 years. When the owner retired, Dick and Patt purchased the business. Dick was a member of First United Presbyterian Church for many years and
served as a trustee. Dick was a member of the following organizations: Oneonta Jaycees (vice president), life member of the American Legion, VFW, Marine Corps League, Oneonta Elks Lodge and the Professional Clubmakers Society. Dick was an avid reader and enjoyed working on crossword puzzle books. He also enjoyed playing pool. Fresh out of the Marine Corps the year before, in 1953, Dick was one of 12 founding members of the Marine Corps League Oneonta Detachment. Dick was an avid golfer. At retirement he started Dick’s Golf Shop, offering custom clubs and professional repairs. Dick had the rare opportunity to play in the BC Open Pro-Am at EnJoie Golf Course in Endicott on his birthday on Sept. 6, 1989. Survivors include his daughter and son-in-law, Sue and Steve Mongillo;
son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Lisa Pindar; five grandchildren, Monica Mongillo Jakiel and husband, Jonathan, Jared Mongillo and Amanda Lyons, Todd Mongillo and girlfriend, Kennie Johnson, Katharyn Pindar Ridgeway and husband, David, and Christopher Pindar; five great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. Dick was predeceased by his wife, Patricia, on Feb. 13, 2017. Calling hours and services will be announced at a later date at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, or Susquehanna SPCA building fund. Arrangements are by the Bookhout Funeral Home, Oneonta.
versar y Our 131st anni
Tillapaugh Funeral Service Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar. Our historic Family Room
Our Chapel comfortably seats over 200. George M. Tillapaugh (1888-1913) · Revo and Anna Tillapaugh (1913-1958) George G. and Marjorie Tillapaugh (1935-1988) · Martin H. Tillapaugh (1988-Present)
dignity · tradition · continuity 28 Pioneer Street, cooPerStown • 607-547-2571 Proudly serving area families since 1888
Legal
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: HAYNES HOUSE LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 17 January 2020. 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 15 Pine Blvd. Cooperstown, NY 13326. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalFeb.27 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: Central Leatherstocking Consulting LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on January 6, 2020. Office location: Otsego County. The SSNY has
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been designated as the agent of the LLC upon whom processes against the LLC may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to the LLC, 225 Bristol Road Hartwick, NY 13348. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. 6LegalFeb.27 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: MARK D. MISIEWICZ, PT, PLLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 30 December 2019. 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 235 Griggs Rd, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalFeb.27 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of The LyonsDen LLC. Filed with SSNY on
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01/13/20. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail copy to 256 Littlewood Rd, Morris, NY 13808. Purpose: Any lawful. 6LegalFeb.20 Legal nOtice Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Otsego Action to Foreclose a Mortgage Index #: EF2019-789 Mortgaged Premises: 2547 County Highway 22 Richfield Springs, NY 13439 SBL #: 25.13 - 1 - 23.02 24.00 The Money Source Inc Plaintiff, vs Jake P. Hilts, Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, Katie Jolivert, Jean Jolivert If Living, And If He/ She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real
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
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LEGALS
Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated,Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Paul Spencer, Thomas C. Knapp, Clifford Reed & Sons, Inc., People Of The State Of New York, United States Of America Acting Through The IRS, John Doe (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.)
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Defendant(s). To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Otsego. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Jean Jolivert, Defendant In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Michael V. Coccoma of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York,
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dated the Ninth day of January, 2020 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Otsego, in the City of Cooperstown. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, dated April 11, 2017, executed by Jake P. Hilts to secure the sum of $265,735.00. The Mortgage was recorded at Instrument Number 2017-1681 in the Office of the Otsego County Clerk on April 11, 2017. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed March 29, 2019 and recorded on April 3, 2019, in the Office of the Otsego County Clerk at Instrument Number 2019-1454; The property in question is described as follows: 2547 COUNTY HIGHWAY 22, RICHFIELD SPRINGS, NY 13439 NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be
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entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: January 10, 2020 Gross Polowy, LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221
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Secretary of State on 1/6/20. 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 it to: The LLC, PO Box 21, Gilbertsville, NY 13776. The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act. 6LegalFeb.20 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 36 GROVE STREET, LLC.
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Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 11/26/19. 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, c/o Bondi Iovino & Fusco, 1055 Franklin Avenue, Suite 206, Garden City, NY 11530. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalFeb.13
Notice of Formation of
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FURVENT, LLC.
Notice of Formation of a Limited Liability Company, (LLC)
The law firm of Gross Polowy, LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 4LegalFeb.6
Articles of Organization were filed with the NY
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Name: COOPERSTOWN CASITAS LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/25/2019. Office Location: Otsego County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: P.O. Box 1251, Cooperstown, NY 13326 Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalFeb.6 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Exile On Main Street, LLC Notice of formation of Exile On Main Street, LLC, a limited liability company (the “LLC”). Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of NY (the “SSNY”) on 12/17/19. Office location: Otsego County. The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC, upon whom process against it may be served. The SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to the LLC, 53 Dietz Street, Oneonta, New York 13820. Purposes: any lawful activity. 6LegalJan.30
THURSDAY, January 30, 2020
Solar Firm OYA Targets Otego SOLAR/From A1 OYA co-owner Greg Rossetti said he is hoping to lease between 15 and 40 acres to construct a community solar farm of about 5 megawatts, but that the project is only at the beginning. “We are at the earliest of early stages,” Rossetti said. “If this were my life, I haven’t even been born yet.” Under the plan, a landowner could get between $1,000 and $2,000 per acre per year. Once built, local residents would be able to subscribe and save about 10 percent on their power bills, similar to the Solstice project that opened last year north of the Village of Laurens. OYA has not yet found a landowner to work with and has not approached a power company about using its network, Rossetti said. The company already has numerous projects up and running in the U.S. and Canada, he said. Rossetti said New York is very appealing right now to solar developers because of clean energy incentives recently proposed by Governor Cuomo in his 2020-21 budget. Cuomo’s fiscal plan includes a $33 billion, five-year effort to combat climate change. Of that, $28 billion would go toward green energy. The aim is for the state to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040. “Solar all over New York is booming because of Governor Cuomo’s clean energy goals,” Rossetti said. The state Legislature must approve Cuomo’s proposal for the initiative to become law. County Board member Rick Brockway of West Oneonta, who represents the area where both companies are looking,
said he had not heard of OYA until contacted by the paper. But he pointed to past initiatives like natural gas drilling or wind farms, in which farmland was locked into leases, but farmers’ returns were minimal, and advised property owners to talk to a lawyer before signing anything. Rossetti said his leases are more favorable to landowners than many of the gas leases he has seen. OYA initially seeks short-term leases, and if a project doesn’t get started within three years the property owner can walk away. Brockway also said he was concerned that the Marcy South power line did not have the capacity to carry the energy generated, so it would have to be enlarged. Unattractive arrays and large powerlines could impact tourism, he said. “If they see wall-to-wall solar farms, they will say this is an ugly place,” Brockway said. Ellen Pope, executive director of the environmental and preservation organization Otsego 2000, said she, too, had been unaware of OYA’s proposal, but her board had discussed the Storke plan at its most recent meeting. “I am glad to hear there is another project,” she said. “The question is, can they do it right?” Pope said her group favors projects that would support a more sustainable future. Working to limit the use of fossil fuels is a priority, but so is maintaining the viability of the land for farming. “It seems silly to take the farmland out of production,” she said. “Why not install them so you can also farm?”
Dental Hygienist Oneonta Dental Office seeks a Dental Hygienist 29 hours/week (approx). Call Dr. Gerald Pondolfino at 607-432-2867.
PRODUCTION ASSEMBLER NEEDED
Assembles electronic components and sub-assemblies. Reads work orders, follows production drawings and sample assemblies. Come be a part of a family-owned business that has been employing in the greater Oneonts area for 59 years.
• One shift only • Weekends off • On a major bus route • Family-friendly hours • Benefits, 401k plan Conact Jerri at 607-432-1930 ext. 103
FROM Pg. 3
►Friday, January 31 PLANETARIUM – 7 - 8 p.m. Enjoy presentation on outer space with new Digistar 6 digital planetarium system. Free, registration required. A. J. Read Science Discovery Center, SUNY Oneonta. 607436-2011. THEATER – 7 - 10 p.m. Apollo Music club presents hit musical ‘Hair’ story of a group of politically active hippies, their take on the changing world of the ‘70s. Admission, $5/person. Goodrich Theater, Fine Arts Building, SUNY Oneonta.
►Saturday, Feb. 1 CHILDRENS DENTAL HEALTH – 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. Families struggling with insurance coverage are invited to bring the kids for free dental care. Includes cleanings, fillings, extraction, sealant, more. Community health navigators will on hand for further resources. Appointments limited, registration required. FoxCare Center, 1 FoxCare Dr., Oneonta. 607-441-4945. ICE HARVEST FEST – 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Participate in traditional ice harvesting (as long as ice is at least 8”). Also includes ice carving, fishing, hot soup buffet, exhibits by local businesses, more. Cost, $9/adult/teen. Children under 12 enter free. Hanford Mills Museum, 51 Co. Hwy. 12, East Meredith. 607-278-5744.
_________ A complete Guide to
what’s fun in OtsegO COunty _________ Send calendar items to info@allotsego.com
CROCKPOT CONTEST – 11 Hosted by published author, a.m. - 2 p.m. Open to the Jennifer Donohue. Huntington public. Free to enter. Includes Memorial Library, 62 Chest50/50 Raffle, Bake Sale, and nut St., Oneonta. 607-432Chinese Auction. Richfield 1980. Springs Veterans Club. 13 FOOSBALL TORNAMENT Lake St, Richfield Springs. – 2 p.m. The Genesee Res315-858-9924. taurant and Taproom 38 Lake TUBING – 11 a.m. - 4 St, Richfield Springs. 315p.m. Enjoy winter fun tub858-2105 ing down a hillside. Tubes WING FLING – 2:30 p.m. provided. Cost, $5/person. Mild, medium, hot, and garlic Warming hut with hot cowings. Eat in or take out. coa, snacks availableinfor Richfield Springs Veterans OtsegO COunty sale. Glimmerglass State Club. 13 Lake St, Richfield Park, 1527 Co. Rt. 31, Springs. 315-858-9924. Cooperstown. 607-547-8662. CAREER WORKSHOP – 4 OPERA – 12:55 p.m. Foot- 5 p.m. Teens aged 13-18 hills presents The Met Live learn to build a resumé, presin HD: The Gershwins’ Porgy ent professionally to future and Bess. Cost, $20/adult. employers. Part 2 will take Lunch available for purchase. place 2/8 featuring mock Foothills Performing Arts interviews with members of Center, Oneonta. Call 607the Chamber of Commerce. 431-2080. Oneonta Teen Center, ART RECEPTION – 1 p.m. 4 Academy St., Oneonta. Celebrate opening of exhibit 607-441-3999 or e-mail of paintings by Julia Allidi OurOTC@gmail.com depicting old Oneonta and VALENTINES BALL – 6 - 9 D&H railroad. Refreshments p.m. Make some beautiful will be served. Greater memories at annual ball for Oneonta Historical Society, children aged 3-13 with that 183 Main St, Oneonta. Call special adult in their life. Fea607-432-0960. tures dress up, dancing, phoWRITERS GROUP – 1:30 tographs, dinner buffet, more. - 3:30 p.m. Join other writers Cost, $75/adult, $30/child. to help improve your craft. Hunt Union Ballroom, SUNY
what’s fun in OtsegO COunty _________ what’s fun _______
AllOTSEGO.life
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Oneonta, Oneonta. 607-4320010 ext. 205. FILM – 6:30 & 9 p.m. Presenting “Knives Out.” See Friday Listing. THEATER – 7 - 10 p.m. Apollo Music club presents hit musical ‘Hair.’ See Friday Listing. THEATER – 7:30 p.m. Performance ‘Harvey’ by Stuff of Dreams Productions. Cost, $17/adult. Foothills Performing Arts Center, Oneonta. 607-432-5407.
►Sunday, February 2 BENEFIT RIDE – 8:30 10 a.m. Enjoy 90-minute spinning class to benefit the Mobile Cancer Screening Coach with $10 minimum donation. Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. 607-547-2800, ext. 129. LIONS PANCAKE BREAKFAST – 7:30 a.m - 11 a.m. Richfield Springs Central School, 93 W Main St, Richfield Springs. 315-8580610. TRAPSHOOT – 11 a.m. 3 p.m. 5 shots for $1. Ages 12 & up. Richfield Sportsmen’s Club, 1497 County Hwy 25, Richfield Springs. TUBING – 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Enjoy winter fun tubing down a hillside. See Saturday Listing. FUNDRAISER – Noon - 4 p.m. Stop by for Chili Bowl Cook-off. Featuring delicious chili, hand-decorated bowls. Support local artists. Wilber Mansion, Community Arts Network of Oneonta, 11 Ford Ave., Oneonta. 607-432-2070.
The
job scene To place effective employment ads, call 607-547-6103
Now Hiring Interpreters & Museum Teachers The Education Department at The Farmers’ Museum and Fenimore Art Museum is seeking enthusiastic, outgoing individuals to work as historic Interpreters and/or Museum Teachers in our museums. If you enjoy the thought of bringing history and art to life by demonstrating and teaching crafts and trades of the past, then this opportunity may be for you. There are several activities available including working with school-aged children; offering tours and workshops; and historic Interpretation by demonstrating and discussing broom making, weaving, pharmacy and gardening, and the Empire State Carousel. No experience is necessary; all training is provided. These positions are seasonal with schedules ranging from 1 to 5 days per week; daily hours may vary. Qualified candidates should have strong communication skills and be able to work a flexible schedule. Weekend and holiday work may be required. To apply, download an employment application from our website www.farmersmuseum.org and email to b.fischer@fenimoreart.org. EOE
Substitutes needed for:
Charlotte Valley CSD Edmeston CSD Milford CSD Oneonta City SD Schenevus Stamford Windham-Ashland-Jewett CSD Worcester CSD ONC BOCES Teacher • LTAs, Aides & Monitors • Nurses Hourly Cleaners • Bus/Van Drivers Clerical/Office Support Food Service Workers Please visit www.oncboces.org/subs for application and information. EOE
For more info and to apply, find us on the web at: wwwastrocom-electronics.com/Astrocom/ employment-opportunities.html
Otsego County Vacancies Otsego County currently has vacancies available in the following titles: Caseworker Clerk Corrections Nurse Director of Income Maintenance Dispatcher Maintenance Worker Motor Vehicle Operator – Part time Social Welfare Examiner Staff Social Worker Transfer Station Attendant – Part time
For applications, job descriptions, and minimum qualifications, visit the Otsego County Personnel Office, 183 Main Street Cooperstown, or our web page at www.otsegocounty.com. EOE
Interpretive Farmer The Farmers’ Museum is looking for a full-time Interpretive Farmer. The successful candidate will be able to interact with visitors and staff in a friendly and professional manner while demonstrating 19th Century farming techniques. Duties include working on and interpreting the farm, gardens, field crops and hop yard; handling and caring for livestock including draft horses, oxen, cows, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens and turkeys; and maintaining and repairing fences, tools, and outbuildings. This position requires solid experience working with and caring for livestock; the ability to work in extreme weather conditions and the ability to lift a minimum of 50 lbs. Equine experience is strongly preferred. The Museum will provide training on 19th century farming techniques. This position offers a competitive wage and a full benefits package including health insurance, paid time off and pension plan. To apply, please download and complete an employment application from our website www.farmersmuseum. org, and email to b.fischer@fenimoreart.org or call 607-547-1466. EOE
Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals
Accountant Residential Associates -at OFO shelters
(FT - weekend overnights w/addl. shift pay & Subs -- all shifts w/ addl. shift pay for qualifying shifts)
Home Visitor WIC Nutritionist/ Breastfeeding Coordinator HEAD START POSITIONS (All F/T with school breaks & Summers off)
Teacher/Center Director Assistant Teacher Center Associate OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competetive 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.
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