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AllOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, July 15, 2021
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COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND
Coop Trustees approve Chestnut project
Animal shelter to host open house of new facility
Special-use permit granted unanimously for 13-apartment, 21-bedroom complex, Chestnut Crossing By GREG KLEIN
COOPERSTOWN — The village’s Board of Trustees unanimously approved a special-use permit for the 13-apartment Chestnut Crossing project at 10 Chestnut St. during a special meeting Monday, July 12, at Village Hall. About 20 people witnessed the hour-long deliberation as the six trustees — Joe Membrino was not at the meeting — meticulously went through the 16 criteria they needed to evaluate in order to issue a special-use permit to allow the density of the project. However, the decision seemed obvious by the second criterion, which dealt with land uses and Cooperstown Center addressed the question as to whether the develto host circus shows opment would fit with its surroundings. Deputy There will be a free circus on Friday, July 16, at the Cooperstown Center and Centers Home Care on Phoenix Mills Road in the By KEVIN LIMITI town of Otsego. MIDDLEFIELD — The first thing noticeable at There will be two performances, at 5 p.m. and the 73rd Farmers’ Museum Junior Livestock Show is the noise. 8 p.m. There will be food Monday, July 12, there was loud mooing from vendors on site. Attendees are encouraged all angles, a result of the cow show going on all to bring lawn chairs. Seating morning. The cow’s demeanors varied, with some placidly is limited. Call 607-544walking around the judging tent where they are 2600 for more information. judged, while others struggled with their handlers INSIDE or stubbornly dug in. However, none of them liked to be separated from their calves. ►EUROPEAn PLANS: Cooperstown teacher launches Because of COVID, the museum made the new spring break trip. Page A8. decision to not allow any visitors to the show, ►OPTING in: Otsego County opting to instead record it via Zoom and broadcast agreed to participate in pilot it via its website, www.farmersmuseum.org. hunting program for kids. The show included handlers, ages 8 to 18, Page A10. presenting animals they have raised personally. ►HOOPS HOME: The Clark Gavin Fetterman, 18, who won the Master ShowSports Center becomes the man Award for the Hereford breed, also did a show summer training spot for in Brookfield recently and said that he has a lot of college, high school basketball fun at these events. players. Page A7. “It’s definitely fun. It’s a different type of hobby,” ►Post-Season Honors: Fetterman said. “It’s not about the winning, it’s All-State softball awards go just about everything we’ve accomplished over the to Schenevus trio, Worcester, years.” Morris, Cooperstown players. Fetterman showed Harley, a well-behaved, Page A7. mild-mannered cow. ►GARLIC SEASON: Columnist The announcer judged the cows as if judging Richard deRosa celebrates the See ANIMALS, Page A2 mid-summer harvest. Page A4. The Susquehanna SPCA is having a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:45 a.m. Saturday, July 17, in order to celebrate the completion of its animal shelter and campus. The ribbon-cutting will be followed by an open house until 4 p.m. The new shelter is at 50825088 State Route 28, just south of Cooperstown.
Mayor Cindy Falk explained two possible views of the neighborhood, which is zoned R3 for mixed-use residential. She said most of the immediate neighbors are single-family homes, but if you look at the blocks of Pine and Chestnut on a whole, there are hotels, bed-and-breakfasts and some office spaces. “This really is a multi-use area and in that sense I feel it is in harmony with the neighborhood surroundings,” she said. The trustees imposed multiple stipulations on the projects owners, Josh Edmonds and Francesca Zambello, whose company, ZAED Properties LLC, owns two adjoining plots of land on Chestnut Street and a third behind those plots, on Pine Boulevard. All rentals must be long-term with leases at least one year long and no sublet-
ting or short-term rentals are allowed, including for the Hall of Fame Induction. The developers must pave the Fenimore Lane access road that runs between Chestnut and Pine and must take action to fix the drainage issues on the property. “In this case, the project is a huge plus for that,” Trustee Richard Sternberg said. The developers must make an ADA-compliant sidewalk that allows access from the ADA exits to the street. They also have to do a lot-line adjustment to shift four parking spaces on the property at 17 Pine to the main Chestnut Street lot, so there is no confusion about who owns the spaces if the Pine property is eventually developed and sold. See PROJECT, Page A3
Junior Livestock Show returns with a barnyard of fun
►A PRISONER OUT OF PRISON: Columnist Terry Berkson revisits the story of a Russian dissident during his final days in the Mohawk Valley. Page A4. Follow Breaking News On
Greg Klein/The Freeman’s Journal
Gavin Fetterman displays his cow, Harley, who won the Master Showman for the Hereford breed during The Farmers’ Museum Junior Livestock Show on Monday, July 12, in the town of Middlefield.
AllOtsego people: Mattice excited about new city role By KEVIN LIMITI
ONEONTA — Oneonta native Greg Mattice has begun his new role as OTSEGO.com Oneonta’s city administrator. Mattice began his new position July 1, ►TRAILBLAZER AWARDS: City leaving his job as city engineer. honors top women contributors Mattice, who said he enjoys playing basfor 2020, 2021. ketball and spending time with his ►COMMON COUNCIL: Oneonta family, earned a degree in engineering from held its first in-person meeting Syracuse University in 2009. since March 2020 last week at “We’re a small city,” Mattice said. “I do a City Hall. lot of technical work.” ►Hall of FAME PARTNERSHIP: Mattice said that his main priority is going Museum launches education Contributed to be increasing communication throughout initiative. New Oneonta City Administrator Greg Mattice, the various departments. center, and Mayor Gary Herzig present Parks “The first step is to make sure everyone Director Lou Lansing the ‘Employee of the Quaris on the same page.” ter’ award Tuesday, July 6, at City Hall. The city administrator’s job will to be to
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oversee the various operations and coordinate between different departments in the city. The common council voted last year to amend the position following several unsuccessful attempts at fielding a city manager. The administrator position will have less autonomy than the city manager and will report to the council. George Korthauer resigned as city manager in January 2020. City officials have said they had not had a good track record with managers and wanted to reform the position. Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig said Mattice’s “knowledge and knowing people in the city” made him a great candidate. “He has a good vision for where the city needs to go in the years ahead. See PEOPLE, Page A3
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD