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OET AT REST?
BERTHA ROGERS FINDS LIFE AFTER BRIGHT HILL/A3
HOMETOWN E!
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LIFT TAX CAP, REPS ASKED
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Wayne Carrington, owner of the Autumn Café, was out front shucking the oysters for the restaurant’s seafood dinner special, as part of Oneonta’s weekly “Survive, Then Thrive,” event on Saturday, Aug. 1.
COVID Fells Sixth Victim From County COOPERSTOWN
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hen the county Board of Representatives met Wednesday, Aug. 5, it was due to ask whether to lift the 2-percent state-mandated cap on property tax increases this year. Board Vice Chair Meg Kennedy, C-Hartwick, said going above the tax hike is not certain; the board is being asked to create flexibility in light of bed- and sales-tax revenue drops, and state aid uncertainty. For details, check
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AllOTSEGO.com • COUNTY’S ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
6th District Convention To Consider Burns For NY Supreme Court Seat Proud father Brian D. Burns’ office pays tribute to his children’s college careers.
By LIBBY CUDMORE & JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
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hen Otsego County Court Judge Brian D. Burns first began practicing law in Otsego County in 1992, he served as assistant prosecutor for then District Attorney Michael V.
HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Coccoma. And in 2000, when he won his first election for county and surrogate judge, Coccoma was serving as the local Supreme Court judge. Now, after Coccoma’s retirement, Burns is seeking the nomination for his mentor’s vacant Supreme Court seat in the Sixth JudiPlease See BURNS, A10
TO OPEN OR NOT TO OPEN – AND WHEN?
School Boards Anguish Over Reopening In Fall
OVID-19 claimed its sixth Otsego County victim this week, the first local death from the virus since May, the Otsego County Departmetn of Health reported Tuesday, Aug. 4. The resident, who was not identified, had not been hospitalized and was tested By LIBBY CUDMORE post-mortem, she said. The number of COVID patients hospitalized remains at three. ONEONTA Following the daily progith the first day of ress of the disease at school a month away, Oneonta www. OTSEGO.com School Superintendent SEE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON Thomas Brindley still had to make a decision. “Schools OTSEGO.com should be decid►tropical storm isaias ing cursplashes into Otsego County. riculums, ►FOUNDATION, OTSEGO offer getting $500 PPE grants. classrooms ►KEITH HARING’S “Medusa” ready and hanging in Fenimore. sending out ►DEMOLITION CLEARS WAY for new Oneonta restaurant. school supBrindley ►PLACING political SIGNS, ply lists,” volunteers also pick up trash. he said. ►NY ADDS FOUR STATES to “Instead, we’re being asked travel advisory. to make a determination ►CHURCH-N-THE-HOOD reopens; if it’s safe for our students next service Aug. 16 at and staff to come back to First Presbyterian Church, school.” Cooperstown. Brindley announced Mon►WILLIAM GRIMES SR. 98, dies; day, Aug. 3, that Oneonta fought at Bulge, Remagen. schools would continue ►SQSPCA Rescues 13 dogs remote learning with no onfrom Lebanon. ►LOCAL MERCHANTS ALERTED to campus presence, ahead of Governor Cuomo’s decision, $15,000 reopening grants. Please See ONEONTA, A8
In Oneonta, Schools Shut Until Oct. 9
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NO CROWDS OPEN WAY FOR PAVING
CCS Parents Ask For More In-Class Time By ELIZABETH COOPER COOPERSTOWN
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ooperstown Central School has scrapped one reopening plan for a second that includes more inschool time for students. “We are hearing from parents that they want a Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA more robust connection Timmy Douglas, Colebrook, with Barrett Paving, Clayville, finish the final between the Crankshaw coat on Route 28, which was paved in the past week from Cooperstown to Milford, seven miles. “If the Hall of Fame had been open, it would have school and students,” Superintendent been chaos,” said Eugene Hardy, the DOT engineer on the job. Parallel of Schools Bill Crankshaw Route 33 was also paved this past week. said in a Tuesday, Aug. 4, interview. He planned to release the plan, which has high school unfortunate incident 20 years ago,” he said. By LIBBY CUDMORE & JIM KEVLIN students, one half one day, “State police held his family at gunpoint. the next half the next, back They thought they were drug dealers, and in school by Wednesday, ONEONTA although it was a case of mistaken identity, Sept. 9. it still bothered him that his family never Elementary students ayor Gary Herzig took Bryce received an apology.” would be back in school on Wooden up on his offer. When Herzig reached out to Wooden to Tuesday, Sept. 22. “Bryce spoke at the offer an apology on behalf of the city, the Crankshaw and other Cooperstown Rally in June about a very Please See POLICE, A8 Please See CCS, A8
3 Police-Review Commissions Form
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HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020
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‘Church-N-The-Hood’ Kicks Off In Oneonta
THREE ON LIST: Rachel Brown, Hannah Harman and Keira Layman, Oneonta, have been named to the Spring 2020 Dean’s List at SUNY Paltz. SEARS SUCCEEDS: Gregory Sears, Otego, has been named to the Spring 2020 Dean’s List at Alfred State College, where he is majoring in Surveying & Geomatics Eng Tech
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With her voice booming out over the loudspeakers, Rev. LaDana Clark, aka LADYJAM, returned with her Church-N-The Hood services on Sunday, Aug. 2 on the lawn of the Red Door Church. Church-NThe Hood will be holding services throughout the county on a monthly basis, returning to Oneonta on the first Sunday of every month. Next service will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16 at the First Presbyterian Church in Cooperstown.
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he Otsego County Chamber of Commerce will continue a 34-year tradition this summer, scheduling its annual Chamber Classic Golf Tournament for Thursday, Aug. 20, at the Oneonta Country Club. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to the Community Foundation of Otsego County. The 1 p.m. shotgun start is catered by Roundhouse
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avid Marvel, Oneonta, was one of 11 Oneonta students who graduated from SUNY Delhi in a virtual commencement on Saturday, June 27. Marvel received a degree in Computer-Aided Drafting. Also graduating were: • Theresa Rau, MS, Nursing Administration. • Kristen Sperry, AS, Business Administration. • Tyeshia Stevens, AS, Nursing. • Andrew Grant AA, Criminal Justice. • Meredith Johnson, AS, Nursing. • Antonio Russo, BT, Mechatronics Technology. • Dalton Sheehan, BT, Mechatronics Technology. • Mary Burkitt, BS, Nursing. • Nicholas Dower, AS, Mechatronics Design. • Jovany Hernandez, AA, Integrated Energy Systems.
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â–şSubScribe at OTSEGO.com or call lariSSa at 607-547-6103
11 Graduate SUNY Delhi
20 Named To SUNY Delhi Spring Dean’s List
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Pub & Grill, featuring assorted lunch wraps in a boxed lunch. “We hope that you are able to join us as friends and colleagues, in camaraderie and celebration,� said chamber President Barbara Ann Heegan. The event will follow all social distancing guidelines and Safety Protocols. The Oneonta Country Club is following all USGA touchless protocols on the course and have their carts treated with Bio-ProtectUs.
73 Chestnut St. | Cooperstown, NY | 607-547-2210 34 Main St. | Oneonta, NY | 607-432-7000 Open 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Monday – Friday) bankofcooperstown.com
ogan Osterhoudt, Oneonta, was one of 20 Oneonta residents who was named to the Spring 2020 Dean’s List at SUNY Delhi. Also on the list were: • Spencer Brink • Mary Burkitt • Colette E. Corkery • Andrew J. Grant • Charles T. Hobbib • Brendan M. Horth • Meredith A. Johnson • Sara Kieru • Amy Lee • Kyle K. Martin • Kathryn A. McKenna • Jacob Robinson • Jessica B. Roe • Antonio J. Russo • Dalton S. Sheehan • Tyeshia M. Stevens • Sean J. Taylor • Michelle F. Terry • Saira D. de Freitas
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THURSDAY, August 6, 2020
PAGE A-3
OET AT REST?
what’s fun
in Otsego County
Not Quite. Bright Hill Press Founder Bertha Rogers Publishes ‘Wild, Again,’ Pens Poems About Pandemic Since retiring in 2017 as founder of the Bright Hill Press in Treadwell, Bertha Rogers has continued to pursue her muse from her Delhi area home, reissuing “Wild, Again” in paperback, and writing poems inspired by the pandemic. Inset at right, Bertha examies “Uncommon Creatures,” with one of the “illuminations” in the background.
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Jim Kevlin/
Michael Perekrestov examines a shroud that brightened solemn Holy Week services in 19th-century Moscow.
Russian Robes, A Daring Escape, Or Clean The Lake
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By LIBBY CUDMORE TREADWELL
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BEST BETS
iving on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1986, Bertha Rogers read a book that would change her life. “I Read James Merrill’s ‘The Changing Light At Sandover’ and it knocked me over,” she said, “I had written poetry as a child, but I got out of it as I grew up, and after reading that book, I started writing again.”
The renowned poet and translator, whose “Wild, Again” was released in paperback last year, is at work on a new collection of new and selected poems. “I’ve written several new poems,” she said. “I didn’t think they’d be about the pandemic, but of course, they are. Poems always decide where they are going.” In one such poem, “COVID, The Road,” she finishes the non-rhyming sonnet with, “Clouds cover you, the dissipating green. Your road ceases.” “It starts one way, then the pandemic Please See BERTHA, A6
RR Association Repurposes Station Agent’s Home By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN JUNCTION
I
Jim Loudon himself has begun repainting the front of Elmer Chase’s house, a Cooperstown Junction fixture since 1895.
t’s survived the wrecking ball and decrepitude for much of a century and a quarter, but the old house – you can’t miss it as you drive through here – has been associated with trains and railroads from the start. That association is about to be revived, as the Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society renovates it as storage for its archives. Eventually, a model railroad may be set up in the basement, according to Jim Loudon, OTSEGO.life Please See HOUSE, A6
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earn about the coronation of Nicholas II Alexandra Fedorovna of Russia through the vestments worn by the clergy in an online presentation by the Russian History Museum, Jordanville. 1-2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, www.russianhistorymuseum.org. • It’s theater and a lecture as Omonike Akinyemi leads a conversation, “Speak of Me as I Am: Examining Race in Othello” ahead of a screening of the LIBBY Glimmerglobe Theatre’s CUDMORE 2018 production of “Othello.” Friday, Aug. 7, The Fenimore Art Museum, www.facebook.com/fenimoreartmuseum. • Can you escape the Witches Hut? Solve puzzles, cure poison mushrooms and follow the resident Game Master to safety. Presented by Huntington Memorial Library. 5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7 www.facebook. com/hmloneonta/ • Stop at an airy gallery to view exhibit by local artist ‘George Hymas: Spontaneous & Deliberate,’ a series of colorful sculptures from castoffs like construction debris, twisted trees, spent bullets, more. 4 - 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 7, The Art Garage, middle bay, 689 Beaver Meadow Rd., Cooperstown. (607) 547-5327. • Help pull up water chestnut stumps and keep Goodyear Lake clear of invasive species. 1 - 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, Fishing Access Site, St. Hwy. 28, Portlandville. (607) 547-4488. • Sharon Stuart presents a talk on the Women’s Suffrage movement in Otsego County, including the three visits Susan B. Anthony made here. 1 - 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 9, The Swart-Wilcox House Musuem, Wilcox Ave., Oneonta.
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020
EDITORIALS
Enough, Let’s Build Distribution Center
Burns Succeeding Coccoma Equals Win-Win For County B
W
hat great news that our own Brian Burns, Otsego County judge, is the prospective nominee for state Supreme Court vacancy in the Sixth District created by our own Michael V. Coccoma’s retirement earlier this summer. Coccoma, of course, is a tough act to follow. Not only was his character above reproach and his decisions dependably sensible and convincing, he was an innovator, credited in part with centralizing and streamlining the patchwork magistrate system into a smooth-running assembly line of justice that we’ve witnessed locally in
Coccoma
the past year. And he was an architect of the drug court. His qualities were recognized at the highest level, as the state’s Chief
COLUMN
Winner Doesn’t Win – Unless Loser Knows It
O
n a mid-August afternoon in ’84, I accompanied a friend of mine to inspect a ’55 International pickup in the hilly farm country of Upstate New York. I had grown up in a nearby village and had fond memories of the steep hills, hedgerows and stone wells that defined the fields and farm boundaries. The truck was a gem – faded blue MICHAEL with dents but no WHALING rust. It had all the signs of a long and hard life somewhere else, and rumor had it that it came from Texas. The owner agreed to let us take it for a short ride down the dirt road from his house into the valley. We traveled the five miles prescribed and turned for the return up the long hill before we ran out of gas. Traveling by foot on a dirt road in the summer is probably one of the nicest things a person can do and I was telling myself this to make up for the embarrassment I felt that neither of us checked the fuel. Shortly, it occurred to me that one of the farms we would be passing always had dogs. Not poodles or beagles but DOGS – German shepherds. I passed this news on to my friend and suggested that we select some items of defense from the nearest hedgerow. With each of us
HOMETOWN
carrying four-foot sticks, we continued our uphill hike as the sun began to slide. As we approached the dog farm, I kept an eye on the milk house where the shepherds of my youth would spring to chase my father’s truck. By now the sticks were off our shoulders and by our side as we attempted to sneak through the territorial zone. Soon we were 100-feet beyond where I predicted the attack would occur, and no dogs. I just couldn’t believe it – more importantly, I couldn’t stand it, and gave the loudest raspberry I could over my shoulder. (A raspberry is the noise produced when you stick out your tongue and blow out through your mouth at the same time). Within seconds, angry barking commenced and they came after us. We ran and maintained our 100-foot margin – or they gave up at some territorial mark (more likely) and we finally had a chance to catch our breath. At this point, my fellow runner asked: “What the hell did you do that for?” “There’s no fun in winning unless the loser knows he lost” was my winded, gloating, stupid, very lucky reply. Michael Whaling, stone mason and enviromentalist, lives in Sharon Springs.
ONEONTA
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
Burns
Tara Barnwell
Advertising Director & General Manager
Libby Cudmore
Managing Editor
Larissa Ryan Business Manager
Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production
Elizabeth Cooper Correspondent
Ian Austin Photographer
Ivan Potocnik Web Architect
Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Consultant
IN MEMORIAM: Mary Joan Kevlin, Co-Publisher, 2006-17 MEMBER OF National Newspaper Association, 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
Administrative Judge Jonathan Lippmann in 2015 quickly tapped Coccoma as deputy administrative judge, making him responsible for keeping the wheels of justice smoothly running in all the state’s courts outside New York City. Because of Coccoma’s heavy responsibilities, Burns was often called upon to preside not only in county court, but in local proceedings of state Supreme Court, (which, despite the name, is New York State’s court of “original jurisdiction,” where many felonies get their first hearing.) Please See JUDGE, A5
F
efore Governor Cuomo’s rapid-fire – and unceasingly so – response to the COVID-19 threat, it used to be a verity that government moves slowly. Cuomo’s proved government can do better, even much better, which deepens the mystery – at least, the quandary – of the slow movement toward getting a distribution center built and employing 300+ people on that high field in Schenevus overlooking I-88’s Exit 18. (Drive over and take a look at it.)
These distribution centers are flowering all over the country, and Upstate New York – positioned as it is, between Boston and Philadelphia, and New York City and Buffalo and points west – is running out of sites large enough and close enough to Interstates for these e-commerce behemoths. Amazon alone announced a couple of years ago that it’s looking to build 25 distribution centers. We only want one! The pandemic’s boost to e-commerce is only going See SCHENEVUS, A5
rom Tragedy, Reform
Photo courtesy Governor’s Office
In signing Executive Order #203, The New York State Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative, on June 12 in New York City, Governor Cuomo is flanked by mothers of two young men who died at the hands of police, Valerie Bell, left, the mother of Sean Bell, and Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner. Others, from left, are the Rev. Al Sharpton, Dr. Hazel N. Dukes, state NAACP president, and state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins.
Here Are Provisions Of Police Review Plan Editor’s Note: The three Otsego County jurisdictions that oversee police departments – the County of Otsego, the City of Oneonta and the Village of Cooperstown – are in the process of forming citizen commissions to review their law-enforcement policies and regulations, as specified in Governor Cuomo’s Executive Order #203, issued after rallies for justice that followed George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. Here are the directives in the executive order.
T
HEREFORE, I, Andrew M. Cuomo, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the Laws of the State of New York, in particular Article IV, section one, I do hereby order and direct as follows: The director of the Division of the Budget, in consultation with the Division of Criminal Justice Services, shall promulgate guidance to be sent to all local governments directing that: ►Each local government entity which has a police agency operating with police officers as defined under 1.20 of the criminal procedure law must perform a comprehensive review of current police force deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices, and develop a plan to improve such deployments, strategies, policies, procedures and practices, for the purposes of addressing the particular needs of the communities served by such police agency and promote community engagement to foster trust, fairness, and legitimacy, and to address any racial bias and disproportionate
policing of communities of color. ►Each chief executive of such local government shall convene the head of the local police agency, and stakeholders in the community to develop such plan, which shall consider evidence-based policing strategies, including but not limited to, use-offorce policies; procedural justice; any studies addressing systemic racial bias or racial justice in policing; implicitbias awareness training; de-escalation training and practices; law-enforcement-assisted diversion programs; restorative-justice practices; community-based outreach and conflict resolution; problem-oriented policing; hot-spots policing; focused deterrence; crime prevention through environmental design; violence-prevention and -reduction interventions; model policies and guidelines promulgated by the New York State Municipal Police Training Council; and standards promulgated by the New York State Law Enforcement Accreditation Program. ►The political subdivision, in coordination with its police agency, must consult with stakeholders, including but not limited to membership and leadership of the local police force; members of the community, with emphasis in areas with high numbers of police and community interactions; interested non-profit and faith-based community groups; the local office of the district attorney; the local public defender; and local elected officials, and create a plan to adopt and implement the recommendations resulting from its review and consultation, including any modifications, modernizations, and innovations to its policing deployments, strategies,
policies, procedures, and practices, tailored to the specific needs of the community and general promotion of improved police agency and community relationships based on trust, fairness, accountability, and transparency, and which seek to reduce any racial disparities in policing. Such plan shall be offered for public comment to all citizens in the locality, and after consideration of such comments, shall be presented to the local legislative body in such political subdivision, which shall ratify or adopt such plan by local law or resolution, as appropriate, no later than April 1, 2021; and Such local government shall transmit a certification to the Director of the Division of the Budget to affirm that such process has been complied with and such local law or resolution has been adopted; and The Director of the Division of the Budget shall be authorized to condition receipt of future appropriated state or federal funds upon filing of such certification for which such local government would otherwise be eligible; and The Director is authorized to seek the support and assistance of any state agency in order to effectuate these purposes. G I V E N under my hand and the Privy Seal of the State in the City of Albany this twelfth day of June in the year two thousand twenty. BY THE GOVERNOR
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020
HOMETOWN
HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-5
History
Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
150 Years Ago
Oneonta Locals – A horse and foot race is to take place in this village on Saturday next. Be easy with the horses. They don’t get ice water and juleps as you do. We are under obligations to Mr. Jon Miller for a basket of fine eating apples. The poke-your-nose-into-other-peoples’-businesssociety – it’s on the increase wonderfully here. “Shoo Fly” is played out. Osborn and Fox are selling “Excelsior Fly Paper.” You will surely buy. G.W. Booth of Franklin has bought the house and lot of Eugene Parish on Center Street at $1,800. August 1870
125 Years Ago
On August 1, 1895 “The Narcotic Instruction Law” takes effect in New York State. This law requires that not less than four lessons per week, for ten or more weeks in each year shall be devoted to the teaching of the nature of alcoholic drinks and other narcotics and their effect on the human system in all grades of schools below the second year of the high school. It is also provided that all pupils who can read shall study this subject from books. Pupils unable to read shall be instructed orally. It is also provided that a definite amount of space be provided in the textbook to this subject. August 1895
100 Years Ago
City Attorney Becker presented a proposed new City Ordinance relative to the parking of automobiles in the business section of the city, which was adopted. It prohibits the parking of cars for a longer period than a half hour on Main Street between Grove and Elm Streets between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. for the six motoring months – and also the parking of cars during the hours named on the easterly side of Dietz Street from Main to Reynolds Avenue during the same six months. It also confers upon the Police Commission power to establish prohibited zones to be suitably marked. Upon motion of Alderman Clark the Mayor was instructed to appoint a committee to investigate the project of a public market for Oneonta and to recommend a suitable location. Mr. Clark asserted that many times producers in this section are unable to find a market there for produce they have brought in, or they are compelled to accept a price below that prevailing elsewhere. Alderman Clark believes the producers would profit and the consumer would be able to buy more advantageously. August 1920
60 Years Ago
Otsego County’s 1960 highway death count rose to eight
80 Years Ago
bicycle rules and laws for safety: Keep to the right side of the road and ride in the same direction as the automobile traffic. Ride single file. Obey all traffic control devices, stop signs, red lights, etc. Walk your bike across busy streets. Never hang onto moving vehicles. Ride one to a bike unless it is a two-seater. Never carry packages unless your bike is equipped with a carrier basket. August 1980
20 Years Ago
Otsego County residents are advised to be alert for dead crows that have died for no apparent reason. Such crows may be a sign that the mosquito-borne West Nile virus that causes a deadly form of encephalitis is present. New York State health authorities report that the virus has been documented in birds or mosquitoes in the counties of Orange, Westchester, Suffolk, Rockland and Nassau in addition to New York City. Upstate health authorities are testing dead crows to determine if the West Nile virus has moved upstate from the New York vicinity. “We have submitted three crows for testing and the results are negative on two of them,” Cathy Abernethy, Otsego County’s Public Health Director, said. Results from a third test are due Monday. “For some reason crows die quickly after becoming infected by the West Nile virus from a mosquito bite,” August 1940 Abernethy said. “The presence of dead crows that test positive is the best early warning signal for West Nile virus that over the weekend. Roger E. Benedict, a Walton youth was we have.” Last week, a dead crow in the Liverpool area instantly killed at 4:45 a.m. Saturday morning when his near Syracuse tested positive for West Nile virus. 1958 foreign-made Borgward station wagon rammed the August 2000 rear of a tractor-trailer loaded with coal on Route 7 east of East Worcester. The station wagon, with the dead driver still at the wheel was dragged more than a mile before the truck How the “Upstate Home for Children & Adults” became driver, John P. DePossi of Perkville, PA became aware of “Spring Brook” – “Your name is doing you absolutely no the mishap. Also, Arthur Nomini, a Delhi youth, died favor here,” a consultant told Upstate Home Executive Sunday afternoon in Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta Director Patricia Kennedy as she sought advice for a from injuries received as a car passenger in a highway capital campaign. And so, in 2006, the Baptist-founded accident on Franklin Mountain near Oneonta 11 days former orphanage alongside Route 28 that changed its before. The car’s owner, Oren R. Pomeroy, 19, also of mission in the 1960s to caring for handicapped children Delhi, died shortly after the accident. Two other youths, started pondering how to change its name and public including the driver, were slightly injured. August 1960 image. Consultants were consulted. But nothing clicked until the day Vinnie Russo, the Chairman of the home’s Board of Directors and owner of Mickey’s Place, a Main Street Cooperstown baseball emporium, encountered Eve Does your bicycle fit you? We certainly hope so, for to Pierson, the entrepreneur of Cooperstown Kids. “You ride safely you must have positive control at all times over already have a name,” Pierson insisted. “What?” Russo the actions of your bicycle, according to Fred Hickein of demanded. “”Spring Brook,” Pierson replied, referring to Oneonta, a member of the Otsego County Traffic Safety the stream that runs under Route 28 adjacent to the campus. Board. The Board actively supports a bicycle registration And so the new name became “Spring Brook.” and Inspection Program for all bicyclists in Otsego County. August 2010 The aim is to reduce the number of highway accidents and fatalities involving bicyclists. One sure way to help is to ride a properly equipped and adjusted bicycle. Some
10 Years Ago
40 Years Ago
EDITORIALS
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
Let’s Fast-Track Schenevus Distribution Center SCHENEVUS/From A4 to continue fueling this demand. County Rep. Peter Oberacker, RSchenevus, who has been championing the local site, said companies looking to deliver products overnight are now looking to do so “within hours.” • The Schenevus project is stuttering against the backdrop of, it can only be hoped, a profound rethinking of Otsego County’s economy. As we’ve learned since the governor’s March 13 emergency declaration, our county’s economy is woefully over-dependent on tourism. For decades, The National Baseball Hall of Fame, Otsego Lake, the Cooperstown museums and the Glimmerglass Opera – joined recently Distribution centers require relatively little energy, and the huge by the youth baseball parks – have been dependable generators of tax rev- south-facing roof on the one proposed for Schenevus would enues and prosperity for hotels, restau- further minimize energy needs. rants, retail and rental properties. • would put Schenevus in competition This year, though, the local version Against the backdrop of faltering with the former Pony Farm Commerce of the national shutdown has pinched Park in Oneonta, certain to result in tourism – will 2021 be much better off that spigot. Even in the best year, than 2020? So fast-track Schenevus. conflict. let’s face it, tourism in Upstate Go for one and done. The county hired a Binghamton New York will never be more than a A single distribution center would consulting firm, McFarland Johnson, 13-week bonanza, leaving many which last year studied 86 prospective likely be less objectionable to our of our neighbors to struggle the rest distribution-center sites along I-88 local environmentalists, too, as it of the year. in Otsego County, and reported to requires less energy for heating and less State Sen. Jim Seward’s two the county reps in March that the waste-water processing. It’s rigs in, Economic Development Summits Schenevus site is the best one. rigs out. Plus, the large south-facing – in 2011 at The Otesaga and 2013 at Now, Oberacker said, McFarland roof would be ideal for solar heating. Foothills – underscored the need for With Schenevus Central School’s Johnson will conduct an environmen12-month jobs, for moving beyond financial crisis, Oberacker said people tal review (SEQR), beginning by the tourism. end of the year, so a recruiter can be are frequently asking him: “Will it And things have happened – the hired next spring to solicit companies save our school?” It would. Chobani miracle, Custom Electronics’ for the 120-acre site. The point is, let’s get on with it. creative initiatives, Northern Eagle In addition to a site plan for a single Distribution centers are hot; they proBeverage and microbrewing generally. distribution center, the consultants vide many jobs, often for entry level Also, NYCM Insurance continues also did one for a six-site commerce workers. They’ll keep our young to flower; you certainly noticed the people here. The environmental huge addition underway to the already park. But Oberacker argues a single imprint is acceptable. And we have a client would be a home-run – and is impressive campus if you’ve driven doable – whereas the multiple sites ready-to-build site. Let’s get it done. through Edmeston lately.
alternative to jail time – might bring a further touch of humanity to a smoothrunning system. His recent sentencing statement after Gabe Truitt’s recent arson and murder case also communicated this jurist is no push over either. The county GOP chairman, Vince
read an article in the rules, laws and executive Sunday, Aug. 2, New orders, and publicly refusing York Times titled, “Wear to carry them out Your Mask Please. No, Not In other cases, the refusal on Your Chin.” of law enforcement It talks about the to carry out the law is subtler. “A difficulty in getting compliance of rules spokesman for the and regulations Boston Police regarding mask Department wearing and social stressed that it distancing. It talks was not enforcing about the difficulty mask rules because in getting people, Massachusetts has especially people on RICHARD no law requiring vacation, to follow STERNBERG masks, which is social distancing and true. He did not remask-wearing rules. spond when asked It also talks about the hes- about the order the governor itancy of some law enforceissued in May that provided ment officials to enforce for a $300 fine for not wearthese rules and regulations. ing masks in stores, on mass It states that in Colorado and transit and in taxis.” In New York State, there New Mexico, some sheriffs are openly defying local Please See STERNBERG, A7 LETTERS
Low-Key Summer Proves What Cooperstown Can Be
To the Editor: As we all know, we are living in truly challenging times in our town, county, state, country and world. Our lives are impacted by C-19 and all the closures and cancellations it has caused and will continue to cause – the world will never again be as it was. But it is with some honest observation that I see Cooperstown as a more pleasant and user-friendly place now than it has been in many years. Today, happy Casale, expressed confidence Judge Burns will emerge from the 10-county tourists are visiting our town Sixth District judicial convention next and enjoying a peaceful, Tuesday, Aug. 11, in Binghamton with masked Main Street without raucous hordes of years past. the nomination. That would be good It is sad that America is all news indeed for Otsego County, and about money for those of a well-deserved honor for our fellow us who live and work here, citizen.
First Coccoma, Then Burns On Supreme Court. Perfect JUDGE/From A4 That experience makes Burns ready to go, in terms of a smooth transition post-Coccoma. The friendly Oneontan’s record – a case in point is his embracing of the drug court concept, giving people a structured way to get clean as an
I
If It’s Enforced, Law Would Stem COVID
quality of life is just as important if not more so. We must support our local merchants who provide needed services and hope that in the future, new endeavors will replace some of the old and move beyond just tourism. It is a law of Nature that diversity lends stability and stability is not something we can enjoy now or in the future until we diversify. If success is measured only by the dollars of sales tax revenue generated, then we have lost sight of more important simple things that make our lives enjoyable in Otsego County. STEVE SHAUGER 38-year resident Cooperstown
THURSDAY, august 6, 2020
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Railroad Historical Society Reclaiming Station Agent’s Home HOUSE/From A3 Oneonta, the railroad historian and one of the railway society’s founders. The two-story Victorian style house with its filigree porch was built by Milford native Elmer Chase, who spent 43 years with the Delaware & Hudson Railroad. He rose from telegraph operator to station agent, a post he held in Otego for his last 23 years, according to his obituary in the Otsego Farmer. Born in 1858, he would have been 38 when he built the house at the corner of Route 7 and County Route 35, which heads north to
Goodyear Lake. Located at the start of the Cooperstown & Charlotte Valley spur, it would have been a convenient location for a railroad man. “This was a very busy hub,” said Loudon. “There was a station and a turntable here, there would have been trains going all day.” The COVID-19 threat caused the society to cancel its Milford-to-Cooperstown summer excursion rides. “The state said we could operate trains at 25-percent capacity, but with 16 riders per car, that doesn’t even cover the cost of fuel,” Loudon said. “It just wasn’t worth it.”
faith,” said Loudon. “Our original hope was to run trains off the line and establish a permanent railroad museum here, with panel tracks and static displays.” And although several trains are on the property – a handful of the few GG1 electric locomotives still extant – in 1995 the association acquired the Milford station, and set up both the museum and the tours off of that line. “It was too expensive to maintain at this end of the line,” he said. But the association still owns the building, and used it for storage and some office work. “It’s flooded twice,” he said. “In 2006, I came over and one of the
desks in the basement was floating like a battleship.” The cornices on the porch had detached, and much of the clapboard needed replacing. This summer’s COVID19 shutdown, however, freed up volunteer time, and last year’s 150th anniversary celebration brought in enough donations to fund the repairs. “We had a good year last year,” Loudon said. “We had a surplus, but we can always use more memberships and donations.” Himself, he fixed the stairs and the lattice work under the porch and repainted the front of the house. “The dark burgundy door is a nice shot of color,”
he said. “I get here about 5:30 in the morning, but by 8, it’s too hot to paint anymore.” The lathe and plaster were taken down, and a set of pocket doors were located underneath. “Elmer Chase signed one of the runners,” he said. When finished, the building won’t be open to the public, but will host the archives, as well as be accessible to some members. “We’ve had people approach us about setting up model trains in the basement,” he said. “That’s a real possibility.” Elmer Chase died of a heart attack on April 15, 1927, by then residing in Otego.
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So he and other volunteers have turned their attention to the Chase House, with the intent of fully upgrading it into archival storage and office space. The house was built in 1895 on land Chase bought from the railroad. It was occupied up until the 1970s, Loudon believes, and the state then bought it in 1977 to demolish it to make way for I-88’s Exit 17 ramp. In the end, the ramp was built a little to the west, and the house was spared. The building remained abandoned until 1983, until – with the help of state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford – the one-year-old railroad association obtained it. “It was our first leap of
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BERTHA/From A3 worms its way in,” she said. “It surprised me, because I don’t usually write like that. It’s an indication of how ruined we are.” An Iowa native, Rogers majored in visual arts at the University of Iowa, but dropped out at 20 when she married Jerry Roth. They had two daughters, Jade and Rachel. The couple moved to Oakland in 1974 and founded the Company Theater of the Bay Area. She did sets and costumes, he directed, including the first production of Joel Orton’s “Entertaining Mr. Sloane.”
The couple moved to Manhattan and divorced in 1985. “I started going to readings at the Centerfold Coffee House at 86th and Broadway,” she said. “There were a couple of young-ish people there who had had started a press, and they published my first chapbook, ‘The Reason of Trees’ in 1987.” She moved to Treadwell in 1989. “I didn’t want to hear another car alarm ever again,” she said. “We used to take the kids camping near Cooperstown, so I knew the area.” Treadwell, she found, allowed her to still get to
New York City for readings and freelance work, while giving her a space to continue to write. Her first full-length book, “Sleeper, You Wake” was published in 1991 by Mellen press. She met Fishman that same year, and the couple married in 1993. “One night we were talking and I told him I missed going to poetry readings in the city,” she said. “We came up with the idea to have a series here, and advertised in the paper.” Though there was a snowstorm that night, “five or six” people showed up to the first reading in
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January 1992. “We needed a place where people could come and read poetry, fiction and non-fiction,” she said. “It’s a very good thing in a rural region.” The first readings were held in her home in West Delhi, and in 2002 the couple bought the building that now houses Bright Hill Press. “It was a college rental house,” she said. “But when we walked through it, I could see where everything would go.” In addition to the readings, Bright Hill Press sponsors an annual poetry book and chapbook prize. Rogers was also named the Poet Laureate of Delaware County, serves as one of two jurors in the New York State Fair Poetry Contest, and sits on the panel of Empire State Center for the Book Writer Hall of Fame. She retired in 2017 as the executive director of the Bright Hill Press, which she founded with her husband, Ernest Fishman, in 1992. “Normally I’d be doing the occasional school residency,” she said. “But mostly I’ve been reading and gardening.” Rogers also discovered a love of translating. “If I want to learn something, I got a book and I learned it,” she said. “I got interested in ‘Beowolf’ in 1986, and a friend suggested I translate it.” That translation was published in a hand-set type edition by Birch Brook Press in 2000. Her love of translation, poetry and art fused with her publication of “Uncommon Creatures,” translations and illuminations of the 95 Anglo Saxon Riddle Poems, from the 10th century Exeter Book. “I do a lot of gold leaf,” she said. “Every single riddle has an illumination with it.” Though the pandemic has dried up the workshops, Rogers is still active with virtual readings, including the Café Lena in Saratoga on Sept. 2, and she contributed a poem to Robert Benson’s “Seeing Things: A Collection of Poetry.” But even when she ventures out in the required mask, people still know who she is immediately. “They always recognize the hair,” she said. “When I would do programs in schools, I always loved it when teenagers would dye their hair. When I started going grey, I didn’t want to have it be boring.” She uses Manic Panic – “it’s vegan,” she said – and changes the color up periodically. These days it’s bright pink.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020
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STERNBERG/From A5 have been multiple Executive orders and the state Department of Health, on July 9, authorized fines for non-compliance of social distancing measures. Like all New York State laws, these violations can be, and are predominantly, enforced by local law enforcement. At the July 27 meeting of the Cooperstown Village Board, a local law requiring the wearing of a face mask in portions of the downtown business district, on Main Street from Chestnut to Fair streets, and on Pioneer Street from Church to Lake streets, at all times was reviewed and a public hearing was set for 5 p.m. this coming Monday, Aug. 10, in the fourth-floor ballroom at 22 Main. Voting on the law will take place after the public hearing.
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and the writing of citations will decrease the need for much enforcement afterward. The decision on how much a fine is will be in the hands of the Town Justices. Police needn’t concern themselves about that. Ultimately, local government officials need to understand and follow through. Their responsibility doesn’t end with passing these laws. They also need to ensure that they are enforced. Again, the public hearing is at 5 p.m. next Monday. If you have any thoughts on this let your Village Board members know either by your presence at the meeting or by writing them or sending emails to Board of Trustees, Village of Cooperstown, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326; Attn: Village Administrator or tbarown@ cooperstownny.org or both. Richard Sternberg, a retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon, has agreed to provide his professional perspective while the coronavirus threat continues. Dr. Sternberg, who is also a village trustee, resides in Cooperstown.
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While this law does not deal with all of everybody’s concerns – many people are concerned about the flaunting of the Governor’s quarantining orders – it does help in slowing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus which causes COVID-19. There was some concern about the extent to which this, and other orders, decrees, regulations and laws, would be enforced. At the meeting on July 27, one of the village police officers pointed out that the police have broad discretion in the enforcement of these types of laws. My hope is that the knowledge that this and other similar regulations will be enforced will go a long way to improving compliance. I am not that naive. But I hope it will not take many citations by law enforcement to get the message across that bad public health behavior will not tolerated. In New York State this past weekend, 19 bars had their liquor licenses suspended for violation of the social distancing laws and regulations. In fact, early and consistent enforcement
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THURSDAY, august 6, 2020
A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Oneonta, County, Cooperstown Form Police Advisory Boards
POLICE/From A1 25-year-old spoke highly of his city. “He told me ‘I love Oneonta, and if there’s ever a way I can be helpful, I’d like to give back to the community.” Wooden joins eight others on the Community Advisory Board, tasked with reviewing police policy and procedures in the city. Common Council approved Herzig’s recommendations to the board during their meeting on Tuesday, Aug. 4. Oneonta was first out of the gate, but both the County of Otsego and Village of Cooperstown are preparing to do the same. “I’ve known Bryce since pee-wee football,” said Council member Len Carson, Fifth Ward. “It’s unfortunate that incident happened, but I’m glad to see he’s an active community member. In addition to Wooden, the board includes Shannon McHugh, who chairs the city’s Commission on Community Relations & Human Rights, John Adams Jr., representing the NAACP, Oneonta chapter,
Council member Luke Murphy and Personnel Director Katie Böttger, representing City Hall, Robert Compton, who chairs SUNY Oneonta’s Africana & Latinx Department, and Biama Charles, Hartwick’s assistant director of residential life & housing, representing the college and SUNY Oneonta student Stacy Zuniga. A Hartwick College student has not yet been named; Herzig said he is waiting on a recommendation from President Margaret L. Drugovich. Herzig and Police Chief Doug Brenner will “facilitate” the meetings and help guide the discussion, but not serve as formal members. Though Brenner could not attend Tuesday’s Common Council meeting, he sent a letter expressing support for the board. “This is an outstanding representation of Oneonta,” he wrote. “I truly feel this is a big step forward for the city, police and residents.” Herzig’s idea for an advisory board predates
tional requirements, we can explore and expand the group,” Herzig said. “But right now, we have a good plan.” Herzig put together his commission before the governor’s Executive Order #203. “He did that because of the protests after George Floyd’s death, where he heard some speakers and was alarmed about the things that had taken place in Oneonta,” said Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh Kuch.. • She is putting together Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA Impressed by Bryce Wooden of Oneonta’s the advisory commission as description of his family’s 2000 experience with contained in Cuomo’s order. state police, Mayor Gary Herzig has asked him to Trustees Rich Sternberg serve on Oneonta’s Police Advisory Board. and Jeanne Dewey have asked to be on the village Governor Cuomo’s execuwill be done before April,” commission, she said. Also, tive order, which tasks local Herzig said. “But we have “I’ve had three yesses from governments with putting no deadline.” community members,” together a “comprehensive Cuomo suggested although she didn’t name review of current police including “the local police them. force deployments, strateforce; members of the Cuomo’s order “specifigies, policies, procedures, community; interested cally says this committee and practices, and develop non-profit and faith-based needs to be formed from the a plan to improve such community groups; the community.” And that will deployments, strategies, local office of the district be reviewed by the state’s policies, procedures, and attorney; the local public Division of the Budget and practices” to be adopted as defender; and local elected the Division of Criminal law by April 1. officials.” Services. “I anticipate the work “If there are any addi-
Absent a police chief, she expects the village’s two officers will both participate in the commission. • At the county level, Chair Dave Bliss intends to have commission members selected by the September county board meeting. Meanwhile, he hopes to get more specifics from the governor, who’s been “somewhat specific, but also somewhat vague” He also plans to confer with Lee Fisher, president of the NAACP, Oneonta chapter; as high school coaches, they’ve known each other for years. “He will give me some suggestions.” Bliss plans to facilitate the discussions, along with Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. and District Attorney John Muehl, “or their designee.” He is hoping to see some cross-pollination between the county and Oneonta. “It would be helpful to have one member on both panels (the city and the county) so, if they come up with ideas, they can share them.”
Oneonta Schools Delay Opening Until CCS Divides Students Into ‘Cohorts’; Oct. 9, Worry About College Students Maintenance Crews Work Into Night ONEONTA/From A1 expected by the end of this week, on how schools could safely reopen statewide. “We were being asked to consider how many vacant hospital beds we had in the region,” he said. “Why? So we could fill them? That’s a terrible barometer for looking at the safety of our students, faculty and staff.” Earlier in the summer, Brindley took a survey of families asking if they would prefer on-campus study, online instruction or a hybrid of both. He said that a third supported each proposal. “This decision could have huge financial impacts on some of our families,” he said. “But we have to look at whether we can transport our kids safely, if they can social distance in the school. There’s a lot of factors going into play.” In July, after almost a month without cases in the county, the Otsego County Department of Health began reporting an uptick in cases, with four hospitalizations. “The way I interpret that is
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Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.10
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Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Arnold Lake, LLC Filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/20. Office location: Otsego County. Walt Frazier designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. Walt Frazier shall mail process to the LLC at 273 Southside Drive, Oneonta N.Y. 13820. Purpose: Any lawful activity 6LegalSept.10 Legal nOtice
that there’s a concern from the Department of Health over the simple numbers gain.” At press time, the total number of cases in the county was nine, down from 13 last week. However, there was one death this week, the first since May. “You read other accounts in schools where teachers have contracted and succumbed to the illness,” he said. “I don’t want any child burdened with thinking they may have infected someone.” He was concerned that testing was being limited, with overburdened labs and kits sent to areas with a higher concentration of cases. “Imagine if testing had to be periodically done on every kid,” he said. “If I’m hearing correctly and all the specimens are being sent to the Wadsworth laboratory in Albany, I can’t imagine how overwhelmed they’ll be when all the schools reopen.” He also cited the possible influx of cases when Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta students
Name: HOTEL PRATT LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 17 June 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 50 Pioneer St, Cooperstown, NY 13326.
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arrive back in the city in two weeks. “Having thousands of college students move into our community during a time where we are simply in no better position than we were last March relative to this illness is quite concerning,” he wrote in his letter to parents. Elsewhere in the region, Unatego hasn’t formally decided whether to reopen or offer hybrid learning; Laurens plans to reopen and Milford is awaiting the results of a parent survey. The district will reassess where they are at the Interim Progress Report period on Oct. 9, including working with the Department of Health and assessment of cases in the state and region, as well as the year’s flu season, which, with similar symptoms, could impact the testing needed. “There’s no such thing as a full reopening,” he said. “There will always be students who have underlying health issues or families who don’t feel safe sending them. There will be some remote learning taking place.” “It’s difficult,” he added. “I’ll be glad when all of this is behind us.”
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CCS/From A1 school officials have been working for months to come up with a framework that balances two critical concerns: Student and staff health and safety and important student learning and development. “It’s going to be a challenge,” Crankshaw said. “We are trying to listen to everyone’s concerns.” The latest proposal, which was discussed at a School Board meeting Tuesday evening, was similar to one previously offered, but allows more in-person teaching time. The proposal: • Students would be split into two equal groups, or cohorts. • Each cohort would attend school in an alternating pattern of two days and then three days a week. • Instruction on the other days would be remote and could involve independent projects. • Essentials such as art, music and gym classes, as well as recess time for the younger grades, would still be offered. Students will be masked at all times and seating will be appropriately separated. There will be clear instruc-
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Notice of Formation of
Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
GREULICH REALTY LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/23/2020. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jeff Greulich, 9 Roaring Rock Rd., Washington, NJ 07882. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business location: 40 Maple Ave., Unadilla, NY 13849. 6LegalSept.3
Name: PRIME’S OUTDOOR POWER LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 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
tions on walking in specific directions in specific places. Families may opt to do all learning remotely if they wish. Students with inadequate Internet connectivity at home may come to specially designated areas in school buildings to do their remote learning. The student cohorts will be announced soon and may be determined alphabetically. Teachers have been undergoing comprehensive training in techniques of remote learning this summer. Crankshaw said he expects the at-home component of school to be “robust” and acknowledged that it wasn’t as effective as it could have been in the beginning of the pandemic. “It needs to look different than it did in the spring,” he said. Under the earlier plan, one group would attend in-person school Monday and Tuesday, and then Wednesday would be used to clean and disinfect the facilities. The other group would attend in person Thursday and Friday. Under the
current plan, the groups would alternate days, with custodial staff working until 11:30 p.m. to disinfect. One group would attend in-person school Monday and Wednesday and the other Tuesday and Thursday. The groups would alternate schoolbased learning on Fridays. Cooperstown is opting to open Elementary school in-person learning Sept. 21. The first weeks of school, which begins this year on Sept. 9, will be conducted remotely and students will be brought in smaller groups to have assessments done and to get orientation from teachers, Crankshaw said. Middle and high school students would return Sept. 9. The rationale for that is that older students need to establish strong relationships with their teachers early on, in case school needs to go to remote learning within a few months. The district will work closely with the county Department of Health in the event a student tests positive for COVID. Clear guidelines are pending, Crankshaw said.
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5715 US Hwy 20, East Springfield, NY 13333. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3
State (SSNY) was 24 July 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 7761 State Highway 80, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3
AMERICAN MAIN STREET PROJECT LLC
Limited Liability Company, (LLC)
Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 06/26/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 81 Spruce St., Oneonta, New York, 13820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalAug.20
Name:
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: SPRINGFIELD CAMPGROUND LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of
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Rainbow Pond LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/23/2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 23 Washington St., N. Chelmsford, MA 01863 Purpose: Any lawfull purpose. 6LegalAug.13
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THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2020
HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9
IN MEMORIAM
Ruth G. Allen, Oneonta; Active In ‘Thrive, Survive,’ Library
David Jones
March 10, 1942 - July 28, 2020 COOPERSTOWN – David Jones, husband of Lynn Richards Jones, passed away peacefully on July 28, 2020, at his home in the Village of Cooperstown. A retired English and American Studies teacher, he taught at the Millbrook School in Millbrook, and the Saint Andrew’s School in Boca Raton, Fla. He was 78. Born on March 10, 1942, in Albany, David was one of three children of Louis Clark Jones, Ph.D., and the former Hazel “Billie” Williams. The family moved to Cooperstown in 1947, not long after his father was named director of the New York State Historical Association. David attended Cooperstown Central School and later transferred to The Putney School in Vermont. After graduating from Putney, David studied theater at Boston University before transferring to Hiram College, where he received a B.A. in English in 1966. During his years in Cooperstown, he met Lynn Richards, daughter of longtime residents William Richards and the former Wanda Olmstead. On Aug. 27, 1966, David and Lynn were married at The Cornwallville Church at The Farmers’ Museum. Following the ceremony, they rode by oxcart to Bump Tavern for the reception. From September 1966 until February 1968, David attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a master’s degree in English. In March 1968 he enlisted in the Air Force, attained the rank of staff sergeant and served as a chaplain’s services specialist. In 1971, David and his family moved to the Millbrook School where he taught English, coached baseball and skiing,
and served in various admintraining teachers and assessing istrative capacities. He also communications programs. continued course work toward He revised the “IBM Style his Ph.D. in English at Drew Guide for Educational SoftUniversity and, later, at the ware” and wrote textbooks University of Miami. for the Lawrenceville Press. In 1976, David accepted He also wrote an introduction a position to teach English to Susan Fenimore Cooper’s at Saint Andrew’s School. “Rural Hours” for Syracuse He served as the departUniversity Press. ment chair, introduced In 2001, David, American Studies to the an avid bicyclist, curriculum, developed was in training for an English as a Second a 575-mile AIDS Language summer probenefit ride in gram for international Montana when he students, and coached was struck from baseball and women’s behind by a van cross country. He is and thrown from remembered as a kind, his bike. He lay compassionate, and inunconscious in a spiring teacher, coach, Delray Beach David and dorm parent. He hospital for nearly Jones retired as a Master two weeks. He Teacher. gradually improved, but David loved teaching. Over sadly realized he could no the span of more than three longer teach. It was noted decades, he became wellthat a brain injury seemed a respected and admired by particularly cruel offense to a students, faculty and parents man known for the depth and alike. He was known for his subtlety of his mind. In 2004, wit and for gently guiding his he and Lynn returned to students’ understanding of Cooperstown and made their literature and writing. home on Elm Street. In addition to his teaching David is survived by his career, David worked in wife of 53 years, Lynn, of educational software Cooperstown; their two sons development for IBM, and daughters-in-law,
Matthew William Richards Jones, MD, and Cora Vegafria Jones of Cooperstown, and Jeremy Louis Clark Jones and Katherine Janiec Jones, Ph.D. of Boiling Springs, S.C.; four grandchildren, Molly Foard Jones, Phoebe Lynn Emerson Jones, Isabella Grace Richards Jones, and William David Maxwell Jones; a sister, Carol Loomis of Winthrop, Mass.; a sister-in-law, Elisabeth Richards Jerson and husband, Robert Jerson of Springfield Center; and several nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents and stepmother, Agnes Halsey Jones, David was predeceased by a brother, Peter Jones and a brother-in-law, Raymond Loomis. David will eventually be laid to rest in the Pickens Family plot in Lakewood Cemetery, Cooperstown. As a way to remember David, please consider a memorial gift to the Susquehanna SPCA, 4841 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326. https://sqspca.org/support/ make-a-donation/. Arrangements are under the care of Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
MeMories to Cherish Ensure your loved ones are memorialized exactly as you wish with In Memoriam notices in & The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
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from 1997 to 2014, and he volunteered at FoxCare. Willy was a member of the Sixth Ward Booster Club Playground and the Sixth Ward Athletic Club. He is survived by two sons, Michael Grimes of Oneonta and William Grimes Jr (Jenny) of South New Berlin; four grandchildren, as well as two great-grandchildren In addition to his wife, he was predeceased by a sister, Leona (Grimes) Roberts. The graveside service was held Friday, July 31 at the Oneonta Plains Cemetery, with Bruce Helmstrom of Helios Care officiating.
IN MEMORIAM
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Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home
wounded during the seizure of the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, He earned a Bronze William Grimes Star, and a Purple Heart when he was injured at Remagen. William worked at various jobs in Oneonta and retired from the SUNY Oneonta maintenance department after 20 years. After his retirement, he worked for Reynolds Greenhouse/Stoeger’s Florist, then at Bookhout Funeral Home
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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.
ONEONTA – William E. Grimes, Sr., one of Oneonta’s last remaining World War II veterans, passed away Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at the age of 98, plus one day. He was born in Middle Village, Staten Island, on July 28, 1922, the son of William H and Lena (Schuab) Grimes. He was married to Rose Marie Russo on June 19, 1949, in Oneonta, where they enjoyed 57 years of marriage. Rosie predeceased him in 2006. A member of the Army’s 47th Infantry 9th Division, William fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and he was
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Grandma loved her farm, her family, and playing her old guitar.
is survived by her brother, Alan Goldsmith; her daughters, Marissa Allen and Floella Allen; and her grandchildren Jamie Paige, Raven Rose and Devin Daniel. A celebration of Ruth’s life will be announced once it is safe to travel. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Ruth’s name to Huntington Memorial Library, the Otsego branch of Cornell Cooperative Extension outreach program or the Otsego County 4-H program. Arrangements are entrusted to the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home.
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After retiring from the NYC Extension, she relocated to Oneonta with her partner Dennis Finn, Ruth and became Allen actively involved in several organizations of the Oneonta and Otsego County communities. In addition to “Survive, Then Thrive,” she served on the Huntington Memorial Library Board and continued working as a volunteer expanding the relationship with the local 4-H organization and Cornell Cooperative Extension. Besides loving to cook Where YOUR personal design and being an NPR junkie, is OUR specialty she enjoyed traveling, entertaining her friends 20% IN-STOCK and going to Glimmerglass OFF MEMORIALS Add’l lettering/carving extra Opera, among countless 312 Chestnut St., Oneonta other interests. 557 St. Hwy 80 East, New Berlin Predeceased by her 607-433-0975 • 607-847-6549 partner Dennis Finn, Ruth sicklermemorials.com • sicklerm@outlook.com
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ONEONTA – Ruth G. Allen, who was active in Oneonta’s civic life, serving most recently on the city’s “Survive, Then Thrive” committee, passed away July 21, 2020. Ruth, who previously lived in Brooklyn, was the retired administrative director for the Cornell Cooperative Extension of New York City’s outreach education programs. She was a lifelong educator and an advocate for the members of her local community on multiple issues.
William E. Grimes, Sr., 98; Fought At Bulge, Remagen
For 212 Years
AllOTSEGO.com
Up to 400 words, $125 Over 400 words, $175 Photos complimentary Remind your funeral director to provide obituary information to our newspapers, along with a favorite photo of your loved one. For details, call Larissa Ryan at 607-547-6103, email LarissaR@allotsego.com. You may also submit the information yourself directly to: info@Allotsego.com, or online at www.Allotsego.com/loved-ones/ All obituaries submitted will be published in a timely fashion in the print publications, and on www.AllotsEgo.com.
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_________
THURSDAY, august 6, 2020
A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
A complete Guide to
what’s fun in OtsegO COunty _________ Send calendar items to info@allotsego.com
►Thursday August 6
book.com/oneontarec/ for info.
what’s fun in OtsegO COunty _________
COVID-19 TESTING – 9 a.m. - Noon. Healthy individuals are ►Friday, August 7 invited to drive-thru testing VIRTUAL THEATER – Enjoy for Covid-19, free of charge, past productions recorded courtesy of the Otsego County live from the Glimmerglobe Department of Health. For theater. Showing ‘Othello’ perOtsego County residents only. Registration required. Town of formed 2018. To be preceeded by conversation ‘Speak of Worcester Municipal Building, Me as I Am: Examining Race 19 Katie Ln., Worcester. 607in Othello’ featuring Omonike 547-4279. in OtsegO COunty Akinyemi (who starred as RABIES CLINIC – 9 a.m. Othello 2018) & other cast Noon. Free rabies vaccination members. The Fenimore Art for cats, dogs, ferrets. SchedMuseum. www.facebook.com/ uling for 30 minute intervals fenimoreartmuseum/ to follow social distancART EXHIBIT – 4 - 7 p.m. ing. First come, first serve. Stop at airy gallery to view Susquehanna SPCA, Rt. 28, exhibit by local artist ‘George Cooperstown. 607-547-4230. Hymas: Spontaneous & DelibFIELD TRIP – 2 p.m. Learn erate. ’ Hymas uses visionary, the history of the Plaque Galcolorful sculpture from castlery, the process of making the plaque and what it means offs like construction debris, to the meaning of being a Hall twisted trees, spent bullets, more. The Art Garage, middle of Famer. Free, registration bay, 689 Beaver Meadow Rd., required. Presented by The Cooperstown. 607-547-5327. Baseball Hall of Fame. Visit MUSIC ON MAIN – 6 - 8 baseballhall.org/events for p.m. Get outside to enjoy a info. live performance by local GLIMMERGLASS GLIMPSE band Hanzolo, a 7 piece band – 5:30 p.m. Enjoy aria from whose songs are danceably Handels ‘Rinaldo’ originally fun with thoughtful lyrics and scheduled for performance in a bright horn section. Pioneer 2020. This performance feaPark, Main St., Cooperstown. tures a short film by Director Visit www.wearecooperstown. Louisa Proske and is percom/free-fridays/ for info. formed by countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, pianist ►Saturday, August 8 Christopher Devlin. Presented by Glimmerglass Festival. Visit OTSEGO LAKE MEETING glimmerglass.org/events/ – 9 - 10 a.m. Join open virtual glimpse-rinaldo/ for info. meeting to discuss the state ESCAPE GAME – 7 - 8 p.m. Join resident Game Master and of the lake, the invasive species present, much more with your friends for fun quest to the Otsego Lake Association. escape imaginary Witches Hut. Visit www.otsegolakeassociaSolve puzzles to escape, cure tion.org/ to participate. the poison mushrooms you RADIO CONCERT SERIES and your party have consumed. – 10 a.m. Enjoy performances Available to 4 County Library from 2019 Honest Brook SumSystem Users only. Presented by Huntington Memorial Library. mer Music Festival this summer. This week listen to violinVisit www.facebook.com/hmloist Randall Goosby and pianist neonta/. Also Friday. Zhu Wang perform works by CONCERT SERIES – 7 Debussy, Straus, others on - 9 p.m. Live From The Park, WSKG or channel 105.9 on Oneonta Summer Concert series to feature The Realtime the radio. Visit www.facebook. com/Honest-Brook-Music-FesDixieland Band performing tival-115728758479086/ live online. Visit www.face-
what’s fun _______
Burns Seeks State Supreme Court Nomination BURNS/From A1 cial District, he confirmed Monday, Aug. 3. “After he announced his retirement, the local Republican party leader” – GOP County Chairman Vince Casale – “asked me to consider it,” Burns said. “I consulted with Judge John Lambert and my family before deciding to pursue it.” He will be appearing at the Republican Sixth District convention in Binghamton next Tuesday, Aug. 11, to make his case. Proxies, one from each of the 10 counties in the district, will decide the nomination. And Casale is confident in Burns’ selection. “First and foremost, one of the most important things when you elect a judge is qualifications and experience needed to do the job, since it’s such an important position,” he said. “Brian’s been a tremendous judge – also, an active Supreme Court justice. He’s respected throughout. I am completely confident in his ability to be a Supreme Court judge.” In addition to his role as the county judge – most recently, he oversaw the first-degree murder and arson trial of Gabriel Truitt, 35, of Oneonta – has served as the acting Supreme Court justice. Burns, a Vestal native, graduated in 1985 from Syracuse University and graduated Suffolk University Law School in 1991, where he served on the law review. He moved to Oneonta in 1992 as the assistant district attorney and to work in private practice. “In the back of my mind, I knew I always wanted to pursue law as a career,” he said. “But I never envisioned being a judge.” He and his wife, Elizabeth, have three grown children, Meg, Kevin and Tony. In 1995, he was asked by Mayor
The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA file photo
Brian D. Burns is sworn in as county judge on Jan. 1, 2011, by State Supreme Court Judge Michael V. Coccoma. Burns’ wife, Elizabeth, holds the Bible while their children, from left, Meg, Kevin and Tony, look on.
David W. Brenner to serve as Oneonta city prosecutor. He has also been active with the county’s Drug Court, and was invited to Ireland in 2017 to share his experience with judges there. And in 2019, he helped found the Integrated Domestic Violence Court, which aimed to streamline domestic violence cases and assist victims in finding legal representation, housing and counseling. Burns has received endorsements from state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, and Assemblyman John Salka, R-Brookfield, Oneonta’s state legislators, among others. “There is no candidate more qualified,” said Seward. “During his 20 years as Otsego County Court judge, including 14 years as an acting Supreme Court justice, he has presided over thousands of cases and garnered
unparalleled experience to handle the challenging cases that come before state Supreme Court.” If Burns is nominated, he will appear on the ballot in November. At present, the Democrats have not announced a candidate for judge. “If nominated, I’ll work hard for the people of the Sixth Judicial District,” he said. “And I’ll be grateful for a short campaign season!” Burns, who is currently running unopposed for his third term as presiding in County Court, said if he is nominated he will remove his name from that ballot line. “It’s a feather in Otsego County’s cap that we’re able to keep a sitting Supreme Court justice in Otsego County and to continue the great legacy of Mike Coccoma,” said Casale.
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