N r e m Sum
EW THIS SEASON
sine Japanese Cui
Dreams
er Online
e out · Ord Dine in · Tak
0% off
r Roll 5 a l u g e R i h Sus
►THINGS TO DO IN GREATER COOPERSTOWN/INSIDE
99 · 607-431-99 ta n o e n O · t ee 211 Main Strtokyooneonta.com pm
& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, August 10, 2018 Visit www.AllOTSEGO.com COUNTYWIDE, DOZEN CFAs SOUGHT Short Of Priests, Bishop Pinch-Hits In Worcester City Aiming To Target
am to 10 Mon-Thu: 11 · Sun: Noon to 9 pm pm 11 to Fri-Sat: 11 am
Volume 10, No. 44
City of The Hills
HOMETOWN ONEONTA E!
E FR
Lettis Highway Blight
By DENNIS ENRIGHT WORCESTER
R
esponding to a severe shortage of priests in his Albany Catholic Diocese, Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger took matters into his own hands. When no priest could be found, he drove down to Worces-
Ian Austin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Catch of the day! Weighing in at 1.18 pounds, this big-mouth bass was caught by Ben Casola, Oneonta, during the annual Fishing Derby on Saturday, Aug. 4 in Neahwa Park.
Sheriff, Foe To Vie Twice In Fall Votes COOPERSTOWN
C
ounty Sheriff Richard J. Devlin Jr. and his challenger, retired state trooper Bob Fernandez, will face each other at the polls twice this fall. After a hearing Tuesday, Aug. 7, the county Board of Elections ruled that Fernandez’ petitions to run as a Democrat in the general election Nov. 6 are valid. Devlin will be running on the GOP line. The Tuesday before, the board found Fernandez petitions valid to challenge Devlin in the Republican primary Sept. 13 (a Thursday, since Tuesday is 9/11). MURDER TRIAL DUE:
Kevin Perry, 23, accused in the shooting death of his parents last December in their Laurens mobile home, is due to go on trial Oct. 1 in Otsego County Court, Cooperstown. DELGADO AT DINNER:
Michael Romano, 17, was charged with stealing two bikes from Otsego Bicycles on Tuesday, Aug. 7.
ONEONTA Bishop at St. Joseph’s
ter at the 11th hour Sunday, Aug. 5, and conducted the mass Please See BISHOP, A3
L
ettis Highway, everyone agrees, isn’t the first impression Oneonta wants to make. That may change in this round of
►For list of CFA grants being sought locally, from Lettis Highway improvements to Schenevus distribution center, see A13
CFAs, part of City Hall’s application for a $63,500 grant for a local waterfront revitalization plan. (CFA stands Please See CFA, A11
Off Life-Support, Ethics Board Stirs At 1st Meeting Ever, Trio Looks At Scope Of Responsibilities By PARKER FISH ONEONTA
F
or the first time since county reps created it 28 years ago, the Otsego County Ethics Board met Tuesday, Aug. 7. All three members, the first ever appointed – Michelle Catan, Brett Holleran and Kim Muller – were briefed on what their responsibilities will be when then begin holding hearings on purported ethical lapses in county government, perhaps as soon as September. County Attorney Ellen Coccoma, who led the briefing, suggested they elect a chairman, but they demurred for the time being. When the county Board of Representatives passed Local Law Number 2 of 1990, Please See ETHICS, A3
Parker Fish/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
County Attorney Ellen Coccoma, top left, briefs Kim Muller, Brett Holleran, lower left, and Michelle Catan at the county Ethics Board’s first meeting Tuesday, Aug. 7, in Oneonta.
Indoor Farmers From Endwell About To Sow At Otego School
Antonio Delgado, 19th District congressional candidate, will speak at the annual By PARKER FISH Democratic Dinner 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 8, at SUNY Oneonta’s Hunt Union Ball- OTEGO room. BIKES BURGLARIZED:
By JIM KEVLIN
A
fter closing its doors just one year ago, the Otego Elementary School is preparing to welcome its newest tenant:
farming start-up AgZeit LLC (pronounced like “excite”). The two developers of 55-plus housing, Two Plus Four of Syracuse and LLP Management of South New Berlin, had pulled out of consideration, leaving only AgZeit and the Kildonan
‘Damaschke’ Immortalized 50 Years Ago By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
I
n cleaning out the storage areas underneath the grandstand, Oneonta Outlaws owner Gary Laing discovered a piece of history. “I found the original sign for Damaschke Field after it was dedicated in August 1968,” he said. “And I realized that makes this the 50th anniversary.” On Aug. 28, 1968, during the final Oneonta Yankees game of the season, the city dedicated what was then known as Neahwa Park Field to the city’s long-time recreation director. “You don’t know how it feels to hear all this said about yourself,” Ernest “Dutch” Damaschke said. “I can only say thank you, thank you.” An Oneonta native, Damaschke was born in 1894 and graduated from Oneonta High School, then Albany Business College, according to his biography in city historian Mark Simonson’s Please See DUTCH, A11
Only Little MCS Decides To Buy Students’ Supplies
By LIBBY CUDMORE School. In front of a crowd of 30 people on Monday, Aug. 6, MILFORD the Unatego Central school board deliberated between ast summer, as Miltwo final proposals. ford Superintendent of The school board discovSchools Mark Place ered The Kildonan School, a was shopping at Walmart, he secondary school in Amenia, had a revelation. Please See SCHOOL, A8 “Fifty percent of our kids
L
get free or reduced lunch,” he said. “It’s a lot to ask our families to buy school supplies.” So this year, Milford Central will provide all supplies – pens and pencils, paper, notebooks and binders, even crayons and markers, as well as hand sanitizer and tissues Please See SUPPLIES, A7
HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST CIRCULATION NEWSPAPER 2010 WINNER OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD