Group Working To Help Save Cherry Valley Health Center
By DARLA M. YOUNGS CHERRY VALLEY
Acommittee formed at the suggestion of Cherry Valley Town Supervisor Thomas Garretson began work in January to identify solutions that would allow Cherry Valley Community Health Center services to continue. Lisa Hershey, tapped to lead the committee, indicated in an e-mail on Monday, April 21 that Garretson, who is also the chair of the health center’s Board of Directors, is collaborating with commitee members on potential solutions to ensure that the health center remains open.
The problem? The health center’s annual revenue is less than the annual costs for the services. The gap is estimated to be $150,000.00-$250,000.00. In February 2025, the health center’s expenses totaled $82,613.00, with just $58,094.00 in revenue, according to the Town Board meeting minutes of March 13, 2025.
According to Hershey, the Town of Cherry Valley owns the health center building at 2 Main Street, maintains it and holds the Article 28 certification as a diagnostic facility from the New York State Department of Health. Article 28 of the New York State Public Health Law establishes the framework for the state’s healthcare facilities.
Operation of the health center is tricky, though, according to Hershey.
“This is complicated and was set up a long time ago,” she explained. “The town operates and manages the health center, does the billing and receives payments for the services. Bassett Healthcare Network ‘leases’ the town
It is not viable for the taxpayers of the Town of Cherry Valley to continue to cover the [revenue] gap. The health center does not receive any outside funding or funding from any of the surrounding towns.”
— Lisa Hershey
the staff—two nurse practitioners, two nurses and two medical office assistants.”
One person is employed by the town to handle the health center billing.
“The town takes in the revenue for services and Bassett bills the town for the staff,” Hershey said.
Over the past three or four years, the health center has accrued a significant debt to Bassett, which Hershey largely attributes to billing issues at the health center and invoicing issues at Bassett.
“The town taxes covered the loss, resulting in an approximately 20 percent increase in 2025 to property taxes in Cherry Valley on top of the tax dollars already covering the annual gap. It is not viable for the taxpayers of the Town of Cherry Valley to continue to cover the gap. The health center does not receive any outside funding or funding from any of the surrounding towns,” Hershey said.
The committee’s first step was to evaluate financials and services, in order to determine the viability of the
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Shaughnessy: Parking Essential to Oneonta Economic Development
By MONICA CALZOLARI ONEONTA
Business owner and former network engineer Bryan Shaughnessy was the first to present his proposal for 27 Market Street on Tuesday, April 15 at the City of Oneonta Common Council meeting. The jammed-packed agenda drew about 100 people to the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center.
Shaughnessy’s message was clear and simple. For existing businesses to thrive, and for new businesses to invest in downtown Oneonta, ample, convenient parking is essential.
As he has done for the past six months, Shaughnessy gave the council a litany of reasons why maintaining 27
Market Street as a parking lot is the best option for business development in the short term.
He told the council that he is willing to buy 27 Market Street and lease it back to the city for free for at least one year. The lot at 27 Market Street “is striped for 49 cars,” Shaughnessy said. “If you take the (five) dumpsters out, you can fit 60 cars in that lot.”
Shaughnessy reminded council that “Fiesta closed five months ago.”
He predicted that no new business is going to lease in Clinton Plaza without sufficient parking.
“The many commercial vacancies throughout downtown all require parking,” he said.
Without the availability of 150-200
Continued on page 8
Art Garage Features ‘The News According to Bonhomme’
COOPERSTOWN
The Art Garage celebrated the opening of its new show,
“French Connection: The Political Art of Olivier Bonhomme,” on April 19. The exhibition features several dozen drawings Bonhomme made between 2015-2024, described as “powerful, first-edition, full-color giclee images.”
Born in 1986, Bonhomme lives in Montpelier, a famous cultural center in the south of France, and is a regular contributor of political cartoons to “Le Monde,” a leading French newspaper. According to a press release, his work has also been featured in major publications including “The Washington Post” and France’s “Arte.”
“French Connection:
The Political Art of Olivier Bonhomme” presents the artist’s views on world events from his perspective, grounded in a European Union country. He also provides visual commentaries on contemporary culture—social media, TikTok, political and social movements, cell phones, and more, today all recognized globally.
“The work is illuminating, thought-provoking and visually striking,” said Sydney Waller, curator and Art Garage founding director.
Continued on page 9
Photo by Monica Calzolari
Bryan Shaughnessy presented his case for why 27 Market Street should remain free parking for the foreseeable future. He marked up a Google aerial view of downtown Oneonta to show locations of parking on Market Street.
CCS Tennis Sweeps Herkimer
COOPERSTOWN—Cooperstown tennis swept Herkimer in a division match at home on Friday, April 11. Senior Owen Marling and eighth-grader Micah Raffo won first and second singles in straight sets; Hayden Spencer took third singles by forfeit. On the doubles court, junior Bianca Adam and senior Lexi Wolfe won 7-5, 6-0. The second doubles team of junior Rigzin Gazan and senior Jaina Bischoff finished 6-1, 6-0. The Hawkeyes rose to 3-0 for the season.
Track Season Now Underway
HOLLAND PATENT—Cooperstown track and field opened the 2025 season at the Holland Patent invitational on Saturday, April 12. The girls team finished sixth of 14 teams with 35 points. Senior Annelise Jensen won the 800m in 2:18.34, breaking her own school record from 2022 by more than two seconds. The sprint medley relay team of Mia Pelcer, Hayden Merwin, Mia Stenzel, and Jensen took second place, and senior Tara Philips finished third in discus.
The boys team tied for seventh place in a field of 13 teams. Senior Andrew Miller won shot put at 39’7”. The sprint medley team of Jameson Gable, Theo Spinosa, Jonah Hitchcock and Jacob Johnson took first place; Gable also placed third in the high jump, and Johnson took third in the 1600m.
Safe Digging Reminder Issued
BINGHAMTON—New York State Electric and Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric issued public safety reminders in honor of National Safe Digging Month. Customers are reminded to call 811 or visit UDIGNY.org at least two working days before starting any excavation project to ensure that underground infrastructure is safely marked. Both services are free. Buried utilities should be properly marked and recorded. If infrastructure is disturbed or damaged, call 911 and then notify NYSEG by calling (800) 572-1121 for a natural gas emergency or (800) 572-1131 for an electric emergency.
Feral Fest 2025 Announced
ONEONTA—Friends of the Feral TNR-Otsego, an organization that controls feral cat populations and improves their quality of life by sterilizing and releasing them, will hold its Feral Fest 2025 fundraiser at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center from 1-6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 17. Admission is $5.00, or $25.00 for admission and a commemorative sampling glass. There will be beer, wine and
spirits tasting from 1-4 p.m., food donated by local businesses, live local entertainment, a cash bar, and raffles. All proceeds support feral cat population management. To purchase tickets or make a donation, visit friendsoftheferaltnr.org.
Logo Contest Submissions Due
OTSEGO COUNTY—In honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of the nation’s founding, Otsego County Historian Deb Mackenzie announced an America250 logo contest for students. There are three age brackets—fourth grade, seventh and eighth grades, and 11th grade—with $100.00 first prize and $50.00 second prize awards for each.
All entries will be published on the historian’s website. Submissions should be celebratory, reference America250 or Otsego250, be G-rated, and fit within a seven-inch square or circle. They must also follow at least one of the national themes, including: the American Revolution and related events; “power of place,” including important sites; unfinished revolutions (the extension of rights to marginalized groups); “We the People;” or “The American Experiment,” covering the ways succeeding generations have improved upon the founders’ work.
Send a logo and entry form, obtainable from county teachers, to 3038 County Highway 11, Hartwick, NY 13348 by Friday, April 25. Winners will be announced on May 19.
Small Arts Grants Available
ROXBURY—The Roxbury Arts Group announced a new round of $500.00-$2,000.00 Small Arts Grants to support Delaware County programs. Eligibility guidelines and application materials may be found at roxburyartsgroup.org. Applications must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Friday, June 27. All applicants must attend an informational webinar, available at 5 p.m. on May 2, 2 p.m. on May 15 and noon on June 21.
‘Soccertown’ Program Planned
ONEONTA—In conjunction with its summer “Oneonta: Soccertown USA!” exhibition, the Greater Oneonta Historical Society will host a “Soccertown: Then and Now” panel discussion at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center from 6-7:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 8. Moderated by Hartwick Women’s Soccer Coach Brian Knapp, the panel will include SUNY Oneonta Women’s Soccer Coach and Athletic Director Tracey Ranieri; OHS and SUNY Oneonta player and SUNY Oneonta Assistant Coach David Ranieri; SUNY Oneonta player and Oneonta
Roundabout Construction to Begin May 27
Read Monica Calzolari’s extensive coverage of the New York State Department of Transportation’s roundabout project, planned for the City of Oneonta this summer, on AllOtsego.com
High School Boys Soccer Coach Alex Brannan; OHS player and SUNY Oneonta Women’s Soccer Coach Mara Primmer; and 1977 Hartwick Men’s Soccer Championship Team Coach Jim Lennox. The event is free and open to the public.
Hartwick Athletics Benefit Set
ONEONTA—The Hartwick College Athletics Benefit Auction will return with a spectacular lineup of prizes, including vacation homes and sports memorabilia, from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, May 15 in the Anderson Center for the Arts. High-end donations may be made through Friday, May 9. Tickets are $50.00 per person, or $90.00 per couple, and may be purchased in advance online or at the door. Beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
Dog Park Petition Input Sought
COOPERSTOWN—A group of concerned Cooperstown residents recently opened a petition calling for the establishment of a public dog park on Linden Avenue. It may be viewed or signed at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1YF2ZFDwQyI1 aCee2CDm4PKj5vd8N6iGX6l5wPQl0aU4/viewfo rm?fbclid=IwY2xjawJzuIBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQA BHkbZK7BzG0zt14-ggUnn_YfQ4fPQAeMD0jtx Au8JjDLZ2NeAGJTnr3fVm8ct_aem_KC8M0E4 VFcNhTfK4csdBjg&edit_requested=true.
Young Entrepreneus To Speak
COOPERSTOWN—Friends of the Village Library of Cooperstown will close its 2024-25 Sunday Speakers season with a panel discussion of young Cooperstown entrepreneurs from 3-4 p.m. on Sunday, April 27. Moderated by Cooperstown Coworks owner Molly Hernandez, the group will discuss the outlook for new businesses in the village. Panelists include Hanna Bauer of Mohican Flowers, Lauren Glynn of Lauren Glynn Esq., Jess Gorman of J. Gorman Fine Jewelry, Keith Gulla of The Landmark Inn, Alex Gunther of Mel’s at 22, Kate Lanza of Kate’s Upstate, Emilie Rigby of Rigby Handcraft, and Christene Springle of Mountain Magic Healing Studio. All Sunday Speaker programs are held in the third floor ballroom of the Village Hall, 22 Main Street.
Popular Contradance Returns
COOPERSTOWN—Otsego Dance Society’s next contradance will be held at the First Presbyterian Church on Friday, May 2. There will be a brief
Continued on page 7
Federal Agency Slashes Hefty Funding to Hanford Mills Museum
By TERESA WINCHESTER
EAST MERIDETH
Upon further review, IMLS has determined that your grant is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serves the interest of the United States and the IMLS Program.”
“IMLS” stands for the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Reading this statement in her inbox was Kajsa Harley, executive director of Hanford Mills Museum, located in East Meredith—in Delaware County, just over the Otsego County line.
When asked in an April 18 telephone interview if she knew what IMLS meant by this statement, Harley replied, “I don’t know what it means. Our museum tells an important story… talks about how unique it is, not in its history, but in that it is one of a handful of still existing operational mills. It represents thousands of other mills that no longer exist.”
At issue was a $238,475.00 federal grant IMLS had awarded HMM for two separate multi-year projects. One was to improve the management and care of the museum’s historic objects so as to ensure their long-term duration. The other was to create an interpretive master plan, with input from the community, to guide
the museum’s activities through 2026.
HMM had already received, but not spent, $34,187.00 for the master plan. Loss of this sum translates into cancellation of a professional development workshop that was to have included other local museums, thus broadening the impact of the financial loss, Harley wrote in an April 12 media release.
None of HMM’s grant monies from IMLS had yet been spent, which is not the case for some other museums who have had their funds withdrawn, Harley said.
The announcement was signed by Keith Sonderling, acting IMLS director appointed by President Donald Trump in March. Accepting his appointment, Soderling stated, “I am committed to steering this organization in lockstep with this Administration to enhance efficiency and
foster innovation. We will revitalize IMLS and restore focus on patriotism, ensuring we preserve our country’s core values, promote American exceptionalism, and cultivate love of country in future generations.”
A March 14 executive order issued by Trump, titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy,” listed the IMLS as one of seven entities whose “nonstatutory components and functions… shall be eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law.” It further directed that “such entities shall reduce the performance of their statutory functions and associated personnel to the minimum presence and function required by law …”
The six other “entities” on the list include the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service,
the United States Agency for Global Media, the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in the Smithsonian Institution, the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, and the Minority Business Development Agency.
IMLS was established in 1996 under the presidency of Bill Clinton. Its enabling legislation held that “federal library and museum programs are far reaching, spanning cultural, educational,
scientific, and information policy matters. Democracy demands wisdom and vision in its citizens.”
It further stated, “an important role of the federal government is to promote education and access to information for people of all backgrounds, wherever located. By supporting museums and libraries throughout the nation, IMLS enables these organizations to carry out their public service role of connecting the whole of society with the cultural, artistic, historical, natural, and scien-
tific understandings that constitute our heritage.”
Harley’s media release stated that HMM “preserves an operational water-and-steampowered sawmill and gristmill as well as a historic manufacturing, retail, and agricultural site. With a staff of only 5 full-time and a handful of part-time employees, HMM offers 3-4 special events, serves thousands of visitors and provides educational programs to area schools each year.”
The water mill at HMM has been operating since 1846 and the grist mill since 1869. HMM is listed on the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
Two of the museum’s more popular activities are symbiotic: practicing the once essential agricultural tradition of ice harvesting in January and, in July, celebrating National Dairy Month by churning ice cream chilled with the harvested ice. At the museum conference, Harley heard “many stories of canceled federal funds.” Among the museums whose funds have been
Continued on page 7
Photo by Kevin Jensen
Hanford Mills Museum, located in East Meredith, features a 1926 Fitz overshot water wheel, along with water-powered woodworking and milling machinery. The site also includes additional historic structures, an exhibition exploring the museum’s history, a hands-on learning lab, a mill pond and a museum shop with mill-made items, traditional toys, local products and books.
HOMETOWN Views
guEST EDITORIaL DR. maTHIaS P. bOSTROm
The Surgery Quality Blind Spot
Each year, millions of Americans face a decision that’s more consequential than buying a home or car: choosing where to have major surgery. For procedures like spinal fusions and hip and knee replacements—among the most common operations in medicine—the choice of hospital can mean the difference between a full recovery and months of avoidable setbacks, pain, and stress.
Yet while a car purchase comes with detailed safety ratings and prospective homebuyers can obtain inspection reports, patients preparing for surgery are left largely in the dark—even though surgical complications can lead to extended hospital stays, additional procedures, and sometimes permanent disability.
Luckily, there is one telltale indicator of the risk associated with having surgery at a specific hospital—volume, or how many procedures a hospital performs annually. Studies show that high-volume hospitals consistently achieve better outcomes across multiple types of surgery.
This makes the current approach to choosing surgical care deeply concerning. Research shows that most patients select hospitals based on data-free factors like word-of-mouth recommendations or doctor referrals. These recommendations and referrals aren’t always completely objective, especially as health systems increasingly pressure physicians to refer patients within their own systems.
Patients can become their own best advocates —by examining the data in five critical areas.
First, look at success rates—how well patients actually recover. The best hospitals track and share their patients’ improvements in quality of life, pain levels, and function after surgery.
Second, examine patient experience scores. They contain a wealth of information about how well a hospital communicates, coordinates care and supports patients through their journey.
Third, dig into complication rates. Find out how often things go wrong and how well the hospital handles the challenges that arise.
The fourth factor, readmission rates, is particularly telling. How often do patients end up back in the hospital unexpectedly? Low rates of readmission signal that a hospital excels at preventing complications and managing the overall process of recovery.
Fifth, consider procedure volume—how many of the specified surgeries the hospital performs. Experience matters, and high-volume centers tend to deliver better results.
Together, these five measures paint a clear picture of hospital quality— and should be readily available to any patient considering surgery. Yet all too often this information is difficult or impossible to find.
Currently, there are few resources available to patients interested in comparison shopping. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provides some hospital comparison tools, they’re clunky and incomplete. Private insurers have detailed data on their providers’ outcomes, but many choose not to share it.
Easier access to comparisons would be game-changing both for patients and the healthcare system as a whole. Just as vehicle safety ratings spurred car makers to compete on crash protection, surgical outcome transparency could drive providers to improve their results. Research suggests that simply publishing complication rates motivates hospitals to enhance their safety practices.
Patients scheduling surgery shouldn’t settle for less information than they’d want when buying a car—and our healthcare system shouldn’t make finding it any harder than reading a window sticker.
Mathias P. Bostrom, MD, is associate surgeon-in-chief and director of quality and safety at the Hospital for Special Surgery. This piece was originally published by “The Well News.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY
“Hometown Oneonta” welcomes letters to the editor that reflect the writer’s thoughts on an article or other item appearing in the paper. They must include the writer’s name, address, email and telephone/ mobile number; the opinions expressed must be the writer’s own. Hostile, offensive, factually incorrect or excessively inflammatory content will not be published. Preferred length is no more than 250 words. The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit letters for clarity and space. Please send letters to: info@allotsego.com.
THE PaRTIaL ObSERvER
No Exception
gaYanE TOROSYan
It began with a curious declaration, delivered by my thenyoung partner—a man of Soviet upbringing who had once studied medicine, measured skulls and embraced with unshaken resolve the notion that men’s brains are categorically larger than women’s. “But you,” he confessed, as though unveiling a revelation, “you are an exception.” His assertion was tinged not with condescension, but with the memory of his intrigue at my teenage musings on infinity. These musings, grounded in mathematics and that restless search for eternal truth, had, champagne glass in hand, taken the curious form of a white sphere—a shape at once convex and blending all colors into one.
This was not the last time I would hear the term “exception” appended to me, nor the most disquieting. A friend, herself Russian, once mirrored my outrage at the treatment of ethnic minorities, including Armenians like me, in our former homeland, where darker skin tones attracted epithets as crude as they were degrading. “It’s a relic of something vile,” she’d said, invoking Hitler in her rebuke of such prejudice. But then, with an earnestness that bordered on baffling, she added, “But you, with your blue eyes, are different—a rare exception.” In that instant, the term was transformed from flattery to indictment. To be spared the insult was, itself, a diminishment—a reminder that privilege, even when kindly intended, was often conferred selectively, uneasily.
The refrain arises again when I speak of my children. They’ve turned out well—stable, successful, their lives buoyed by careers and families of their own. Friends say, “Of course, you’ve done so much for them,” as though parental devotion were an anomaly. While I appreciate the sentiment, I reject the underlying premise: that their flourishing is a singular miracle of effort, and not a function of a society where children—at least sometimes— grow into contributors of value.
It was precisely this notion of value that startled me while following a recent BBC interview with a British official. The subject was uterus transplantation, a procedure that, though nascent, had produced undeniable results: Sweden’s Vincent, now 11,
LETTERS TO
THE EDITOR … In THEIR OPInIOn
Fight Censorship, Defend Libraries
and London’s Amy, newborn daughter of Grace Davidson and her husband, Angus. To the question of feasibility— of cost and societal benefit—the official gave an answer both resolute and pragmatic. Experimental though it may be, the £30,000 procedure, supported by charity and the dedication of medical professionals donating their labor, was, to her mind, justified. Amy, she argued, would bring economic value to her nation—a contribution significant enough to warrant future public investment.
This utilitarian calculus gave me pause, for it spoke to a deeper truth about how societies measure worth. If one infant’s economic potential legitimizes innovative procedures, what of immigrants—men and women raised elsewhere, often schooled to an exacting degree, who arrive ready to channel their drive into the freedoms and opportunities afforded by their adopted homes?
While the miracle of childbirth comes with a decade or two of existential preparation before any contribution to the tax base, immigration bypasses this waiting period entirely. New arrivals, fluent in spreadsheets and the language of quarterly earnings, begin filing their returns with an immediacy that borders on the virtuous. Take, for example, a duo of foreign-born professionals, like the aforementioned former medical student, whose fiscal footprint rivals that of academia’s tenured elite— paying taxes akin to a full professor’s salary without the safety net of urban myths that wrongly claim sanctuary in unpaid medical bills. If anything, they shoulder the arithmetic of adulthood with a precision that exposes the clichés for what they are—lazy tropes, unfit for their high-functioning realities. What they don’t carry in their luggage—or their DNA—is an inheritance. No family estate, no forgotten trust fund, no quaint farmhouse awaiting its heir. The generations before them never had the luxury of planting roots, let alone tending to a financial orchard. Instead, those parents and grandparents weathered the barren landscapes of economic despair—the kind that forces the young to trade hometowns for foreign horizons, chasing something resembling possibility. For
Continued on page 7
HOMETOWN ONEONTA
H o metown oneon t a 2008 - 2025 17th anniversary & The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
a publication of Iron String Press, Inc.
Publisher / Advertising Manager Tara Barnwell
General Manager / Senior Editor Darla M. Youngs
Sales Consultant: Randy Christian Office Manager: Larissa Ryan
Interns: Bill Bellen, Arya Patel and Sarah Roberts
Columnists and Contributing Writers Terry Berkson, Monica Calzolari, Rachel Frick Cardelle, Richard deRosa, Caspar Ewig, Karolina Hopper, Chris Kjolhede, Larry Malone, Cassandra Miller, Wriley Nelson, Joel J. Plue, Tom Shelby, Gayane Torosyan, Teresa Winchester, Jamie Zvirzdin
Web Architect Xander Moffat Historian Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Legal Counsel Jill Ann Poulson
Editorial Board
Tara Barnwell, Faith Gay, Michael Moffat, Elinor Vincent, Darla M. Youngs
MEMBER OF:
National Newspaper Association, New York Press Association The Otsego County Chamber
Published Thursdays by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326
Telephone: 607-547-6103. Fax: 607-547-6080. Email: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com Contents © Iron String Press, Inc.
Libraries are havens for the impoverished. Growing up, I went to libraries to escape the rampant bullying I dealt with at school because of my disabilities. Then, when I was homeless, it was resources found at the local library that got me off the streets. Finally, libraries enabled me to get my high school equivalency diploma when I was too poor to afford the Internet at home.
Three times libraries have saved my life.
This sadly goes beyond just unnecessary, unconstitutional censorship—yes, you read that right. Telling authors and creatives what kind of art they can create is a direct violation of their freedom of speech and, again, while censorship is horrible, there is more than that at stake here.
Cutting funding to libraries will not only force good people out of work, it will steal precious resources from the most vulnerable. This will lead to worsening crime rates and an increase in the ongoing homeless crisis. Because there is a direct pipeline from
poverty to criminality. That is not a political statement. It is a scientific observation. It is cause and effect: Poverty causes criminal behavior.
If you care at all about our communities and the people who live here, then please fight censorship and fight to restore funding to our public libraries.
Milo Laufeyjarson Utica
DEI Does Not Equal Inclusion
DEI is a splendid illusion
Welcoming all “Diverse” folks for “Inclusion.”
But when people like me defy a “party decree” We are banned to a life of “Exclusion.”
Waldo Johnston Vero Beach, FL and Cooperstown
‘We the People’ Versus Tyrants
The legal basis of the American Revolution and the pretext for the imminent revolt was the Declaration of Independence, which, appended to the high ideals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of
a happiness”—which are goals of the Enlightenment, not theocratic mandates—is a list of specific grievances against a tyrannical and increasingly mad tyrant of German descent. Grievances not against Great Britain, not against a party, but against a king.
The primary authors of the Declaration of Independence were Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson of Virginia and John Adams of Massachusetts. One of the co-owners of “The Freeman’s Journal,” Lin Vincent, along with her brother, Waldo Johnston, and her late brother, Jamie, are direct descendants of Adams, so they of all people were familiar with most of these grievances, some of which I paraphrase for brevity :
1. Imposing tariff taxes on us without our consent.
2. Cutting off our free trade with other countries.
3. Make judges dependent on the king’s will and authority.
4. Obstructing the administration of justice.
5. Transporting us to other countries for mock offenses.
Continued on page 9
Compiled by Tom
HeiTz/SHARoN STUART
with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art museum Research Library
70 YEARs AGo
A new physical therapy department, a new basal metabolism and electro-cardiograph room and a new three-bed patients’ room in the enlarged and improved Fox Hospital will be made possible by a memorial gift of $43,200 received from Mrs. Beatrice W. Blanding, president and principal owner of the oneonta sales Co., Inc. one of the rooms selected by Mrs. Blanding will stand as a memorial to her father Riley J. Warren, who in 1912 founded the company which has continued ever since as the agency for Ford cars. Mr. Warren, who was born in Pleasant Brook, had a country store there for many years. He served two terms as otsego County treasurer before establishing his new venture in oneonta. His daughter assisted him as a partner in the business until his death in 1941 when she and her mother took over the business.
April 1955
50 YEARs AGo
oneonta Police sergeant Allen W. Case has been cleared of charges that he harassed oneonta City personnel technician John Insetta. The safety Board, in a two-page “finding of fact” said that sergeant Case employed a very poor choice of words when he asked Insetta “Have you ever been shot at? Would you like to be?” But the Board also found that there was “no reason to believe that sergeant Case intended any harassment or threat to John Insetta.” The Board also found that “the term ‘being shot at’ is a figure of speech commonly used within the oneonta Police Department to express a feeling of ‘being picked on’ or ‘misused.’ sergeant Case was facing a disciplinary hearing on four charges at the time that he made the remark and felt that he was ‘a target’ and ‘was being shot at from many angles.’ Case was convicted earlier on a charge that he failed to report an accident involving a police car in “a timely and proper manner.”
April 1975
40 YEARs AGo
state and federal prisons held nearly 464,000 people at the end of 1984, a record inmate population for the 10th straight year. The prison population grew by 6.1 percent over 1983, and the number of state and federal inmates has skyrocketed by 40.6 percent since 1980. The largest prison population increases last year (1984) occurred in western and northeastern states. Despite adding an estimated 100,000 beds over the past four years, state prisons are operating at 110 percent of their capacity. More than 11,000 prisoners are backed up in local jails. Fourteen states reported giving early releases to more than 17,000 inmates last year because of overcrowding. The number of female prisoners, though only 4.5 percent of the total population increased by nearly nine percent last year to a total of about 21,000.
April 1985
30 YEARs AGo
A former soldier was arrested Friday and accused of bombing the federal office building in an apparent attempt to exact vengeance against the U.s. government for the cult disaster at Waco, Texas, two years earlier. A second man, Terry Nichols, surrendered in Kansas. Timothy McVeigh, 27, was arrested by the FBI at a small-town oklahoma jail where he had spent two days on minor traffic and weapons charges.
April 1995
20 YEARs AGo
New York lawmakers this week approved a $150 million dollar, five-year capital program for private colleges and universities in New York. Hartwick College is eligible for close to $775,000 under the program which provides a state dollar for every $3 in college funds. “It certainly helps private colleges like Hartwick to leverage the private money they raise,” college spokesman Robert Clark said. Hartwick may seek state funds for the proposed Golisano Hall.
April 2005
Solution: “Near-Miss Film Classics” (April 17)
Conductors Compete
at ‘A Night at the Movies’
When you think of superman, what immediately comes to mind? For many of us, it is those powerful brass notes from John Williams’ unforgettable score. That is the thing about great film music—it becomes inseparable from the characters and stories we love, and sometimes the soundtrack in our own thoughts. some days, we require the strength of the Man of steel!
The Catskill symphony orchestra is tapping into this familiar connection as we wrap up our 2024-2025 season with “A Night at the Movies” on May 10 at Foothills PAC in oneonta. The final program features Williams’ “superman suite” alongside numerous other beloved film scores that have become part of our shared cultural experience—think star Wars, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, The Cowboys, and more.
Film music might be your main connection to orchestral performances, or maybe you are a longtime symphony enthusiast—either way, there is something magical about hearing these iconic pieces performed live by talented musicians right here in our community, often our friends, teachers, and neighbors.
“A Night at the Movies” also marks the return of the Guest Conductor Competition, where three finalists from different communities will take turns leading the orchestra: Molly Hernandez of Cooperstown, sean Lewis of oneonta, and Ray Pucci of Delhi. The competition, inviting three community leaders with absolutely no conducting
By MERL REAGLE
experience to the stage, remains one of the Cso’s favorite traditions, bringing communities together from across the region and building new bridges through shared passions and common causes. Ask a previous guest conductor about the experience. It is a challenge like no other!
Cso archives dating as early as the 1950s note the orchestra designated an immediate mission in providing a missing piece of our region’s arts and culture landscape—access to orchestral performances without having to travel hours away. More than 70 years later, the orchestra’s impact goes far beyond concert nights. Also, who remembers when Dustin Hoffman headlined in 1973?
The Cso creates jobs for professional musicians and stage crew in our area, and serves as a cultural anchor that enhances our region’s quality of life. Collaborating with otsego County’s two colleges, BoCEs, and over 40 school districts in a five-county radius, Cso’s educational programs bring orchestral music directly to the students in local schools, many of which have limited arts funding. Cso’s Wendy Brown student Ticket Program further ensures that financial constraints do not prevent young people and families from experiencing live orchestral music. Parents: If you have not yet taken advantage of this opportunity, consider this the nudge to do so!
For many students in our area, a Cso performance might be their first encounter with a live orchestra—an experience that can spark lifelong
Continued on page 10
Overheard at Sundance… Anagrammatically speaking
NOTE: Wordplay, a film about the American Crossword Tournament, was one of the hits of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. Although the filmmakers were crazy enough to put me in it, too, it’s mainly about the N.Y. Times crossword and its loyal fans (including Jon Stewart and former Solver-in- Chief Bill Clinton).
ACROSS
1 “Till next time”
6 Solver’s cry
9 Shell out
12 Slaw et al.
17 Rabbit chaser
18 Verbosity
20 People often sing in it
22 13-letter word that each theme answer in this puzzle is an anagram of
24 Consecrates
26 Keep in custody
27 “What’s this special program called ‘___’?” “ ‘Movies to steer clear of,’ I’m guessing”
29 A crying shame
30 Oar pin
33 Director’s cry
34 Balderdash
Filmmaking basic
Terre ___, Ind.
35 “___ wasn’t my first choice for a title, but no one other than me liked Quit Yer Stalin
40 Piece-ful game
42 Laughs loudly
43 Longi ending
44 That boat
45 Sudoku fill: abbr.
48 Delayed: abbr.
49 “Could you please ___ your producer and not your ‘creativity strangler’?”
55 Old enough
57 Hour after midnight
58 Husky, as a voice
59 “It says, ‘The film paints a ___’ ” “Can’t argue there; I dozed right off”
63 Richard ___
64 Spanish uncle
65 ___ happens (live)
Fabled napper 67 Like Stan and Ollie
Slangy beliefs
Animal house? 71 Same-name dads: abbr. 72 “Here’s a film called ___” “About a zoo exposé?” “No, an Australian punk band” 77 “___ upon myself ...”
“Last year he was so thin! Now it looks like he ___”
Actor Gulager
Little one
Snowy peak
Exodus penner
Hartwick Officials
Discuss Water and Fire Dep’t
By DARLA M. YOUNGS HARTWICK
Town of Hartwick officials held a Work Session Meeting on Monday, April 21 in which approval was given to contract with Delaware Engineering, to address necessary improvements to the town’s water reservoir building.
On Monday, April 14, an emergency water meeting was called by Interim Town Supervisor Connie Haney after Councilmember Bryan LoRusso reached out to the New York State Department of Health following reports from a resident who had questioned the health and safety of the town’s water system.
In that meeting, Haney and Councilmember Chris Briggs, who is the town’s water supply administrator, assured residents that the municipality’s drinking water is safe for consumption. However, a mold issue in the water reservoir building has been observed and noted by the Department of Health as a deficiency that must be rectified, Haney said. The town has 120 days to act upon the DoH deficiency report. Officials also confirmed on April 14 that the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the state DoH are monitoring the town’s progress and that both departments are willing to provide assistance.
On April 21, Town Board members voted to approve expenditures up to $32,500.00 for a design from Delaware Engineering that will address ventilation, mold issues and other structural concerns in the water reservoir building. In addition to the design, the town will also contract with Delaware Engineering to bid out, award and manage the project.
“None of us are experts in this,” Haney said. “We need experts.”
LoRusso concurred, saying “It’s in the best interest of the town to hand this over, soup to nuts, to Delaware.”
Haney, LoRusso and Councilmembers Bruce Markusen and Tom Murphy voted in favor of the decision. Briggs
Issues
abstained, as he has been authorized to execute the project on behalf of the town.
The design by Delaware Engineering must be approved by the DoH before being put out to bid, officials said. Funds remaining from a grant received in 2018 for upgrades to the town’s water system will be used.
Prior to arriving at the decision to contract with Delaware Engineering, town officials discussed fire contracts with Brad Pinsky of the Pinsky Law Group. Pinsky represents numerous villages and towns as special counsel for their fire and EMS services. He has been helping the Town of Hartwick navigate dissolution of the Hartwick Fire District, formation of the Hartwick Fire Protection District, and the continuation of municipal services through contracts entered into by the town and the two fire departments.
During the discussion, Pinsky advised the town to move forward with one-year contracts for each fire department, which he agreed to draft and will submit to the town before week’s end.
Among Pinsky’s recommendations are:
The town’s ambulance/ rescue squad to remain under the auspices of Fire Company #1, as has been the case since 1969.
The town to maintain ownership of the fire department vehicles and fire halls, which would be leased to the fire companies, at least for year one, allowing the town to continue using the reserve funds.
Insurance to be purchased by the town for both fire companies.
Councilmember Briggs expressed concern about the process in general thus far.
“There is a lot of ambiguity,” he said. “I don’t think any one person has a complete understanding of what we are doing.”
Councilmember LoRusso did not disagree, but pointed out, “We can’t get to the next step without a contract.”
Town and fire department officials will review Pinsky’s drafts later this week and convene again next Monday, April 28 to discuss, and hopefully finalize, the documents.
Saturday Talk is on Finches
SOUTH OTSELIC—Renowned finch researcher and co-leader of the Road to Recovery Project Matthew Young will present a program titled “The Evening Grosbeak Road to Recovery” and read from “The Stokes Guide to Finches” on Saturday, April 26 at 7 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in South Otselic. With a 92 percent decline since 1970, the evening grosbeak has been cited as the steepest declining landbird in the continental United States and Canada. Young will also discuss his new book, “The Stokes Guide to Finches of the United States and Canada,” which he co-authored with Lillian Stokes. The guide introduces readers to 43 different finches throughout North America. South Otselic amateur photographer and avid birder Michael Foor-Pessin will have photos of evening grosbeaks taken in the South Otselic area for sale at this event in both print and canvas formats. Each participant will receive a free packet of milkweed seeds to help enhance the local environment for monarch butterflies. Organic snacks from Fox Trail Farms will be featured as well, according to a press release.
Utica Native Is New Sports Center Head
By SARAH ROBERTS COOPERSTOWN
The new director at the Clark Sports Center has been on the job since February, 3.
“We’d like to give a warm welcome to our newly minted director of the Clark Sports Center, David Fontaine,” officials said in a recent announcement.
Fontaine, originally from Utica, has a professional background in both athletics and pharmaceuticals.
“[Clark Sports Center] is an amazing facility with a talented group of individuals who make it all happen,” said Fontaine.
“What I hope we can do as a Clark Sports Center team is to continue to build on the many successes that are already established and explore new opportunities that will further the mission and vision of the sports center. In addition, I am committed to be a servant leader to our staff and membership” Fontaine added.
After graduating from Utica College, Fontaine became the director of intramurals there. Responsibilities in this role included overseeing the intramural program, team selection of classes, managing home games and athletic facilities, handling budgeting and NCAA compliance, and coaching varsity softball. He ended his time at Utica College as assistant athletic director.
“Watching teams compete for conference championships or being in the national tournament was always rewarding. I also enjoyed being part of the growth and expansion of Utica athletics; from having one of the largest air supported structures being built on campus to adding sport opportunities for our men and women. But the most rewarding experience is watching the student-athletes graduate from Utica University and then following their impressive careers and accomplishments,” Fontaine said in an employee profile on the CSC Facebook page.
From 2000-2012, Fontaine worked for Janssen, now known as Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine, and with GlaxoSmithKline.
“During my time in the pharmaceutical industry, I was fortunate to create several professional relationships, work with excellent managers and teammates, and experience corporate success,” Fontaine explained.
In 2012, Fontaine returned to Utica College, now Utica University, as director of athletics and physical education. In that role, he managed the intercollegiate teams, athletes, and department staff—numbering over 750 individuals—ensured compliance with NCAA Division III and additional athletic conferences, managed the operating budget while making efforts to expand the different programs, and oversaw and made efforts to expand the different athletic facilities.
In his CSC employee profile, Fontaine explained his job to be “to provide leadership and direction to the Clark Sports Center and to develop and implement organizational strategies for the successful fulfillment of its mission.”
“I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to Jane Forbes Clark for the opportunity to lead the Clark Sports Center as their new director. I would also like to thank the entire Clark Sports Center staff, the sports center members, and the Cooperstown community for being so kind and welcoming. Everyone has been great,” Fontaine added in an e-mail statement.
Fontaine replaces Val Paige, who had been the sports center’s interim director since August 2024.
“We thank Val tremendously for stepping into that position and ensuring that the organization continued to effectively serve the members and community,” Clark said in a Facebook post on December 23, 2024.
FX Matt Earns National Kudos UTICA—FX Matt Brewery was recently named seventh on the Brewers Association’s Top 10 Craft Breweries List and 17th on the Top 20 Overall Breweries nationwide. In a release, the company thanked their dedicated employees and loyal fans for the honor. Founded in 1888, FX Matt is home to brands like Saranac and Utica Club; visit saranac. com for more information.
Seniors Connect for Programs, Games
By SARAH ROBERTS COOPERSTOWN
Connections at Clark Sports Center is a program run by the Otsego County Council of Senior Citizens, the mission of which is “to advocate for, develop and engage Otsego County seniors in activities that offer opportunities to improve the quality of their lives.”
Cooperstown resident Carol Lachance founded the Cooperstown Senior Community Center in 2019, behind St. Mary’s Catholic Church. For three years—and throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with safety measures in place—the CSCC provided social activities for seniors at that location. In early 2022, the CSCC partnered with the Clark Sports Center and rebranded as Connections at Clark Sports Center, allowing for greater programming opportunities and increased hours of operation.
“As my more mature friends aged, I saw they changed not only physically, but emotionally. They felt more lonely, more isolated from their community, and their spark for life wasn’t so bright,” recalled Lachance, director of Connections and a member of the OCCSC Board of Directors.
“It wasn’t that their minds lacked humor, insight or great ideas, but physically their bodies had changed in ways that limited their ability to do what they once could,” she continued. “Some could no longer drive, so their sense of independence was affected…Some did not have family members close enough to help bring them to medical appointments, or to the store for necessary items.
“There was no local place for our older adults to go to spend time with others their age. Though the age of the adult population in Cooperstown and Otsego County is heavy on the older-than50, I found the focus for events in Cooperstown and other areas to be on young adults and family,” Lachance said.
The goal of Connections is to minimize the risk of social isolation for the area’s aging population.
Organizers work toward this goal by providing programming twice a week from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays at the sports center, most of which is free with membership. Lunch is also provided, at a suggested cost of $3.00. Activities and programs are volunteerled and include exercise, tech support, a writers’ group, games, painting classes, genealogy research, and American Sign Language classes. Connections also partners with other local organizations and groups—such as the Village Library of Cooperstown, The Smithy Clay Studio, and Cornell Cooperative Extension— on a monthly basis. Speakers from Fenimore Art Museum, the Bassett Research Institute, Homeland Security and the League of Women Voters, among other organizations, also give talks, and “aging well” information is shared on topics including estate planning and self-advocacy. Connections at CSC averages 58 participants a meeting, and has a total of 410 people on its email list, according to Lachance.
Among the many activities offered are: Mondays—cribbage from 10:15 a.m. to noon, aqua fitness from 12:15-1 p.m., and games from 12:15-2:30 p.m.; Thursdays— games from 12:15-2:30 p.m.; American Sign Language classes from 12:30-2:45 p.m., and senior pickleball from 1:45-12:45 p.m. Annual social events include a senior picnic at Glimmerglass State Park and Blizzard Bingo during the Cooperstown Winter Carnival. Special programs are held each month in addition to the weekly classes. Further details on these additional classes, programs, and events can be found at www.coopconnections.net. Connections is included with a Clark Sports Center membership, or a standalone Connections at CSC membership is available for an annual fee of $25.00. Those with questions can reach Connections at CSC at connectionsatcsc@gmail.com.
Public Meeting Set for this Thursday
COOPERSTOWN
The Village of Cooperstown invites business owners and the public to attend an upcoming meeting about the Small Projects Fund grant program awarded to the village through the NY Forward program. This meeting will include information about the project eligibility area, eligible and ineligible projects, timelines, application review, and available technical assistance.
Community members are encouraged to attend, participate and ask questions, village officials said. The meeting will take place on Thursday, April 24 at 6 p.m. at Village Hall, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. The meeting agenda includes: New York Forward Small Projects Fund details; eligible and ineligible projects; program and project timelines; application submission and review; and more.
The village’s Small Project Fund of $300,000.00 was awarded as part of its $4.5 million NY Forward grant, to be used for facade restoration, small building improvements, public art and business assistance. NY Forward is a central component of the state’s economic development efforts, working with the state’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.
Photo provided
David Fontaine, the Clark Sports Center’s new director, has been on the job for about two and a half months.
Museum
Continued from page 3
terminated are the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, The Sciencenter in Ithaca and the Emily Dickenson Museum in Amherst, Massachusetts.
“We are working to assess our options and we appreciate the support we’ve received from Facebook posts and phone calls. We intend to continue our important work,” said Harley, who holds a master’s degree in history and museum studies from SUNY Oneonta’s Cooperstown Graduate Program. Harley has worked at HMM since 2013 and has served as executive director for three years.
Hanford Mills Museum will open for the season on Thursday, May 15. For more information, visit www.hanfordmills.org.
Observer
Continued from page 4
these newcomers, wealth is not passed down; it is built from scratch, brick by brick, paycheck by paycheck.
For immigrants, filial responsibility is not a choice but a cultural given. Their parents, often weathered by years of sacrifice, become their dependents, not in theory but in practice. The medical bills are not theoretical either; they are ever-present, as real as the ink on the invoices they pay. This is not an anomaly or a rare exception—it’s the rhythm of their lives, the quiet standard that shapes their
days and their budgets.
More importantly, to dismiss the immigrants’ contributions to society would be to deny the very essence of what makes nations like America resilient. It is this “Mother of Exiles” that Emma Lazarus immortalized on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, this openness enshrined by the 14th Amendment. Together, they proclaim a truth both enduring and urgent: that greatness lies not in exclusivity, but in the multiplicity of stories—of hungers and hopes—that converge on a single dream.
As a former mathematician, I will assert one thing: exceptions do not dismantle rules; they illuminate them. Women are brilliant, diversity enriches, children matter, and immigrants are not “other.” They are us.
Dr. Gayane Torosyan is a professor of media studies in the Department of Communication and Media at SUNY Oneonta.
Briefs
Continued from page 2
demonstration for beginners at 7:15 p.m., followed by dancing from 7:30-10:30 with a short break for refreshments. Miss Marty and her Smokin’ Good Band will perform, and Binghamton Community Dance founder Hilton Baxter will call. There is a suggested donation of $10.00 for adults and $5.00 for teens and students.
Student Show Opens Friday
COOPERSTOWN—
Cooperstown Art Association’s longstanding exhibition of work by Cooperstown Central School students will be on display from April 26 through May 9 in the Village Hall Ballroom. Art and Music Night, the popular annual opening reception, will be held from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, April 25.
Open Mic Set for April 26th
EXETER—Schuyler
Lake United Methodist Church Coffee House and Open Mic, now in its ninth year, will hold its next monthly event at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. Performers of all kinds, from music to poetry to comedy, may sign up for 10-15 minute slots. The church, at 128 Church Street, offers free parking, light refreshments, good acoustics, a PA system, a piano and forgiving audiences. This month’s special guest performer will be local saxophone quartet Saxalicious. The event is free and open to the public, but donations are welcome. For more information, call or text (607) 234-7769.
Private Sector Jobs Increase
ALBANY—The number of private sector jobs in New York State increased by 5,600, or about 0.1 percent, in March, according to preliminary seasonally adjusted figures from
the state Department of Labor. The nationwide increase was about 0.2 percent. New York’s unemployment rate dropped from 4.3 to 4.2 percent, while labor force participation held steady at 60.9 percent. Visit dol.ny.gov to view the full report.
Reggae Group Set to Perform
COOPERSTOWN—
The Big Takeover, highenergy seven-piece reggae and Jamaican pop band, will perform at Cooperstown Concerts’ 2024-25 season finale at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, May 2. It will be held in the Fenimore Farm and Country Village’s Louis C. Jones Center, 5775 NY-80, which boasts a large dance floor space. For information or to purchase tickets, visit cooperstownconcerts.org.
DELcovery App Launched
DELAWARE COUNTY—Vecc
Videography and the Delaware County Opioid Settlement Committee recently launched the free DELcovery mobile app, a comprehensive hub for substance abuse and
mental health resources in Delaware County. It is available on iOS and Android platforms and at delcovery.org.
Additional briefs on local and regional news can be found on AllOtsego.com.
Continued from page 1
overnight parking spaces in the garage that was demolished, Shaughnessy suggested that “there is a lot of vacancy in downtown apartments (mostly in student apartments).”
background
Shaughnessy moved to Oneonta from Northern New Jersey 16 years ago in 2009. He invested in two apartment buildings at 20–22 Market Street 19 years ago in 2006. He spoke as a business owner who relocated to Oneonta, invested in student apartments, and has a vested interest in seeing Oneonta thrive.
He has followed the ebb and flow of businesses investing in Oneonta or closing their doors for nearly two decades. in a telephone conversation on Friday, April 18, he said he held a demanding job as a network engineer for 20 years until he started to manage his real estate investments full time.
Shaughnessy has a bird’s eye view of 27 Market Street because the apartments he owns are directly across the street. He showed the audience multiple photos of the Market Street property, one dated April 15, to support his claim: “The parking lot at 27 Market Street is frequently full almost every day. The busiest times are typically afternoons, evenings, and Friday and Saturday nights. Mondays
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Notice of formatioN of HAWKEYE AViATiON LLC
Articles of org. filed with the NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/17/25. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 426 Chestnut St., Oneonta, NY 13820, which is also the principal business location. purpose: Any lawful purpose.
6LegalApr.24
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Notice of formatioN of Campbell Apartments, LLC, a foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC) filed with the Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on November 13, 2024, an Application of Authority. The fictitious name under which the foreign limited liability company will do business in NY is: HolubHinchey Rentals, LLC, Location: OTSEGO County. SSNY is desig-
are the least busy.”
“The parking garage that closed on May 5, 2023 regularly accommodated 150-200 cars,” he said. “The loss of convenient parking has significantly harmed downtown retail, reducing foot traffic and economic activity.”
“Where did those 150200 cars go?” he asked.
He estimated that 50 of these cars are now parked at 27 Market Street.
“Some moved to Westcott Lot that has parking restrictions for overnight parking; some moved to Dietz Street Lot; Wall Street Lot; some moved to on-street parking in the Dietz Street area.”
Shaughnessy pointed out four groups of people who require parking: local customers, visitors, employees, and downtown residents. Employees need eight hours of parking. Downtown residents need overnight parking.
public opinion
During the public comment section of the meeting, Denise Oliver identified herself as an employee in Oneonta. She said she works as a crisis counselor for the Mobile Crisis Center at 242 Main Street. She parks in the Westcott Lot.
“Moving my car every two hours is difficult in my role,” Oliver said. She suggested a compromise, saying that it would be easier to move her car at lunchtime if Westcott Lot could be changed to four-hour parking.
nated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 4910 E. Andora Drive, Scottsdale, AZ 85254. General purposes.
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Notice of formatioN of READY HELpERS LLC.
Filed with SSNY on 01/29/2025. Office: Otsego County.
SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 438 COUNTY HWY 11, ONEONTA, NY 13820. purpose: Any Lawful.
6LegalMay.1
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Notice of formatioN of STEAMSTRESS AND CO LLC.
Filed with SSNY on 02/17/2025. Office: Otsego County.
SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 15 MApLE ST, WORCESTER, NY 12197. purpose: Any Lawful. 6LegalMay.1
Maureen Daly, who resides at 34 Dietz in the Dietz Street apartments, also expressed frustration.
“it is exhausting advocating for our parking lot to be cleared of ice and snow. i feel like once the building is built, the party is over. You are on your own. What do we do now?” she asked.
Based on Shaughnessy’s observations, Saturday nights are the busiest times that push the demand for parking to 200 parking spots. At previous Common Council meetings, the owners of Black Oak Tavern, B Side Ballroom and Supper Club and Autumn Cafe concurred that the garage demolition has not been good for their businesses.
Shaughnessy reminded the council that back on February 7, 2023, at a Common Council meeting, Greg Mattice made a joint presentation with Wendel, an engineering company.
“They proposed a plan to demolish the parking garage and rebuild a smaller parking garage which would accommodate 220 cars,” Shaughnessy said.
During that February meeting, the demolition and smaller one-level garage was estimated to cost $7.8 million. By June 23, 2025, the new estimated cost climbed to $13.96 million, making that plan prohibitively expensive.
On a powerpoint slide, Shaughnessy concluded, “Now we have no plan.”
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Notice of formatioN of
JAKE’S DELi LLC.
Filed with SSNY on 01/29/2025. Office: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent for process & shall mail to: 291 COUNTY HWY 5, OTEGO, NY 13825. purpose: Any Lawful. 6LegalMay.1
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Notice of formatioN of Limited LiabiLity compaNy: soapcoNY LLC
Articles of organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 1/15/2025. Location: Otsego County NY. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. Business address: 7 Maiden Ln, Cherry Valley N.Y., 13320. purpose: Any lawful activity. 6LegalMay.1
council’s reaction
This comment produced a strong reaction from at least two council members during the question-andanswer session following Shaughnessy’s presentation. Emotions and frustrations often ran high during the four-hour meeting.
“You said there was no plan,” Elayne Mosher Campoli, D-First Ward, said. “We have a comprehensive plan. i have it right here.”
Shaughnessy introduced himself as a resident of Oneonta’s First Ward since 2009, the same ward that Elayne Mosher Campoli represents.
“Many downtown businesses and property owners have tried communicating concerns. Are they being heard?” Shaughnessy asked in frustration.
Cecelia Walsh-Russo, D-Second Ward, asked Shaughnessy, “How does a parking lot contribute to a 2018 comprehensive plan?”
“i think that [2018] plan is obsolete,” Shaughnessy said. “You keep talking about a plan to put a building there.”
Another building is not going to solve Oneonta’s parking shortage, Shaughnessy contended.
“We have money to redo the plan,” Shaughnessy said. “The city [of Oneonta] was awarded a $135,000.00 grant…The city plans to complete an update to its comprehensive plan, which includes extensive public input. This may be the right time
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Notice of formatioN of Tomanna partners CFH LLC.
Arts. of org. filed with Secy. of State (SSNY) on 3/20/25. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 300 Chicken Farm Hill Rd, Cooperstown, NY 13326. purpose: any lawful activity. 6LegalMay.8
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Notice of formatioN of ORGANiCALLY TiCKED OFF, LLC
Articles of org. filed with the NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 03/21/2025. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Organically Ticked Off, LLC, 37 Delaware Street, Cooperstown, New York 13326 purpose: Any
to create a plan for Market Street and downtown.”
Len Carson, R-Fifth Ward, asked Shaughnessy to “flush out” his proposal in more detail. “Are you suggesting paid parking?” Carson asked.
Shannon McHugh, DThird Ward, questioned Shaughnessy’s claim that “every single business owner in Clinton plaza” is in favor of keeping 27 Market Street as parking.
Don Mathisen, D-Eighth Ward, said, “i did speak to all the businesses…. All of the businesses were opposed to paid parking except one, who wants to charge students to park. They want 27 Market Street to remain parking.”
Kaytee Lipari Shue, DFourth Ward, seemed to be in favor of updating the comprehensive plan and getting a lot of community input.
“We might not have another opportunity like this for another 50 years,” she said.
“We’ve gone from 65 percent [parking] usage to 85 percent since the garage came down,” Michael Forster Rothbart, D-Seventh Ward, said. He suggested that the city needs to figure out a way to use the “huge hotel parking lot that goes unused.”
proposal Number two
After a tense exchange between Shaughnessy and several council members, Luisa Montanti, manager of Southside Mall, was invited to the podium to present her proposal for
Lawful purpose. 6LegalMay.15
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Notice of formatioN of a Ny Limited LiabiLity compaNy ignite Digital Marketing, LLC
Articles of organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 03/19/2025. 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 pO Box 1238, Oneonta, NY 13820. purpose: to engage in any lawful purpose. 6LegalMay.15
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Notice to bidderS Mohawk Valley Economic Development District, inc. is seeking Contractors’ Statements of Qualifications for qualified Construction Services for small-scale commercial and mixed-use improvement projects relating to the New York Forward Small projects Fund grant for the Village of Cooperstown,
27 Market Street. She decided not to advance her powerpoint beyond the first slide. She echoed some of the same points Shaughnessy made, saying downtown Oneonta has “17 empty storefronts, soon to be 18 storefronts.”
“it is not a race. That lot has been empty for 4050 years,” Montanti said, meaning no business has been in operation at [27 Market Street] location for many years.
She told the council and the mayor, “You do not know economic development.”
There were some claps from the audience.
“Dick’s Sporting Goods was in discussion for four years before they decided to invest in Oneonta. petco followed,” Montanti said. Her point is that to find good business partners takes time: “Economic development is driven by private investment,” she said. “We have to create sales tax revenue. We have to produce property taxes.”
“What is your vision of Market Street in 10-20 years?” Forster Rothbart asked.
“Main Street should be full of coffee shops, art galleries and gift shops,” Montanti said. “it is not easy recruiting businesses Right now, i do not feel comfortable with eight [council] people making this decision.”
Rehabilitation Support Services presented its proposal for 27 Market Street on April 1.
Otsego County. please submit statements by Friday, May 2, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. EST in-person, via first-class mail, OR one electronic pdf copy via email: 26 W. Main St., p.O. Box 69, Mohawk, NY 13407, hdevitt@mvedd. org, (315) 866-4671. 2LegalApr.24
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Notice of formatioN of portfolio Recovery, LLC. Filed 3/20/25. Cty: Otsego. SSNY desig. for process & shall mail to 1015 Haynes St, Birmingham, Mi 48009. purp: any lawful. 6LegalMay22
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Notice of formatioN of 643 Double play LLC. Filed 2/5/25. Cty: Otsego. SSNY desig. for process & shall mail pOB 955, Aledo, TX 76008. purp: any lawful. 6LegalMay22
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Notice of formatioN
of Limited LiabiLity compaNy
(1) Name: ingalls Blueberry Hill LLC (the “LLC”).
(2) Articles of Organization of the LLC were filed with the Secretary of State NY (“SSNY”) on April 3, 2025 (3) its office location is to be in Otsego County, State of New York.
(4) The SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC is: 132 ingalls pond Road, Milford, NY 13807 (5) purpose: Any lawful act or activity. 6LegalMay.29
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Notice of pUbLic HeariNG NOTiCE iS HEREBY GiVEN that the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of Cooperstown will hold the following public hearing on Tuesday, May 6th, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as can be heard:
• Meeting to be held in the Village Office
Building, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown.
28 maple Streetapplicant seeks a Home occupation Special Use permit
The plans for this project are on file with the Village Clerk’s Office at the Village Office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, and may be seen during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. public comments must be provided by email to the Zoning Officer at zoning@cooperstownny.org, or by regular mail to the address below no later than Tuesday, May 6th, 2025 at 3:30 p.m.
Respectfully,
Jenna Utter, RMC Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326
Tele: (607)5472411
Email: jutter@ cooperstownny. org
1LegalApr.24
LegaL nOtice
Notice of formatioN of
WC peak property Maintenance LLC.
Articles of organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/11/2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to peak property: 175 Louie Dickinson Road, Edmeston, NY, 13335, USA. purpose: Any lawful act or activity.
6LegalMay.29
LegaL nOtice
Notice of formatioN of CNY Hay Hauling LLC.
Articles of organization filed with Secretary of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/11/2025. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent of Limited Liability Company (LLC) upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to CNY Hay Hauling LLC: 175 Louie Dickinson Road, Edmeston, NY, 13335, USA. purpose: Any lawful act or activity.
6LegalMay.29
Show
Continued from page 1
A May “Artist’s Talk” via Zoom is also in the works. The exhibition will be on view Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. through May 17, and daily by texting or calling (315) 941-9607.
The international events and prominent personages characterized by Bonhomme in his work are from the United States, the European Union, Asia, and Turkey, among others. According to the press release, when a news item catches Bonhomme’s attention, “he works to translate the incident or thought into a visual image to convey and elicit a range
of sentiments, no matter one’s viewpoint. His style is inspired by surrealism and mid-20th-century European comics.”
“Finding an echo through the current world’s questions [with editorial work] and exploring my own narrative and graphical vocabulary in my personal work is a kind of leitmotiv,” Bonhomme explained. “Reality and imagination are part of the same process.”
Bonhomme graduated from the Ècole Èmile-Cohl art school in 2010 in Lyon, France and has been working with different clients, newspapers, and studios as an illustrator and art director ever since. He co-founded the BK
studio in 2012, a digital art research facilities and production company that creates and works with images in a range of mediums for clients, both corporate and nonprofit. He also teaches and presents workshops and has even worked on French video games.
Ècole Èmile-Cohl is named for renowned caricaturist and pioneering filmmaker Èmile Eugène Jean Louis Cohl, who was born in Paris and is often credited with inventing the animated cartoon.
Bonhomme noted with amused satisfaction that, four years before his first publication in “Le Monde,” Jim Kevlin from “The Freeman’s Journal” interviewed
Fenimore Farm has an opening for a Custodian
This is a Full-Time, Year-Round position with an excellent benefit package. Applicants with basic construction and carpentry knowledge for small to moderate repair jobs are sought. Responsibilities include routine cleaning/maintenance of public and office spaces, light carpentry/ painting, and special event setup. If you are a steady, reliable worker, have a valid driver’s license, are capable of operating power equipment and enjoy working both inside and outdoors year-round, apply today!
Applications are available online at fenimorefarm.org. Please mail or email applications to PO Box 800 Cooperstown, NY 13326, or mary.myers@fenimoreart.org.
$18-20/hr. EOE
him in 2008 when he was in town. The paper also published a drawing he had done of The Art Garage’s predecessor, Waller’s old garage.
Bonhomme’s dream is to one day create a “New Yorker” cover. He is also a big fan of jazz, and has played the saxophone for more than 20 years.
Adept in many art forms, Bonhomme noted, “I tint my universe with the sound of bebop, swing and the big time!”
The Art Garage has been serving the area and all manner of artists for the past 15 years. Open year round, its lively exhibitions have varied from bringing to the area international artists such as Adam Masava (Nairobi, Kenya) and
Lewis Danielski (UK/ France) to featuring regional contemporary and self-taught artists. The Art Garage also offers free public programs such as artists’ talks and panel discussions. Future 2025 shows include Normandy Allen and Mary Padgett and a fine-arts-look-at-baseball summer show. For more information, visit @ ArtGarageCooperstown on Facebook and Instagram.
Letters
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6. Obstructing the naturalization of foreigners.
7. Depriving us of the due process of a jury trial.
breaks and summers off:
Food Service Associate
Preschool Classroom Teacher
Preschool Assistant Teacher
Preschool Classroom Aide
8. Render the military independent of civil authority. You will note that “us” is not limited to native-born people and “foreigners” refers to anyone that immigrated to America. I could go on, but I think you get the picture. These are the fundamental reasons why “We the People” get rid of tyrants. In 1776. In 1941. And today. It’s our American birthright. It’s our highest calling. I can’t think of anything more rewarding.
Chip Northrup Cooperstown
Prefer to read your news online? Subscribe to AllOtsego.com by calling (607) 547-6103.
Fenimore Farm has an opening for a Full Time Groundskeeper
The successful candidate will be a steady, reliable worker and enjoy working outdoors year-round. Must have sufficient strength and manual dexterity to operate power equipment and lift 50 lbs. Experience with basic construction and carpentry a plus. Duties include maintaining grounds, soil preparation and planting, plowing and shoveling snow and cleaning and maintaining power equipment as well as performing light carpentry and repair jobs. This is a full-time position, flexibility necessary, must be willing to work occasional overtime. This position offers an excellent benefits package and pleasant work environment.
Applications are available online at fenimorefarm.org. Please mail or email applications to PO Box 800 Cooperstown, NY 13326, or mary.myers@fenimoreart.org.
$18-20/hr. EOE
Continued from page 5
appreciation for music or even future career paths. These kinds of arts opportunities cannot be taken for granted; resisting the screen has benefits.
As the final notes of “A Night at the Movies” ring out on May 10,
Don Allan Oberriter 1937-2025
COO p ERSTOWN—
Don Allan Oberriter passed gently from this life into the arms of his Lord on the morning of April 11, 2025. Don was born in 1937 in Utica to John M. Oberriter and Bernice Ellen (Denielt) Oberriter. He graduated from Utica Free Academy, Class of 1955, and attended the University of Vermont for two years, majoring in hotel and resort management. in January 1961, Don was inducted into the Army at Los Angeles, California, where he stepped forward to take the Oath of Service, serving honorably at Fort Ord, Monterey, California, at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama, and at Loring Air Base, Limestone, Maine, with the 10th Ordinance detach-
they will represent both an ending and a beginning—the conclusion of another powerful season and a sneak peek of the CSO’s 72nd season and what is to come. Exciting days are ahead. Whether you are a regular attendee or have never experienced the CSO before, consider this your personal invitation
to join in for this cinematic musical celebration. it is the perfect opportunity to discover why live orchestral music remains so meaningful and so differentiated in our digital age, especially when performed by our own Catskill Symphony Orchestra. Mark your calendars for May 10 at 7:30
p.m. and be part of the magic as the CSO brings Hollywood’s most iconic music to life, right here at home! More information at www.catskillsymphony. org. Tickets may be purchased online, at the door, requested by e-mail at contact@catskillsymphony.org or requested by phone at (607) 269-7501.
OBiTUARiES
ment of Fort Devins, Massachusetts. There he was a Nike Ajax and Hercules missile and launcher technician and repairman, servicing missile sites surrounding Loring Air Base. He was proud of having been promoted to Specialist 5th Class in his 19th month of service. He was honorably discharged in January 1963.
in his youth and young adult years, Don was an avid skier. His parents were accomplished skiers and Don, his brother, and sister were all skiing by the age of 4.
As members of the Snow Ridge Ski Club in Turin, they were soon racers. Don’s career spanned 30 years and more than 200 sanctioned races. in 1954, he won the Catskill Downhill at Belleayre ski area while still a junior racer. in 1965, as a member of the Snow Ridge Club Racing Team, he raced in Switzerland and Austria, of which he was especially proud. He continued enjoying skiing until he was 82.
As a sports car enthusiast, he attended with his father the 1950 and 1951 races in Watkins Glen, where he fell in love with porsches. He later owned two—a 1961 356 Coupe and a 1965 356 C Cabriolet, both of which he raced in amateur events and showed on Concourse (the beauty contest of cars…the cars
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
Dignified and Caring Service since 1925 Peaceful grounds. Home-like atmosphere. Suitable for large or small gatherings. Peter A. Deysenroth 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown | 607-547-8231 www.cooperstownfuneralhome.com
were vey shiny!).
in his later life, Don was an avid golfer, sharing his passion for the sport with many friends while playing at Leatherstocking Golf Course and Otsego Golf Club.
On October 26, 1968, he and Sharon Ann Murphy were married at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Utica. He always credited Sharon, an English teacher at New Hartford Central School, with increasing his word power and smoothing his rough corners. They enjoyed 57 years together as partners in all they did.
Following the sale of the Oberriter family restaurant in New Hartford, in 1975, Don and Sharon opened Obies Brot Und Bier, a beer and sandwich bar in Cooperstown. it was a quick success and created enduring memories for many in Cooperstown and beyond. in 1981, Don’s restless brain focused on launching the Cooperstown Bat Company with Sharon. Through the years, it became a national manufacturer of player and artistic bats for the burgeoning sports memorabilia market. After 28 years they sold it in 2009 and it continues to thrive today after 44 years.
Throughout his life, Don believed in community involvement, which led to numerous business, social, veteran’s and sports organizations: Eastern Amateur Ski Association, U.S. Amateur Ski Association (1953-1975), Sports Car Club of America, porsche Club of America, the Over 70 Ski Club, the Mohican Club of Cooperstown, Lions Club of Cooperstown, Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, serving as a director from 19781982, and Otsego County Chamber of Commerce.
Don approached life with great enthusiasm. He especially enjoyed the many people he met and his appreciation of their talents led to many lifelong friendships. He particularly valued the many young people he had the privi-
lege to employ and the opportunity to mentor as they grew in experience. He considered himself blessed by knowing them. He was happy anytime he could bring a smile and a laugh or tell someone how special they were. Life in Cooperstown gave him many close friends with whom he celebrated the joys of raising a family and being part of a closeknit community.
Don was predeceased by his parents, his infant son, Aric Allan, his brother, John Roger, his sister-in-law, Natalie Oberriter, and his brothers-in-law, Dan Guida and Terry Murphy.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon; son Andrew (Abby); daughter Megan (Timothy) Dinneen; grandchildren Lucy and MacArthur Oberriter and Maxwell and indiana Dinneen; his sister, Donna Cheryl Guida; sisterin-law Mary Murphy; nephews Matthew Murphy (Kristen), Jim Oberriter (Angel), Carl (Antoinette) Oberriter; nieces Kiersten Garrison (Randy Suzuki) and Monica Guida-Houghton (Richard); and many great nieces and nephews.
Don lived by a philosophy of helping others and paying it forward to friends and strangers. please consider a donation to Cooperstown Food pantry or to your favorite charity in his memory.
Calling hours are from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 at Connell, Dow and Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 1, 2025 at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church, 31 Elm Street, Cooperstown, with the Very Rev. Michael G. Cambi, pastor, officiating. The service will be followed by a gathering of friends in The parish Center directly behind the church.
Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
Catskill Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1953, incorporated in 1974, and is completing its 71st season, under the direction of Artistic Director Glen Cortese. CSO’s mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire audiences of all ages in Upstate New York’s Catskill and Leatherstocking
regions, by presenting a professional ensemble of the highest artistic quality performing the full range of symphonic literature. The CSO hosts multiple concerts per season, offering a diverse repertoire. Ian Kenyon is vice chair of the Catskill Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors.
Martin H. ‘Marty’ Phillips II
1970-2025
COO p ERSTOWN—
Martin H. “Marty” phillips ii, a beloved husband, father, uncle, brother, and co-worker, passed away in the earlymorning hours of Friday, April 18, 2025 at his home on Christian Hill. He was 55.
Born April 11, 1970 in Glens Falls, Marty was the son of Martin H. and Glenda i. (Center) phillips.
As a student in the Hudson Falls school system, Marty enjoyed participating in many sports, including football and wrestling. He was proud that he raised the most money for cancer by swimming laps in 1987. He enjoyed skiing at West Mountain and playing basketball with his friends. He reminisced about his excitement as a kid waiting outside of the Glens Falls Civic Center to meet a professional wrestler. He was proud of “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, a Glens Falls native! After graduating from Hudson Falls in 1989, he soon met Sherry Lynn Bartow. Relocating to Cooperstown, he and Sherry married on July 24, 1993.
Settling into the Cooperstown area that he would call home, Marty worked in the laboratory at Bassett Hospital. He then began a 26-year tenure at the United States post Office as a rural letter carrier, a job in which he excelled. Away from his postal route, Marty enjoyed playing golf, video games, cooking, landscape work, hunting, gathering friends for bonfires, and
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telling jokes. His sense of humor, delightfully old-fashioned and often involving puns and wordplay, became legendary among his family and friends.
Marty is survived by his beloved wife of 31 years, Sherry, of Christian Hill, and their two children, Brandon phillips (and girlfriend Crystal) of ilion and Marisa phillips of Christian Hill; two siblings, David phillips of Glens Falls and Laurie Ringer of Queensbury; his mother- and fatherin-law, Barbara and Jan Bartow of Middlefield; two sisters-in-law, Sue Markusen (and husband Bruce) of Hartwick Seminary and Jenna Wratten of Milford; a brother-in-law, Mark Althiser (and wife Fran) of Fly Creek; and aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, a nephew, and a grand-nephew.
Marty was predeceased by his mother, Glenda i. (Center) Floyd; his father, Martin “Marty” Floyd; and a brother-inlaw, Dean Allen Wratten.
Marty’s family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday,April 24, 2025 at the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home, 82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown. A Funeral Service will be offered at 2 p.m. on Friday, April 25, 2025 at the funeral home, with the Rev. Jessica Lambert, pastor of The First presbyterian Church of Cooperstown, officiating.
The Service of Committal and Burial will follow at Hartwick Seminary Cemetery. in lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy can be made through memorial donations to the Susquehanna SpCA, 5082-5088 State Highway 28, Cooperstown, NY 13326, or to Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten island, NY 10306.
Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.
Those we love don’t go away. They walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near. So loved, so missed, so very dear.
Funeral Home
photo provided DON ALLAN OBERRITER
photo provided
MARTIN H. PHILLIPS II
health center, which services nearly 5,000 patients annually. According to Supervisor Garretson, in the Town Board organization meeting minutes of January 09, 2025, the health center costs “roughly $800,000.00” annually, representing close to a third of the town’s $2.2 million budget.
“This is relatively a very reasonable budget to take care of 4,800 patients,” Hershey commented. “Outside of the numbers, the value of the care is not measurable. Multiple generations rely on the healthcare they receive here. In this day and age, to have the same provider who knows you and your family year after year is literally lifesaving.
“There are too many stories to share. It is so comforting to have the same person answering the phone and knowing who you are year after year,” she continued. “The staff is part of the community, attending community events, birthday parties, weddings, graduation parties, funerals, and more.”
Ultimately, the committee’s goal is to find a partner that will help support rural healthcare and take the burden off the taxpayers of the Town of Cherry Valley, who Hershey said cannot continue to fund the center. The town’s annual budget is more than 60 percent higher than neighboring towns, she added.
Barbara Jean Gibbons (née Julian) 1942-2025
ITHACA—Barbara
Jean Gibbons, née Julian, formerly of Cooperstown, New York, passed away peacefully on April 6, 2025 in Ithaca, New York.
Born in 1942, Barbara grew up in Tracy, California and graduated from Tracy Joint Union High School in 1960. During her school years, she found joy in the performing arts, participating in the drama club and lending her voice to the school choir.
That same year, she married David Bellum (deceased), and the couple began their life together in Los Angeles, California. Together, they raised three daughters—Christine, Shannon, and Karoline.
During this time, Barbara completed her licensed practical nurse degree at Pierce Community
“Our biggest concern is where will patients go to get healthcare? They wait for Prime Care, and a physical at the Bassett network is up to six months, and the providers are not on long-term agreements,” she contends. “Bassett absorbing 4,800 new patients would seem to be overwhelming, especially given that they are currently receiving healthcare.”
And yet, committee members believe Bassett Healthcare Network— the mission of which is “improving the health of our patients and the well-being of our communities”—would be the logical choice for a partner in keeping the Cherry Valley Community Health Center operational.
“The Bassett network surrounds Cherry Valley geographically,” Hershey said, and given the nature of rural healthcare, there are not many other options.
“Most of the health center patients go to Bassett for their specialty services, so there is a strong relationship,” she added.
The Bureau of Project Management at the New York State Department of Health has suggested a solution whereby the town could enter into a management agreement with Bassett, retain ownership of the health center and maintain its Article 28 certification.
“Bassett Medical Center would not be the owners or maintain the building, but would be 100 percent responsible for the health center’s management, staff and billing,” Hershey
College in 1972, and began her nursing career at Northridge Hospital in Northridge, California, where her natural compassion and dedication quickly became evident.
In 1976, Barbara and David divorced. In 1978, she married Herrick Price Gibbons (deceased), and they welcomed a son, Herrick Todd Gibbons, shortly after.
In 1980, the family relocated to Cooperstown, New York, where Barbara continued her nursing career at Bassett Hospital. There, she worked first as a nurse and later as a respected nurse educator. Committed to lifelong learning, she earned her bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) from Hartwick College in 1988, followed by a master of science in nursing (MSN) from SUNY Binghamton in 1992.
Barbara’s career was more than a profession—it was a calling. She was known for her level-headedness and clear thinking in moments of crisis, qualities that made her a pillar in both clinical settings and the classroom. She frequently worked the ICU floor, and mentored new nurses there. She published several articles on nursing practice, especially focused on the challenges for underserved populations in rural areas, and
explained. “The New York State Department of Health is very committed to supporting rural healthcare and has developed a process for this type of situation. A Certificate of Need application from Bassett Medical Center on behalf of the Cherry Valley Community Health Center would allow us to move forward. The Certificate of Need application is meant to overcome any obstacle in place to enable exceptions to any barrier.”
The state’s Public Health and Health Planning Council describes the Certificate of Need process as follows:
“The Certificate of Need is the process set forth in Article 28 of the NYS Public Health Law in which the Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC), the Commissioner of Health and the Department of Health (the Department) authorize individuals or business entities to build and/or operate certain healthcare facilities or health care services. The objectives of the CON process are to promote delivery of high quality health care and ensure that services are aligned with community need. The CON provides the Department of Health oversight in limiting investment in duplicate beds, services and medical equipment which, in turn, limits associated health care costs.”
According to Hershey, the town has had limited conversations with Bassett leadership in hopes of support, but those talks have not been successful thus far. Bassett’s hesitation to go
this route may be due to the fact that the Cherry Valley Community Health Center’s financial woes are nothing new.
An audit report submitted to Town of Cherry Valley officials in August 2016 by the office of New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found the health center operating deficit to be $110,559.00 in 2015 and stated the following:
“Town officials told us that recent operating deficits were caused by the significant costs to upgrade medical records to an electronic system in 2013 and the retirement of a long-time medical provider in 2015, which resulted in a decrease in revenue from fewer patients being served while the position was vacant. Town officials do not anticipate similar conditions to occur in the future. However, without planning for unexpected additional expenditures, the ability to continue operating the health center may be significantly hampered because of the Town’s current fiscal condition. In fact, the lack of planning is already impacting the Town. Town officials issued a $125,000 revenue anticipation note at the end of each of the last two years because they did not have any fund balance or reserves to sustain Town operations through to the following year when real property tax collections started.”
The two recommendations made by the comptroller’s office were: “1) The Supervisor should segregate the accounting records for the health
OBITUARIES
she frequently presented at nursing conferences, generously sharing her expertise.
In 1997, Barbara accepted a position as clinical assistant professor of nursing at SUNY Stony Brook, where she helped develop and launch a fully online BSN program for the School of Nursing—an innovative effort that expanded access to nursing education. She embraced new technologies and was often found testing new equipment. She continued her work there until retiring in 2010.
Outside of work, Barbara found deep joy in the garden. She loved growing both vegetables and flowers, studying local native plants, and connecting with fellow gardeners— whether longtime neighbors or strangers met mid-conversation along a country
road. She was known to brake for plants, or for garage sales, and would frequently bring home both trinkets and treasures. Family members knew one mention of their need for anything to her, and she’d tirelessly hunt down the item for them. Her mix of dry wit and genuine curiosity made her a beloved and interesting figure wherever she went.
Barbara is lovingly survived by her daughters, Christine Singer, Shannon Bellum, and Karoline Kane and her husband, Michael Kane, as well as her son, Herrick Todd Gibbons. She is also fondly remembered by her grandchildren: Julian Carreno and his wife, Priscila Laforet; Zack Singer; Jesse Carreno and his wife, Jesse Cruz; Ryen Martinez; Bria Singer; Tristan Kane; Ciaran Kane; and Aoife Kane. She also leaves behind her beloved great-
center and allocate direct and indirect costs so the Board can properly evaluate the impact of the health center on the Town’s financial condition, and; 2) The Board should assess the future operation of the health center and develop longterm plans to ensure the health center functions in the best interests of the Town’s residents.”
Dr. Henry Weil, senior vice president, chief clinical and academic officer of Bassett Healthcare Network and president of Bassett Medical Center, praised the Town of Cherry Valley and its citizens in a statement on Monday, April 21.
“Cherry Valley Township was a pioneer with the establishment of the Cherry Valley Health Center more than 40 years ago. It is a wonderful example that has stood the test of time. It’s incredible that a small community has done this, and I have the deepest respect for the Cherry Valley Township and the citizens who have passionately worked to ensure Cherry Valley Health Center’s continued services,” said.
“Bassett has participated with the Center for many, many years. It was one of the first locations where Bassett practitioners cared for patients at a site outside of Cooperstown, and we are proud to have done so. We are not now, nor have we ever wavered on this commitment. We would be honored to continue to supply clinical resources to the Center. It is our sincerest hope that the Township can find a solution to maintain the Center.”
Mount Vision resident Jarrett Hotaling is not a resident of Cherry Valley, but the health center there is the primary source for his healthcare, as well as that of his wife and mother-in-law. Hotaling wrote a letter to the Town Board dated March 28 to express his concerns regarding the future of the health center.
“The [center] provides many people an accessible and convenient location to have their healthcare and concerns addressed. All of this being done without the overwhelming and daunting feel of a traditional hospital,” he wrote.
“To lose such a valuable resource would be very unfortunate and disheartening for many…I know finances play a large role in this topic, but I hope that whatever avenue is taken, it does not leave anyone going without.”
Supervisor Garretson said residents who are pushing to close the health center, “a few people,” do not realize the impacts of rising costs. Liability insurance, for instance, has risen 15 percent this year. He said he recognized the tax hike is especially tough for taxpayers to digest, knowing that folks from other towns rely on the services of the health center but the municipalties in which they live are not sharing the load.
Garretson also praised the work of Hershey, who is a longtime Cherry Valley resident.
“Lisa is great, and she gave a beautiful presentation at the March Town Board meeting,” Garretson said.
granddaughter, Julianna Laforet.
She is also survived by her sister, Louise Morconi, and her children, along with other nieces, nephews, and extended family members. Barbara was preceded in death by her cherished husband, Herrick Price Gibbons.
Barbara will be remembered for her intelligence, quiet strength, pragmatic humor and, above all, her deep love for her family and the unwavering compassion she extended to others throughout her life. A private celebration of her life will be held by the family at a later date.
Photo provided BARBARA JEAN GIBBONS
►Fri., April 25
YOGA 9 a.m. “Yoga with Alyx Braunius.” Bring your own mat. Suggested donation applies. Held each Friday. The Gatehouse, 129 Main Street, Morris. (607) 285-4111.
CRAFT 10 a.m. “Fairy Lantern.” Free; registration required. Harris Memorial Library, 334 Main Street, Otego. (607) 988-6661.
BLOOD DRIVE
12:30-5:30 p.m. St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 31 Elm Street, Cooperstown. RedCrossBlood.org
BLOOD DIVE
1:30-5:30 p.m. Presented by the National Honor Society. Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, 597 County Highway 54, Cherry Valley. RedCrossBlood.org
POTTERY
1:30-4:30 p.m. Open Studio. Experienced potters are work on personal projects. No instruction provided. Fees apply. Held Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and 6-9 p.m. on Thursday. The Smithy Clay Studio, 1 Otsego Court, Cooperstown. Gallery@ SmithyArts.org.
BENEFIT 4 p.m.
“Springfield Fire Department Annual Chicken Barbeque.” Take out or dine in. Springfield Fire Department, East Springfield Fire House, 5727 State Highway 20, East Springfield. Springfieldfiredept@gmail.com.
CELEBRATION
5-7 p.m. “Art & Music Night.” Opening of the Cooperstown Central School Art Exhibit. Opening night includes music by CCS students with food and drink provided by FOMA and the CAA. Exhibit on view through 5/9. Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5479777.
QUILTING 5:30 p.m.
“Evening Appliqué Series #1: Iron-On Appliqué.” Fees apply; registration required. Leatherstocking Quilts, 155 Main Street, Suite B, Oneonta.
LIBRARY 6 p.m. “Friday Night Film: Pride and Prejudice.” Village Library of Cooperstown, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 547-8344.
DANCE 7-10 p.m.
“Back to the ‘80s Dance
Party.” DJ, raffle, costume contest, drinks and dancing. Suggested donations apply. Community Arts Network of Oneonta, Wilber Mansion, 11 Ford Avenue, Oneonta. canoneonta.org
THEATRE 7 p.m. BiAnnual Dance Showcase, “Resilience.” Presented by the Hartwick College Theatre Arts Department. Fees apply. Also held 4/26. Slade Theatre, Hartwick College, 1 Hartwick Drive, Oneonta.
THEATER 7:30 p.m.
“A Crazy Little Café Called Love.” Presented by the Catskill Community Players. Fees apply. Also showing 4/26 and at 2 p.m. on 4/27. Wieting Theatre, 168 Main Street, Worcester. info@catskillplayers.org.
THEATRE 7:30 p.m.
“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.” Tickets required. Also showing at 2 p.m. on 4/26. Goodrich Theatre, SUNY Oneonta, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta. (607) 436-3730.
►S At., April 26
DEADLINE Last day to register for “Sacred Geometry SoulWork Workshop.” Presented by Cynthia Marsh. Fees apply; registration required. Held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on 5/3. Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5479777.
RECRUIT NY All day. Visit the following fire departments to learn how you can serve your community. www.recruitny.
org/participants/ • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
“Recruit NY Open House.”
Explore the fire trucks, participate in demonstrations and fill out an application. Richfield Springs Fire Department, 34 East James Street, Richfield Springs. (315) 922-4881.
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Station tours, beverages, hot dogs, burgers and more. West Oneonta Fire Department, 2865 County Highway 8, West Oneonta. (607) 432-1310.
• 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. “OxLocks Security and Safety Expo.” Raffles, door prizes, kids’ coloring contest and meet the local fire department. Wells Bridge Fire Department with the Otego Fire Department, 3 River Street, Otego. (607)
988-7911.
• 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Open House.” Visit the firehouse, explore the trucks and meet the members. Milford Fire Department and Emergency Squad, 64 South Main Street, Milford. (607) 286-9492.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Open House.” Have coffee with a first responder, New York State Police answer questions, get car seats inspected and meet Otsego County Sheriff K-9 officers. Unadilla Fire Department, 77 Clifton Street, Unadilla. (607) 369-9150.
• 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“Open House.” Visit the firehouse, meet the members and pick up an application. Laurens EMS will also be in attendance. Mount Vision Fire Department, 179 County Highway 11B, Mount Vision. (607) 433-0997.
• 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“Open House.” Meet the fire fighters, explore the equipment and pick up an application. Morris Fire Department, 117 Main Street, Morris. (607) 2635500.
CONTEST 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. “CPL Michael Mayne Youth Turkey Contest.” Free; pre-registration not required. Bring a turkey for weigh-in and win a prize. Includes awards for the top three hunted birds. Continues 4/27. Presented by the Otsego County Limbhangers National Wild Turkey Federation at the Burlington Flats Fish and Game Club, 615 Louie Dickinson Road, Edmeston. (607) 293-0341.
WORKSHOP 9 a.m.
“Basket Weaving Workshop.” Presented by Colleen Mosenthin of Weave and Wobble. Fees apply; registration required. Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School, 597 County Highway 54, Cherry Valley. (607) 264-3265.
FUNDRAISER—9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rummage Sale. Super Heroes Humane Society, 182 Roundhouse Road, Oneonta. (607) 441-3227.
KIDS 9-11 a.m.
“Healthy Kids Day.” Swimming, snacks and more.
Oneonta Family YMCA, 20 Ford Avenue, Oneonta. (607) 432-0010.
SHREDDING 9 a.m. to noon. “SHREDDING Hunger.” Free document shredding in return for one donated non-perishable food item. Keller Williams Upstate NY Properties, 31 Main Street, Oneonta. (607) 431-2540.
WORKSHOP 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. “Intermediate Blacksmithing.” Fees apply; registration required. Lunch and materials included. Fenimore Farm and Country Village, 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471450.
EXHIBIT OPENING
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. “Places and Faces.” Presented by Kathleen Green and Oneida Hammonds. On view through 6/14. Artist reception from 4-6 p.m. on 5/10. Headwaters Arts Center, 66 Main Street, Stamford. (607) 2146040.
PSYCHIC FAIR
10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “SHIFT NY Psychic & Holistic Fair.” Fees apply. Fox Care Center, 1 Foxcare Drive, Oneonta.
HISTORY 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. “Postcard, Book and Ephemera Sale.” Free admission and parking. Presented by the Greater Oneonta Historical Society at the Elm Park Methodist Church, 401 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-0960.
FOREST WALK
10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. “Christmas Tree Farm and Managed Forest Woods Walk.” Free; open to the public. Presented by the New York Forest Owner Association. Brady Tree Farm, 1165 County Highway 34 (Elk Creek Road), Schenevus. (607) 365-2214.
ASTRONOMY
10 a.m.to noon. “Sun-gazing at the Gatehouse.” Look at the sun through a filtered telescope with Dr. Valerie Rapson, astronomy professor at SUNY Oneonta. Rain date 4/27. The Gatehouse, 129 Main Street, Morris. (607) 2854111.
EARTH DAY FESTI-
VAL 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Milford Central School, 42 West Main Street, Milford. (607) 547-4488.
DANCING The Morris Men of Binghamton with their guests, the Newtowne Morris Men of Boston and the Bouwerie Boys Morris Dancers of New York City. Free performances. (315) 308-0315.
• 10:30 a.m. Commercial Street, Gilbertsville.
• 12:30 p.m. Pathfinder Village, Edmeston.
• 3:15 p.m. Pioneer Park, Cooperstown.
• 4:15 p.m. Council Rock Brewery, Cooperstown.
PLANETARIUM Fees apply. SUNY Oneonta Planetarium, Perna Science Building, Room 018A, SUNY Oneonta, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta. (607) 4362011.
• 10:30 a.m. “Max Goes to the Moon.”
• 11:30 a.m. “The Sky Tonight.”
MEDITATION 11 a.m. “Sangha Saturdays.” Start with meditation, followed by potluck, then study group at 3 p.m. Held Saturdays through June 7. Samye New York, 412 Glimmerglen Road, Cooperstown. (607) 5475051.
ART EXHIBIT 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. “French Connection: The Political Art of Olivier Bonhomme.” Showing Saturdays through 5/17, or by appointment. The Art Garage, 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. (315) 941-9607.
MORTALITY 11 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m. “Death, Out Loud: Gathering Community To Normalize Talking about Death.” Registration required. Huntington Memorial Library, 62 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-1980.
PAINT & SIP Noon to 2 p.m. “Sunflower Slate.” Fees apply. Red Barn Decor & More, 1938 State Highway 23, Morris. (607) 287-3623.
FAIR 1 p.m. “OH-fest ’25 Arts & Crafts Vendor Fair.” SUNY Oneonta Quad, 108 Ravine Parkway, Oneonta. (607) 436-3730.
MUSIC 1 p.m. “Junior Recital: Benny Pauli, piano, and Sebastian Quarella, clarinet.” Presented by the Hartwick College Department of Music. Hartwick College, 1 Hartwick Drive, Oneonta.
FUNDRAISER
2-6 p.m. or until sold out. “Drive Thru Brooks’ Chicken BBQ.” Benefit for CCS Leadership Training for Athletes Program Scholarship and students pursuing officiating certification. Fees apply. Cooperstown Jr./Sr. High School Caf-
eteria, 39 Linden Avenue, Cooperstown. (607) 5478181.
EARTH DAY 2 p.m.
“Earth Day Celebration and Information.” Celebrate the 55th anniversary of Earth Day. Get tips on recycling, composting, and more. Kinney Memorial Library, 3140 County Road 11, Hartwick. (607) 293-6600.
DINNER 4-6 p.m.
“Free Community Dinner.” Held 4th Saturday of each month. Church of Christ Uniting, 22 Church Street, Richfield Springs. (315) 858-1553.
FUNDRAISER
4-6:30 p.m. “Donation Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser.” Fees apply. Take out or eat in. Edmeston Fire Auxiliary, 27 East Street, Edmeston. (607) 965-8020.
OPEN MIC 6 p.m. Evening of live music, poetry, comedy and more, hosted by Khalil Jade. The Gatehouse, 129 Main Street, Morris. (607) 2854111.
DANCE 6-8 p.m. “Ecstatic Dance: Dance into Light!” Fees apply. Yoga People Oneonta, 50 Dietz Street, Suite L, Oneonta. OPEN MIC 7-9 p.m. “Coffee House.” Singers, writers, musicians, and more are invited to share works. 10-20 minute slots. Refreshments available. Free, open to public. Held each 4th Saturday. Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church, 128 Church Street, Schuyler Lake. (315) 858-2523.
LITERATURE 7 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. “Write Out Loud.” Performances of poetry, prose and more by local authors. Free; suggested donation appreciated. Registration encouraged. Fenimore Art Museum, 5798 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471400.
COMEDY—8 p.m. “Mike Bova One Man Comedy Show.” Rated “M for Mature.” Tickets required. American Legion Post 259, 279 Chestnut Street, Oneonta. (607) 432-0494.
►Sun., April 27
SAFETY 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; arrive at 8:45 a.m. for registration. “Defensive Driving Course.” Presented by Booty Security LLC with the Otsego County Office for the Aging. Fees apply; registration required. Bring drivers license, lunch, snack and a drink. Southside Mall, Community Room, 5006 State Highway 23, Oneonta. (607) 538-9632.
