The Freeman's Journal 03-11-21

From

IA

O M C O PE

OUNDED

JU

DG

E WIL

L

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

•F

1808 BY

.net er and Comput90 • www.isdtech

R

IN

nD m a S W o WInD aLIStS I C e P S t es SUPPor IT Servic

founded

in 1808

VISIT www.AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE

Volume 213, No. 10

COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND

to Bassett

TRAUMA DOCTOR’S STORY: AFGHANISTAN TO COOPERSTOWN/B3

SIon mS DIvI e t S y S atIon Inform aC

-70 607-432

M*A*S*H

Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, March 11, 2021

SUNY VACCINATION SITE, HELP ON WAY FOR HOMEBOUND

G

ood news on the COVID-19 front: ►The state plans to open a vaccination site in SUNY Oneonta’s Dewar Arena. ►The county Health Department announced it will give shots to the homebound in their homes.

For details, visit

AllOTSEGO.com

www.

Newsstand Price $1

Campus Cases Up C-19 Rates Still Outstrip Rest Of County

By MIKE FORSTER ROTHBART ONEONTA

C

OVID-19 cases have continued to rise among students at Hartwick and SUNY Oneonta,

despite best efforts by both colleges, even while the rate of infection has declined elsewhere in Otsego County.

The campuses have been the source of one third of all cases in the county

in 2021, and rose to 47 percent of cases in one 10-day period, the county Health Department reported last week.

As of Tuesday, March 9, there were 77 active college student cases between the two schools, bringing the county total above 200 for the first Please See COLLEGES, A9

Principal Departs At CCS

The Freeman’s Journal

Hugh MacDougall poses in 2007 with Victor Salvatore’s statue, “James Fenimore Cooper,” in Cooper Park.

County Mourns Historian Hugh MacDougall, 88

Meccariello Sixth Over Past 8 Years

COOPERSTOWN

By JIM KEVLIN

H

ugh C. MacDougall, 88, who championed James Fenimore Cooper on his retirment from the U.S. Foreign Service, died Saturday, March 6, 2021, at the Thanksgiving Home.

He served as a village trustee and, for the past 15 years, village historian, and founded the national James Fenimore Cooper Society.

He lectured frequently at Oneonta’s Center for Continuing Adult Learning.

For his obituary, being prepared at presstime by the Tillapagh Funeral Home, check

COOPERSTOWN

O

n appointing Anne Meccariello high school principal on March 10, 2020, CCS SuperinJim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal tendent of Rick Brockway on the barn’s half-demolished “bridge” that gave hay wagons access to the third floor.

Schools Bill ONE MAN’S HISTORY, ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE Crankshaw praised “her sense of loyalty to the disMeccariello trict.” unit since 1970, but that is no longer It didn’t

By JOE TOPPE economical,” Brockway said in an pan out. She resigned Feb. interview.

26, just short of a year. www.

OTSEGO.com WEST LAURENS “I wanted to refurbish the barn April 1, Meccariello will to its original look, but it was too Follow Breaking News On become superintendent of t was 1897, the same year Bram expensive,” he said. “It was a difficult schools in the CampbellStoker’s “Dracula” was published choice, but I talked with my kids and Savona Central School DisOTSEGO.com and a gold rush lured scores of brother in New Mexico before making trict in the Finger Lakes, 25 prospectors to the Klondike. the decision.” ►A COVID-19 OUTBREAK sends miles northwest of Corning.

30 Oneonta High School pupils Here in Otsego County, Rick According to Brockway, it would “From the moment I home.

Brockway’s great-great grandfather saw the superintendent of Rick Brockway with the family have cost $100,000 to restore the barn ►Caitlin oGDeN again plans to Jesse was driving the final nails into schools position posted for barn before demolition began. to working condition, “so we tried to run against Rick Brockway for his West Laurens’ dairy barn. sell it, but couldn’t give it away, until Campbell-Savona, I knew the structure’s frame is worth saving. county board in Laurens, Otego.

Now, more than 50 years since the we posted it on Facebook in hopes of I was very interested in be“It’s been used as a family storage ►FOR SECOND YEAR IN ROW, family used the barn for farming, only Please See BARN, A8 coming a Panther,” MeccaSpringfield cancels Fourth of riello – a Redskin and, after July Parade.

2013, a Hawkeye – told ►SUNY CHANCElLOR MALATRAS WETM TV 18 in Elmira. praises end to use of work Gary Kuch resigned in “Indian,” echoing local 2008 to become Worcester controversies.

Central superintendent, and ►PBS SHOW on sculptor with houses on Southside Drive will be his successor Mike Kring, Oneonta ties delayed to Saturday.

By JIM KEVLIN emerging, veteran Town Supervisor served five years, and the ►Finally, new welcome sign Bob Wood is predicting. revolving door began. erected at Oneonta’s I-88 WEST ONEONTA Simply, “the city does not have Seeking to boost test entrance. any more available land,” said scores, the CCS school ►SCHnEIDERS sell Coopery the time he retires on Dec. Wood in an interview Friday, board and Superintendent stown’s Landmark Inn. 31, the Town of Oneonta’s March 5, on announcing his C.J. Herbert created an “exmunicipal water system retirement. ecutive principal” position.

Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal Please See PRINCIPAL,A10 will be complete, and condos and Please See WOOD, A10

Century-Old Barn Finds New Home

All

All

I

Planning To Retire, Bob Wood Has High Hopes For Southside

B

Oneonta Supervisor Bob Wood is retiring.

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

A Year later!

Some questions answered after your vaccination!

We all know we need to wear masks and keep socially distanced, BUT do you know what you can do now that the vaccines have started?

If you’ve been vaccinated, here’s what you should and should NOT do!

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), if you’ve had your vaccine, you can: • Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing • Visit with unvaccinated people from a single household who are at low risk for severe COVID-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing • Avoid quarantine and testing following exposure to someone if they remain asymptomatic.

However, there are still restrictions that will remain until further data is collected.

Those who are fully vaccinated must still: • Wear masks and physically distance in public settings and around people at high risk for severe disease • Wear masks and physically distance when visiting unvaccinated people from more than one household • Avoid medium- and large-sized gatherings • Avoid travel.

NOT VACCINATED YET? The age requirement just dropped to 60.

Check the websites below for info!

www.helioscare.org • 607-432-5525

January Clearance Event

Hughson& Benson Associates Insurance www.hughsonbenson.com

COOPERSTOWN DINER

136½ Main Street • Cooperstown • 607-282-4367

607.441.7312

JOIN NOW! 607-287-6828

Eligiblity changes daily. For updates, go to

am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov

IA

DG

E WIL

L

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

OUNDED

JU

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

•F

1808 BY

ONEONTA

R

IN

HOMETOWN

O M C O PE

For local vaccine clinics and answers to your questions, go to www.bassett.org

founded

in 1808

AllOTSEGO.com

All

N more t OW

OTSEGO.life

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

From Dr. Joon K. Shim, an unlikely “woman from New Jersey flying in a helicopter,” poses with a crew during one of her deployments with the Army in Afghanistan.

PAGE A-3

M*A*S*H

han ever ...

Support JournaliLocal sm ►

AllOTSEGO .com SUBSC RIBE TO

to Bassett

O Daily tsegO COu newsp n apert/y’s Call Lari ssa at 6 online 07-547-6 1 03 to ge t

started.

what’s fun

in Otsego County

BEST BETS

Jack Manningham attempts to drive his wife insane in ‘Angel Street (Gaslight)’.

Gaslight, Art Bazaar, Work Of Susan Fenimore Cooper

Photos courtesy Dr. Joon K. Shim

Full Immersion In Afghan War Prepared New Trauma Director

By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN

I Dr. Shim’s biggest fan is husband Jonathan Pincus, an artist teaching drawing at SUNY Oneonta. The two met on a hiking trip in the Pacific Northwest.

t was Christmas Day. “The Taliban likes to attack on holidays,” said Dr. Joon K. Shim, who arrived at Bassett Hospital Jan. 26 as a surgeon, as well as program director of the Columbia-Bassett Residency, training young doctors.

She heard “a huge ‘kaboom’” – a mortar

I

who was serving one of three deployments in Afghanistan.

But duty called in the form of an injured soldier, and she was soon back at the operating table.

“He held my hand and said, ‘Dr. Shim, I want to live’,” she remembered.

Later, he had the opportunity to tell her, “Thank you for saving my life.”

She’s not the only Bassett physician to experience war. Dr. Shelby Please See DOCTOR, A7

t was “M*A*S*H, Hollywoodized. I got through the deployment with humor”

Dr. JOON K. SHIM Trauma Director, Residency Director Bassett Hospital

attack. “I was on the floor with my face to the ground.

I thought I would die that day,” said the physician,

BELOW 32? HOMELESS HELPED

Cindy King hangs an “OPEN” sign in the window of the Community Warming Station, 189 Chestnut St., Oneonta, Monday, March 8.

At Warming Station, Needy Are Sheltered

By JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA

‘H

appy are they … who give justice to those who are oppressed, food to those who are hungry, and shelter to those in need,” said Rev. Cynthia Walton

Leavitt, pastor of the United Presbyterian “Red Door” Church.

The pastor was speaking Monday, March 8, as a member of the Caring for the Homeless Population Collaboration, founded in 2018 under the auspices of Fox Hospital, on the initiative of Dr. Reg Knight, Please See HOMELESS, A7

AllOTSEGO.life

Ian Austin/

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL • HOMETOWN ONEONTA

T

une in for a wonderfully staged production of “Angel Street (Gaslight)” a Victorian thriller about a husband who is slowly driving his wife insane and the inspector who saves the day. Tickets, $15.

Presented by Stuff of Dreams Productions.

8 p.m. Friday, Mar. 12 and Saturday, Mar. 13. 607-432-5407 or LARISSA visit www.facebook. RYAN com/GEStevens Oneonta/ • Refresh your art collection this spring with new/old pieces from the Spring Cleaning Art Bazaar. Find everything from paintings to ceramics from around the county. Presented

by Cooperstown Art Association, 22 Main St., Cooperstown. 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. weekdays. Friday, March 12 through Tuesday, April 20. 607-5479777 or visit www.cooperstownart.com/ • Learn about the contribution of Susan Fenimore Cooper to early environmental thought in her book “Rural Hours.” This lecture, “Recovering Susan Fenimore Cooper’s Environmentalism,” with Dr. Rochelle L. Johnson. Free on Zoom, registration required. Presented by Fenimore Art Museum, Cooperstown. 2 p.m.

Saturday, Mar. 13. 607-547-1400 or visit www.fenimoreartmuseum.org/ • Enjoy drive-thru corned beef & cabbage dinner to support local fire department. Dinner includes corned beef, potatoes, cabbage, rye or irish soda bread, and dessert. Cost, $15/person, take-out only. Hartwick Seminary Fire Department, 4877 St. Rt. 28, Cooperstown. 4 - 8 p.m.

Saturday, Mar. 13. 607-547-8091

AllOTSEGO.com/digital-subscription-options

SUBSCRIBE TO COUNTY’S ONLINE DAILY AT www.

Perspectives

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL EDITORIAL

Water Plant Done, Is One Greater Oneonta Inevitable?

B

ob Wood was dealt a winning hand when elected Oneonta town supervisor in 2008, and he played the hand well.

He announced his retirement last Friday, March 5 – 299 days to go until Dec. 31, he said – and expressed satisfaction that $12 million in projects – $3-plus million for a new town highway garage and $8-plus million for the long-awaited Southside water project – will be completed by the time he leaves office.

Of course, there are many other successes since 2008 that Bob Wood can point to – the expansion of the Browne Street (Ioxus, Northern Eagle Beverage) and Pony Farm commerce parks, the growth of All Star Village, Brooks BBQ’s bottling plant to be expanded and relocated in an East End shopping plaza.

But keeping the tax rate low – $10 per thousand for town, school,

ONE-onta, the once and future city?

LETTERS

that error because an officer wrote it in several hours after the call actually came in – which is not the time of the accident.

Lazy investigators didn’t correct the error and it now goes forward in time as an inaccurate recollection of the events of that day.

I have interviewed surviving firemen on this issue, and have tried to have the record corrected for posterity – so far, to no avail.

You should, at least, correct this error for your readers.

On a related Oneonta Fire Department issue, it has been almost four years since Christopher’s Restaurant in Oneonta mysteriously burned down, and there are still no answers as to the cause.

Why not query the OFD and ask, “What gives?”

JAMES E. CLOSE Mechanicville

With Governor In Trouble, Candidates Surface For ’22

OUNDED 1808 BY

O M C O PE

•F

IA

R

IN

DG

E WIL

L

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

He owns one of the worst (if not THE worst environmental ratings) in the entire New York congressional delegation as per The League of Conservation Voters. He is a true darling of the NRA, which readily pumps tons of money his way.

In no uncertain terms one need not look too hard for a better gubernatorial candidate . Hopefully his is nothing less than a lost cause.

KENNETH J. KAVANAGH Cooperstown

JU

To the Editor: What an incredible piece of work Long Island Congressman Lee Zeldin most certainly is.

His recent announcement of his intentions to run for governor truly takes the cake. If they can’t come up with a better candidate on either side of the aisle, we’re all in trouble.

Zeldin’s voting record underscores the pathos of his case. He has voted against the Equality Act, Paycheck Fairness, background checks and reproductive rights.

founded

in 1808

James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher Tara Barnwell

Advertising Director & General Manager

Larissa Ryan Business Manager

Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production

Mike Forster Rothbart Contributing Writer

Ian Austin Photographer

Ivan Potocnik Web Architect

Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Consultant

IN MEMORIAM: Mary Joan Kevlin, Co-Publisher, 2006-17 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR Otsego County • Village of Cooperstown • Village of Milford Cooperstown Central School District MEMBER: National Newspaper Association, NY Press Association Subscriptions Rates: Otsego County, $69 a year. All other areas, $89 a year.

First Class Subscription, $155 a year.

Published Thursdays by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080.

E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com Contents © Iron String Press, Inc.

including Oneonta, where Gene Bettiol Sr.’s energetic development of the Southside drew supermarkets, the mall and, eventually, big boxes, drawing throngs of shoppers from Main Street.

As businesses and taxpayers left the city, they left expensive services and infrastructure behind: professional police and fire departments, water lines, sewerage, street lights – supported by ever-fewer people.

Please See EDITORIAL, A5

Man Of The World

Since 1974 D&H Crash, Errors Often Repeated To the Editor; Your article about retiring Oneonta Fire Chief Pidgeon notes his recounting to you his memories of the D&H Train Disaster of Feb. 12, 1974. You state, “…when a D&H train derailed at Emmons and one of the tankers exploded.”

In fact, seven tankers carrying LPG or propane exploded that day – I know, because I was there, and saw the whole thing unfold from start to finish, as a nearby resident.

I have followed the story closely over the years, and have endeavored in vain to correct a major factual error that the NTSB carried into its report that states that the derailment occurred around 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

That is false – the derailment occurred between 12 noon and 12:30 p.m. that day, but the Daybook which the OFD maintained contained

county and other property levies, as compared to $20 in the city – may be his foremost accomplishment.

And that, arguably, led to everything else.

• Of course, this was enabled by how the world changed after World War II. With 1950s prosperity pretty much everybody bought cars, and cheaper land outside cities became more accessible for homes, retail and manufacturing.

It happened everywhere,

Hugh MacDougall Encountered Adventures Worldwide Editor’s Note: Hugh MacDougall, one of Cooperstown’s foremost citizens, spent 28 years in our nation’s diplomat corps. On May 15,2020, he recounted several of his overseas’ adventures in a lecture at The Thanksgiving Home, where he resided from April 2019 until his passing on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

By HUGH MacDOUGALL

I

n 1958, I joined the United States Foreign Service, where I spent the next 28 years, mostly as a political reporting officer. I served in seven countries overseas, as well as at the State Department in Washington.

In 1961 I was sent to our Embassy at Conakry, Guinea, in West Africa, first as its consular officer clearing American shipments through local customs, and then as a Political officer.

Guinea had broken from France in 1959, and aligned MacDougall itself with the in 2007 Soviet bloc. So my little 1961 Volkswagen Beetle was a familiar sight in the Port Area, which was a regular stopping place for Soviet ships returning from Cuba, before and during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.

Thus one day another Embassy officer loaded a Geiger counter in my back seat, covered it with a blanket, and we gradually approached a Soviet ship that had arrived during the night. As we did so, the Geiger counter started to click wildly – and we knew that the Soviet ship was indeed carrying some of the nuclear warheads being returned from Cuba.

For my service in Guinea I was awarded the State Department’s Silver Honor Medal stressing, in part, “his rapport and relationship of

Photo courtesy May Britt Joyce

A young U.S. Foreign Service officer, Hugh MacDougall prepares to depart on one of his assignments to Africa and Southeast Asia.

confidence with his counterpart Guinean officials.”

My next post was at Recife, a Consulate-General on the northeast coast of Brazil, covering a half-dozen of Brazil’s least known but most in-

teresting states, where I was assigned as political officer.

Shortly after my arrival in 1964, a bloodless military coup took over Brazil – ousting the left-wing BrazilPlease See MacDOUGALL, A5

POLITICAL LETTERS

‘Someone’ Who Cares Running For Village Trustee To The Editor: My name is Hanna Joy Bergene and I am honored to be running for village trustee alongside our current trustee/ deputy mayor, Cindy Falk in the village election next Tuesday, March 16.

Many in the local business community may know me from my time working at the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, Paperkite, Stagecoach Coffee and the Cooperstown Winter Carnival Committee.

I’ve called Cooperstown home my entire life. My parents, Gregory and Susan Bergene, both long-time employees of Cooperstown Central School District, taught me the value of a good work ethic and getting involved in your community from a young age.

As a village trustee, my goal is to make Cooperstown the best place it

Bergene

can be for all residents and businesses alike. I have thought long and hard, as well as asked a few close friends about what makes a great trustee. Some of the things that stood out to me are: • Someone with a passion for public

service.

• Someone who has a love for all members of the community; kids, families, seniors, young professionals, students, doctors, teachers, small business owners, healthcare workers, summer residents, visitors, etc.

• Someone who empathetically listens to the wants and needs of their community.

• Someone with a desire to preserve

our natural and historical resources.

• Someone who wants to work towards progress and growth for the community.

I can proudly say that I am that “Someone” listed above. I would be humbled and honored to have the opportunity to give back to the community that has given me a lifetime of knowledge, experience, and a sense of community. I want to make a difference in the village that I love, to create a place where people want to live, work, and play, and to help to continue to move Cooperstown forward.

I encourage all Village of Cooperstown residents to vote for Bergene and Falk on Tuesday, March 16.

HANNA JOY BERGENE Democratic nominee Cooperstown Village Trustee

AllOTSEGO.com • MORE POLITICAL LETTERS, A6

LETTERS TO EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5

BOUND VOLUMES Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library inches; his arm 1 foot, 7 inches.

There are believed to be more than Greek Composition. A claim is His health is good, looks fine, made for 12 preliminary certifia hundred former members who In our notice last week, of the Members of the Cooperstown feels well. He keeps up with the cates, 6 academic diplomas and 4 can be located. Louis Frankewich, Central School boys’ basketball result of town elections in this men in the harvest field, and on intermediate certificates. an old Phinney boy who returned county, we did injustice to the team were honored at the awards the farm generally; stands the heat March 13, 1886 to town a few months ago, is the Town of Decatur, by stating that assembly on Thursday. The team as well as the rest of the men. Now prime mover in stirring up the won the Center State League she had elected an opposition man if the County of Otsego, or even old members for a permanent championship this year. The CCS for supervisor, and now make the State, can beat him, we should organization.

Out of the banquet at Carr’s amends by correcting the error and like to hear from it. band, under the direction of PershMarch 8, 1911 Hotel last Wednesday night there asserting the fact, that Col. Robert S.B., Springfield. ing R. Dickinson, played a rousing sprouted a permanent organizaC. Lansing, a firm democrat is march as everyone entered the March 15, 1861 tion of the former members of the elected – thus, of the 22 towns, gym. Lester G. Bursey, director of old Phinney Hose Co. with the placing Richfield alone in the athletics, was master of ceremonies. following officers: C.W. DaDiscussing the campaign of opposition ranks, and in her case Mr. Bursey first introduced the Regents’ Examinations – Folvidson, president; E.D. Stocker, enforcement of traffic regulations we learn that the majority was starting five members of the squad lowing is the result of last week’s vice-president; Peter Hotaling, which has been in progress in this only 5! Another year will redeem – John and Jim Schaeffer, Don Rogers, examinations in the Cooperstown second vice-president; Frank village for several weeks, Mayor Richfield from her political fatuity. Union School: 24 passed in GeTim Feury and Joe Booan. The Lester J. Clark on Saturday called Hale, secretary; and N.P. WilMarch 14, 1836 ography; 15 in Civil Government; lis, treasurer. Louis Frankewich, supporting players were then called special attention to the excellent up – Vernon Frey, Jim Moyer, Ken 14 in Arithmetic; 14 in Physical M.E. Lippitt, Frank Mulkins, M.F. work performed by the traffic Wertheim, Don Wertheim, Doug Geography; 14 in Physiology; 12 Augur and E.D. Stocker were appatrols of Boy Scout Troop No. Dickinson, Ron Smith and Tom A Large Boy for his Age – There is in Grammar; 12 in Rhetoric; 10 in pointed to act as an entertainment 12 in protecting the approaches to Weeks. Jacob H. Schaeffer, the a boy born and residing in the Spelling; 10 in American History; committee. It is planned to have a the high school before and after vice-principal, was then introduced town of Springfield, Otsego 10 in Plane Geometry; 8 in Asreunion next summer, when many school. “Although the new police County, by the name of James L. tronomy; 7 in Caesar; 6 in Geolof the old members who reside at provisions have made these patrols and honored as the Number One Gilchrist, son of A.F. Gilchrist, ogy; 6 in Political Economy; 5 in a distance can be gotten together. no longer necessary, the scouts did Basketball Fan of the Year. Mr. who on the first of March, 1861, Moral Philosophy; 5 in Bookkeep- The Phinney Hose Company was a fine service for which the village Schaeffer told of bygone days when he rode on the bus with Mr. Bursey was 17 years and 35 days of age, ing; 5 in Algebra; 3 in Elementary very popular in its day and its authorities as well as the entire and his teams, congratulating him whose weight is 305 pounds; his Physics; 2 in English History; 2 in natty uniforms of blue and white, community are deeply grateful,” when they won and consoling him height is five feet seven inches; Botany; 1 in Higher Algebra; 1 in with glistening helmets, made the mayor said. he girts around his body 4 feet, 9 German; 1 in English Literature; an imposing appearance. The March 11, 1936 when they were defeated.

March 8, 1961 inches; around his thigh, 2 feet, 9 1 in Mental Philosophy; and 1 in company was organized in 1871.

185 YEARS AGO

60 YEARS AGO

110 YEARS AGO

135 YEARS AGO

85 YEARS AGO

160 YEARS AGO

Before Retiring To County, MacDougall Lived Adventurous Life MacDOUGALL/From A4 ian President Jango Goulart.

Only much later did I learn that it had been backed by the American government.

(After a stint in Washington D.C. and studying Africa at the Sorbonne, Paris) I flew in 1968 to Abidjan, the capital of the Ivory Coast – a former French colony which was still closely tied to the French Government.

My prediction that it was headed for a civil war raised very little interest in Washington, though it proved correct in 2002. But it was a very good place to buy African art.

In 1970 I was assigned to the Office of Economic Opportunity in New York City. Most importantly, however, I found that Eleanore Ellsworth of Cooperstown, whom I had known since childhood, was living a few blocks away from me.

On Dec. 26, 1970, we were married by Father French of Cooperstown’s Christ Episcopal Church. Our marriage was a happy one, and lasted almost 44 years until her death in 2015.

Early in 1971, after a brief honeymoon in southern France and northern Italy, Eleanore and I arrived at Lourenço Marques (now called Maputo) which was the capital of the then Portuguese Colony of Mozambique in southeast Africa, but one fighting guerillas in its north.

I made a point of getting to know Africans, and was rewarded with a second Silver Medal of Honor for, in part: “...sustained and outstanding performance... in advancing the policy and program objectives of the United States...during a period of complex and strained relations.”

• From Mozambique, Eleanore and I moved north

to Tanzania in 1973, where I was assigned as counselor for political affairs at our Embassy in Dar-es-Salaam.

Here in 1975 I became closely involved in the release of three Stanford University students and a Dutch nurse, working at Jane Goodall’s Chimpanzee research station at Gombe on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. In the middle of the night of May 21, they were kidnapped by a boat from the Zaire side of the narrow lake.

The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA It was some weeks before Entranced by everything historical, Hugh one of the students was MacDougall shared an early printing of “Visit of released – with a long list of St. Nicholas” during the 2006 Christmas season. demands – by a guerilla group led by Laurent Kabila, three hostages were released of Buddhist temples, inand the crisis was ended. cluding the world-famous then in revolt against the For this I received a ancient city of Pagan. As Zairian government of Bronze Honor Medal from diplomats we were able to Mobuto. the Ambassador, reading travel more than tourists A few weeks later an Afin part: “For exemplary and to appreciate much of rican named General Nondo service, outstanding loyalty, Burmese traditional culture. appeared at our Embassy and selfless devotion to duty In that sense, it was perhaps and offered to negotiate. under adverse and trying my favorite of the seven or so Secretary of State Kissinger circumstances.

For contribcountries in which I served. had prohibited any negotiauting personal effort and Oct. 9, 1983, was a tions with so-called terrorists, initiative leading to the safe Sunday, and I was at home but our ambassador – an release of three American in Rangoon, but happened African-American – rejected and one Dutch kidnapped to be in charge of the this on the grounds that students during the period Embassy.

Our ambassador this event was not likely May-July 1975.” I also had left the post in Septemto spread anywhere else. received a similar medal for ber, and her successor had General Nondo spoke only my overall performance in not yet arrived. Our deputy French and Swahili, so I Tanzania. chief of mission was travelwas placed in charge of him • ing upcountry. until we could ascertain My last overseas post was The president of South the views of the Tanzanian Korea, Chun Doo-hwan, in Rangoon, Burma (now Government.

Yangon, Myanmar), as was in the midst of an ofEventually a committee counselor of embassy for ficial visit to Burma, along was formed, including the political and economic with many officials from his American and Dutch Amaffairs, where I served from government; Eleanore and I bassadors, representatives of 1981 to 1984.

Since 1961, had represented the United the Tanzanian government Burma had been a military States in welcoming his arand of Stanford University, dictatorship in which Army rival at the airport. and a few others including Officers ran both the govOn that Sunday, as was myself. The kidnappers’ ernment and most economic standard practice, the South demands were eventually organizations.

Except for Korean president was schedreduced to something like foreign diplomats and uled to lay a wreath at the 200,000 British pounds in representatives of InternaMartyr’s Mausoleum, outcash. tional Agencies, foreigners side the city, honoring Aung To cut a long story short, were limited to small San, the founder of Indepenthe money arrived (I do numbers of tourists. dent Burma in 1947, and an not know from where) and Burma was a fascinating event to which only South I helped General Nondo country, with a culture still Koreans and a few Burmese count it out. He returned largely unchanged from preofficials were invited. home with it, and shortly colonial times.

It has hundreds Suddenly I heard a large afterwards the remaining

EDITORIAL: Is One Greater Oneonta The Future?

EDITORIAL/From A4 Same with institutions – the colleges, Fox Hospital, schools, churches. For decades now, more than 50 percent of property in the city has been tax-exempt.

• During his mayoralty (2010-14), Dick Miller gave all he had to affecting a merger of town and city. With increased state aid, a bigger share of the sales tax and access to more grants, it would be a wash, Miller argued.

Wood – arguably, with a large majority of town residents supporting him – would have nothing to do with the idea.

When the merger failed, City Hall’s idea was to provide city water to the growing town, allowing both municipalities to benefit from growth and

growing water revenues.

But the town pushed ahead with its own water project, with a filtration plant in Fortin Park and water lines for homes and businesses up along Route 23 and back along Southside Drive.

• After a decade in the making and the plant nearly complete, Wood said he has already been approached by developers who, with municipal water available, plan to soon begin building homes and condos on Southside Drive.

There was big demand, even before the pandemic attracted dozens of new families to the two Oneontas. With the city mostly out of land, this means growth will accelerate in the town.

The squeeze on the city will intensify, but there’s a solution.

While a merger required town and

city approval, the city – if it reaches the breaking point – can simply dissolve and merge into the town.

That’s going to make increasing sense, as the town thrives and the city shrivels. How much better to split the difference, to create a greater Oneonta community that shares the wealth AND the responsibilities?

At year’s end, a new mayor will succeed Gary Herzig, who is also retiring. Three candidates have surfaced to succeed him: Len Carson, Mark Drnek and Craig Gelbsman.

Regardless of who wins, part of the new mayor’s mandate will be to educate city taxpayers and residents of what the future holds, and to prepare them to embrace a Greater Oneonta where Southside’s plenty will benefit all.

explosion. Three North Koreans had been landed by submarine with orders to assassinate the South Korean president as he laid the wreath, by setting off from a distance three bombs that they had secreted at the mausoleum.

I quickly checked with the hotel where the South Korean delegation was staying, and learned, that while much of the delegation was already at the Mausoleum, President Chun Doo-hwan had been delayed by conversations with the Burmese Government.

Knowing that the President’s arrival was delayed, the Burmese national band had decided to practice the South Korean national anthem one more time. The North Koreans, hiding in the hills above the mausoleum, assumed that the President had arrived, and set off their three bombs—only one of which detonated.

Nevertheless, 17 highranking South Korean officials were killed, including the Foreign Minister and three other major Cabinet officials, as well as four Burmese. Among the killed was the South Korean ambassador to Burma, whom I knew very well; 46 people were wounded, many of them severely.

• The South Korean President, who had escaped the bombing by chance, cancelled his Asian trip and returned immediately to Seoul. From the American point of view, a major concern was that the bombing might lead to war between the two Koreas. As soon as

the basic facts were known, I sent to Washington the only message of my career of a classification that would ensure that our President would be immediately awakened and informed.

Meanwhile, what about the many wounded? Through our military attaches we contacted the American Embassy in the Philippines and arranged for a medical plane to be sent immediately to Rangoon to treat them, and to transport the most seriously injured to hospitals in the Philippines.

Of the three North Koreans, one was shot while being captured, the other two were placed on trial. I attended some of the sessions.

Of these, one who refused to talk was hanged. The other, who talked freely, was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in a Burmese prison in 2008.

That was, perhaps, the most exciting event in my overseas diplomatic career.

I returned to America on the 5th of July, 1984, and spent two years in charge of the training of mid-level political officers in Washington.

In 1986, I retired from the Foreign Service after 28 years, and Eleanore and I returned to Cooperstown.

Her mother was still living at home, with live-in help, at 8 Lake St., and we rented a small house at 32 Elm St.. Eleanore resumed her previous occupation as a teacher of piano, as well as organist at the Baptist Church … I quickly decided to devote the rest of my life to Cooperstown, and to its world-famous author James Fenimore Cooper.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

‘Zoom Towns’ Beckon, Including Hudson Valley

A

year ago, just before the start of pandemic lockdowns, some 10% or less of the U.S. labor force worked remotely full-time. Within a month, according to Gallup and other surveys, around half of American workers were at distant desktops. Today, most of them still are. And surveys of employers and employees alike suggest a fundamental shift.

While forecasts differ, as much as a quarter of the 160-million-strong U.S. labor force is expected to stay fully remote in the long term, and many more are likely to work remotely a significant part of the time.

Smaller metro areas such as Miami, Austin, Charlotte, Nashville and Denver enjoy

a price advantage over more expensive cities like New York and San Francisco, and they are using it to attract newly mobile professionals.

Smaller cities have joined the competition as well, some of them launching initiatives specifically designed to appeal to remote workers.

And more rural communities including Bozeman, Mont., Jackson Hole, Wyo., Truckee, Calif., and New York’s Hudson Valley are becoming the nation’s new “Zoom towns,” seeing their fortunes rise from the influx of new residents whose work relies on such digital tools.

Richard Florida and Adam Ozimek Wall Street Journal March 6-7, 2021

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

LETTERS

‘It Takes A Village Moment’ Inspires Candidate Falk To the Editor: Saturday I had one of those “It Takes a Village” moments.

I offered a ride to a friend to the vaccination clinic at the Clark Sports Center. Sitting with her in a folding chair on the gym floor, I remembered just how special our community is.

We have a teaching hospital right here in Cooperstown, we have an amazing recreational facility and, most important, we are blessed with people who care.

Our local community members helped spread the word about vaccine availability, assisted with online registration, provided rides, checked people in, gave shots, stood by in case of an emergency, and checked up on our friends and neighbors.

We live in a one-of-a-kind place that I am pleased to call home.

For the past nine years, I have been privileged to represent village residents on the Board of Trustees. This Tuesday, March 16, I will be running for my fourth term.

There is little hype about this election. My name and Hanna Joy Bergene’s will be the only ones on the ballot, and there are two open seats.

There is no national election going on simultaneously and no COVIDinduced change to the voting date as there was last year.

Honestly, it may seem like there is little reason to participate. But I am hopeful that in our remarkable village people still will make the effort to exercise their right to vote.

Polls are open noon - 9 p.m.

Tuesday, March 16, at the fire hall, and absentee-ballot applications and absentee ballots can be picked up by 4 p.m. Monday, March 15, at Village Hall, 22 Main St. The pandemic has been difficult on all of us individually and collectively.

The village government is no exception to that – the last year has been trying, and the coming months will be critical as we begin to creep forward into a post-pandemic world.

I encourage you to take part in the democratic process as we enter this next phase, and I would greatly appreciate your vote on Tuesday the 16th.

CINDY FALK Trustee, Deputy Mayor Cooperstown

Bergene Supported Businesses Candidate Sees Bigger Picture To the Editor: It is a true honor to write to you today and encourage residents to get out and support Hanna Bergene as trustee for the Village of Cooperstown.

I had the distinct privilege to work alongside Hanna during her tenure at the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce. For more than three years, Hanna worked diligently on behalf of both the businesses and residents of our community. On a daily basis her tireless work ethic and passion was on display, skills that she will bring with her to the trustee position.

In our next trustee, it is essential we have someone with a vision for the future of Cooperstown. Having been born and raised here, Hanna would bring her local knowledge and insight to the position. As a young

Democratic Chair: Vote Bergene, Falk To the Editor: Tuesday, March 16, is Election Day in the Village of Cooperstown, and I encourage all residents to come out to the fire hall on Chestnut Street between noon and 9 p.m. to vote for Cynthia Falk and Hanna Joy Bergene for village trustee.

Cindy has served the village for several years as trustee and deputy mayor and is seeking re-election.

Her service, experience and record of success have been exemplary, and her willingness to continue to serve deserves our strong support.

Hanna Joy is a newcomer representing a generation vital to the future of our village. Her commitment to the community combined with her business and marketing experience make her uniquely qualified to add her voice to the village leadership.

The Cooperstown Democratic Committee is proud to have nominated both Cindy and Hanna Joy for election as village trustee.

Please take the time to come out on Tuesday and support them both.

LYNNE MEBUST Chair, Cooperstown Democratic Committee

professional, she has grown expediently, from her days at Stagecoach Coffee, to her role at the Chamber, she now serves as a key figure in marketing our county in her role at Paperkite Creative.

All of these experiences have positioned her as the right person at the right time to serve in this role.

While working together, we spoke frequently on the amazing opportunities and potential for our beautiful village. For key issues that have been discussed in this community for years, such as more affordable housing, creating a vibrant Main Street, and embracing younger generations, we need a Trustee that will go the extra mile. She has proven it time and time again with her volunteerism and involvement in local community groups.

For anyone that knows Hanna, her love for our community is evident, and I am confident that she will serve the entire community well.

MATT HAZZARD Cooperstown

To the Editor: It is with great enthusiasm that I write this letter of endorsement for Hanna Bergene, candidate for Trustee for the Village of Cooperstown.

I have known Hanna for over six years, first when I was a board member for the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce while she was the director of marketing and events. Hanna’s work ethic and dedication impressed me in all of our interactions; she was prepared and professional at all times. She was particularly successful in executing the Chamber’s many events, which required a lot of collaboration, creativity, and dedication.

For the past two years I

have been fortunate enough to have Hanna join the team at Paperkite as our social media manager. She has added tremendous value to the agency with her creative approach and ability to see the bigger picture for our clients and agency to achieve results.

It is these qualities that I believe will make her an effective and successful trustee.

Having seen Hanna operate in these roles over the years, I know she will bring the same dedication, creativity and vision that the job requires.

Hanna Bergene for Trustee!

SUSAN GREEN CEO, Paperkite

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Get Shots

T

his past weekend Also, many thanks are due Bassett performed to the Bassett staff who took an amazing feat of the time to make hundreds vaccinating a large group of of calls to help schedule people, more than 1,100 over seniors 65+. two days. The confirmation • of vaccine availability only There are many reports of came though on Wednesday, computer-savvy individuals March 3, leaving but signing up friends, family two full days to prepare. members, and neighbors for Nevertheless, I vaccine appointvisited on Sunday ments. To see this and it had the community spirit appearance of a and kindness is a military operation great thing. (which in a sense The clinic it was). was also able to • smoothly access The Bassett the waiting list to community, from make sure no dose Dr. Tommy Ibrahim went unused. The on down should be RICHARD volunteer group proud, as should the STERNBERG – which went out staff of the Clark and identified Sports Center, which hosted about 175 people who the event. had difficulty finding I want to especially appointments on their commend the Bassett own – included church Director of Network members, other faith-based Pharmacy, Kelly Rudd, organizations, philanthropic Pharm.D., who was in NGOs (non-government command of the clinic organizations) including the Community Foundation of from planning through Otsego County, and addiimplementation.

She worked from the list tional individuals. of patients from the state, a Many had been working list of patients from Bassett’s on an individual basis, but own scheduling system, and recognized the synergy of an ad hoc group of volunteers working together. who worked to contact and Richard Sternberg, track down people qualified retired Bassett Hospital to be vaccinated, but for orthopedic surgeon, is whom the computer-driven providing his professional scheduling system was perspective weekly difficult or even impossible during COVID-19 to use.

BUY • SELL • RENT

New Purchases and Refinances Debt Consolidation Free Pre-Qualification Fast Approvals • Low Rates

Also specializing in Property Management

Rob Lee Licensed Real Estate Salesperson 607-434-5177 roblee1943@gmail.com

Matt Schuermann

Registered Mortgage Broker NYS Banking Dept.

20 Chestnut Street • Suite 1 • Cooperstown 607-547-5007 www.leatherstockingmortgage.com

AllOTSEGO.homes The market is

HOT!

NOW’S THE TIME TO BUY & SELL!

Call one of these fine realtors on this page or advertise your property here in the REGION’S LARGEST REAL ESTATE SECTION!

All OTSEGO.homes Call 607-547-6103

FABULOUS Homestead!......25 plus acres....outstanding property with rolling countryside views! A 6 br, 4 ba with gourmet kitchen, First level master suite with large walk in cedar closet and new bathroom, a 54x80 pole barn, high tensile fencing, a second pole building with a 20x40 heated in-ground pool complete with changing room/bathroom, a pond just off the covered porch, and stream. Newer family room addition with a pellet stove, hot tub & open cathedral ceiling. Kitchen is a recent total reno w/ 3 ovens, spacious center island and a breakfast area, one of the first floor baths was also recently renovated. Take note of the fancy chestnut moldings and original doors, 2 staircases and walk-up attic. A Generac generator that runs everything including the pool if need be! About 15 miles to Oneonta, easy access to Utica and Cooperstown. MLS#125926 $429,000.

Two-Family Home

Locally owned and operated Single and multi-family homes Commercial property and land

99 Main Street, Oneonta

This home in Oneonta’s West End offers 2 large 3-BR apartments, both w/enclosed porches, hardwood floors, updated baths. Sits on double lot w/spacious outdoor environment and 2-car garage. Close to town pool and elementary school, short drive to downtown.

MLS#129714 $199,900

office 607.441.7312 fax 607.432.7580

Great Location! Start your new business or move your existing one. Beautiful Victorian w/natural woodwork, hardwood floors, high ceilings. Huge rooms can be separated w/pocket doors. Carriage barn has electric/water, parking, gracious wrap porch for meetings.

MLS#129544 $299,900

www.oneontarealty.com Lizabeth Rose, Broker/Owner Cricket Keto, Licensed Assoc. Broker Peter D. Clark, Consultant 166 Main Street Suite 1, Oneonta 607.433.2873 oneontarealty.com

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7

Amid Scenes Of War, Doctor Learns Love Of Life, Patriotism DOCTOR/From A3 Cooper, a Navy lieutenant commander, was deployed to Afghanistan. So was the hospital’s president, Dr. Bill LeCates, who also serves as state surgeon for the New York State National Guard.

Still, on active duty for three deployments, in 2011, 2012 and 2013, Dr. Shim’s story, as she told it in a recent interview, is like an action thriller, beginning when – a recent Bryn Mawr, magna cum laude philosophy major – 9/11 happened.

“It put an imprint on my heart,” she says today.

That day, 20 years ago this September, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center determined her vocation.

She joined the Army, and enrolled in the George Washington School of Medicine, completing a master’s in public health as well as her medical degree.

She completed residencies in surgery at UMass in minimally invasive and – what will be a specialty here at Bassett – bariatric surgery at Brown.

In 2011, she was briefly

attached to the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell, Ky., when her orders arrived, and a few days later she was “a woman from New Jersey flying in a helicopter” over Afghanistan’s rough terrain.

With the thin air at 10,000 feet, “I was physically exhausted.”

She was greeted by an E4: “Dr. Shim, we’re being attacked. You also have patients waiting for you.”

Dr. Shim found herself treating not just U.S. soldiers, but Taliban and “Afghan kids who picked up an I.E.D.,” and assembling “female engagement teams” – Afghan women were forbidden from talking to men, much less getting treated by male doctors.

“It’s like the 1800s there,” she said.

What followed were full days, like “M*A*S*H” – “‘M*A*S*H’, Hollywoodized. I got through the deployment with humor,” she said, often working in the heat with “shorts under my surgical gown,” her boots on, her gun at hand.

What she remembers most fondly are the relationships she developed. For instance,

parties with other women soldiers where the main activity was applying nail polish.

Still, “it was not all wins,” she said, pausing as she reflected on the soldiers who passed away.

Dr. Shim can say, “These were the best times of my life.” Stateside, “for whatever reason, we lost our community. In the military, we built community.”

She was awarded the Army’s Meritorious Service Medal.

The new Bassett surgeon and administrator was born in South Korea. Her family emigrated to Edgewater, N.J., when she was 6.

When she was 10 and her dad 43, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer.

Normally, children weren’t allowed to visit patients in their final stages; but, with the end near, the hospital made an exception.

“Seeing my dad suffer,” she said, “both my brother and I decided to do medicine.”

Her brother, Hoon Shim, today is an anesthesiologist at the Stony Brook’s Renaissance School of

Medicine.

Her mother, Yung Shim, opened a restaurant in New York City, Lite Delights, featuring vegetarian food, salads – “like Stagecoach,” the daughter said.

Watching her mother work seven days a week, “I was always a hard worker,” Dr. Shim said. Neither Joon or Hoon were closely overseen as they grew up. “My mom trusted us.”

Back in The States, she joined Wright State University School of Medicine in Ohio, active in the surgical residency training program, as well as bariatric surgery (for the obese), preparing her for what she does here.

In 2016, she met her future husband, Jonathan Pincus, on a hiking trip in the Pacific Northwest. An artist, he is teaching drawing at SUNY Oneonta.

At 43, Dr. Shim wanted to be a program director, which brought her to Bassett, where she directs not just the Columbia-Bassett residencies – “the first female director” – but the Trauma Program as well.

Her experiences so far,

Find EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE LOOKinG FOR in A MATTRESS! Need a soft mattress?

Hard mattress?

A Bounceable mattress?!

We have a HUGE selection, come on in and see for yourself!

We’ll make it easy and fun with so many choices!

DENTAL ASSISTANTS WEEK March 7-13, 2021!

WE GIVE YOU SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT!

HOMETOWN

ONEONTA

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

R

•F

To place effective employment ads, call 607-547-6103

Family Planning OF SOUTH CENTRAL NEW YORK, INC. TM

DIRECTOR PATIENT SERVICES

Nurse Practioner, Physician Assistant or Registered Nurse license required. Full time position; salary dependent on licensure and experience. Three to five years management experience, preferably including public health, family planning, adolescent nursing or prenatal care. Fully paid health and dental insurance. Position can be based in Binghamton or Oneonta.

Send resume to: debra.marcus@fpscny.org or mail to: Family Planning of South Central New York EOE 37 Dietz St., Oneonta, NY 13820

The Cooperstown Central School District is seeking qualified candidates for the following positions:

SCHOOL MONITOR

FT position beginning 4/19/21.

Actively recruiting for hard-working, dependable individuals to be a part of our Substitute staff.

Looking for applicants that are flexible with their hours & understand the potential for short notice contact.

CCSD is recruiting for substitutes in the following areas:

Cleaner School Bus Driver School Bus Monitor Teacher Aide School Nurse K-12 Teachers

All applicants should apply directly to the Superintendent of Schools, Sarah Spross. Position details & district employment application available at www.cooperstowncs.org or the district office.

Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals

Maintenance Mechanic

OUNDED 1808 BY

Our office celebrates

Open weekdays: 9 am to 5:30 pm Saturday: 9 am to 4 pm After hours by appt.

Closed Sunday

The

IN

4316 County Hwy 11 Cooperstown 607-547-6038 krazytoms.com info@cfbsales.com SinCe 1962

Send letter and resumé to Tara Barnwell, Advertising Director & General Manager Tarab@allotsego.com

O M C O PE

SLEEP SHOP

We’re looking for light-hearted, fun, smart people to join our advertising team. If you want to prosper by providing innovative print, web and digital advertising solutions to clients, give us a call!

IA

··

AD SALES?

L

Monday through Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm

Are You Interested in

E WIL

607-432-2022

22-26 Watkins Avenue, Oneonta

we didn’t need quite as much money, because it wouldn’t be open too long.”

Under 32 or not, the Warming Station will be open until mid-April “seven days a week,” said Walton Leavitt. “How can you hire staff when you’re only open intermittently.”

DG

Timothy McGraw

vacant for 5-6 years, said Walton Leavitt, and the owner asked for a minimal rent in light of the renovations.

Fundraising was done separately, fearful that Catholic Charities donors might simply take from Peter to pay Paul. And in the end, $60,000 was raised toward the $150,000 needed for the whole season, the pastor said.

According to Walton Leavitt, all the seed money was local. However, the State of New York will reimburse the Warming Station sponsors for any night that temperatures drop under 32 degrees, (or wind chill goes below 32).

“We didn’t make our initial goal,” said the pastor. “But as we got later in the season,

JU

lead agency, to handle hiring and training of staff. JoAnne Bragonier, Catholic Charities program director, had been pushing for a shelter for 20 years. Cindy King was appointed Warming Station supervisor, in charge of the facility.

Main Street Baptist Church – its pastor, Rev. Ken Zulkowsky, was also active in the Collaboration since the beginning – “already had a crew to fix it up,” a team that does carpentry and renovations in Central America.

Main Street Baptist offered its crew and, under Otego’s Crossroads Inn director Brad Feik, it redid the building at 89 Chestnut.

The building had been

of the transformation during her military service. “I was giving, and giving, and giving. It was a beautiful, reflective time for me.”

job scen job scene

Oneonta’s Homeless Have Shelter From The Storm HOMELESS/From A3 who chaired Fox’s Ethics Committee.

Pastor Leavitt was leading the Blessing Service where Knight’s goal was reached: Oneonta’s one-of-a-kind Community Warming Station opened at 5 p.m. at 189 Chestnut St. The first client showed up at 9:15 p.m.

Beginning Monday, and continuing through Sunday, April 11, the Warming Station will be open seven days a week. The first occupant showed up at 9:15 Monday evening, when temperatures would drop overnight to 21 degrees. (The night before the station opened, it dropped to 1.)

“We’re so blessed to have this open,” the pastor said.

Walton Leavitt has been involved since the beginning (and is also involved in the Hunger Coalition of Otsego County), driven by what she sees as a continuing need, evident in “an occasional knock on (her) door.”

Usually, it happens after Catholic Charities or other human service agencies are closed for the day or weekend, she said.

As recently as January, a knock came at the door and “a young man simply asked if I could open the door for him. I’m sorry, no,” she told him. “I would like to help, but I have no way to vet these requests.”

Plus, “I have no sole discretion to grant use of the church building,” she added.

It was that kind of experience that caused Walton Leavitt, Dr. Knight, who saw homeless turned away from the Emergency Room on cold night, and others to look for answers.

Early on, Catholic Charities agreed to be the

particularly her three Afghan deployments, left her patriotic, in love with her adopted country, and appreciative.

“I lost myself,” she said

founded

in 1808

All AllOTSEGO.com OTSEGO.com

Emergency Housing Program Asst.

Residential Associates

at OFO shelters (FT-weekends overnights; PTweekends; Subs-all shifts; Addl. shift pay for qualifying shifts)

WIC Nutritionist/ Breastfeeding Coordinator Home Visitor FT Head Start Positions with school breaks & summers off

Stephanie Dockstader, CDA; Hope Trong, CDA; Danielle Mattice The Doctors and Staff at

B. Aaronson, DDS and A. Thompson, DMD, PC

recognize their awesome Dental Assistants for their outstanding skills and professionalism.

Come see for yourself!

53 Chestnut Street, Oneonta 607-432-4621 | oneontadental.com or like us on Always Accepting New Patients!

Family Partner Assistant Teacher Center Associate OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competetive wages, excellent benefits and opportunities for professional growth. For an application, submission instructions, benefit package summary and descriptions of all employment openings, visit

www.ofoinc.org/jobs

EOE

The leader in developing innovative solutions to promote healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities since 1966.

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Brockway’s 1897 Barn Has Found New Home BARN/From A1 finding someone interested in salvaging it.”

Originally, the barn cost less than $800 to complete, and required a master carpenter and 13 assistants with room and board to build.

The barn had three floors and an “overshot bridge” leading onto the third floors from the hill behind, making it easy to unload hay wagons. Hay dropped onto the second floor to feed 32 Jersey cows (later replaced by Holsteins) on the ground floor.

“My great-great grandfather decided to build the

barn in 1896 when President McKinley was elected,” Brockway continued. “He was sure the election meant good times were coming.”

Originally from Connecticut, Brockway’s family moved to Township, near Stamford, and in 1802 to Oneonta.

The family house was in the vicinity of downtown Oneonta’s Westcott lot.

Later, the family moved the farm to East Street, and in 1870 swapped that land for the plot in West Laurens, today’s farm.

Dan Shurmer, owner of Shurmer Construction in Oneonta and native of

England, saw the Brockway barn on Facebook, and responded first.

A deal was reached: Brockway agreed to give the barn to the contractor in exchange for removing it from his property.

“There is a romance about having older things,” Shurmer said. “It is also a challenge. Building new is easy and boring.”

Shurmer moved to Otsego County in 2019 from Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare in England’s West Midlands.

“Before moving here, my

wife and I were on vacation in the U.S. and flew into Boston,” he said.

“We rented a car and went for a drive. On our way to Niagara Falls, we looked over the Mohawk Valley and it reminded us of the English countryside.

We took the next turn and found Cooperstown.”

Shurmer plans to reconstruct the Brockway barn on his personal residence in Hartwick.

“I think my property will benefit from the barn’s addition,” he said. “It would be sad to see it go.”

COOPERSTOWN VILLAGE RENTAL Newly renovated; 2 bedroom 1 bath, laundry, garage. Includes heat, lawn maintenance, snow removal $1250/ month. By appointment only.

Rob Lee 607-434-5177

Legal

Legal

Legal nOtice NOTICE OF LIQUOR LICENSE Notice is hereby given that a license, (pending), for beer, wine, cider, liquor, and wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell beer, cider, liquor, and wine at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 50 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown, Town of Otsego, County of Otsego for on premises consumption.

Hotel Pratt LLC d/b/a Sherman’s Tavern 2LegalMar.18 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

lage Clerk’s office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York during normal business hours Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. or at the Village of Cooperstown website www. cooperstownny. org/BoardofTrusteemeetings.

Dated: March 8, 2021 By order of the Village Board Village of Cooperstown Jenna L. Utter Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 office: (607) 5472411 email: jutter@ cooperstownny.org 1LegalMar.11 Legal nOtice

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Board of Trustees of the Village of Cooperstown will hold the following public hearing in the 3rd floor ballroom of Village Hall, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY, on Monday, March 22, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as can be heard, to discuss the following: Proposed Local Law #1 – A Local Law to promote and protect the public health, safety, and welfare within the Village of Cooperstown by enacting a chapter which will create smoking- and vaping-free zones in the Village.

Any resident of the Village of Cooperstown is entitled to attend and be heard upon said local laws at such public hearing.

Comments may also be provided either by mail or email to the Village Clerk at the contact information listed below.

The public can view the public hearing by connecting via the link on www. cooperstownny. org. A copy of the proposed law is available by mail or email at the Vil-

PUBLIC NOTICE OF LAW NOTICE is hereby given that the Board of Representatives of the County of Otsego at a meeting thereof held on the 3rd day of March, 2021, duly adopted Local Law 2 of 2021 entitled: A Local Law extending Local Law No. 3 of 2018 and increasing the rate of tax to 6%- Imposing a tax on the occupancy of certain hotel, motel, and similar rooms in Otsego County.

This Local Law reenacts the previous local law as well as increases the rate of tax.

The full text of this Local Law of 2021 is available on the Otsego County website.

Dated: March 5, 2021 Carol D. McGovern Clerk of the Board of Representatives Otsego County, New York 1LegalMar.11 Legal nOtice Notice of LLC Formation of Cherry Valley Naturals LLC

LEGALS

Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 2/18/21.

Office Location: Otsego County.

SSNY Designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 1561 County Highway 54, Cherry Valley, NY 13320 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalApr.15

with designated persons. Contact with non-designated persons or other involved Agencies will be considered a serious matter and may result in disqualification. Contact Robert Kitchen (518)457-2124.

Sealed bids will be received as set forth in instructions to bidders until 10:30 A.M. on Thursday, April 08, 2021 at the NYSDOT, Office of Contract Management, 50 Wolf Rd, 1st Floor, Suite 1CM, Albany, NY 12232 and will be publicly opened and read. Bids may also be submitted via the internet using www.bidx.com. A certified cashier’s check payable to the NYSDOT for the sum specified in the proposal or a bid bond, form CONR 391, representing 5% of the bid total, must accompany each bid. NYSDOT reserves the right to reject any or all bids.

Electronic documents and Amendments are posted to www.dot.ny.gov/ doing-business/opportunities/const-notices. The Contractor is responsible for ensuring that all Amendments are incorporated into its bid. To receive notification of Amendments via e-mail you must submit a request to be placed on the Planholders List at www.dot. ny.gov/doing-business/opportunities/ const-planholder.

Amendments may have been issued prior to your placement on the Planholders list.

NYS Finance Law restricts communication with NYSDOT on procurements and contact can only be made

From Ingalls Blueberry Hill Frozen BlueBerries at only 4 locations this winter: • Cooperstown Natural Foods • Weavers Amish Farm Market in Morris • The Carrot Barn in Schoharie • Oneonta’s Green Earth • Smoothies and Yogurt at Cooperstown’s Stagecoach pick your own at Ingalls Blueberry Hill, on a sunny day!

Legal

NOTICE TO BIDDERS

FROZEN BLUEBERRIES!

OR you can wait until July and

Legal

Legal nOtice

Ingalls Blueberry Hill

Contracts with 0% Goals are generally single operation contracts, where subcontracting is not expected, and may present direct bidding opportunities for Small Business Firms, including, but not limited to D/W/MBEs. The New York State Department of Transportation, in accordance with the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 78 Stat.

252, 42 U.S.C. 2000d to 2000d-4 and Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, Department of Transportation, Subtitle A, Office the Secretary, Part 21, Nondiscrimination in Federallyassisted programs of the Department of Transportation and Title 23 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 200, Title IV Program and Related Statutes, as amended, issued pursuant to such Act, hereby notifies all who respond to a written Department solicitation, request for proposal or invitation for bid that it will affirmatively insure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability/handicap and income status in consideration for an award.

BIDDERS SHOULD BE ADVISED THAT AWARD OF THESE CONTRACTS MAY BE CONTINGENT UPON THE PASSAGE OF A BUDGET APPROPRIATION

Legal

Legal

Legal

BILL BY THE LEGISLATURE AND GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 1 West Main Street, Richfield Springs, NY 13439.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalApr.15

of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to: ARMOR CONSTRUCTION ONEONTA LLC, 21 Country Club Rd Oneonta, NY 13820 The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalApr.1

Please call (518)457-2124 if a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the letting.

Region 09: New York State Department of Transportation 44 Hawley Street, Binghamton, NY, 13901 D264472, PIN 980737, Chenango, Otsego, Schoharie Cos., Job Order Contract: Repair/Rehabilitation of Drainage Along Various State Highways, CHENANGO, OTSEGO and SCHOHARIE COUNTIES, Bid Deposit: 5% of Bid (~ $40,000.00), Goals: MBE: 5.00%, WBE: 10.00%, SDVOB: 6.00% 2LegalMar.18 Legal nOtice

Notice of formation of CREATIVE MIDDLE AGED WOMEN, LLC. Articles of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State (DOS) on February 21, 2021.

Office location: Otsego County.

DOS is designated as agent upon whom process may be served and shall mail service of process to the Company at 106 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

Company is organized for any lawful purpose.

6LegalApr.15 Legal nOtice

Notice of formation of Brickhouse Pizzeria R.S. LLC. Art. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/13/20.

Office: Otsego County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY

Legal nOtice

Notice of LLC Formation of Middlefield Orchard, LLC, a NY limited liability company (LLC). Arts. of Org. filed with NY Sec. of State (NYSS) on 2/16/21.

Office: Otsego County.

NYSS designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. NYSS shall mail process to: 2274 State Highway 166, Cooperstown, New York 13326.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalApr.8 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of SAFE AIR MANUFACTURING, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/28/21.

Office: Otsego County.

SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Joel S. Charleston, 11 Pearl Street, Valley Stream, NY 11581.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalApr.8 Legal nOtice

Notice of formation of ARMOR CONSTRUCTION ONEONTA LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on January 27, 2021.

The office of the LLC is to be located in Otsego County.

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent

Legal nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF Palumbo Property Management, LLC (LLC) filed Arts. of Org. with NY Secy. of State (SS) on 2/17/21.

LLC’s office is in Otsego Co. SS is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SS will mail a copy of any process to 804 Pegg Rd, Morris, NY 13808.

LLC’s purpose: any lawful activity.

6LegalApr.1

Legal

NED’S SPIRITS LLC; Date of filing: November 12, 2020; Office of the LLC: Otsego Co.; The NY Secretary of State has been designated as the agent upon whom process may be served. NYSS may mail a copy of any process to the LLC at Reinhardt Corp., 3919 State Highway 23, West Oneonta, New York 13861; Purpose of LLC: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalMar.25 Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of Some Pup Films LLC.

Legal

State (NYSS) on 01/05/2021.

Office: Otsego County.

NYSS designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. NYSS shall mail process to: 139 Brickhouse Road, Richfield Springs, New York 13439.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalMar.11 Legal nOtice

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY The name of the limited liability company is: BQT Consultants, LLC (the “Company”).

The date of filing of the Articles of Organization of the Company with the Secretary of State was January 29, 2021.

The county in which the principal place of business of the Company shall be located is Otsego County.

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the Company upon whom process against it may be served. The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the Company, to Hinman, Howard & Kattell, LLP, Attn: Christopher L. Roma, 80 Exchange Street, Ste. 700, Binghamton, NY 13901.

The purpose of the business of the Company is any lawful business purpose.

6LegalMar.11

Legal nOtice

Filed with the SSNY on 11/19/20.

Office: Otsego County.

SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 189 Winney Hill Rd., Oneonta NY 13820.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalMar.11

Notice of Formation of

Legal nOtice

Cherry Valley Market LLC.

Notice of Formation of

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 1/29/2021.

Office: Otsego County.

United States Corporation Agents, Inc. designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to United States Corporation, Inc. at 7014 13th Ave, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalMar.25

Jim Jam’s Pizza and More LLC Filed 1/8/2021 Office : Otsego County Secretary State of New York designated as agent to process & shall mail to 95 Main Street East Worcester NY 12064 Purpose: All lawful business activities permitted under NYS 6 Legal.

6LegalMar.11 Legal nOtice

The Holscher Team LLC.

Legal nOtice

Notice of LLC Formation of

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF DOMESTIC LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY

Purcell Brickhouse Farm, LLC,

Filed 12/21/20.

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 155 Peebles Hill Rd, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Purpose: General.

6LegalMar.11

Name of LLC:

a NY limited liability company (LLC).

Arts. of Org. filed with NY Sec. of

Legal nOtice

Notice of Formation of

►Need to publish a Notice of Formation, Public Notice, Supplemental Summons, or Notice to Bidders?

Contact Larissa at 607-547-6103 or ads@allotsego.com and she can get you started.

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9

►Active COVID Cases ― Otsego County

IN MEMORIAM

Brian F. Carso, Sr., 90 May 10, 1930 - March 2, 2021

FLY CREEK – Brian Francis Scout Leader to steadfast Carso, Sr., a long-time and algebra and trigonometry tutor. well-respected licensed land There is an old photograph surveyor, passed away Tuesof Brian when he was two day morning, March 2, 2021, years old, feeding chickens in at his home on Goose Street a small coop in Bayside. This in Fly Creek. He was 90. experience made an impresBrian was born sion on him: In 1978, on May 10, 1930, in he moved the family Queens, one of six to a three-acre parcel children of A. Francis far up Fly Creek and Elizabeth (MegValley, in Richfield nin) Carso. His father Springs, where he was a civil engineer, raised chickens, and his mother had Cornish game hens, served as a Marine turkeys, ducks, and Corps battlefield sheep. After working nurse in World War I. with surveying and Brian was born 2 engineering firms in Brian F. months prematurely; Ilion and Oneonta, Carso, Sr. doctors cautioned his he established his parents to wait before own surveying naming him, because “they practice, often accompanied didn’t think I would make it.” in the field by his youngest “Well,” he said on his 90th son, Barrett. birthday, “I made it…and Brian continued to work then some.” well into his 80s. During the He graduated from Bayside last few years, when he was High School and attended convinced to slow down, he SUNY Farmingdale before took great pleasure visiting military service in the Air Force his grandsons, and was a Reserve as a radio operator. regular presence at his son He began his surveying career Brad’s farm in Fly Creek, as a founding member of where he looked after the Pape, Carso & Pape, Inc., in grape vines and took care of Pennsylvania, subsequently the ducks. joining two notable engineerA 61-year member of the ing firms in New York City. In Masonic Fraternity, Brian 1970 he went to work for Con was Raised Nov. 22, 1960, Edison and was promoted to in Francis Lewis Lodge No, chief surveyor of The Bronx.

273, Free & Accepted Masons In 1977 he completed a in Whitestone, Queens. He bachelor of science degree at later joined Alcyone Lodge The College of Staten Island, No. 695, F. & A.M. in NorthCUNY. port. Upon moving to Upstate He married Betty Lou Walker New York, he affiliated with on May 19, 1962, at Bayside Richfield Springs Lodge No. Methodist Church. Every 482, F. & A.M. and then with Friday for the next 41 years, Otsego Lodge No. 138, F. until her death in 2003, he & A.M. in Cooperstown and would bring her a single red served that Lodge as Worrose. They raised three sons shipful Master in 1993. together, and Brian took his Active in York Rite Masonry, turn in all the familiar roles, he began his journey by being from Little League coach to Exalted in Orient Chapter No. rsar y Our 132nd annive

Tillapaugh Funeral Service Our historic Family Room

Our Chapel comfortably seats over 200.

George M. Tillapaugh (1888-1913) · Revo and Anna Tillapaugh (1913-1958) George G. and Marjorie Tillapaugh (1935-1988) · Martin H. Tillapaugh (1988-Present)

dignity · tradition · continuity 28 Pioneer Street, cooPerStown • 607-547-2571 Proudly serving area families since 1888

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

138, Royal Arch Masons in Brooklyn and was a member of Unity Chapter No. 328 in Bayside, Queens. In 1982 he affiliated with Otsego Chapter No. 26, R.A.M., and served as Excellent High Priest in 1991. He was also a member of Oneonta Council No. 87, Cryptic Masons, and Otsego Commandery No. 76, Knights Templar, serving as Eminent Commander in 1984.

Brian was a long time member of Hugick Purcell American Legion Post No. 616 in Richfield Springs, Fly Creek Grange No. 844 and Pierstown Grange No. 793, and served on the Otsego County Planning Board during the 1980s.

Brian is survived by three sons, Brian F. Carso, Jr., and wife, Kerry Dean Carso, of Matamoras, Pa., Brad C. Carso, and wife, Lynn Johnson of Fly Creek, and Barrett S. Carso of Cooperstown; two grandsons, Owen Dean Carso and Nathaniel Dean Carso of Matamoras, Pa.; and two sisters, Connie Olds of Binghamton and Jacqueline Strickland of Virginia and their families.

He was predeceased by his parents; his wife of 41 years, Betty Lou Carso, who died Nov. 7, 2003; a grandson, Teddy Dean Carso who died Nov. 25, 2006; his brother, Boniface E. “Barney” Carso who died Dec. 5, 2003; and sisters Faith Carso who died June 8, 2018, and Elizabeth “Betty” Reiner, who died Nov. 5, 2016.

A funeral service and a Masonic service will be offered later this spring at the Fly Creek United Methodist Church. Interment with Military Honors will follow in the Fly Creek Valley Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be directed to Fly Creek United Methodist Church, PO Box 128, Fly Creek, NY 13337.

Arrangements are under the care and guidance of the Connell, Dow & Deysenroth Funeral Home in Cooperstown.

Credit: otsegocovid.com

Georgeson, McGrath Debate Data Of COVID Presence On Campuses COLLEGES/From A1 time since late January.

Since students returned in January, there have been 262 confirmed COVID cases at the two colleges. This means 10.8 percent of people on campus at Hartwick and 5.5 percent at SUNY Oneonta have been infected with the virus this year.

In comparison, 2.2 percent of all Otsego County residents became infected in the same period.

“My concern, as the city health officer, is that the majority of spread is offcampus in the community,” said Dr. Diane Georgeson. “We know the students are out and about. They’re in the bars or in the restaurants.”

She also worries that the rest of the population may have higher rates than are known.

“We are not broadly testing the community. You know, the student populations are being tested, even the asymptomatic students,” she said. “…So what concerns me is that there’s probably more positivity – within the city of Oneonta and within Otsego county – than is being reflected in the number of cases that the county Health Department is reporting.”

The outbreak at Hartwick College was first publicly identified Feb. 24, when weekly testing of students found 26 cases. The college closed public spaces and moved all classes online for one day.

In-person classes resumed after further testing found just an additional 11 cases among remaining students and staff.

In an interview, Karen McGrath, a Hartwick senior

Georgeson McGrath vice president, focused on the college’s successes. Of 7,707 COVID tests on campus in January and February, only 95 people tested positive, she said. (Since then, Hartwick has reported another 52 new cases.)

“So that’s a 1.2 percent positivity rate, which is much lower than the county. So I would say this, the more you test, the more you’re going to find. But… we’re able to get that immediate extraction, and put them into isolation,” McGrath said.

Dr. Georgeson had a different perspective. “I think it’s not useful – to continue to tout that their positivity is lower than the county’s because you can’t compare the two…,” she said. “Of course, it’s going to be (lower) because you’re testing everybody. And you’re testing asymptomatic people, which you’re not doing in the general population.”

For making comparisons, she suggested, the infection rate – the percent of people who get COVID – is a more informative statistic than the positivity rate. The latter, which is the number of positive results divided by the number of tests, is skewed by the quantity of tests and by the reasons

people get tested. Many people only get tested if they’re sick, or after a possible exposure.

Since August, more than 30 percent of the on-campus population has had COVID, according to data from the colleges and the state Department of Health. Otsego County as a whole has had a cumulative 5.7 percent infection rate nearly one year after the first case was identified in the county, with 3,380 positive cases found and 53 deaths out of 59,493 residents.

Statewide, 8.7 percent of the population has been infected by coronavirus, with 1.69 million cases and 39,093 fatalities, the official state COVID-19 tracker reported today.

At Hartwick, McGrath emphasized that the college uses extensive contact tracing to further mitigate risk. Ten of the recent positive cases had already been in asymptomatic quarantine, due to direct exposure to another infected case. This “put them at higher risk to actually get the virus, but we had removed them and put them into quarantine. So they were out of the general population,” she said.

The Hartick administration believes that the benefits of in-person education make the effort worthwhile. “We’ve made a commitment that we believe that our students need and want and deserve an in-person learning environment and we are a primarily residential community. So in order to be able to come together, [we make] the investment in keeping our community healthy and safe.” McGrath said. “Yes, it’s a big investment. What we want is to give our students the best Hartwick that we can.”

Looking ahead, Georgeson said, “the thing that we’re worried about most in the city is what’s going to happen St. Patrick’s Day, sort of traditional partying weekend of the students. I mean, I think administrations at the colleges are getting the message out as strongly as they can,” she said. “The worry is continued gatherings. You know, getting together in the community, whether it’s at bars or in private residences, will increase the spread.”

“I think they’re doing everything they can, I truly do, but it doesn’t seem to be working. And that’s the discouraging thing,” Dr. Georgeson concluded.

Susquehanna Landscaping LLC 518-231-9652 607-226-1970 • Fruit Tree ApplePruning Tree • Bluestone Pruning + & Walkways Patios • Landscape Design

Buying AntiquES, JEwElry, firEArMS

Buzz Hesse Antiques & Appraisals, Estates, Artifacts Over 60 years experience Call today for a courteous and confidential talk 370 MAin StrEEt, otEgo 607-287-5320 buzzh123@gmail.com

Buying AntiquES, EStAtES, ArtifActS

THURSDAY, March 11, 2021

A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

6th Principal In 8 Years Goes

Toil At End, Bob Wood Plans Cross-Country Trip WOOD/From A1 A handful of developers have already approached him with plans, he said, adding, “A lot of people are going to be happy on Southside Drive.”

The $8-plus million water system and a $3-plus million town highway garage, just completed behind Town Hall in West Oneonta, will allow Wood, supervisor since 2008, to leave office with a sense of completion, he said.

He also expects to see development on the town’s end of Oneida Street, where developer Eugene Bettiol Sr. was planning a hotel, plaza, diner and others attractions at the time of his passing in December 2017. Under new owners, that’s still alive, the supervisor said.

During 12 years in office, Wood has had historical forces on his side: The tax burden in the town – town, county, school, and fire district levies – is about $10 per thousand, half what taxes are in the city, a happy situation, he said.

As it happens, Bob Wood is a city boy, as in City of Oneonta. He was born in Fort Mead, Maryland, where he father, also Bob, was in military

service. But a few months later, the Woods brought their baby boy home.

His father taught shop in Oneonta schools, then was certified to become a guidance counselor. He passed away in 2018 at age 86, with son Bob, his brother Chris and sister Melinda surviving.

Graduating from SUNY Delhi with a degree in construction, Bob was a beer salesman – ask him about getting Coors into The Otesaga – then ran Woody’s Market on Spruce Street for 18 years.

He also did cabinet work, including the circular table in City Hall where Common Council members sit during their semi-weekly meetings.

Himself elected to Common Council in 1994, he was asked by then-mayor David Brenner to negotiate the fire-protection contract with the town, not knowing he’d find himself on the other side of the table in years to come.

“It’s the same issue,” said Wood.

All these years later, “they haven’t really solved anything or changed anything.”

Moving to the town in the early years of this century, when his boys

PRINCIPAL/From A1 Lynn Strang was recruited from Hoosic Falls in July 2013, and raised the high school’s test scores into the two 2 percent in the state, winning CCS a “Rewards School” citation.

But the test scores rose as the outcry rose against “Common Core” testing, andd she departed at the end of the 2014-15 school year.

The “executive principal” title was voided, and duties were reassigned to Kristin Butler, who was named director of curriculum.

After more than a year, Donna Lucy, with STEM successes in New York City’s Bedford Stuyvesant and inner-city schools in Providence, succeeded Strang in August 2016, but a culture clash ensued – the following spring, parents objected when Lucy objected to girls wearing short-shorts to school. In June 2018, Lucy departed.

Athletic Director Jim Brophy was named interim principal, and held that position until Kristin Butler became principal on July 1, 2019. But she lasted less than a year, resigning the following March 2020 for “personal reasons.”

Ben, now 36, and Nick, now 34, were in their teens, he was soon drawn into town politics, running against longtime Supervisor Duncan Davie, state Sen. Jim Seward’s longtime chief of staff, he lost.

In 2008, Republican Davie retired, Democrat Wood won, and won reelection five times.

He oversaw years of progress: Ioxus moved into the former Soccer Hall of Fame, Northern Eagle Beverage moved from the city’s Railroad Avenue to a new plant in the town and, lately, Brooks’ BBQ is moving and expanding its bottling plant to an East End shopping plaza.

Throughout the controversies – fracking, the LNG tankers and much more – Bob Wood remained a calm, friendly, unflappable presence.

A few years ago, he and wife Carol built a house on Winney Hill Road.

Not a single step anywhere, he said.

That’s where they plan to retire, and enjoy their grandchildren.

Bob and Carol also have a 35-foot fifth-wheel camper and are planning a 6-7 week cross-country trip.

As of last Friday, Wood noted 299 days remained in his term. But who’s counting? Adventures await.

Crankshaw, saying “we are in need of consistency at the high school,” named Meccariello, who had served five years as elementary principal and has been in the CCS District since 1998, to succeed her. And and now she’s resigned in less than a year.

CCS School Board President Tim Hayes said “we’re working with our new superintendent” – Sarah Spross, who joined the school district March 1 – “to bring aboard someone who can bring us through this school year.”

He said a meeting is planned Thursday morning “to discuss some of the options that are available.”

Last week, the CCS school board passed a resolution stating, “It is with bittersweet emotion that we accept this letter of resignation from Mrs. Ann Meccariello. We are saddened, but also very excited for her as she moves to pursue her professional development and career.

“We truly appreciate all her years of service here at Cooperstown, particularly her tireless work as principal during this pandemic.”

Otsego Auto Mall Find the BEST New and Used Cars in the Region!

Home of your

over 100 new Hondas in stock!

607-432-6190 • 70 Oneida St. • Oneonta ):LM BG 0MH<D

):LM +>P L In Stock!

New 2020 Honda Accord LX Sedan Lease $ Automatic, 1.5T, Cruise, Remote Entry, Back Up Camera

MSRP: $25,225

):LM BG 0MH<D

for only:

269

per mo.

Only $269 Due at Lease Signing

New 2020 Honda Accord Sport Sedan Lease $ Automatic, 1.5, Cruise, Remote Entry, Back Up Camera

MSRP: $27,935

2021 Buick Encore GX Preferred AWD $185/mo

8% Sales Tax Included. Acquisition and DMV Fees Included, Security WAIVED!

A True First Payment Down ONLY Lease Special!

2021 Chevrolet Equinox LT AWD $226/mo $2500 due at signing* 36 months, 10,000 mile/yr For current non-GM lessees stock #7056 MSRP $32,340

First Payment down only lease sPecials

for only:

289

per mo.

Only $289 Due at Lease Signing

K:G= +>P KKBO:EL In Stock!

New 2021 Honda Civic LX Sedan Lease $ per

$500 coupon while they last $2500 due at signing* 36 months, 10,000 mile/yr For current Buick/GMC lessees stock #7068 MSRP $28,640

3 Available at this OFFER

for only:

Cruise, Remote Entry, Back Up Camera

MSRP: $22,245

279

mo.

Only $279 Due at Lease Signing

New 2021 Honda HR-V LX AWD Lease $ per

2021 GMC Terrain SLE AWD $245/mo

$2500 due at signing* 36 months, 10,000 mile/yr Must be in a current Buick/GMC lease w/GM Financial stock #7052 MSRP $32,790

2020 Chevrolet Trax LT AWD $152/mo

$2500 due at signing 36 months, 10,000 mile/yr Must be in a current non-GM lease stock #6763 MSRP $32,340

3 Available at this OFFER

MSRP: $24,035

Cruise, Remote Entry, Back Up Camera

for only:

289

mo.

Only $289 Due at Lease Signing

New 2021 Honda CR-V EX AWD Lease $ per Over 20 Available at this OFFER

MSRP: $30,480

Moonroof, Heated Cloth, Remote Start

for only:

369

mo.

Only $369 Due at Lease Signing

New 2021 Honda CR-V EX-L AWD Lease $ per 3 Available at this OFFER

MSRP: $33,465

0% APR

for well qualified buyers

up to 60 mos.

Heated Leather, Power Tailgate, Remote Start

for only:

399

mo.

Only $399 Due at Lease Signing

2021 Honda HR-V

2021 Honda CR-V

2021 Honda Passport

2021 Honda Pilot

up to 48 mos.

up to 48 mos.

up to 48 mos.

up to 48 mos.

*Must qualify for Honda lease and Special APR

credit. Leases per year, maintenance *Must qualifyare for10k Honda leases and Special APR customer responsibility. credit.

Leases are 10k per year, maintenance customer responsibility.

*See dealers for all details. Excludes Taxes, Title, License, and Fees or first payment. Subject to residency restrictions. Prices subject to change. Inventory based on availability and subject to change.

For qualified leasees.

countryclubnissan.com

2021 rogue s aWD

2021 altIma

lease for

UP To

per month $3,959 due at signing 36 months/10,000 miles per year excludes tax, title, and license

2,750

ToTal savings see dealer for deTails

Now’s the Time to Buy or Lease!

2021 sentra sV

2021 tItan sV

lease for

UP To

55 Oneida Street | Oneonta 607-432-2800 | 800-388-3632

229

$

179

$

per month $2,429 due at signing 36 months/10,000 miles per year excludes tax, title, and license

$

7,262

$

ToTal savings see dealer for deTails

SALES: Monday - Thursday 8 am - 7 pm Friday 8 am - to 6 pm | Saturday 8 am - 5 pm SERVICE (By appointment): Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm | Saturday 8 am - l pm