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E FR Volume 12, No. 22
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OFT CONCEPT WORKING IN BEACON, PEEKSKILL, POUGHKEEPSIE/B1
ONEONTA
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Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, March 5, 2020
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REPORT AWAITED FROM STATE AGENCY
City of The Hills
‘Ball of White Fire’ Engulfs Volunteers Lynn Farrell photo
Danielle Basdekis defends the Oneonta Lady Yellowjackets against Elmira in the STAC championships on Feb. 21. The Lady Yellowjackets will play long-time rival Norwich in the Section B semifinals at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at Oneonta.
Mother Testifies In Own Defense In Twins’ Deaths COOPERSTOWN
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Petitions Vie Over Firearms Gun-Sanctuary Foes Take Plea To County By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
Victor Jones, county Emergency Services deputy director, surveys the scene of the Middlefield fire Wednesday, Feb. 28, where five firemen were injured. Two, engulfed by flames, spent four days in Upstate Medical Centrer’s burn unit in Syracuse.
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n trial this week in Otsego County Court, Kimberly Steeley, 27, Decatur, is expected to testify Friday, March 6, in her own defense. Steeley is facing manslaughter charges in the deaths of her newborn twins, Liam and Bonde, in June 2018. In opening arguments Monday, her lawyer, Andrew Van Buren, pointed out By LIBBY CUDMORE the children’s father, T ommy Hewitt, was also present in the bedroom MIDDLEFIELD when the babies died. Follow developments on y the time the explosions began www. OTSEGO.com – “a ball of white fire,” according to one witness – came from inside the burning garage in this ON OTSEGO.com hamlet on Wednesday, Feb. 26, it was too late.
pponents of turning Otsego County into a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” are faster on the draw than proponents, at least when it comes to ‘SANCTUARY’ petitions. On their OPPOSED behalf, Mary Anne Whelan, the retired Bassett physician, was planning ►Mary Anne to turn Whelan in petiWednesday, tions with March 4, “many presented petihundred” tions opposing signatures making Otsego a “sanctuary to the county” for county guns. Updates Board of on RepreALLOTSEGO.COM sentatives when it met Wednesday, March 4. Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA “We … respectfully ask the county Board of Representatives to declare support of the current state regulations Center, Syracuse. Tallman, as well as Middlefield firefighters John Sears and concerning gun control,” it reads. “…Sanctuaries are for Ryan Smith, were treated at Bassett people, not for guns.” Hospital and released. Whelan said she alone had “In 42 years on the job, I’ve never 200 signatures on petitions she seen injuries of this magnitude,” said circulated, and she was hoping Tallman. for several hundred more from The call came in at 8:45 p.m. The Please See INJURED, A7 others circulating petitions.” She is acting now because Please See GUNS, A7
Most Hurt Since ’74 RR Explosion Near Oneonta
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►AVERY LEONARD of the Cooperstown/Milford wrestling team received a fire-engine parade on Cooperstown’s Main Street for his second-place wrestling win in the state championship. ►ag & market’s Commissioner w Richard Ball was in Oneonta this week, explaining Governor Cuomo’s 2020-21 budget to city fathers. ►COUNTY REp. Adrienne Martini’s new book, “Somebody’s Gotta Do It,” was favorably reviewed in the New York Times. ►Former Oneonta Mayor Kim Muller and SQSPCA director Stacie Haynes have been named as the city’s 2020 Trailblazers.
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“It started as this small white ball, and then it became this massive white flame that shot 100 feet out of the building,” said Cooperstown Fire Chief Jim Tallman. “The flames just came straight at us.” In all, five firemen, including Tallman, were injured in the blast. Two of them, CFD’s Jon Roach and Scott Monington, were transferred to the burn unit at Upstate Medical
Police Chief Mike Covert, 59; Helped Addicts Into Recovery By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
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ooperstown Police Chief Michael Covert helped make the Village a place people wanted to come back to, said former Mayor Jeff Katz. “Mike was a music fan, so when we had the Furthur
concert in Doubleday Field, Mike made the executive decision that, as long as it was contained there, he Covert wasn’t going to arrest most people,” Katz recalled. Please See COVERT, A6
STACIE HAYNES AMONG TOP 10 PET DEFENDERS
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tacie Haynes, Susquehanna SPCA executive director, has won national recognition for the work she does here. The Animal Legal Defense Fund of San Francisco put her on their annual list of America’s Top 10 Animal Defenders, particularly for helping found the Animal Cruelty Task Force. Details at
AllOTSEGO.com
www.
Bassett Getting Ready To Deter Coronavirus is out. “I’ve never seen anything COOPERSTOWN like this,” said David Adsit, f you’re looking co-owner and for masks and hand pharmacist. sanitizer to minimize CDC photo of “As soon the chances of contracting coronavirus. as the news Coronavirus (COVIDbroke, people 19), you’ll have to look started buying them up, and elsewhere – Church & Scott Please See VIRUS, A7 By LIBBY CUDMORE
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HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
A-2 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
HOMETOWN People
In Memory of John, 46 Families Receive Fire Safety Equipment Erika Heller, with son Rawley, shows off the 22 fire extinguishers and 26 emergency ladders the Valleyview Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization purchased with funds donated in memory of her brother-in-law, John Heller.
THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
Helios Will Honor Leap Year Baby Joins Oneonta Family Rathbone, Otesaga At Epicurean Fest
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ola Rathbone, former President and CEO of Helios Care, will be honored at the annual event for her 25 years of service to Helios Care (then called Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care) at the 20th Annual Epicurean Food and Wine Tasting on Sunday, With the political divisions March in our country and the 29, 2020 theological and liturgical “wars” in our church, how from 3 – 6 such issues without might a Christian approach p.m. at the being caught up Otesaga in the anger, blame and Stacy Swanberry-Luna cuddles her new baby Hotel andmoment. misleading statements of the girl, Vanessa, who was one of four babies born at Resort in Bassett Hospital on Leap Day, Feb. 29. Bassett What is respectful dialogue? Coopersalso reported the births of Mason Plumly, Herkimer, born to parents Katie and Peter and town. How do we become peacemakers? Olyver, son of Justine Crosby, Delhi. “We’re Rathbone excited to celebrate 20 years of the Epicurean event and honoring Lola and the Otesaga make this a particularly special year,” said Dan Ayres, president and CEO of Helios Care. Rathbone began her tenure Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals as a hospice nurse and served ten years as Director of Clinical Services. She was Building Healthy Families tapped to lead the organizaSupport Specialist tion in 2008 and served as its chief officer for nine years. Home Visitor The event starts with a wine tasting and silent Residential Associates auction, including a special handcrafted vase created -at OFO shelters by Bobby Sharp, owner of ( PT--every other wknd 8 am - 4 pm; Bobby Sharp Glassworks, Subs -- all shifts; Addl. shift pay avail. and live entertainment will for qualifying shifts) feature the Evan Jagels Trio. The food tasting will begin at 4 p.m., with over 30 restauHEAD START POSITIONS rants, caterers, and bakers (All F/T with school breaks serving sumptuous specialty & Summers off) dishes and delectable desserts. Family Partner Reservations for the event are $90. All proceeds benefit hospice Classroom Teacher patients and their families.
Lent for Real Life VII
Lent for Real Life VII
Facing Division with Hope With the political divisions in our country and the theological and liturgical “wars” in our church, how might a Christian approach such issues without being caught up in the anger, blame and misleading statements of the moment. What is respectful dialogue? How do we become peacemakers?
3 days—3 speakers 3 topics toward understanding What is truth? How does a person discern truth?
Joshua Alexander, PhD, Siena College—Monday, 16 March 2020
Understanding fear and anger
Julia A. Baxter, MS Ed, CAS, SUNY Oneonta—Tuesday, 17 March 2020
“Blessed are the peacemakers…”
Deacon Walter Ayres, Director, Catholic Charities Commission on Peace and Justice Wednesday, 18 March 2020
The presentations are FREE. Presentations are offered twice daily at 10 am and 7 pm (repeat) in Saint Mary’s Parish Center. Parking is behind the church off Elm Street.
SAINT MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH Corner of Walnut and Elm Streets, Oneonta www.StMarysOneonta.Org—607.432.3920
RIVERA APPOINTED: William Rivera, Director of Crisis Intervention Services, was appointed to serve a three year term on the NYS Office of Victim Services.
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Clark Companies, leader in the design and construction of high end outdoor athletic facilities, located in Delhi, NY is expanding its team and has an immediate opening for a Civil Engineer to assist with estimating and provide QA/QC for our design and construction operations. Responsibilities include but not limited to: • Review and interpret construction documents (plans and specifications); • Review and verify accuracy of quantity take-offs for construction projects; • Solicit quotes from subcontractors and vendors to support estimating process; • Participate in the development of detailed project cost estimates; • Perform QA/QC reviews of design documents; • Conduct project site visits and provide support as needed to field staff; • Perform QA/QC inspections of project sites to confirm compliance with design documents; • Effectively communicate and collaborate with field and office personnel; • Utilize AutoCAD or similar to prepare supplemental drawings and details; • Understand construction layout and have the ability to communicate required layout information to field personnel; • Pursue training and education to improve overall effectiveness; • Manage time effectively and prioritize to ensure completion of all duties and tasks; • Perform other duties as assigned by Company Management. RequiRements • B.S. or M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from an ABET-accredited university located in the USA. • Minimum of EIT certification (NY licensed PE preferred);. • Commercial construction knowledge and experience, particularly related to site-work. • Excellent written and verbal communication skills. • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications. • Ability to work independently, with little or no direct supervision. • Strong working knowledge of AutoCAD (AutoDesk Civil 3D is preferred); • Interest in learning quick and applying new skills and abilities. • Knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices and procedures in construction field.
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THURSDAY, mARCH 5, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Congratulations Stacie Haynes!
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THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
EDITORIAL
God Bless You, Every One Inspired By 5 Heroes, All Of Us Should Consider Joining ‘Good Samaritans’
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hat’s happened in the past week is another opportunity to be impressed about the brave men and women who respond, in dark of night and bright of day, any hour, any day, when fires and accidents happen in Otsego County. Training and experience have made mishaps so rare, we forget – certainly the public, but volunteers and ambulance squad members, too – that every fire call and crash creates danger. These hundreds of people are, happily, rarely injured seriously – although sprains and cuts and minor burns are routine. Yet every call creates an opportunity for injury.
Injured, Firefighters Scott Monington, left, and Jon Roach are safely home.
• Such a rare call came at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, when firefighters from Middlefield, Cooperstown, Westford, Cherry Valley and Milford responded routinely, without a second thought,
to what turned out to be a raging fire in the hamlet of Middlefield. Springfield and Mount Vision stood by. But if they – if any of the 29 volunteer departments in Otsego County – had been summoned, they likewise would have responded without hesitation. The scene was daunting – but not beyond the experience of the seasoned volunteers: A two-story barn, in flames. Water tanks were quickly filled from nearby Cherry Valley Creek, and the firefighters deployed around the burning structure. They knew what they needed to do – and they did it. Then, the unexpected. “There was an explosion, a ball of
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supposes the fireball was created by the explosion of an acetylene tank. Then a second explosion, then “three, four, five, six,” he’s unsure how many. • As we know now, five firefighters were injured, including Cooperstown’s Fire Chief Jim Tallman, a youthful 42-year member of the department. John Sears and Ryan Smith, two Middlefield firefighters, were likewise transported to Bassett Hospital. So were Scott Monington, an officer at the Otsego County Correctional Facility, and Jon Roach, a patient-care tech at Bassett, but Please See EDITORIAL, A5
hen you see Cooperstown firefighters Scott Monington, or Middlefield’s John Sears and Ryan Smith, say thanks. And follow their example. To join your local Otsego County fire department or emergency squad, follow this link for who to call: www.firedepartment.net/directory/ new-york/otsego-county
white fire,” said Cooperstown First Assistant Fire Chief Mike Malloy. “These guys didn’t have anywhere to go.” They were simply engulfed. The barn, it seems, was being used as a garage. Malloy
►PREPARING FOR UNCERTAINTY/NEW YORK AT RISK VIEW FROM ALBANY
Covid 19’s Here. But It’s Not Our State’s 1st Rodeo
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s you may have with hospitals to help them heard, last night we replicate the State’s FDAlearned of the first approved test and reach our confirmed case of novel goal of 1,000 tests per day. coronavirus – or Covid 19 Additionally, we will – in New York State. institute new cleaning The patient is protocols at schools a woman in her and in public late 30s who was transportation. traveling abroad in Perspective is key Iran, where there here. This isn’t our is an outbreak first rodeo – we have of the virus. dealt with the swine Her condition is flu, Ebola, SARS mild, and she is and the seasonal flu. currently isolated We are fully coordiin her home in nated, we are fully GOVERNOR Manhattan. mobilized and we From the begin- CUOMO are fully prepared ning, we have to deal with this believed it was not a quessituation as it develops. tion of if New York would If you have symptoms have a coronavirus case, but and have recently traveled when. That’s why New York to China, Iran, or at-risk State has been preparing for areas in Italy and South weeks, and we are diligently Korea, or if you have managing the situation. been in close contact with It’s important that we someone who has, you don’t allow fear and panic to should seek medical care outpace reason. right away. Call ahead and Last night’s positive test explain your symptoms was confirmed by the state’s and travel. Wadsworth Lab in Albany, Symptoms of the novel underscoring the importance coronavirus are similar to of the ability for our state the flu, and include coughto ensure efficient and rapid ing, fever and trouble turnaround on testing. breathing. New York State will imAndrew Cuomo is mediately begin working New York State governor.
HOMETOWN
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
Coronavirus May Be No Deadlier Than Flu Editor’s Note: This is an excerpt of an editorial, co-written by Anthony Fauci, director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and other experts, that appears in the current edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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degree of clarity is emerging from this report, (“Early transmission dynamics in Wuhan, China,” Li Q. Guan X and colleagues, New England Journal of Medicine, Jan. 29.) The median age of the patients was 59 years, with higher morbidity and mortality among the elderly and among those with coexisting conditions (similar to the situation with influenza); 56 percent of the patients were male. Of note, there were no
cases in children younger than 15 years of age. Either children are less likely to become infected, which would have important epidemiologic implications, or their symptoms were so mild that their infection escaped detection, which has implications for the size of the denominator of total community infections. On the basis of a case definition requiring a diagnosis of pneumonia, the currently reported case fatality rate is about 2 percent. In another article in The Journal, Guan et al. report mortality of
1.4 percent among 1,099 patients with laboratory-confirmed Covid-19; these patients had a wide spectrum of disease severity. If one assumes that the number of asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic cases is several times as high as the number of reported cases, the case fatality rate may be considerably less than 1 percent. This suggests that the overall clinical consequences of Covid-19 may ultimately be more akin to those of a severe seasonal influenza (which has a case fatality rate of approximately 0.1 percent) or a pandemic influenza (similar to those in 1957 and 1968) rather than a disease similar to SARS or MERS, which have had case fatality rates of 9 to 10 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER
Otsego County’s Allocation Of Testing Kits? 3
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eports about the coronavirus offer hugely differing opinions. That the facts are in dispute isn’t surprising, since this is a novel virus that health systems around the world are fighting for the first time. Still, some facts are agreed on. LARRY As of BENNETT March 1, the World Health Organization reported 87,000 confirmed cases, 2,989 deaths, and cases in 60 countries. 80,000 cases are confirmed in China with
As in drug stores countywide, pharmacist David Adsit finds hand sanitizers are sold out at Cooperstown’s Church & Scott. Face masks are also in short supply locally.
the death toll approaching 2,800. Still, the growth rate of new cases in China has slowed, likely due to highly restrictive quarantines the
government has in place. The next most effected countries are South Korea (3,736 cases), Italy (1,128), Iran (593), Japan (239),
Singapore (106), France (100) and the U.S. (62). This was on March 1, but by now the numbers will have grown. China is in internal travel lockdown. Germany says it faces a coronavirus epidemic. Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, and France are taking massive preventative measures, including closing public spaces, some travel restrictions, and checks of people on the move. The first coronavirus case was reported to the WHO in Wuhan, China on Dec. 31, 2019. The WHO declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on Jan. 30, 2020. At that time there were already known cases outside of China – in Please See BENNETT, A6
Tara Barnwell
FRONT PORCH PERSPECTIVE
Libby Cudmore
Avast, Maties! Beat Late-Winter Blahs
Advertising Director & General Manager Managing Editor
Larissa Ryan Business Manager
Thom Rhodes Advertising Consultant
Lizzie Cooper Correspondent
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
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ope, I’m still not sitting on my front porch, laptop frozen to my lap. After I spot a first crocus, maybe I’ll try writing out there again. I’m old and maybe a bit ditsy – but not nuts. Meanwhile, last week some whimsical friends did find a way to distract JIM themselves from the winter. ATWELL They organized a pirate party and held it at our house. And what, you ask, is that? Why it’s an indeterminate number of adults,
middle-aged or (in my case) decrepit. It centers on some slapdash costuming, eating and gulping ersatz piratical fare, singing appropriate chanties (“Fifteen men on a dead man’s chest,” etc.) and, if adequately oiled, attempts to dance the hornpipe. As to the last-mentioned, From Jim Atwell’s pirate party let Shakespeare nail it: “Oh, – really? piteous spectacle!” pirates hauled into our house – well, By luck, no clear photos they were gob-smackingly, lip-licksurvive, especially of the ingly grand. hornpipe. Several pirates might have Jim Atwell, Quaker minister and to remain in disguise for years. retired college administrator, lives in But the comestibles that the invading Cooperstown.
AllOTSEGO.com • MORE LETTERS, A6
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THURSDAY, March 5, 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
Railroad Rules of Travel: The following “Rules of the Road” are based upon legal decisions and ought to be universally made known. The courts have decided that applicants for tickets on railroads can be ejected from the cars if they do not offer the exact amount of fare. Conductors are not bound to make change. All railroad tickets are good until used. Limiting conditions such as “good for this day only” or otherwise admitting time of genuineness, are of no account. March 1870
125 Years Ago
Organization Needed: It is an open question if the dairymen of the country realize how important their industry is in the aggregate. The newspapers of the day teem with the volume and immense importance of the iron interest. The value of the wheat of the country is large, but it is insignificant when compared with that of dairy products. The lumber interest is of great importance, but it, too, dwindles into small proportions when contrasted with the products of the dairy. Lumber and iron have representatives in every legislative hall, but we know of hardly a single dairyman in public life. The reason for this is that the dairy interests of the country are not thoroughly organized. An industry that has an annual output of more than 1,250,000,000 pounds of butter and ten times that number of pounds of cheese, and billions of gallons of milk contributing to the aggregate, ought to possess influence enough to stamp out the manufacture of oleo. March 1895
100 Years Ago
More than half the rural churches in New York State are in a state of decline, one in every nine literally dead, and three in every nine dying, was the statement made
by Henry S. Huntington, Editor of Christian Work, in his presentation of the rural surveys of the inter-church world movement before an opening day’s meeting of the State Pastors three-day conference in Rochester. Close to 2,000 clergymen representing about 30 denominations. Mr. Huntington was one of several speakers. An address was delivered by George C. Haynes, a prominent Negro educator and publisher, in which he demonstrated the neglect of the Negro’s spiritual welfare. March 1920
80 Years Ago
Ex-Pitching Ace Turns “Water Boy” – The powerful right arm which Big Ed Walsh pitched with while managing Oneonta’s strong semi-pro baseball club back in 1921 twists gadgets these days so that 42,000 inhabitants of Meriden, Connecticut may be served with pure water. The former Chicago White Sox ace, famed for his feats on the twirling mound between 1904 and 1913 is supervisor of Meriden’s filtering plant and pumping station, a position which provides him with a modest home and a comfortable living. Big Ed, who will be 59 years old May 19, was appointed to the job by Meriden’s Mayor Francis Danaher. Back in 1902, Danaher’s father, Cornelius J. Danaher, brought Walsh to Meriden from Plains, Pennsylvania to pitch for the Meriden club in the old Connecticut baseball League. “I’m still in marvelous condition,” Ed says. Big Ed weighs 194 pounds – “exactly the same as when I was toiling for the White Sox.” March 1940
40 Years Ago
Five students at Oneonta State were arrested for marijuana possession in a morning dormitory raid Monday by seven officers from state and city police and the Troop “C” Narcotics Investigation Squad. Mark Robert Barr, 23, of Gouverneur, was charged with third-degree possession of
marijuana, a felony, and criminal possession of a hypodermic instrument, according to police. Police did not report how much marijuana Barr allegedly had, except that it was over the minimum 8-ounce amount for the charge. Robert E. Snyder, 19, of Surprise, and Craig J. Hodges, 19, of East Meadow were both charged with fifth-degree marijuana possession, a misdemeanor. The other two men, David L. Wilder, 20, of West Hurley, and Michael J. Limar, 19, of Huntington, were charged with unlawful possession of marijuana, an offense punishable with up to a $100 fine and no jail term for first offenders. The five men were asleep in their dorm room, room 206 at McDuff Hall, at about 7 a.m. They offered no resistance. The search warrant was issued by City Judge Frank Getman based on an investigation by the State Police Narcotics Squad. March 1980
60 Years Ago
20 Years Ago
The Oneonta School District is taking steps to strengthen its foreign language department as New York State tightens academic standards for students who study modern languages, school officials said. At the Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Joseph C. Piscitelli said he has received a proposal to hire a new foreign language teacher to work in the Middle School beginning next year, starting in the seventh grade. “As of now, it’s not in next year’s budget,” Piscitelli said. “We’re still looking at ways at reducing the budget and the tax levy – not increasing it.” The district needs to hire someone because foreign language teachers in the schools already have full course loads, Piscitelli said. “We could not give them an extra class to teach.” The position would require someone fluid in both French and Spanish. German would be added for eighth grade. Finding someone with those qualifications could be difficult. March 2000
March 1960
10 Years Ago
The Otsego County Sheriff’s Office was busier than ever last year, Sherriff Richard Devlin, Jr. says. “Arrests, complaints, domestic incidents and DWI’s all were up last year compared to 2008,” Devlin said. Statistics from 2009 confirm the trend and the increased demand for Sheriff’s office services. March 2010
Inspired By 5 Who Were Injured, Join Band Of Heroes EDITORIAL/From A4 they were quickly transferred to the burn unit at Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, where they would spend the next four days. Then, what joy and affection erupted Sunday afternoon when Scott and Jon were transported back to town by two of their CVFD colleagues and greeted by a parade of fire trucks outside the Clark Sports Center. Transported over Murphy Hill to the scene of their travails, the recovering men were greeted again by grateful firefighters and neighbors at Middlefield hamlet’s four corners. • It must have taken a while to get that together? Not so. The idea had come to mind Saturday evening. The county’s Emergency Services deputy director, Victor Jones, suggested it to Glen Falk, the Cooperstown department’s vice president, and they immediately implemented. They sent out an invitation to all departments that had been at the scene. They came, joined by others, Fly Creek and Hartwick among them.
out-of-pocket medical expenses. Further fundraisers are planned. Financially, the departments are well supported by the towns they serve. State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and other legislators have sought out state money when necessary for an engine or ambulance – even a new building. In Cooperstown, Jane Forbes Clark is a well-known benefactress of the department. What’s lagging is people like the injured men who arrived to a heroes welcome, and the men and women who greeted the returning heroes. Every fire company in Otsego County can’t fully fill its ranks. Yes, there are reasons – commuting patterns, outmigration, and Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA more – but those reasons don’t Otego Firefighter Rebecca Chambers drove up to Middlefield apply to everyone. This is a good Sunday afternoon, March 1, to welcome Jon Roach home, time for all of us to rethink our accompanied by children Monica and Jasper. Middlefield’s availability. Follow the link at the Lizzy Mott helps Monica hold the sign. top of Page A4, and volunteer if you can. • Dispatched to Syracuse, Emer• gency Squad Capt. Eric Pierce and The community, of course, The term “hero” is devalued EMT Joel Bostwick shaved their responded, as it always does. by overuse. But Scott Monington GoFundMe.com accounts quickly and Jon Roach certainly qualify. heads in solidarity with the two raised $20,000 to ensure Scott injured men. They didn’t expect to be injured It was an inspiring afternoon. and Jon get through this with no last Wednesday night. But they
THE VIEW FROM FLY CREEK
THE VIEW FROM ALBANY
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Repeal Flawed ‘Green Light’ Law
DHS briefing detailing how New York’s ne of the more controversial pieces of legislation signed into law last law is blocking law enforcement agencies year was the “Green Light” Law, from receiving critical information. According to a fact sheet allowing illegal immigrants to obtain provided by DHS: drivers’ licenses. • New York State’s “Green Presented by its supporters as the Light” Law prevents U.S. Im“same law” adopted in other states, migration & Customs EnforceNew York’s version contained a proment (ICE) and U.S. Customs & vision that prevents the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Border Protection (CBP) from other border-protection agencies from accessing all New York DMV accessing records contained in the information. This includes state’s Department of Motor Vehicles driver’s license information es(DMV) – something no other state sential to our law enforcement JIM does. and national security missions. I voted against the “Green Light” SEWARD • By restricting access to all DMV information, the “Green Law because the thought of giving a driver’s license, a secure identification Light” Law stands as a dangerous and document, to someone who is intentionally unnecessary roadblock to ongoing federal breaking the law was inconceivable. investigations into a broad range of criminal Now we are seeing additional activity, and severe impediment to our consequences of this bad public officers and agents in the field. • ICE is not asking the State of New York policy – putting law enforcement agents and the public at risk while shielding to provide a list of illegal aliens, or to idencriminals from detection. tify which individuals in its database are Recently, I joined with members of the here illegally. ICE needs access to the state Senate and Assembly for a special Please See SEWARD, A6
were and they took it. And it’s not too much to say every man and woman at the scene, while not expecting to be injured, accepted that they might be. That’s a hero. Individuals putting themselves at risk for friends, neighbors – and for people they don’t know. Special people indeed. Of course, the words of Fred Lemister, the first among equals, at last month’s reception honoring the 9,400 calls he responded to over a 48-year career, echoed. “You are a unique breed, people,” said Fred. “Don’t ever forget that. You are different. Fortunately different. You are not like most people, and be thankful for that. “Life is a gift, people,” he continued. “And we need to give back for that gift. You people here have given back for that gift. I look upon you as being Good Samaritans, as helping other people in need without any thought of reward. “You are indeed doing God’s work.” Yes, they are. Join them. You won’t be sorry.
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Ensure Local Politics IS Local
verybody knows that it takes milsystem works. It’s not about one-personlions of dollars to run for the most one vote, but many-dollars-many-votes. We important political offices, and even have the right to vote, to be sure, and that billions (counting PACs and ‘dark money’) remains a check of last resort against any to run for president. politics we don’t like. But we only Although big campaigns can get to the voting booth at the end be funded by small donors (under of a long process saturated with $200 each), as Bernie Sanders fake news, propaganda, hypocrisy and demagoguery. Even worse, has shown, most campaigns depend on large donors (up to and our equal votes are made unequal including more or less self-funded through gerrymandering, voter billionaire campaigns like those suppression and unequal represenof Trump in 2016, and Tom Steyer tation, as in the U.S. Senate and the Electoral College. and Michael Bloomberg this year). ADRIAN Finally, recent Supreme Court It’s not a level playing field. KUZMINSKI Money can buy you a better rulings – especially Citizens United v. FEC (2010) and McCutcheon ground game by hiring strategists, v. FEC (2014) – have overturned limits on managers, pollsters, and field staff; it can also buy you a better mass media game by campaign contributions and institutionalflooding printed and digital space with adized the big-money system of politics as a vertisements, news events and internet buzz. form of legalized corruption. Past attempts This kind of money politics is very differ- at campaign finance reform have focused on ent from the personal politics we normally limiting how much individuals and orgaexpect. The latter is rooted in a one-person- nizations can contribute to political camone-vote sense of fairness and democratic paigns. But what they failed to address is decision-making. the question of who should be eligible to But that’s not how the larger political Please See KUZMINSKI, A6
THURSDAY, mARCH 5, 2020
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA LETTERS
Make Lettis Safer: Run Buses Until 9 p.m. To the Editor: Regarding the headline in your Jan. 2 edition, “NYDOT Said ‘No’ To Grant At Lettis,” I am really sorry that the transportation grant, applied for by the Town and City of Oneonta, was turned down. But, come to think of it, all of that requested money is not necessary. The lady, April Johnson, crossed the highway 100 yards from a legal pedestrian crossing area - the intersection. People should know better than to cross a four-lane highway in the dark of night on a roadway that has poor lighting, and especially where automobile drivers do not expect, therefore, are not looking for pedestrians to be crossing. The second issue is that a lot of people, including myself, walk on that highway to get to the Southside shopping area. Mayor Herzig is right when he said that the roadway could be safer for pedestrians. Yes, we all use it out of necessity, because OPT does not have the Southside Bus operating after 5:30 p.m., except for WednesdaySaturday, only when the colleges are operating. That is why so many pedestrians are on the road out of
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nce again, the common sense solution, which will eliminate a need for a grant, and the necessity for pedestrians to be on the road at all, would be for the Southside bus to be running past 5:30 p.m. every night Monday-Saturday. necessity to shop and get to work. A large percent of the permanent residents (non-students) are in the lowincome range and don’t have a car, so without a bus, we have to walk on Lettis Highway. Either that or starve and become unemployed! Solution: Have the Southside bus run until 9 p.m. every night, no matter if the students are here or not. It will keep a lot of people off of the road, minimizing accidents, and the need for a big green median. If the colleges will not allow OPT
to have the buses run apart from their students’ needs, then the only things that are needed are more lighting on the walkway and adding a little more walkway to the one side of the street that has more pedestrians. From the corner of Maple and Main streets, where that Baptist Church is, you cross Main Street. Install a sidewalk there, along the west side of Lettis Highway, to join the rest of the sidewalk. There are only two or three spots that really need a sidewalk added, such as the bridge, and after the overpass of I-88 to Route 23. With just those improvements, the money of which will probably be granted since it won’t be as much as was initially requested, and some commonsense by pedestrians, the problem would be solved! Once again, the commonsense solution, which will eliminate a need for a grant, and the necessity for pedestrians to be on the road at all, would be for the Southside bus to be running past 5:30 p.m. every night Monday-Saturday. LISA R. BASSETT Oneonta
Want To Influence Local Politics? Move Here KUZMINSKI/From A5 financially support any particular campaign. Currently there is no limit on how many political campaigns anyone can financially support. I live in rural Upstate New York, yet I am free to donate to anyone running for any office anywhere in the United States. I can also contribute to national political parties and political action committees (PACs), which then cycle contributions back into political mobilization and organization throughout in the country. Corporations cannot make expenditures to influence federal elections, but they can contribute to political action committees. Why shouldn’t I be free to financially support a candidate or cause anywhere in the United States? That sounds reasonable, until you turn the question around. Why should outside money routinely flow into the campaigns of my local state legislator or congressperson? Why should my representatives be beholden to interests
outside of the district they represent? Let me suggest an electoral reform. Call it district campaign financing. It would accept current laws limiting how much individuals and organizations can donate to political campaigns and organizations, but also insist that all political donations must come from within (not from outside) the electoral district in which the candidate or issue is on the ballot. For instance, I must currently be a permanent resident of my town to run for town office. If district campaign financing were the law of the land, only permanent residents of my town, or other independent legal donors permanently headquartered in my town, could contribute to my campaign. Similarly, anyone running for Congress could raise funds only from residents and legal donors within the Congressional district; and statewide candidates could raise money only within NYS; and so on. Only candidates for president could raise money nationally.
Independent legal donors within a district might include corporations, political action committees, political parties, and independent expenditure committees (super-PACs). Under district financing, elected officials would no longer be torn between two masters, between the need to accommodate their voters on the one hand, and the special interests of outside donors on the other. The idea of foreign money “interfering in our elections” has recently become a political football. But we’ve had outside money “interfering in our elections” all along – money coming from outside the district in which the election is being held. If we’re going to continue to have money in elections (and it’s hard to see how we’re not), wouldn’t it be nice if it came from home? Adrian Kuzminski, retired Hartwick College philosophy professor and Sustainable Otsego moderator, lives in Fly Creek.
U.S. Fight Against Corona-19 Simply Insufficient BENNETT/From A4 Germany, Japan, Viet Nam, and the U.S. One month later, the first American death occurred in Washington State. There the virus has spread undetected in about six weeks and hundreds of new cases are expected. A first case has been confirmed in both New York City and Rhode Island, with health officials bracing for more. Which brings up our national preparedness for the pandemic. To head the government’s response Trump appointed Vice President Mike Pence, who has no expertise in the area, and who as Governor of Indiana worsened an AIDs epidemic for political and fiscal reasons. Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex M. Azar II, a lawyer, lobbyist, and also of Indiana, seems to be a typical Trump toady, saying of Trump’s appointment of Pence, “that’s genius.” Trump has also muzzled Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, because Fauci publicly contradicted Trump’s downplaying
of the situation. Fauci must now clear public statements through Pence, an act that replicates the public health disaster of official censorship in China, when early in the epidemic the state silenced doctors after they discussed the outbreak with colleagues. This not only enabled the virus to spread, it also took the life of Li Wenliang, one of the first doctors to speak out, who subsequently died from the virus. Trump recently said that the virus “could get worse or better in the days and weeks ahead, but that nobody knows.” That’s not true. It will get worse and the U.S. is unprepared. Ignore for now budget cuts Trump proposed at the CDC. Ignore the firings of staff of the National Security Council pandemic team. Ignore the total chaos in our national response. Ignore that Trump’s entire administration is reminiscent of the Inquisition that tried and convicted Galileo for speaking scientific truth. But don’t ignore this: The U.S. has made and sent out 15,000 coronavirus testing kits to cover the entire nation. That’s one kit for every 22,000
people in the U.S. Which means if an outbreak started now in Otsego County we’d have access to three kits. Some 60,000 more kits are supposedly being made, meaning an upgrade to one kit for every 4,600 people. Even so, the odds of seeing a single kit here are unlikely. The kits are going to fifteen key cities where testing is now officially approved by the government. Since these are port-of-entry cities the risks there are obvious, but what about everyone else? Why has this administration done almost nothing for two critical months? The answer is that it’s willfully ignorant of science and contemptuous of our citizenry. It only became concerned when the stock market started tanking. The one thing it can relate to is losing its own and its big donor money. Should we be afraid? It appears to depend on which we value more: life or money. Larry Bennett, recently retired Brewery Ommegang creative director who is active in local causes, lives in East Meredith.
‘Green Light’ Law Fatally Flawed, Should Be Repealed SEWARD/From A5 information – just like all other lawenforcement agencies that work in the state – whether the subject of our inquiry is a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident, or illegal alien. • Seventy percent of joint terrorism task force disruptions stem from arrests for immigration violations, yet the agency responsible for those arrests is now frozen out of New York DMV databases. This is a pre-9/11 mentality in a post-9/11 world. •ICE’s need to access DMV records is essential to supporting criminal investigative efforts not only in New York, but also across the country and around the world. Our ability to identify and dismantle transnational criminal organizations – whether they’re flooding our communities with killer drugs like fentanyl and meth,
trafficking weapons, peddling sensitive military technology, or selling women and children into miserable lives of sexual servitude – depends on getting the right piece of information into the right hands at the right time. And often, that piece of information is as simple as a license plate, and address, or a photograph. The statistics back up the importance of the long-standing, cooperative relationship between ICE and state DMV. On a daily basis, ICE uses DMV data to fight a substantial number of crimes including drug smuggling, human trafficking and violent gang activity. In 2019, ICE arrested 149 child predators, seized 6,487 pounds of illegal narcotics, identified or rescued 105 victims of human trafficking/exploitation, and arrested 230 gang members – in New
York alone. The new law has also handcuffed local law enforcement. The state Sheriffs’ Association recently issued a letter to the governor and legislative majorities pointing out that for the sheriffs to keep their own officers safe by allowing access to DMV data, they had to sign non-disclosure agreements that jeopardize their federal partners. Sharing of information is a critical component of law enforcement. New York State has taken an irresponsible action by enacting a law that blocks information from those who need it most. The “Green Light” Law has a number of flaws and must be repealed immediately. Senator Seward, R-Milford, has represented Otsego County in Albany since 1984.
Democratic Village Chair Backing Democratic Slate To the Editor: Village elections for trustee and mayor will be held Wednesday, March 18, from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall. The Village Democrats are proud to have nominated three outstanding incumbents to continue the good work of the Village Board in recent years. These candidates – Ellen Tillapaugh for mayor, and Joe Membrino and MacGuire Benton for trustee – combine years of public service and experience with youthful energy and commitment to the future of the Village. During Ellen’s nine-year tenure as trustee, deputy mayor and mayor, she has provided steady leadership in overseeing some $17 million in major village infrastructure improvements. The Board’s success in securing project grants combined with careful financial management has resulted in no tax levy increases since 2013. Last year, Ellen appointed Joe Membrino to fill a one-year term as trustee. For the past seven years, Joe has brought the skills and experience of a 50-year public service legal career to his new hometown. His service on the Water/Sewer Board, Housing Committee, and Planning Board laid the groundwork for his
appointment as trustee. His leadership of the Finance Committee in the past year has demonstrated his ability and willingness to use his talents to help preserve and improve Cooperstown’s economy and environment. MacGuire Benton, a 2016 CCS graduate, was elected as trustee last year and now seeks a 3-year term. In an era when many young people move away from their hometowns, MacGuire has chosen to commit himself to Cooperstown and to help build a future for the community that is transparent, accessible, and welcoming to all people. The time and energy Ellen, Joe and MacGuire have given to Cooperstown is to be commended. These candidates come from different backgrounds, experiences and generations but they share a passion for Cooperstown and a demonstrated willingness to work to secure a strong, healthy, and welcoming community today and for the future. I hope you will join me in voting for Ellen, Joe and MacGuire to continue the outstanding work they are doing for the Village we all love. LYNNE MEBUST Chairman Village Democratic Committee
Police Chief Mike Covert, 59; Helped Addicts Into Recovery COVERT/From A1 “He would be a presence, but not a harsh presence, and people still talk about what an amazing experience that was. Mike was a big part of that.” Covert, 59, died Sunday night, March 1, 2020, at home after a long illness. “He was a sweet, sensitive guy and that’s how he policed, which is what you want in a chief,” the former mayor said. Born May 4, 1960, in Pompton Plains, Pequannock Township, N.J., Mike was the son of Robert Ellis and Ruth Ann (Schilling) Covert. Raised in Oakland, N.J., Mike attended school there, and in the summers he and his family spent time in Hartwick, where he moved in 1977. He graduated from Cooperstown High School in 1978. In 1986, he began his career as a corrections officer at the Otsego County Jail, and in 1989 he became an officer with the Cooperstown Police Department (CPD), where he served until 2000, when he became a sheriff’s deputy. “We all get in this job because we want to help people, but Mike had a real knack for it,” recalled Sheriff Richard J. Devlin, Jr. Though he retired in 2011 as an investigator, later that year he was hired as Cooperstown police chief. “We interviewed a few people, but Mike was really a calming presence,” said Katz. “That was what we needed.” In 2015, at the height of the opioid epidemic, Covert created the Police Assisted Addiction & Recovery Initiative (PAARI), which allowed any drug user to come into the station and ask to go into treatment, free of charge. Over 170 individuals participated in the “Angel” program, as he called it, and were placed in rehab facilities across the country. He also pushed for local pharmacies to make Nasal Narcan available to residents without a prescription.
“We would refer people to Mike and he helped them,” said Devlin. “That’s the kind of guy he was,” said Katz. “He wanted to help people one-on-one, rather than just chuck them into the system.” But following a series of health issues, including a heart attack and renal failure, Covert stepped down as chief. Denied health insurance by the county or village due to a technicality, fellow law enforcement officer Mike Ten Eyck launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his medical care. “Anyone who has met Michael K. Covert over the years knows that he would do anything for anyone and not expect a thing in return,” Ten Eyck wrote. In one case, Covert recounted in a 2019 profile in this newspaper following his diagnosis, one of the women he had helped through the ANGEL program offered him her kidney for transplant when she visited him in the hospital. “She said I saved her life,” he said. “She thought it was the least she could do.” Mike is survived by his wife, Deborah, whom he married on June 15, 2018, in Hartwick; his three daughters, Colleen Witter and husband, Jason, of West Winfield, Dana Conte and husband, Nathan, of Hartwick, and Lisa Covert and fiancé, Jason Rashkow, of Castleton-on-Hudson; two grandsons, Joseph and John Conte; three granddaughters, Kathryn Conte and Mackenzie and Gwendolyn Witter; one sister and brother-in-law, Kathleen and Jon Sammis of Petersham, Mass.; and his aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, along with several special friends. A celebration of his life will be held later this Spring. “He wasn’t just a coworker, he was a friend,” said Devlin. “He really will be missed.”
THURSDAY, mARCH 5, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7
Pro, Con Petitions On Gun Sanctuary Heading To County
GUNS/From A1 she anticipated county Rep. Rick Brockway, R-Laurens, who has championed the “Second Amendment Sanctuary” idea, would be presenting petitions with perhaps thousands of signatures at this week’s meeting. However, he said he is now waiting until the April 1 meeting. Brockway said the Facebook-based “2A Otsego County Sanctuary Group” is planning a meeting of its supporters Sunday, March 22, at the Morris VFW, to compile a master list. “I’m guessing we’ll have 6,000 signatures, I’m not positive,” he said. He expects Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, to be at that meeting, as well as county Rep. Peter Oberacker, R-Schenevus, who is running for state Senate. “We’ve invited county board members as well,” he said. A freshman representative, he’s learned that if he introduces a resolution to create a “Second Amendment Sanctuary” during a county board meeting, the rules of the board will require a twothirds vote for approval. However, if he introduces the measure in a committee, and it is approved and sent on the full board, it will only require a majority vote for approval. He plans to go that route this month, with
the idea the resolution will be ready to go to the full board on April 1. At first, Whelan, who was soliciting signatures Saturday, Feb. 29, at the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market along with Sam Wilcox of Cooperstown, said she didn’t believe the county board had the authority to create a gun sanctuary, where the state SAFE Act wouldn’t be enforced. Since, however, she has researched some “reasonably written stuff” and now isn’t sure. “I don’t think it’s likely the board would vote for Brockway’s proposition: It’s so disruptive,” she said. “It doesn’t seem to me that business of the board isn’t to overturn existing laws of the State of New York.” So far, 17 counties in New York State are seeking sanctuary status, said Brockway, ticking off Montgomery, Hamilton, Ulster and Lewis, as well as neighboring Delaware. “There’s a bunch of them across the state,” he said. “It’s going to be statewide before it’s done.” Some petitions have been “stolen” from stores that had them available for signators, including three in Cooperstown. At the gas station in Worcester, two full pages were absconded when the clerk wasn’t looking, an estimated 24 signatures per page, Brockway said.
Bassett Getting Ready To Deter Coronavirus VIRUS/From A1 we can’t get any more.” Though he had plenty of hand sanitizer in stock, by Monday afternoon, March 2, after the news broke that two people in Washington had died and the first case was reported in New York, he was sold out. A second New York case, in Westchester County, was reported on Tuesday, March 3. COVID-19 is a respiratory tract virus from a “well-known family” of viruses, according to Dr. Charles Hyman, senior attending physician, infectious diseases at Bassett Hospital. It is believed to have originated in bats before evolving to be contagious to humans. Symptoms include a cough and fever, with some experiencing gastrointestinal symptoms. “People over 60 or who have underlying health issues are at the biggest risk of complications,” said Hyman. “And symptoms can range from mild to severe.” The good news is that the mortality rate is only 1.4 percent, according to a paper published Tuesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, which studied 1,000 patients with the clinical characteristics of COVID-19. “Prevention is still evolving, but the Centers for Disease Control recommends you take the usual measures to prevent viral respiratory infections,” he said. “Wash your hands frequently, avoid being in contact with people who are sick, but we know that’s all easier said than done.” The difficulty, he said, is that the symptoms are very similar to the flu, and testing is not yet available unless the state orders it. Testing kits should be available to hospitals within the next few weeks. “Unless you have a high fever, an unremitting cough or shortness of breath, you should just contact your care
provider by phone,” he said. “But 95 percent of the cases we are likely to see will be extremely mild.” Bassett has mobilized a team of infection prevention specialists to be ready if a case is identified in Otsego County. “We’re using the CDC paradigm of Identify, Isolate and Test,” he said. “We’re trying to identify what a person of interest might be and where they can be isolated if they do present with severe symptoms.” Oneonta High School is also taking precautions; in a letter sent to parents last week, Superintendent Thomas Brindley outlined the school’s stance on the virus. “Please know that we, in any health-related case, work closely with the Otsego County Department of Health, (which is) working closely with the state Department of Health as well as the Centers for Disease Control relative to this illness,” Brindley wrote. He recommended students who are feeling ill to stay home until they are fever-free for 24 hours, wash their hands frequently and disinfect most-used objects, including phones.
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Injured firefighter Scott Monington is greeted by Alisia Pierce, wife of EMS Capt. Eric Pierce, and their daughter Abigail, as a parade in the two men’s honor arrived Sunday, March 1, at the Clark Sports Center. In the back window is the other firefighter, Jon Roach.
Injured In Blaze, Firefighters Celebrated INJURED/From A1 Middlefield Fire Department was dispatched to 3679 Route 35, which leads into the hamlet from Route 166. They were soon joined by Cooperstown, Westford, Cherry Valley and Milford, with Springfield and Mount Vision on standby. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a two-story garage and a car engulfed in flames. “Info was conveyed to us that there were explosives” – perhaps propane or acetylene tanks – “on the property,” said firefighter Victor Jones, the county’s deputy Emergency Services coordinator. “But that was right about the time of the explosions.” He clarified that the garage was a home workshop. “We were caught in a spot where we were vulnerable,” said Tallman. “The
fire must have touched some oil or something.” Tallman received seconddegree burns on his face. Roach and Monington were treated for more extensive second-degree burns on their faces and airways. “The last time we had this multiple injuries at a fire was the Colliersville train derailment” in 1974, said Jones. “We feel very fortunate,” said Tallman. “And we’re thankful all our guys are on the road to recovery.” The garage was owned by C.R. Jones, the retired NYSHA curator; his son, Graham, lives in an adjacent home. GoFundMe drives A colleague hugs Cooperstown Fire Chief Jim were set up for Roach, a Tallman, who was also injured in the Feb. 26 patient-care technician, and Middlefield fire. Monington, a correctional officer at the Otsego County departments are offering his forehead, that they had Jail. As of this writing, to send their members, we to shave his head to make Roach’s has raised $12,125; even had a fire fighter from sure there were no burns on Monington has Minnesota making a trip out top,” said Tallman. raised $6,410. here to see them. As soon Tallman has returned In addition to as it happened, he emailed to service; Roach and the GoFundMe Monington are still recovme.” campaigns, the And on Sunday, March ering. “We’re just happy to Cooperstown 1, Roach and Monington have them home,” he said. Farmers’ Market were welcomed back to the The cause of the fire is set up a “Fill Village with a fire truck under investigation with the Boot” drive parade, which took them the Otsego County Office to collect donaover Murphy Hill, up Route of Emergency Services tions for the fire 166 and past the site of the and the state Office of Fire fighters. fire. Cooperstown EMS Prevention & Control. “People have leaders Eric Pierce and Joel “Once we have those really been Bostwick, who picked up findings, we may look at stepping up,” the injured men in Syracuse, what we could have done Cooperstown EMTs Joel said Tallman. even shaved their heads in differently,” said Tallman. Bostwick, left, and Eric Pierce, “They’re dropwho drove the ambulance that solidarity. “You just never expect picked up Monington and Roach, ping food off for “Jon had so many facial anything like that.” shaved their heads in solidarity. them, different burns, including his ears and
Memories Of Explosion Near Oneonta Still Strong By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
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etired Oneonta Fire Chief Norm Jacobson described the Colliersville train derailment as “like five nuclear bombs going off.” Last week’s garage fire in Middlefield, which sent five firefighters to the hospital, drew comparisons to the derailment on Feb. 12, 1974, near what is now
the I-88 overpass. “I was on duty that day, and a number of departments responded,” he said. “Seven cars, each carrying 33,000 gallons of propane, overturned.” Propane was leaking from the tankers, and one of them exploded in what Jacobson called a BLEVE – Boiling Liquid Evaporated Vapor Explosion. “For every gallon of liquid propane, it releases 270 gallons of vapor,” he said. “It was like a minor nuclear blast. The mushroom cloud
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was higher than the mountains around it; people heard the blast in Davenport.” Four other tank cars soon exploded. No one died, but more than 50 firefighters were sent to the hospital with burns. One man had his arm amputated and Roy Althiser, a volunteer fire fighter from Worcester, had to have his leg amputated. “Five or six of them were in the burn unit at Albany Medical Center for six months,” he said. “It was catastrophic.”
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MLS#114624 $59,900 MLS#124820 $259,000 1982 double-wide w/3 BRs, 2 baths and 1½ story, 2-car Multi-use Property Edmeston Redeemed garage. New heatingin system, updated electrical, new towalls perfection. Investment property ft, and ceiling in 1 BR. New ceilingofin3,436 mastersqbath. private home, horse @ stables. Amazing(cell) price! Call Sharon P. Teator 607-267-2681 Call Donna Schulz @ 607-267-6330 (cell)
lis NE ti N W g!
75 Market Street Oneonta 607-433-1020
MLS#122762 $162,500 Convenient to Oneonta Single-level living or home business location. Large ranch w/2-car attached garage. Additional building w/1,152 sq. ft. Call Stephen Colwell @ 607-435-6542 (cell)
MLS#125131 $275,000 Live Year-Round on the Lake 50’ lakefront. Views from tiered Trex deck. Renovated inside and out. Walk-out lower level. Call Kathy Fistrowicz @607-267-2683 (cell)
MLS#123394 $115,000 Priced Well, Don’t Wait Unadilla home has original woodwork, 2,103 sq ft, 3 BRs, 2 baths, full basement, public water. Hardwood floors. Call Carol Olsen @ 607-434-7436 (cell)
157 Main Street,Cooperstown 607-547-5740
www.hubbellsrealestate.com
Serene Getaway on 212 Acres
(8712) Remodeled 5-BR, 3-bath farmhouse offers scenic views, ponds, large view deck, lap pool. Office, private den, library, large art studio, skylights, hardwood flooring. Newer kitchen w/oak cabinets, formal DR, attached garage plus 2-car garage, front porch, barn. Edmeston schools.
Hubbell’s Exclusive—$485,000
Cooperstown Village
(8618) Impeccable 3-BR, 2-bath Colonial provides pellet stove, bay windows, natural woodwork, formal DR and eat-in kitchen w/oak cabinets. Laminate flooring, laundry room, ceiling fans. Vinyl siding, large covered deck, large yard. Large 2-car garage. Move-in condition. Cooperstown Schools.
Hubbell’s Exclusive—$224,000
Perfect Location! Neighborhood feel w/look of the country on just over an acre. This spacious 4-BR, 3-bath raised ranch features open LR/DR/kitchen areas with access to upper deck. Second level: master BR w/attached full bath, 2 other BRs, full bath. Lower level: beautifully finished family room w/wet bar, access to lower deck. First level: 1 BR, full bath, laundry room, and exercise/utility/storage room. Multi-level deck w/hot tub, storage shed, fire pit, walking trail thru the woods. 2-car garage, blacktop driveway plus extra paved parking area. Great house in a sought-after Oneonta location. MLS#125233 $279,900
Magnificent Renovated Farmhouse
Locally owned and operated Single and multi-family homes Commercial property and land
99 Main Street, Oneonta office 607.441.7312 fax 607.432.7580 3 exquisite acres! Currently a home and separate cottage for summer rentals. Main house offers 4 BRs, 2 baths, open floorplan, modern kitchen, pine floors, 2 LRs, stone fireplace, much more! Detached double garage, 166 Main Street, Ste 1, Oneonta large barn, beautiful landscaping. Amazing opportunity! office 607.433.2873 www.oneontarealty.com MLS#123461 $309,000
Home of tHe Week
Super Large Lot! Perfect size lot for outdoor living. Also includes spacious 3-BR home w/ updated kitchen and bath, firstfloor laundry, wood floors, pellet stove. Schedule a walk through today, you will be pleasantly surprised at all this home offers! MLS#124865 $109,000
Neat as a Pin! 3-BR home on a double lot in the town of Oneonta. Replacement windows, newer roof, vinyl siding, paved drive. Inside you will find updated Wood-Mode kitchen, huge pantry, finished basement w/2 rooms and workshop area, 1-car garage, storage sheds, and more! MLS#124055 $159,900
166 Main Street, Suite 1, Oneonta office 607.433. 2873 www.oneontarealty.com
www.oneontarealty.com Lizabeth Rose, Broker/Owner Cricket Keto, Licensed Assoc. Broker Peter D. Clark, Consultant
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OTSEGO.life
THURSDAY, march 5, 2020
WHAT’S AN Da, DAH! Ken Kearney shows off his West End Lofts in Beacon, his third successful artist lofts project. He’s planning to break ground next spring in Oneonta on a fourth, the Lofts on Dietz.
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Tom Hickey, Fly Creek, enjoys a hearty bowl of sausage and bean soup among friends at the annual Empty Bowls Supper, which hosted a near-record 200 diners Saturday, March 2 in support of the Cooperstown Food Pantry.
AllOTSEGO.life
Ian Austin/
They’re Airy, Spacious And Full In 3 Hudson Valley Communities ‘Get up here, I think you’ll like it.’” Kearney, who has built artist lofts in Peekskill, Beacon and Poughkeepsie, has received approvals to put one of his affordable artistfriendly buildings on the Dietz Street lot in Oneonta. “I turn down a lot of sites,” he said. “But Oneonta has a tremendous untapped artist community.” Kearney got his start in real estate Please See LOFTS, B3
By LIBBY CUDMORE BEACON
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eveloper Ken Kearney, founder of Kearney Group, got a call one day from a friend. “He said, ‘Have you heard of Oneonta?’” he recounted. “I sent my son Sean up to take a look and he said,
I Artists Susan Ball and Carl Van Brunt saw an ad for the lofts in a local arts paper and applied immediately, getting this apartment overlooking the Hudson River.
►CANDIDATE PROFILES: 3 SEEK 2 TRUSTEE SEATS; POLLS OPEN Noon-9 p.m., Wednesday, March 18, AT fire hall
An Election That Could Change A Village Youngest Trustee Energized By Politics, Role As Trustee
Cooperstown’s ‘Stewardship’ Controversy, Love Of Village Impresses Former DC Lawyer Motivated Pharmacist To Run
COOPERSTOWN
COOPERSTOWN
COOPERSTOWN
aurie Pestar’s dilemma forged MacGuire Benton’s commitment to politics. Through political action, “you can change people lives,” the Democratic trustee said in an interview. MacGuire Benton He is seeking his first full term on the Village Board in the March 18 elections. In November 2016, Benton and friend Bobby Walker – Mac then headed the Please See BENTON, B3
n Washington D.C., getting appointed to a municipal board takes connections and a lot of lobbying. So when Joe Membrino, who is running for a three-year term on the Village Board Joe Membrino March 18, and wife Martha retired to Cooperstown in 2013 and he considered ways of getting involved in the community, public office didn’t come to mind. Please See MEMBRINO, B3
ooperstown was Margaret Margaret Robbins Sohns’ second home before, living on Pioneer Street, it is now her first one. Raised in Delhi, her family had a boat docked locally. “We’d Mary Margaret come and stay,” she Robbins Sohns remembers. The Robbinses were New York Yankee fans – Dave Winfield and Don Mattingly, in particular. “I went to the Hall of Fame Please See ROBBINS, B3
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Soup Luncheon, Paint & Robots And World Music
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THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL • HOMETOWN ONEONTA
t’s soup for a good cause at the annual Empty Bowls luncheon, with soups from local recipes served in a beautiful handmade bowl, all to support the Cooperstown Food Pantry. Suggested donation $15. Noon-2 p.m. Saturday, March 7, Parish Hall, Christ Church, 69 Fair St., LIBBY Cooperstown. (607) CUDMORE 547-2627. • Get messy with a whole day of hands-on art activities at OWL’s annual Paintfest. This year’s theme is “Math”. Admission is pay-what-you-can, suggested $15/child. 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. FoxCare Center, 1 FoxCare Dr., Oneonta. Info (607) 431-8543. • Two student exhibits open in the Cooperstown Art Association. In Gallery A, view “An Artistic Discovery” Congressional Exhibit for Otsego County high school. And in Gallery B ‘Robots Rewired’ features Milford High School Students re-imagining the robot drawing of Cooperstown kindergartners. 5-7 p.m. Friday, March 6, Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main St., Cooperstown. Info (607) 547-9777. • It’s the 100th anniversary of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters and current members will be on hand to present as part of the new exhibit at GOHS. 2-3 p.m. Saturday, March 7, Oneonta History Center, 183 Main St., Oneonta. Info (607) 432-0960. • Enjoy selections from South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, others. Performers include clarinetist Robin Seletsky, flutist Ana Laura Gonzalez, pianist Michael Bauer, a capella ensemble Eight is Eneuf. Free, open to public. 2 p.m. Sunday, March 8, Temple Beth El, 83 Chestnut St., Oneonta. Info (607) 286-9085.
AllOTSEGO.com, WHERE OTSEGO COUNTY GOES FOR BREAKING NEWS
VISIT www.
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what’s fun in OtsegO COunty _________
►Thursday, March 5
Life: The Photographs of Ken Ratner.’ Displayed thru 5/6. Cost, $9/adult. Arkell Museum, 2 Erie Blvd, Canajoharie. 518-673-2314. – 1:15COunty p.m. ‘MatinSAFETY OtsegO ter Of Balance’ with Becky Sears (Bassett). Workshop to control seniors’ falls. Cooperstown Senior Community Center, behind St. Mary’s Church, 31 Elm St., Cooperstown. coopseniorcenter@gmail.com
STAMP CLUB – 7 p.m. Bring collections, get questions answered, discuss with enthusiasts. Tillapaugh Home, 28 Pioneer St., Cooperstown. 607-547 5646. THEATER – 7:30 p.m. Presenting comedy ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ featuring a love quadrangle, magic, & mischievous fairies. General Admission, $5/person. Hamblin Theater, SUNY Oneonta.
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FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the Boot Campaign to support injured firefighters Scott Monington & Jon Roach. All donations welcome. Milford Corner Store, 69 S. Main St., Milford. 607-286-9492. NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY – 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Exhibits ‘Upstate/Downstate - Views of New York - Nature Photography’ by Dave White & ‘City
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dining&entertainment
THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
►Friday, March 6 FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the Boot Campaign. See Thursday Listing. GUIDED TOUR – 11:30 a.m. Learn about creation of ‘Diamond Dreams’ exhibit for Women’s History Month with Hall of Fame curator. Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown. 607-547-7200. EXHIBIT OPENING – 5 - 7 p.m. “An Artistic Discovery” exhibit featuring works by Otsego County high school students & ‘Robots Rewired’ features Milford High School Students re-imagining the robot drawing of Cooperstown kindergarteners. Displayed thru March 27. Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main St., Cooperstown. 607-547-9777. UNPLUG – 6 - 9 p.m. Turn off computer/tv/phones & have fun evening of family activities from bowling, to hiking, more for this national day of unplugging. Clark Sports Center, Cooperstown. 607-547-2800. CONTRADANCE – 7:30 p.m. Dance to music by Quickstep with John Kirk & Trish Miller calling. Suggested donation, $8/adult. 1st Presbyterian Church, 25 Church St., Cooperstown. 607-5478164.
►Saturday, March 7 FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the Boot Campaign. See Thursday Listing. PANCAKE BREAKFAST – 8 a.m. - Noon. Pancakes to support OCA. Oneonta Christian Academy, 158 River St., Oneonta. 607-432-0383. WORKSHOP – 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. ‘Will It Work On My Land’ on hosting large scale solar farms for farmers, land owners, municipal officials. Meet experienced professionals in related fields. Free, Open to public. Registration required. College Center Amphitheater, Herkimer College, 100 Reservoir Rd., Herkimer. 315-866-7920. PAINTFEST – 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Bring the family for hands-on painting activities on theme of ‘Math’ with Oneonta World of Learning. For for children aged 2+ Pay-what-you-can, suggested $15/child. FoxCare Center, 1 FoxCare Dr., Oneonta. 607431-8543. ANTIQUE SHOW – 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Find quality antiques from 20+ dealers. Bring antiques for appraisal, $5/item. Sandwiches, soups, desserts
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THE DOG CHARMER
Ask Expert Dog Trainer For Help With Your Pet
Editor’s Note: With this edition, expert dog trainer Tom Shelby, who recently moved to Cooperstown from Martha’s Vineyard, will be answering pet owners’ questions about training their dogs. Email your questions to dogsrshelby@msn.com
Dear Tom, Our 8-monthold Havanese, Scrappy, took a tumble down the stairs when we first got him last fall. You guessed it ... he hasn’t climbed more than three or four stairs TOM ever since. SHELBY He won’t go up them and he won’t go down them, just whimpers and we carry him up. We’ve tried treats and cajoling to get him to go either up or down the stairs and neither seem to work. He’s a lovely dog and a real sweetheart, but it would be nice if he’d do the steps himself. I work on the second floor at The Times, so I have to carry Scrappy up the stairs every time I go up to my office. Do you have any ideas? Grateful, The Berrys • Dear Connie, Having descended Mt. Everest the hard way is a lesson Scrappy will not easily forget, never mind repeating it. So, from his perspective, his training is complete. With but a whimper, Connie has been conditioned to transport Scrappy up and down all elevations
greater than 3 or 4 steps. Thankfully, Scrappy isn’t an 8-month-old Great Dane needing such transport. The quick fix requires a leash, harness and high value treats. At this point, the only time Scrappy gets people food or meat treats, is in conjunction with the steps. With the leash attached to the harness at mid back (not the neck) place Scrappy on the bottom first step and coax him down the one step with lots of praise and the treat the moment he reaches the floor. Then do the same from the second step, working your way up, step by step, with success building on success. When he hesitates at the higher steps, gently use the leash to coax him forward and down. If necessary, using the leash will make it very easy to prevent him from falling and give him the confidence he needs. He does not get the treat till he’s all the way down. Period! Your goal is a loose leash so he’s really doing it on his own. Same for going up the stairs. Start a couple of steps from the top using a little pull and coaxing on the leash, with the treat at the top, working your way up the steps. Connie, using the aforementioned, I’ve probably helped well over 100 dogs deal with all kinds of scary steps over the years with 100% success. Good luck and give Scrappy a kiss for me. The Dog Charmer
available for purchase. Proceeds for Palatine Settlement Society to restore historic Nellis Tavern. Admission, $5/person. Arkell Museum, 2 Erie Blvd., Canajoharie. 518673-2314. BENEFIT LUNCH – Noon - 2 p.m. Support Cooperstown
Food Pantry at Empty Bowls Luncheon. Pick unique bowl by local potters, filled with soups by local chefs. Suggested donation $15. Parish Hall, Christ Church, 69 Fair St., Cooperstown. 607-547-2627. MORE CALENDAR Pg. 4
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THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
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Lofts Thrive In Beacon, ROBBINS: ‘I Can Listen And Compromise’ Poughkeepsie, Peekskill KEARNEY/From B1 development in 1989, after the former Bronx firefighter was badly burned on the job. “I bought a three-family house in Beacon and put everything into it,” he said. “I had beautiful lofts on the first and second floor, but I ran out of money to do the third, so it was unfinished.” But as luck would have it, Beacon Mayor Clara Lou Gould had other ideas. “She knocked on my door and said, ‘I’ve heard good things,’” he said. “I told her I was broke, and she put me in touch with government funding to help finish it.” He soon bought the building next door and developed that into mixedincome housing. “I built a couple more as part of the downtown revitalization, then got out of it and focused on senior housing,” he said. “But when Sean came into the business 10 years ago, he pushed us back into downtown revitalization.” The Kearneys owned a site in the artist district in Peekskill, and there they developed 50 affordable artist lofts, 22 middle-income lofts, and four commercial storefronts. “There was this great synergy created,” he said. “We had a mix of interests, ethnicities and backgrounds, and it created this beautiful mosaic.” The Lofts on Main, which features high ceilings and large windows, is designed for artists and rented at a lower cost, and also includes spaces for artists to work on larger-scale projects, such as painting or sculpting. Walking into the apartment, you’ll see high ceilings and wide windows, with an open floor plan in the living/dining room, and a full kitchen tucked in the corner. The typical apartment has two bedrooms; many artists use one as a studio. The apartments also feature two large closets and a full bathroom, complete with tub. Forty percent of the tenants of the 72 apartments were
local, 30 percent were from New York City, and the remaining 20 percent were from the region. With Peekskill under his belt, the Kearneys started a second project in Poughkeepsie, the Queen City Lofts. “We went into an area of high poverty, high unemployment and we built there,” he said. “Now, people are coming back to the area.” The crown jewel of Queen City Lofts is Zeus Brewing, a restaurant and brewery with a rooftop dining that overlooks the Hudson. And in 2018, the father-son team completed the West End Lots in Beacon. “It was extremely rewarding to come back to where it all started,” he said. Across the 150 artist lofts of the three projects, the developers received over 700 applications, including Susan Ball and Carl Van Brunt, who live in the West End Lots. “I read about these apartments in Chronogram, which I write for,” said Van Brunt, a digital artist and painter. “The space is perfect, it’s the right size and the high ceilings make it grand.” Being around other artists has also inspired him, and he is currently working with a musician in the building on animations set to new compositions. After Kearney expressed interest in Oneonta, Mayor Gary Herzig brought 15 community members to tour the Lofts on Main. “From that, we started exploring options,” said Kearney. The original plan was to build in the proposed Westcott Lot, but the space couldn’t support the project. That’s when Kearney discovered the Dietz Street lot. “I stayed downtown last summer, and I walked past it three times a day,” he said. “It was perfect.” In all, the proposed building would have 64 artist apartments, as well as space for the Hartwick College Grain Innovation Center on the first floor. “That’s a great partnership,” he said.
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ROBBINS/From A1 whenever I could.” On the way back to the lake, she’d stop at the Red Nugget Ice Cream Saloon on Hoffman Lane. “THAT was my favorite place,” said Robbins, the Republican candidate for one of two vacancies on the Village Board in the March 18 election. Cooperstown was the family’s geographic center. Her dad James, a college professor, was from Herkimer. Her mom, Antha, was from Roxbury, also the hometown of Glen Hubbell Sr. At a funeral for one of her mother’s relatives, Hubbell “showed up with Schneider’s doughnuts,” to everyone’s delight. Cooperstown’s iconic nature was also evident during Mary Margaret’s hospital stays in recent years, as she underwent treatments leading up to a heart transplant on March 3, 2019. Whether in The Bronx, or Newark or wherever, “they all remembered me: ‘Yes, you’re the one from Cooperstown.’” “We have such a gem here,” she said. “You just want to protect it.” In Delhi, she got involved early in community life, at age 12 helping organize a
parade to enliven “The Fair on The Square,” a weekly summertime event in the Delaware County seat. Then, she and her mom started a face-painting business there. She attended Delaware Academy – going to school with her future husband, Matt Sohns, now a Morgan Stanley senior vice president; they have a daughter, Maggie, 9 – and continued on to Albany School of Pharmacy. As a pharmacist, she worked at a number of establishments, including Cooperstown’s CVS, where former Mayor Stu Taugher once tried to recruit her to run for the Village Board. For Walmart, she helped ensure its pharmacies were following procedures and legal requirements. Robbins said she was motivated to run for office by last year’s Village Board plan to install diagonal parking on Pioneer Street, creating an uproar among the neighbors there. “It didn’t affect me as much as some people,” said the candidate, whose home is closer to the Lake Street intersection. “But the car count would have been increased. We have children on the street.”
It occurred to her she could play a role in such disputes: “This is something I can do: I can listen and compromise.” She’s been active locally in the Angel Network, and arranged for the former Catskill Area Hospice to expand its Tree of Life program to Cooperstown, enabling loved ones to hang handmade heart-shaped ornaments on a Christmas tree in front of Village Hall. She’s also involved in the Susquehanna SPCA’s “Shelter Us” fund drive, donning plastic gloves and mask on Cooperstown Winter Carnival Friday to help pack and serve 350 Brooks BBQ chicken dinners to help the effort. People are most familiar with Robbins’ health challenges: She contracted Lyme diseases in 2013 and by the time it was correctly diagnosed it had damaged her heart, leading to the heart transplant. “It’s made me more accepting of others,” she said, recalling a Jamaican father praying for her son in the hospital room they shared, and for her. “Everyone’s heart is the same color,” she said. “We’re all the same color inside.”
MEMBRINO/From A1 That is, until his sister, Milford Town Board member Marsha Membrino, encouraged him. “All these little towns need volunteers,” she said. He had never met then-Mayor Jeff Katz, so he sent him an e-mail expressing interest, expecting to go through hoops. How about the Water Board? came a quick reply. “Yes, thank you,” replied Membrino. So much for glad-handing: “I didn’t even make eye-contact with Jeff Katz for a year.” Soon, Membrino was elevated to the Planning Board, and he praises the levelheaded chairmanship of Gene Berman. When Village Trustee Lou Allstadt retired early in 2019, Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh Kuch, over a cup of coffee at the Doubleday Café, asked Membrino to succeed him. He accepted. All the people in village government he’s worked with so far have demonstrated “a seriousness of purpose. Thoughtfulness. A commitment to stewardship,” he said. “Everybody I’ve run into is in it for service – not power, not position.”
Membrino was raised in rural Prospect, Conn., and went to Sacred Heart High School in nearby Waterbury. He graduated from Georgetown in 1968 (learning since moving here that Jeff Woeppel, the Bassett Hospital administrator, was there at the same time), and Boston College’s law school in 1971. He did legal work for the Native American Rights Fund, (portending his life’s work), then spent a year “hitchhiking around the world” – Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. Back home, he joined the U.S. Interior Department’s land-claims office, then spent 13 years in Interior’s Solicitor General’s Office; he served in the Ford, Carter, Reagan and Bush administrations. In 1989, he went into private practice with Ross Swimmer, former Cherokee chief and BIA assistant director. Mostly, he worked on water rights, concluding that, in the U.S. West, “water runs uphill, toward money.” He still does volunteer work for the Oneidas. With “stewardship” as his byword, Membrino sees helping Bassett Hospital thrive here as critical. “This has to be
the heart and soul of the community,” he said. “Some people say we should move the hospital out of the village. I don’t see it.” Some of his focus came out of work on the village’s ad hoc Housing Committee, which led to easing zoning provisions to allow more apartments. He has two particular interests if elected March 18. One is to develop the “appropriate” hydroelectric potential of the Susquehanna River at Mill Street. Bassett is interested, too, he said. Two: He toured the sewage-treatment plant with Superintendent John Canker, who said, “Watch that smokestack.” Said Membrino, “All of a sudden, there’s 7 feet of flames, burning off the methane.” Tapping that methane for some purpose, “that would be pretty cool,” he said. As Finance Committee chair, Membrino cites how Cwynar & Co., the Norwich accountants, found Cooperstown “above and beyond other entities they audit … I think that’s a feather in Cooperstown’s hat. Not my hat, but Cooperstown’s hat.” – By JIM KEVLIN
MEMBRINO: ‘Commitment To Stewardship’
BENTON: Thinks ‘The Public Is Engaging’
BENTON/From B1 county’s Young Democrats; Bobby, the Young Republicans – circulated a petition supporting Laurie Pestar, an elementary school secretary seeking an unpaid leave while she fought cancer. “In the end,” Benton said, “she had great union representation, and the right things happened.” At 22, Benton is already a seasoned political activist. He worked for Brian Flynn, who ran in the 2018 Democratic primary eventually won
by Congressman Antonio Delgado. He then worked for Jen Metzger, an Ulster County Democrat who won an upset victory for state Senate. He oversaw 2,500 volunteers. “Organizing these people and seeing their passion was just extraordinary,” he said. Leading up to a nail-biting finale, “I slept six hours in four days,” finally crashing election day in the back room at Metzger’s headquarters. Election night, no one knew where things were
OTSEGO. dining&entertainment
going. At mid-evening, news came that Democratic Florida Gov. Bill Nelson had been defeated, a bad omen. By 12:30 a.m., though, Metzer was 3,000 votes ahead. “And then … Jen won,” he said. “It was a very great night.” Since entering politics, the young organizer had put 22,000 miles on his car. He came home, and was soon appointed Democratic assistant county elections commissioner, reporting to Mike Henrici. Benton MacGuire is adopted. Born in Los Angeles, his Cooperstown parents, Mark and Marianne, who was a friend of his mother, flew in within five hours and brought him home. “For all intents and purposes,” he said, “I am a native of Cooperstown, “without the privilege of being born at Bassett. Now retired, his dad had opened Bassett’s eye-care center on T2, and worked there his whole career. A beautician, his mom operated Cutting Corner, but – a sympathetic person – often had people asking her for personal advice. Benton’s first memory was
picking up the front page of the paper on Nov. 5, 2008, and seeing Barack Obama had been elected president. “It was amazing; it was moving,” he said. His parents had never voted for a Democrat in their lives, but they voted for Obama, the son said. Today, “they’re proud registered Democrats.” Early last year, he ran into Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh Kuch at the Price Chopper, and she recruited him to fill a oneyear vacancy. His election “was the greatest honor of my young life.” In his first year, there have been controversies over an apartment complex, flashing streetlights, the Pride Flag, the Bassett parking lot, and opening up zoning for multi-family housing. But Benton said, “I don’t think it’s been tumultuous. I think the public is engaging.” He’d like to see Village Hall more pro-business, and pro-housing. His parents bought the family home at Beaver and Delaware for $36,000 when she was 18, and he was 21. That couldn’t happen today, he said. – By JIM KEVLIN
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THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
B-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
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►Saturday, March 7
PHOTOGRAPHY – 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Learn DSLR photography with local photographer Ben Gifford. Then put your new knowledge to work for photography challenge. Bring your own DSLR or mirrorless camera, and small tripod. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut St., Oneonta. 607-432-1980. WRITERS GROUP – 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Join other writers to help improve your craft. Hosted by published author, Jennifer Donohue. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut St., Oneonta. 607-4321980. OPENING RECEPTION – 2 - 3 p.m. Celebrate exhibit on local chapter of the League of Women Voters (founded 1920). Features presentations by current members. Free, open to public. Oneonta History Center, 183 Main St., Oneonta. 607-432-0960. PLANETARIUM – 2 - 3 p.m. Public is invited to enjoy presentation on outer space with new Digistar 6 digital planetarium system. Followed by stargazing at College Camp, weather permitting. Free, registration required.
A. J. Read Science Discovery Center, SUNY Oneonta. 607436-2011. PLAY READINGS – 3 - 4:30 p.m. NEXT! Readings of New Works by Regional Playwrights. Featuring ‘Tracy Jones’ by Stephen Kaplan about a party where every woman named Tracy Jones is invited. Free, donations accepted. The Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. 607547-1453. WORKSHOP – 4 - 6 p.m. Learn how to make lasagna to be enjoyed at the Teen Center. Call to RSVP. Class held at 50 Dietz Street, Suite M., Oneonta. 607-435-8360 OPENING RECEPTION – 5 - 8 p.m. Celebrate opening of Members Exhibit featuring works in many mediums by local artists. Cast your vote for People’s Choice award. Enjoy live music by Wendy Slicer. Refreshments available. Free, open to public. Community Art Network of Oneonta, Wilber Mansion, 11 Ford Ave., Oneonta. 607-432-2070.
►Sunday, March 8 FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the boot campaign. See Thursday Listing. SUGARING OFF – 8:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Enjoy full pan-
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Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Inner Awakening with Janice LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/13/2020. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of the process to the LLC, PO Box 513 Morris, NY 13808. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalApr.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of MICHAEL F. ALLEVATO LLC Art. of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 2/21/2020. Office location: Otsego County, SSNY designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to 810 Mooney Road, Worcester, NY. Purpose: Any lawful purpose permitted under LLC law. 6LegalApr.9 Legal nOtice NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received as set forth in Instructions to Bidders (https://www.dot. ny.gov/bids-and-lettings/constructioncontractors/important-info) until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at the NYSDOT,
Contract Management Bureau, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Maps, Plans and Specifications may be seen at Electronic documents and Amendments which are posted to www.dot. ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/ const-notices. The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federallyassisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap and income status in consideration for an award. Please call (518)457-2124 if a
cake breakfast in the morning then demonstrations of maple sugar production. Admission, $10/adult. The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown. 607547-1450. ST. PATRICK’S DINNER – 11 a.m. Enjoy Corned Beef & Cabbage dinner to support local fire department. Served by donation, until sold out. Mt. Vision Fire Department, 179 Co. Hwy. 11B, Mount Vision. 607-433-0997. MUSIC – 2 p.m. Celebrate shared humanity with musical selections from South America, Africa, Eastern Europe, others. Performers include clarinetist Robin Seletsky, flutist Ana Laura Gonzalez, pianist Michael Bauer, a capella ensemble Eight is Eneuf. Free, open to public. Temple Beth El, 83 Chestnut St., Oneonta. 607-286-9085.
►Monday, March 9 FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the boot campaign. See Thursday Listing. HEALTH – 1:15 p.m. ‘Living Well’ workshop on free programs that support physical, emotional, mental health with Jennifer Flynn. Cooperstown Senior Community Center, behind St. Mary’s Church, 31 Elm St., Cooperstown.
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6LegalApr.9
Region 09: New York State Department of Transportation 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901
Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 1945 County Highway LLC Arts. of Org. filed w/ SSNY 2/12/20. Off. in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 1945 County Hwy. 22, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. Purpose: any lawful activity. 6LegalApr.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Raldor73 LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY on 8/15/19. Off. loc.: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent upon whom process may be served & shall mail: 101 Cemetery Rd., Fly Creek, NY 13337. Purp.: any lawful purp.
►Tuesday, March 10 FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the boot campaign. See Thursday Listing. DAIRY DAY – 10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Dairy trade show featuring presentations, networking opportunities for upstate dairy farmers, more. Registration required. Cost, $30/person. The Otesaga, Cooperstown, 518-312-3592. LUNCHEON – 11:30 a.m. Enjoy lunch with Fly Creek Area Historical Society. Fly Creek United Methodist Church, 852 Co. Rd. 26, Fly Creek. TRYOUTS – 6 p.m. Children aged 9-12 are invited to try out for Oneonta Little League, Major League. Ages 10-12. First come, first serve. Preregistration required. Alumni Field House, SUNY Oneonta.
LEGALS
reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.
D264101, PIN 935822, FA Proj , Otsego, Schoharie Cos., I-88 Bridge, Highway & Culvert Rehabilitation with New Bridge Construction in Richmondville & Worcester., Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $2,750,000.00), Goals: DBE: 8.00% 2LegalMar.12
coopseniorcenter@gmail.com CLASSIC MOVIE – 3:30 p.m. Enjoy classic, timeless films with the group. Discussion to follow. Oneonta Teen Center, 4 Academy St., Oneonta. 607-433-2009. POP-UP SHOP – 5 - 7 p.m. Find handmade home decor from farmhouse wreaths to seasonal accessories by Sabrina Beckerink. The Autumn Cafe, 244 Main St., Oneonta. 607-432-6845. GARDEN CLUB – 7 p.m. Rick Marci presents ‘Attracting Birds Throughout the Year’ on how to create bird friendly ecosystem using plants, food, feeders. Illustrated through use of Rick’s excellent pictures. St. James Episcopal Church, 305 Main St., Oneonta. 607-432-1458.
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Name: STEVEN M. GRIDLEY EXCAVATING LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 20 February 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 685 Hoose Rd, Cherry Valley, NY 13320. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalApr.2 Legal nOtice NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received as set forth in Instructions to Bidders (https://www.dot. ny.gov/bids-and-lettings/constructioncontractors/important-info) until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, March 19, 2020 at the NYSDOT, Contract Management Bureau, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Maps, Plans and Specifications may be seen at Electronic documents and Amendments which are posted to www.dot. ny.gov/doing-busi-
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ness/opportunities/ const-notices. The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federallyassisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap and income status in consideration for an award. BIDDERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT AWARD OF THESE CONTRACTS MAY BE CONTINGENT UPON THE PASSAGE OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION BILL BY THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
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►Wednes., March 11 WORLD SPAY DAY – All Day. Get your cat spayed or neutered ahead of kitten season for reduced cost. First call, first serve. Susquehanna SPCA, 4841 St. Hwy. 28, Cooperstown. 607-547-8111. FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the boot campaign. See Thursday Listing. GARDENING – Noon - 1 p.m. Enjoy lively discussion with home gardening specialist on organic gardening system focused on maximum yields from minimum space, increasing biodiversity/fertility. Cornell Cooperative Extension, 123 Lake St., Cooperstown. 518-234-4303 ext. 119. WELLNESS – 4 p.m. Group discussion focusing on emotional wellness. Teens are invited to talk out their stress, anxiety more. Oneonta Teen Center, 4 Academy St., Oneonta. 607-433-2009. SOUP TO GO – 4 - 5 p.m. Enjoy free homemade soup with neighbors. Just because we’re neighbors. Elm Park United Methodist Church, 401 Chestnut St., Oneonta. 607-432-6552. INTERNATIONAL NIGHT – 5:30 - 9 p.m. Enjoy 3-course internationally themed dinner with food from Malaysia. Cost, $20/person. The Otesaga, Cooperstown. 607-547-9931. TRYOUTS – 6 p.m. Children aged 9-12 are invited to try out for Oneonta Little League, See Tuesday listing.
DISCUSSION GROUP – 6:30 p.m. Read ‘Seneca Falls and the Origins of the Women’s Rights Movement’ by Sally McMillen. Participate in casual discussion about women’s past struggles, efforts to win the vote, local women’s contributions to Edmeston. Free, refreshments available. Registration preferred. Edmeston Free Library, 6 West St., Edmeston. 607-965-8208. VISITING AUTHOR – 7 p.m. Enjoy reading by Novelist/Essayist Shena McAuliffe, known for novel ‘The Good Echo’ & essay collection ‘Gas, Light, Electricity.’ Free, open to public. Eaton Lounge, Bresee Hall, Hartwick College, Oneonta. 607-431-4921. FILM SOCIETY – 7 - 11 p.m. Cooperstown Film Society presents noir double feature ‘The Big Clock’ (1948) & ‘An Act of Violence’ (1949) with special guest Libby Cudmore, author ‘The Big Rewind’ & journalist, for a fun, dark discussion of black & white law-breaking. Cooperstown Village Library, 22 Main St., Cooperstown.
►Thursday, March 12 FUNDRAISER – 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. Fill the boot campaign. See Thursday listing. DRAGON DATES – 5:30 p.m. Dip & Paint with local artist, Diane Stensland. Variety of paint images and dipping foods to choose from. Preregistration required. Elm Park United Methodist, 401 Chestnut St., Oneonta. 607-432-0001.
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Please call (518)457-2124 if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.
as agent for process & shall mail to: 10 Market Street, Suite 1, Oneonta, NY 13820 Purpose: all lawful 6LegalMar.26
nization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 6 February 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 393 Main Street Suite 5, Oneonta, New York, 13820. Purpose: any lawful activity. 6LegalMar.19
Region 09: New York State Department of Transportation 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901 D264213, PIN 9PM020, FA Proj Z240-9PM0-203, Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga Cos., Pavement Marking Replacements at Various Locations Throughout Region 9., Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $125,000.00), Goals: DBE: 3.00% 2LegalMar.5 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Copper Helix Design, LLC. Art. of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/18/2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as Agent upon whom process against it may be served. Post office address SSNY shall mail copy of process to is 258 Bloomfield Rd, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. Purpose: Any lawful purpose permitted under LLC Law. 6LegalApr.2 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Jay Mike LLC Filed 1/22/20 Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Gjonaj Farms, LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on December 5, 2019. Office Location: Otsego County. SSNY is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC at: The Limited Liability Company, 483 Cherry Street, Bedford Hills, New York 10507. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalMar.19 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Sam’s Bicycles LLC. Filed 12/3/19. Office: Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 8 Myrtle Ave, Oneonta, NY 13820. Purpose: General. 6LegalMar.19 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: DRI 7, LLC. Articles of Orga-
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of PURE POLIDORO LLC Arts. Of Org. filed with the Sec’y. of State of N.Y. (SSNY) on 01/08/2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: PO Box 309, Unadilla, New York 13849. Purpose: Any lawful activity. 6LegalMar.19 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 21 Glenn Ave LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/31/30. Office location: Otsego. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 56 Waverley Ave Newton, MA 024587. Purpose: any lawful activity. 6LegalMar.12
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Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Home Town Hauling & Recycling, LLC A Limited Liability Company. Articles of Organization were filed with the New York Secretary of State on January 29, 2020. The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County. The Secretary of State has been designated as the 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 to: Home Town Hauling & Recycling, LLC, 1074 Co. Hwy. 36, Worcester, NY 12197. The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity. 6LegalMar.12 Legal nOtice Notice of LLC Formation of DeGlee Farms, LLC, a NY limited liability company (LLC). Cert. of Conversion filed with NY Sec. of State (NYSS) on 01/06/20. Office: Otsego County. NYSS designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. NYSS shall mail process to: 2093 County Highway 18, South New Berlin, New York 13843. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalMar.12
►Need to publish a Notice of Formation, Public Notice, Supplemental Summons, or Notice to Bidders? Contact Larissa at 607-547-6103 or ads@allotsego.com and she can get you started.
THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
AllOTSEGO.life
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THURSDAY, March 5, 2020
B-6 HOMETOWN ONEONTA
IN MEMORIAM Dr. Eugene D. Milener III, 90; Hartwick Economics Chairman ONEONTA – Dr. Eugene Darden Milener III, 89, the retired chairman of Hartwick College’s Economics Department, died on Jan. 8, 2020, in Naples, Fla. Gene was born in Baltimore, Md., on May 3, 1930. He was the only child of Eugene II and Eleanor. The family moved to New York City. Gene attended HampdenSydney College in Virginia. There he founded and built the school’s track team and won track meets too numerous to list. After college graduation, the Army contacted Gene to recruit him to its track team. But not long after, budget cuts canceled the team. Decades after Gene ran his last track meet, Hampden-Sydney had established its own sports Hall of Fame and invited Gene to attend and be inducted.
Gene married Gwendolyn Wilson in New York on June 1, 1957. Son Eugene IV was born in 1958. Dr. Eugene With Gwen D. Milener pregnant with daughter, Lee, the new family moved from New York City to Oneonta in 1960, where they raised their family and enjoyed life for four decades. Son, Scott was born in 1967. Gene was chairman of the Economics Department at Hartwick College. For his first few years at Hartwick, Gene was also the tennis coach. Gene was the Oneonta City historian. As America’s bicentennial approached, Mayor James Lettis recruited Gene to chair
Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar. Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home will take the time to find out what made your loved one special. Whether it’s finding just the right flowers, or finding a musician to play her favorite tunes on her old guitar, we’ll do what’s necessary to make her service as unique as she was.
Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home 14 Grand Street, Oneonta • 607-432-6821 www.grummonsfuneralhome.com
the city’s celebrations committee. Gene was also leader of the small, private group that set themselves the goal of having an indoor tennis facility built on Oneonta’s Rose Avenue. Gene had a chance encounter with local historian, Ed Moore. Their conversation gave Gene the idea of expanding his Ph.D. dissertation into a book. In 1983, Gene’s book “Oneonta: The Development of a Railroad Town� was published. Gene completed updates for the book’s third edition only weeks before he died. By the late 1990s, Gene had retired from Hartwick. He purchased the Riverside Village & RV Park, in Portlandville. He made numerous improvements to the property and sold it a few years later for a deserved profit. Soon Gwen was selling her successful Better Homes & Gardens DeMulder Realty business and the couple transitioned to Cooperstown. By 1995, they had fully retired to Naples, Fla. Gwen died in 2018 following a long illness. At home he swam almost daily. He went on sailing trips in the Atlantic with his old college pal, Harvey. He engaged with Naples social clubs, or watched games at the local watering hole, ground large rocks into pots for plants and became a prolific sender of letters and photos through the U.S. Postal Service. Gene is survived by his children, Eugene Darden Milener IV (Amy Eaton), Lee Hope May and Scott Wilson Milener (Phyllis). He was the proud grandfather of Patia Eaton, Sara Eaton, Caitlyn Basile, Morgan May and Kennedy Milener.
Martha Delello, 78, Oneonta; Filled Key Roles At St. Mary’s ONEONTA – Martha Mary Delello, 78, who filled many leadership roles over the years at Oneonta’s St. Mary’s Roman Catholic parish, passed away on Monday, Feb. 24, 2020, at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. She was born on Aug. 12, 1941, in Oneonta, the daughter of Patsy and Matilda (Martin) Delello. She was the youngest of 13 children. A lifelong area resident, Martha was a graduate of St. Mary’s School and Oneonta High School. She was employed by Wilber Bank and Key Bank in Oneonta and retired after 25 years from SUNY Delhi. Martha was a lifelong parishioner of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. She was there nearly every day, quietly giving of herself to her parish community. Her dedication and care for her church and her parish family was beyond compare. She was a Sacristan, Eucharistic Minister and trained Eucharistic Ministers. She was also
a money counter. Martha served on the pastoral council, liturgy committee, Mount Calvary Martha Cemetery Delello Advisory Board and St. Mary’s School Board. She was also a member of the Rosary Society. She was a graduate of the Formation for Ministry program and received the Women’s Commission of the Albany Roman Catholic diocese, “Saying Yes to God� award. Outside of her church, Martha was also an active community member of the Italian American Club, historical society and the Business Women’s Club of Oneonta. She is survived by her siblings, sister, Eleanor and Leonard Beers of Norwich; brother, Fred and Nancy Delello of Oneonta; special niece and nephew,
Judy Rivino of Oneonta and Kevin and Tamara Maddalone of Sidney; as well as several more nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her siblings, Cecilia Delello, Bernice Mulkins, Martin Delello, Frances Walley, Esther Vandermark, Bernard Delello, Phyllis Delello, Patrick Delello, Joan Delello and Carole Maddalone. A funeral Mass was held Monday, March 2, at St. Mary’s Church with the Rev. David Mickiewicz officiating. Burial will take place in the spring in Mount Calvary Cemetery, Emmons. The family thanks the staff at Fox Hospital, Bassett and Strong Memorial, and all her friends and church family at the rectory for their compassion and care. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Martha’s name may be made to St. Mary’s Reigniting Our Faith Campaign. Arrangements are by Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home, Oneonta.
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