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Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, August 20, 2020
Masked and enjoying Main Street are, from left, dad Kevin, Alexis and Addington Kress, Olivia Guida, and mom Christine Kress.
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evin Kress, who was raised in Richfield Springs, brought his family to Cooperstown last weekend, and was neither surprised by the village’s new mandatory-mask law, or that most everybody seemed to be obeying it. “We were in Lake Placid last weekend; they had done the same thing there,” said Kress, who was aware – and undeterred by – the new restrictions, which he’d Please See MASKS, B4 Harry Levine photo
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►OTEGO MAN charged with manslaugher in Pittsfield double-fatality. ►GYM, FITNESS CENTERS may open by Sept. 2 ►FREE COVID TESTS at 9 a.m. - noon Thursday, Aug. 20 in Southside Mall parking lot. ►GOVernor allows bowling alleys to reopen. ►JETER’S HELMET among 2020 inductee highlights at the Hall. ►Calling hours 2 - 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, for former Oneonta Judge McVinney.
Oneonta’s Getman Next County Judge
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
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eteran attorney Michael F. Getman, 62, Oneonta city prosecutor, was chosen to be county judge Sunday, Aug.16, by the Republican County Committee, meeting in The Otesaga ballroom. Getman, whose name will appear on the Nov. 3 ballot, will succeed Brian D. Burns on Jan. 1. Last week, a Sixth District judicial convention chose Burns to succeed the retiring state Supreme Court Judge Michael V. Coccoma. For details of Sunday’s vote, visit
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COLLEGE STUDENTS RETURN TO COUNTY
3 Of SUNY Stances ‘Disappoint’ Mayor SUNY freshman John Dirma, left, gets help moving in to his dorm Monday, Aug. 17, from his sister Angie, grandmother Maria Zgrda, and older brother Christian Dima, all from White Lake.
By JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA
COOPERSTOWN s required by Governor Cuomo, the Coopestown Central school board has scheduled three meetings for parents to comment on the district plan to reopen school this fall. The sessions are at: • 9 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 • 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20 • 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21 Access the sessions via Zoom on the school district website. SEE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON
Newsstand Price $1
Week One, All Agree, Masks Worn COOPERSTOWN
3 Sessions Due On Plan To Open CCS Next Month
For 212 Years
AllOTSEGO.com • Your COUNTY ONLINE DAILY NEWSPAPER
By JIM KEVLIN
Mina Aramini, 14, a Cherry Valley-Springfield High School student, swam the width of Otsego Lake Sunday, April 16, raising $2,190 through her GoFundMe page for the Community Foundation of Otsego County. With her are grandparents Angela and Italo Aramini in Cooperstown, after she emerged at the Lakefront Park docks/ DETAILS, A2
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OSCAR-WINNER RECRUITS COUNTY’S CARVIN/B1
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s college students began to return to COVID-19 Era instruction, Mayor Gary Herzig praised Hartwick College’s collaboration with the city, but said Herzig SUNY Oneonta has fallen short in three areas of concern. “We have a community here that established new norms over the past five months,” said Herzig. “There’s been much self-sacrifice in keeping our numbers low. It’s important to communicate directly to those in large numbers who are coming in the community, to familiarize them with current norms and the realities we face.” Please See DUST-UP, A3 ►FOR TEXT of mayor’s letter, See A4
Ian Austin/The Freeman’s Journal
SUNY Campus Experimenting Hartwick Students Tested Twice With Novel Waste-Water Tests Before Classes Start On Aug. 31 By JIM KEVLIN ONEONTA
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UNY Oneonta is looking to get as far ahead of the coronavirus as it can – through waste-water testing. It is what it sounds like.
“Even asymptomatic people start shedding coronavirus through their feces in the first day of their infection,” said Lachlan Squair, SUNY Oneonta’s chief of facilities & safety. “The reason we’re doing the waste-water test,” he continued, “is we’re able to see an increase Please See TESTING, B4
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tudents returning to Hartwick College this weekend must already have been tested for COVID-19, and will be tested again before classes begin Monday,Aug. 31. By then, all students and employees must sign a document averring they will “Our Social Compact: A Healthy
Hartwick College,” outlining all steps they must take to keep the COVID threat at bay. “Hartwick’s goal is to enable our students to return for instruction while complying with the best guidance available to protect our community, both on- and off-campus,” said college President Margaret L. Drugovich. Please See HARTWICK, B3
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
Nick Baker Spends Summer Studying Fracking Chemicals
LOCALS
Renovations Near Completion At Cooperstown’s NY Pizzeria
Village Merchant Jess Lanza Elected To Lead Chamber COOPERSTOWN
COOPERSTOWN
and guidance as a local small business ess Lanza, owner, and to have who operates his perspective as Kate’s Upstate someone who is on Main Street with representing a Main his wife, has been Street business is elected chairman of of course extremely Lanza the Cooperstown beneficial as well,” Chamber of Commerce said Burke. board, it was announced The board also includes today. Andrew Marietta (New York He succeeds Stacey Council of Nonprofits); Grady, Springbrook director Jason Schiellack (Baseball of development, who has Hall of Fame ); Elizabeth served on the board for Horvath (Redpoint the last decade. Chamber Builders); Scott Barton Executive Director Tara (Lake ‘N Pines & Hickory Burke praised Grady for Grove Motor Inn); “her many years of service, Colleen Donnelly (Bassett above and beyond the call.” Healthcare); Cassandra Prior to moving to New Harrington (Destination York, Jess was the vice Marketing) and attorney president of sales for a Peter Hobaics. medical diagnostic laboratory The election of officers in Florida. He is also assiswould typically take place tant chief of the Fly Creek at the Chamber’s annual Volunteer Fire Company, and meeting of members each a state fire instructor. spring, but it was cancelled “We are very excited to due to COVID-19. Instead, have Jess at the helm, he the membership digitally really brings crucial insight submitted ballots digitally.
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ick Baker, Cooperstown, a junior biochemistry major at SUNY Oneonta has spent the summer working with Assistant Professor Ron Bishop (Chemistry and Biochemistry) to study Marcellus shale and hydrofracking chemicals. “I’ve learned so much and it’s giving me a lot of lab experience that I wouldn’t have gotten otherwise,” he said, while titrating a beaker of chemicals extracted from Marcellus shale in order to gain a better understanding of the rock’s buffering capacity. “Plus, this research is actually really interesting and it affects the area, so it’s pretty important.” The goals of the research, Bishop said, were to look for the chemical interactions between chemicals in the shale and fracking chemicals.
The
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
Webster Paving’s Stan Nepa, West Oneonta, drives the paver as the parking lot is completed Tuesday, Aug. 18 at Cooperstown’s New York Pizzeria, which has been under renovations for the past two months. Nepa is assisted by Jeff Baran, left, of Morris, and Chris Dixon of South New Berlin. Since buying the pizzeria a decade ago, owner Joe Vezza has opened Bocca Osteria, an Italian restaurant, and Upstate Bar & Grill just down Route 28 leading into the village.
job scene To place effective employment ads, call 607-547-6103
Start NOW! Start TODAY!
Facility Manager/ Director of Operations
Carpenter….Plumber….Electrician… General Maintenance… Housekeeper... Your skills are needed right away!! Large, State of the art facility in Gilboa, NY is seeking full-time employees immediately. Being multi-skilled is a big PLUS! Excellent place to work with rewarding pay.
Large facility in Gilboa, NY, seeking dynamic manager immediately. Includes all general maintenance, and all other duties. Fabulous work environment. Great team. Excellent pay. Experience and resume required.
Contact Toba Shifrin | 973-855-9639 Toba.Shifrin@thezone.org
For all applications, please submit your resume and contact information to: chana.horowitz@oorah.org
CV-S 14-Year-Old Swims Otsego Lake For Benefit Of Community Foundation COOPERSTOWN
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n just over four and a half hours, Mina Aramini, 14, had completed the nine-mile swim across Otsego Lake on Sunday, Aug. 16. Mina, 14, a Cherry ValleySpringfield High School student, completed her swim in 4 hours and 39 minutes with her mother April paddling alongside in her kayak. At five minutes past noon on Sunday, 20 friends and relatives helped Mina Aramini up onto the village docks. “The water conditions were perfect,” she said. “For the last two miles, I was completely focused on getting to the finish.” Mina dedicated her accomplishment to the Community Foundation
of Otsego County. She is leaving open her GoFundMe page for any more contributions, but as of press time, she had raised $2,510 for the foundation. “I want to give back to these communities,” she wrote on her GoFundMe page. “I chose the Community Foundation of Otsego County to fundraise for because I believe they can help improve our communities that have been affected by this awful virus.” OUTSTANDING: Kaitlin Curtis of Cooperstown is among those outstanding students who recieved their own EVVY Award. Curtis is pursuing a degree in Marketing Communications Emerson College’s Class of 2023.
DEPUTY CLERK – TREASURER (full-time)
Civil EnginEEr: Estimating & Qa/QC Clark Companies, leader in the design and construction of high-end outdoor athletic facilities, located in Delhi, NY, is expanding its team and has an immediate opening for a Civil Engineer to assist with estimating and provide QA/QC for our design and construction operations. Responsibilities include but not limited to: • Review and interpret construction documents (plans and specifications); • Review and verify accuracy of quantity take-offs for construction projects; • Solicit quotes from subcontractors and vendors to support estimating process; • Participate in the development of detailed project cost estimates; • Perform QA/QC reviews of design documents; • Conduct project site visits and provide support as needed to field staff; • Perform QA/QC inspections of project sites to confirm compliance with design documents; • Effectively communicate and collaborate with field and office personnel; • Utilize AutoCAD or similar to prepare supplemental drawings and details; • Understand construction layout and have the ability to communicate required layout information to field personnel; • Pursue training and education to improve overall effectiveness; • Manage time effectively and prioritize to ensure completion of all duties and tasks; • Perform other duties as assigned by Company Management. Requirements: • B.S. or M.S. degree in Civil Engineering from an ABET-accredited university located in the USA; • Minimum of EIT certification (NY licensed PE preferred); • Commercial construction knowledge and experience, particularly related to site-work; • Excellent written and verbal communication skills; • Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications; • Strong working knowledge of AutoCAD (AutoDesk Civil 3D is preferred); • Ability to work independently, with little or no direct supervision; • Interest in learning quick and applying new skills and abilities; • Knowledge of commonly used concepts, practices and procedures in construction field. Salary DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, profit sharing, flexible spending, and paid time off. To apply, send resumes to: Human Resources, P.O. Box 427, Delhi, NY 13753 or fax to 607-746-3107. Clark Companies Is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Village of Cooperstown is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Deputy Clerk – Treasurer. This is a full-time position. Duties will include front counter coverage, payroll processing, accounts payable and receivable and other related customer service duties. Compensation will be competitive and commensurate with experience. Benefits include paid vacation, holidays, sick time and personal days, and health insurance.
Please send resumé, cover letter and references to Teri L. Barown, Village Administrator, Village of Cooperstown, PO Box 346, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Any questions regarding this position should be directed to the Village Administrator at 607-547-2411. Candidates must be Otsego County residents. EOE
Kevin Kurkowski
607-432-2022
22-26 Watkins Avenue, Oneonta Monday through Friday 8 am - 4:30 pm
COOPERSTOWN CENTRAL SCHOOL
Join the team at Cooperstown Central School as a Bus Driver!
PT, 10M position w/ competitive salary & benefits. Must hold valid CDL & appropriate endorsement to drive a school bus. Position details & application can be found at www.cooperstowncs.org. Apply in person OR submit district application & letter of interest by 8/28/20 to: Mr. Joe Kukenberger, Director of Transportation, Cooperstown Central School, 39 Linden Avenue • Cooperstown, NY 13326
EOE
Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals
Residential Associates at OFO Shelters FT-2nd shift (wknds), Sub--all shifts; Addl. shift pay for qualifying shifts
Head Start Positions (All F/T with school breaks & Summers off)
Family Partner Classroom Teacher 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 EOE www.ofoinc.org/jobs The leader in developing innovative solutions to promote healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities since 1966.
The Watershed Agricultural Council, a non profit organization working to protect the NYC Watershed while supporting farm and forest land uses, is seeking a
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Coordinator.
The GIS Coordinator works in coordination with multi agency, self-directed specialized work teams to provide cartographic and analytical support to all Watershed Agricultural Council (WAC) and Watershed Agricultural Program (WAP) program efforts. The GIS Coordinator is responsible for managing the GIS program, both hardware and software, data inputs, maintain data bases, providing requested analysis and the training of system users. Qualifications and requirements detailed in position description available at http://www.nycwatershed.org/careers. Salary: low $60,000s. To apply: Send cover letter and resume to Amy Faulkner, Watershed Agricultural Council, 33195 State Highway 10, Walton, NY 13856; or e-mail afaulkner@nycwatershed.org. EOE. Review of applications will begin September 17, 2020.
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3
Why
t n ou C U O Y o g e s t O y t n u o C
Yes!
To c e n s u s 2020 Yes to our kids. Yes to school grants. Yes to their future
Everyone should fill out Census 2020 so we don’t lose millions of dollars in the next 10 years!
By filling out the census, you will help: LOCAL EDUCATION LOCAL HEALTH CARE LOCAL ROADS and so much more
Every 10 years, the census counts how many people are in our community, to decide how much federal funding and representation our communities should receive. This money supports everything from school lunches to special education to Head Start to over 130 other programs that could help our students right now. Your responses to the census are important, and they cannot be shared with anyone. In fact, they’re even protected by law from other branches of government.
Go to 2020census.gov or call 800-330-2020
Let’s say no to undercounting in our communities, and #YEStotheCensus! Remember‌EVERYONE COUNTS in your household (children/elderly‌everyone!) It is a federal crime to use any information obtained in a census form for anything other than an accurate census count. You will not be asked about your citizenship status on the 2020 Census.
Sponsored in part by
MARY~MARGARET
LEAF
Village Trustee
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Perspectives
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL EDITORIALS
PRESIDENT MORRIS, MAYOR HERZIG MUST REBUILD TRUST
SUNY Oneonta, City Hall: Patch Up Misunderstandings
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his is a time for unity against an implacable foe. Five months into the COVID-19 threat, it’s hard to see the future clearly. There have been worldwide epidemics before, but not since the Flu Pandemic of 1919, and not in a world so interconnected by travel and commerce. A vaccine will eventually surface, but how soon, and how quickly would it become widely available?
Still, while not uniform across the country or the world, the progress to control the disease in our Empire State has been astonishing. Governor Cuomo has been almost giddy at his daily briefings over the past week, reporting an infection rate of less than 1 percent for a 10th day in a row. Just weeks after filling mass graves, 100 bodies at a time, in New York City, our governor can say to us: “I congratulate New Yorkers for doing what
With luck and care, the SUNY Oneonta community will soon be enjoying fall colors on a busy campus.
people said couldn’t be done.” • Here in Otsego County, now is the time to again do what some people say can’t be done: Reabsorb 8,000 college students, overnight doubling the number of people in our county’s population center, the City of Oneonta. There are no guarantees, but Hartwick College’s regimen is reassuring. Students must be tested for COVID-19 before arriving on campus this weekend, and must be tested again before classes begin the following MonPlease See EDITORIAL, A5
SUNY Oneonta photo
LETTERS
Let’s Move Forward United, As Americans
To The Editor: I was born in 1940 in Endicott, a diverse cultural area where many people were from the Old World. In fact, on the street where I lived were Italian, German, English, Jewish and Swedish families. We all lived side by side compatibly. A very meaningful school experience took place when I was in first grade. I remember all the students sat in rows, side by side. Teacher asked us one by one what our nationality was. Some said Italian, some said Jewish, others responded English, German. A few said American. Our teacher then asked each one to raise their hand if we were
ELCOME...
Dear Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta students, Editor’s Note: With 8,000 college students returning to Oneonta, beginning this week, Mayor Gary Herzig is sending them this welcome and cautionary letter.
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hether you are a new or a returning student, I look forward to having you join us as part of the Oneonta community. As mayor of the City of Oneonta, I welcome you to our community. We value your presence and you enrich our community in many ways. ...Through shared sacrifice, the people of the City of Oneonta have succeeded in keeping our number of COVlD-19 cases low. During the past four months, we have sacrificed nightlife, socializing with friends, eating out and, for many – even their jobs. I now ask you to join us in this spirit of shared sacrifice. As we have recently begun to see a small increase in new cases, we must recognize that stakes are high and we must all continue to sacrifice if we are to protect ourselves and each other. Both Hartwick College and SUNY Oneonta are implementing comprehensive plans designed to keep you safe while on campus and I applaud them for doing so. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, you are being required to sacrifice many of the things that make a college experience so meaningful – visiting friends, eating with friends, group activities, socializing, athletics, in-person classrooms and so much more. ...While your college presidents assume the responsibility for keeping you safe on campus, I assume the responsibility to keep you safe in our community. Let’s face it – it makes no sense for you to sacrifice so much when you are on campus if the same approach is not taken when off campus. The virus doesn’t care where you are. The virus doesn’t respect boundaries or property lines. It is happy to infect you wherever it can find you.
No Mask. Dr.’s Excuse? Hmmm
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bad these otherwise healthylooking people have such limited job opportunities. Masks are normally needed for health-care service, dental work, construction, painting, metal work, science lab work, chemical work, lawn care, emergency work and many other jobs. Unfortunately, these people mean that many of us elderly people do not feel we can patronize our local establishments. PAMELA FITCH TAUSTA Oneonta
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To the Editor: It is hard to go to the store and have people tell you they have a doctor’s excuse to not wear a mask. The rest of us take the risk. If they go to the American Disability Association site, they will see that the alternatives for them are not in-your-face responses but using face shields or order and pick-up services. These are available at our grocery stores and other sites. Doctors’ excuses are mentioned at Stewart’s. It is too
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LETTER FROM ONEONTA’S MAYOR
born in America. To a person we all raised our hands – we were all born in America. Our teacher then said, no matter what our background was, the fact that we were all born in America made us all American! I have never forgotten that experience. So I ask the question: When we hear people say they are Afro-American, how many of them were born in Africa? If they were born here in America, they are American. My background is German. I don’t call myself GermanAmerican. I am American. Another question that needs to be addressed is: Please See HESSE, B5
For 212 Years
…For these reasons, our regulations and practices off campus will follow the same intent of the safety plans established by your college. Key issues of which I ask you to be aware include: • Similar to living in a campus dormitory, this year we are all expected to limit visitations. Gatherings, whether indoor or outdoor, that are deemed by our Police Department as either threats to public health or as neighborhood nuisances will not be permitted. Enforcement will be strict and violators will face fines of up to $1,000 and criminal charges. • In keeping with the intent of the college’s safety plan, socializing, dining and drinking in large groups is too dangerous to permit. For this reason, we will be limiting the hours of public transportation to essential activities only. We will work closely with the Student Association to identify times and routes which will be needed to transport students to classes, shopping, the library, etc. • We will all work in partnership in addressing the risk we face in relocating during a national pandemic. Each college will have a team of students, staff, and faculty meeting regularly with city officials to evaluate how things are going and, working together, make decisions on any adjustments which may be needed. • A dedicated hotline – (607) 376-7453 – allows anyone to call in or text any observed threat to public health; thereby, allowing city officials to respond rapidly. ...We find ourselves in uncharted territory and we will need to navigate it together. Only through shared sacrifice can we ensure the health and safety of all – students, faculty, staff, and year round community residents – while you continue with your studies. This is just the beginning and I look forward to open communication and working with you throughout the year. Gary Herzig, retired COO of Opportunities for Otsego, is serving his second term as mayor of Oneonta.
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James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
Tara Barnwell
Advertising Director & General Manager
Libby Cudmore
GUEST COLUMN
Managing Editor
Larissa Ryan Business Manager
Kathleen Peters Graphics & Production
Elizabeth Cooper Correspondent
Ian Austin Photographer
Ivan Potocnik Web Architect
Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart Consultant
IN MEMORIAM: Mary Joan Kevlin, Co-Publisher, 2006-17 OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR Otsego County • Village of Milford • Town of Middlefield 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.
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Will COVID Lead Us To Justice, Peace?
ne of the most perplexing eleGod claims to love ments in our relationship with as his children? It God has to do with why bad seems antithetical things happen to us. One theory is that to the concept God is punishing us for our sinfulness. of God as “Our Another is that God is testing us to Father”. determine our worthiness for eternal We experience life with him. Finally, some believe the slaughter of that this is the beginning of the end as innocent people in described in the Book of Revelation. terror attacks, home DEACON But, if we subscribe to any of these invasions, traffic theories, we must reconcile it with our RANDY VELEZ stops, work-place belief in God’s complete goodness. violence and even How could God will or even allow the mass killing of our children in bad things to happen to those whom schools. We experience the widening
economic disparity between the rich and everyone else. We see the steady decline in the availability of quality education, housing and healthcare. We see the continual erosion of basic human services for the poor, the disabled and the elderly. We see such events and the vile hatred that drives them, occurring unabated and with incredible frequency and we fool ourselves into believing that this is simply the way things are. “It is what it is” and there is nothing we can do about it. Please See VELEZ, B5
AllOTSEGO.com • SEE PAGES A5, B5
LETTERS TO EDITOR WELCOME • EMAIL THEM TO info@
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5
BOUND VOLUMES Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART, with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library
200 YEARS AGO
Bellow’s Falls – Damage by Lightning: On Friday, a shower accompanied with heavy thunder, passed over this village and its vicinity. The lightning struck, set fire and consumed three large barns, a corn house, sheds, and together with their contents, situated about two miles from this place, belonging to Major Joseph Bellows. The barns were filled with hay, grain, harness, farming tools, etc. Six hogs in the pen near the barns were scorched to death by the intensity of the heat, notwithstanding every effort to save them. Damages estimated at $2,500. August 21, 1820
25 YEARS AGO
75 YEARS AGO
175 YEARS AGO
A musical instrument is being constructed in Philadelphia upon entirely new principles for the production of musical sounds. The active agent is electro-magnetism, which, passing through wires, breathes forth sounds that are said to equal the Aeolian harp for liquid softness, while at the same time it is capable of rivalling the organ in the distinctness and efficacy of its notes. Every sensation that can be produced on the most perfect instrument, can be accomplished on this, while the crowning wonder is that the performer is not required to be in the same room while playing the most difficult piece of music. August 18, 1845
150 YEARS AGO
Rev. Alfred E. Campbell, D.D. – The Congregation of the Presbyterian Church, has lately had a visit from its former Pastor Dr. Campbell of New York, who conducted the services on July 30, and was warmly welcomed, especially by the older portion of the people, who were here a quarter of a century since. Dr. Campbell removed from Cooperstown in 1847, after a pastorate of some 14 years, during which he became associated with the kind memories of many families in his services at weddings, baptisms, and in the more sad but tender scenes of sickness and last tributes to the lamented dead. In another respect, also, the pastorate of Dr. Campbell was one of special interest to this church. His predecessor, the venerated John Smith, after filling his position for nearly a quarter of a century, and exemplifying his teachings by a pure and holy life, became in his later years, by the changes of time and the advent of a younger growth in the congregation, unsatisfactory as a preacher to a portion of the people, who after a fruitless attempt to induce a change, withdrew and organized a Second Church, worshipping in the Court House and also in “The Hall,” before Fenimore Cooper returned from Europe and refitted it for his residence. Of course this village could not support two Presbyterian churches. The two bodies eventually
reunited in calling Mr. Campbell in November 1834, whose services were satisfactory to both portions of the people and were the means of healing a much-regretted division, as well as of infusing new vigor into the congregation. August 18, 1870
125 YEARS AGO
50 YEARS AGO
Opium and morphine valued in the thousands of dollars were stolen early Sunday morning from the plant of the Norwich Pharmaceutical company, constituting one of the boldest robberies ever perpetrated in these parts. Five holdup men made a clean getaway with several hours start and left no clues as to their identity. Police officials in every city of the country and wholesalers in drugs have been notified in order that the quantity of priceless drugs may be traced. As Fred Lee and Ted Robinson, night watchmen,
Fears that a prime Otsego Lake shoreline property would become available for development have been laid to rest with a merger agreement between the Cook Foundation, owner of Brookwood Garden, and the Otsego Land Trust. The 22-acre shoreline property, along with another 110 acres under conservation easements, unrelated to Brookwood, will be transferred to the Land Trust. August 19, 2010
100 YEARS AGO
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niversary of women gaining the right to vote, we must also recognize there is more work to be done. New York State will continue to lead the nation in creating greater equality for all and we are proud to preserve GOVERNOR and enhance this CUOMO important part of American history for future generations.” On the anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, this development will stabilize Susan B.
Anthony’s childhood home in Washington County, allowing for the reuse of the property.While the Susan B. Anthony House and Museum in Rochester showcases the history of one of the world’s greatest revolutionaries, this project will further preserve Anthony’s legacy in New York State. As the birthplace of the women’s rights movement, New York was the first major state to grant the right to vote in the country, leading the way for the 19th Amendment. As we celebrate the centennial of women’s suffrage, we still have more work to do to achieve true equality and justice. Now more than ever, we must embrace this time to continue to fight for real change.
EDITORIAL: At Key Juncture, Leaders Must Collaborate EDITORIAL/From A4 day. Students are required to live on campus, so its 1,200 scholars can more easily be kept at a distance from the city at large. SUNY Oneonta has also put together an impressive plan to keep COVID-19 at bay, including seven- and 14-day self-quarantines for arriving students. Some individual initiatives are particularly impressive: Safety Officer Lachlan Squair’s innovative wastewater testing, in collaboration with Cornell and SU, and CGP’s Erik Stengler – he’s actually a science professor – ensuring social distancing at the Otsego Lake-side campus, have surfaced in the past few days. Undoubtedly there are many more heroes of the moment, if you will, at SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick too. • SUNY, however, presents a particular challenge. It has 6,500 students, four times Hartwick’s. Half of them live off campus, and will be going back and forth daily. So it was troubling to learn this week that Oneonta Mayor Gary Herzig and the SUNY administration aren’t in total amity heading into one of the most important weeks of 131 years of town-gown relations. It’s a shame the SUNY Oneonta administration couldn’t fully collaborate in circulating the mayor’s letter of welcome – and of caution – to its students, as Hartwick did. According to Herzig, College President Barbara
The Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company has filed an application with the Interstate Commerce Commission (I.C.C.) for abandonment of its 101-year-old 16.39-mile Cooperstown to Cooperstown Junction branch line. The application was sent to the I.C.C. on August 7. On August 12, the railroad staged an “information luncheon” for industry, government and civic leaders at the Hotel Otesaga at which 38 persons were present. A steady decline in business and financial losses are the principal reasons for wishing to abandon the branch line. August 19, 1970
10 YEARS AGO
LIFE IN THE TIME OF COVID-19
‘We Must Continue Fight For Real Change’
ew York has been the birthplace to many of the progressive movements that have left an indelible mark on our society while pushing the nation forward, and particularly for women’s suffrage, which began at Seneca Falls and included legendary New Yorkers such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and so many more, As we commemorate the 100th an-
The death Saturday morning of Mrs. Alice V. Bosserman Marks brought sadness to the whole Cooperstown community. Mrs. Marks’ body, fully clothed, was found floating in the shallow water of Otsego Lake about 75 feet from the Fish Landing north of Fair Street. Dr. Harris V. Frink, coroner, gave a verdict of “suicide by drowning.” The funeral was held from the Tillapaugh Funeral Home on Monday at 8:15 p.m. The Rev. Gustavus Warfield, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, officiated. Mrs. Bosserman Marks came to Cooperstown in 1921 as County Home Bureau Agent and served until the post was abolished in 1932. She married Mr. L. Marks on June 18 1933. He died August 15, 1943. August 22, 1945
Statistics received at the Bureau of Indian Affairs show that of the 247,000 Indians in this country, 30,000 are engaged in farming, stock raising and other civilized pursuits. During the past year, the Indians raised 11,722,596 bushels of wheat, 1,373, 230 bushels of corn, and other grains and vegetables in like proportions. They marketed 30,223,000 feet of lumber. They own 205,844 head of cattle and 1,283,633 sheep and goats. The value of products of Indian labor sold by them is estimated at $1,220,517. Of the 247,000 Indians, 183,000 are self-supporting. Thirty-five thousand Indians pay taxes, live outside reservations, and are counted in the general population. August 15, 1895
THE VIEW FROM ALBANY
Editor’s Note: Governor Cuomo issued this paean to New York State suffragettes on Tuesday, Aug. 18, the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which guarantees voting rights to women.
were making their rounds about 1:30 o’clock Sunday morning, they switched on the lights in the shipping department. Out from the tiers of packaged goods stepped five robbers, taking Robinson and Lee totally by surprise. The watchmen were quickly overpowered, then bound and gagged in a half-sitting posture against posts in the room. One of the robbers told Lee they would not be hurt because he had known Lee when he previously worked at the pharmacy. Asher Young, the day watchman rung in at 6 a.m. to find Lee and Robinson unharmed, but weary and numb because of their posture and gags. August 18, 1920
‘Herd Immunity’ Will Happen – But When?
W
e have heard the a population has enough phrase herd immu- people immune to very signity frequently and nificantly slow the spread it has been used as if it has is the point where we say some sort of magical powers we have herd immunity for to free us from the scourge a disease. of COVID-19. But what The point we reach herd exactly is it and how does immunity differs based on it work? the infectiousness Herd immunity of a disease, the is the concept that behavior that leads when a high enough to its transmission, percentage of a and the rate of population has imtransmission we munity to a disease, find acceptable. We either by developing still don’t know the immunity naturally risk of contracting through exposure or COVID-19 if through vaccination, exposed to the RICHARD the probability of SARS-CoV-2 virus STERNBERG any one remaining or the amount of individual contractvirus needed to ing the disease decreases. trigger a reaction to it. Actually, this should be a Currently, we hear things fairly simple concept. When such as, “Once 70 percent there is less of the disease of the population has been around to catch and fewer exposed, we will have herd targets, the spread slows immunity.” down. The point where Please See STERNBERG, B5 ON THE RECORD
As Of July 23, ‘No State Has Time To Ensure Smooth Voting’
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ore than a month after New York’s June 23 primary Hartwick College photo elections, state election offiHartwick College is awaiting the return of its students this weekend. cials are still counting votes. Jean Morris thought there was too much shuttle-bus alternative should be moni- In some legislative districts, of an “us-vs-them” tone, but a neutral tored and revisited, if advisable.) they haven’t even started reading of the letter – it is reprinted on What’s most important is for Mayor counting absentee votes. page A4 – doesn’t support that. Herzig and President Morris to sit In the best-case scenario, Likewise, Hartwick College and Hill- down, immediately, and revisit what’s election officials hoped to side Commons agreed with City Hall’s happened to their relationship, and declare winners by the first plan to suspend evening shuttle-bus establish – or reestablish – a level of Tuesday in August – six routes from the campuses into the city, trust, cooperation and open communi- weeks after Election Day. but SUNY couldn’t bring itself to do so. cations as we enter an uncharted and It might take a lot longer Finally, it appeared the mayor hadn’t imponderable future. than that. Election officials Given what’s already happened been fully briefed on SUNY’s testing in New York City have plans – waste-water testing, the college at UNC, that relationship is going to already invalidated upwards health center’s role, and an “opting in” be important to everyone living in of 100,000 absentee ballots to Upstate Medical’s services – as he Oneonta and Otsego County at large, – about one of every five should have been. given how our local economy – and that were mailed in from the • thus our lives and livelihoods – is five boroughs. And furious We are where we are. Those decidependent on thriving colleges, and candidates are already sions have been made, (although the functioning ones. filing lawsuits charging
discrimination and disenfranchisement. The chaos in New York is a warning about November’s elections: Voting is being transformed by the pandemic. But no state has built new election infrastructure. No state has the time or the money to make sure votecounting will go smoothly “This is what happens,” a New York election official told me over the phone last week, “when you jury-rig a system that hasn’t been designed or implemented or tested before.” And just about every state is about to be hit with a massive surge of absentee ballots. EDWARD-ISAAC DOVERE The Atlantic, July 24, 2020
THURSDAY, august 20, 2020
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OSCAR-WINNER RECRUITS COUNTY’S CUYLE CARVIN
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Christine Alexander’s “Plated Color” will be on display with her other collages at the Art Garage this weekend
Cuyle Carvin, top photo, stars as Cross, a racist sheriff in Oscar-winner Kevin Willmott’s “The 24th,” premiering on streaming services this Friday, Aug. 21. At left is the movie’s star, Trai Buyers, who co-wrote the script.
By LIBBY CUDMORE ONEONTA
‘B
lacKkKlansman” Oscar-winning screenwriter Kevin Willmott has discovered what Oneonta fans have known all along. Cuyle Carvin is destined to be a star. “When I arrived on set, he told me that he had seen my audition and knew right then that they wanted me,” Carvin said. Cuyle Carvin “They said they were looking for an unfamiliar face that could rival the looks of Brad
Pitt, but a better actor.” The 2003 Hartwick College graduate stars as Cross, a racist Houston sheriff, in Willmott’s latest film, “The 24th,” about the Houston riot of 1917, where soldiers from the Third Battalion of the all-black 24th Infantry Regiment clashed with Houston police following months of harassment and violence. The film was shot in North Carolina last year, and right now, Carvin, son of Nadine Stenson and Bill Carvin, is in Oneonta shooting the film “Asteroids” with Oneonta filmmakers Dylan Please See CARVIN, B2
For Tifanne
Lorraine Brady picks peppers in the garden she maintains in honor of her best friend, Tifanne Wells, donating the harvest to Nader Towers.
She Grows Garden Of Good Deeds In Remembrance Of A Violent End everyone,” she said. “She started First Night and the Hometown Fourth of July. She did so much.” ONEONTA Wells, 44, died in 2015, t home, Lorraine shot by her boyfriend, George Jones, after an Brady gardens for herself. argument outside their In the Community Garden home near Emmons on on Wilcox Avenue in the March 7, 2015. He then Tifanne Wells Sixth Ward, she gardens in shot and killed himself. Since 2017, Brady has honor of her best friend, kept a plot in the Community Garden, Tifanne Wells. “She was always trying to help Please See TIFANNE, B2 OTSEGO.life By LIBBY CUDMORE
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Enjoy New Art, Play Fun Games, Or Hit the Links
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hristine Alexander shows off her beautiful collage work at a pop-up show at the Art Garage. Reserve your 15-minute slot for a private showing! 2 - 5p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, through Saturday Sept 5. 689 Beaver Meadow Road, Cooperstown. Text 315941-9607 or call 607-5475327 for appointments. • Hit the links, social distance and raise money LIBBY for the Community CUDMORE Foundation of Otsego County with the return of the Otsego County Chamber Classic golf tournament. 1 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, Oneonta Country Club, 9 Country Club Dr., Oneonta. www.members.otsegocc.com • It’s a virtual poetry reading with the poets from ‘Seeing Things: An Anthology of Poetry,’ as part of CANO’s weekly writer’s salon. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 20, www.canoneonta.org. • The Glimmerglobe Theatre presents a virtual performance of Oscar Wilde’s “A Woman of No Importance.” 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21, www.facebook. com/fenimoreartmuseum/ • One champion will emerge from a Super Smash Bros. tournament. $2,000 in cash prizes, junior and senior brackets. Saturday, Aug. 22. Info, registration, Serenity Hobbies 607-376-7276. • Artist Christina Hunt Wood gives a free Zoom talk on her works in the Fenimore Art Museum’s Community Gallery. 2-3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23, www.facebook. com/fenimoreartmuseum/ • Eat great and support youth sports with a spaghetti and meatball dinner! 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, 6th Ward Athletic Club, 22 West Broadway, Oneonta. Call 607-436-9136 to order.
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Carvin’s Bad Guy In ‘The 24th,’ Oscar-Winning Screenwriter’s Latest CARVIN/From B1 Avery and Korey Rowe. Carvin’s brother, Chris, also lives locally. “I think Korey and I were on the same Little League team when we were kids, but we didn’t reconnect until recently, when we were both living in LA,” he said. “I bought a camera from him, and we reconnected over our love of film.” Last year, Carvin brought Rowe in to help him edit his featurelength directorial debut, “Dolls,” a horror film starring “ET” star Dee Wallace, available on Amazon Prime. “Korey called me up and told me about this project,” he said. Carvin plays Spencer, who moves back to his Oneonta hometown with his family in the days before the apocalypse. The majority of the film is being shot in Oneonta, including at ISD, the Southside Mall and Main Street, in an effort to drum up support for the creation of a local film commission, an idea
AllOTSEGO.life
Ian Austin/
Natalie Wrubleski of Cooperstown, who’s doing costumes on “Asteroids,” ensures every hair on Cuyle Carvin’s head is in place before shooting of a scene begins in Oneonta’s ISD.
championed by Greg Klein of Cooperstown. “Otsego County is the only county in New York State that doesn’t have a film commission,” he said. “Korey and Dylan want to change that and highlight this county as a place to make movies.”
It’s the second film he’s shot locally; in 2010, he returned from LA to star in “Mineville,” written and directed by Oneonta motherson filmmaking team Lori Kelly and Joel Plue. Filming on “Asteroids” is expected to wrap by the end of next week, but “The 24th” will
premier on streaming services on Friday, Aug, 21. Willmott won the “BlackkKlansman” Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2019, which he wrote with Spike Lee. “The 24th” was co-written by “Empire” actor Trai Byers, who also stars in the film, which also stars Oscar-nominated actor Thomas Hayden Church. Carvin’s character is based on Lee Sparks, a Houston sheriff whose violent and unprovoked attack on Cpl. Charles Baltimore of The 24th helped ignite the riot, which left 17 people dead, including four police officers, two soldiers and nine civilians. “It was tough,” the actor said. “It’s a predominantly black cast, and my first day on set, I’m slinging around the n-word. It was really awkward; was I supposed to say it in rehearsals? I hope they think I’m not really like this! “But thankfully, everyone got that.”
His first day’s scene was also a physically demanding one. “The soldiers are on the trolley, and one of them moves to sit up front,” he said. “The trolley driver tells him to move to the back, and when he doesn’t, he calls me in. “There’s a stand-off, and then I physically beat him. It’s a horrible introduction to a very racist character.” But Carvin was also impressed by the depth Willmott and Byers wrote for his character. “There’s a scene where Cross recounts a story about seeing the black community integrate into Houston when he was a kid, and how his father blamed them for him losing his business,” he said. “You get to see how racism grows in someone. Because we’re not born with hatred, these are things we learn. And I think it’s important that we see that. Will it change your mind about him? No. But it’s something we can look at in ourselves and people we know.”
Remembering Tifanne, Friend Turns Community Garden Into Font Of Good Will TIFANNE/From B1 growing vegetables solely for the purpose of donating to local charity organizations. “I started this garden to give everything away,” she
said. “I garden at home, but giving them away is better.” The first year, she gave her harvest – onions, shallots, broccoli and potatoes – to The Crossroads, the rehab community in Otego
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operated by Noelle and Brad Feik. “Tifanne was good friends with Noelle,” Lorraine said. “I’d take vegetables to them, and two weeks later, I’d come back and all of it would be gone.” In 2018, she took her fresh produce to the community kitchen at the Opportunities for Otsego homeless shelter. And starting last summer,
she added Nader Towers, for distribution to the residents. “They’re always so happy to get fresh vegetables,” she said. Recently, she took a five-gallon bucket of potatoes, and her green peppers became the basis of a feast. “One of the ladies made stuffed peppers and was taking them around to people,” she said. “They were a hit!”
This year, she added a second plot, with pole beans, tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, across from the plot she started with, where she grows potatoes and squash. She is able to take Community Service hours from Wells Fargo, where she works as an assistant, to maintain the garden and make the deliveries. Lorraine met Tifanne
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on the Oneonta Softball League in 1997, when they both played for the General Clinton Pub, where they both later worked together. “She was the most outgoing, vivacious person I’ve ever known,” she said. One time, she said, they were at a NASCAR race in the Poconos, and Wells helped strangers start their car in the parking lot. “Someone needed a jump when their car died,” she said. “She was always willing to help.” Wells mother, Bon, made a sign for the plot with Tifanne’s name and the Wonder Woman logo, in honor of a joke her daughter used to tell. “Tifanne would always say, ‘I’m not saying I’m Wonder Woman, but have you ever seen us in the same room together?’” said Brady. And you might see her in the garden sporting a Wonder Woman mask, made from fabric she found at WalMart. “We made a bunch of them,” she said. Brady is still close with Tifanne’s sons. Austin is a Marine stationed at Camp Pendleton, and Dalton is a senior at Oneonta High School. Her daughter, Cassie, lives in Otego. “When I’m on vacation, the kids will all take turns watering and picking the garden,” she said. And when she is weeding and picking, she takes a moment to reflect on her friend’s legacy. “It’s relaxing, it’s peaceful, it’s the only time my brain shuts off,” she said. “And it’s a way for me to give back the same way she did.”
AllOTSEGO.life
THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
B-3
Mayor, SUNY Oneonta Administration At Odds On Reopening
DUST-UP,/From A1 He said the three points of contention are: • One, Hartwick distributed a letter of welcome and instruction from the mayor through its internal communications to students, and posted it on the college’s social media, but SUNY Oneonta would not. College President Barbara Jean Morris “felt that it created an ‘us-vs-them’ environment, which I strongly disagree with,” said the mayor. The letter welcomes students, but also warns overcrowded house parties can bring $1,000 fines. • Two, Hartwick College and Hillside Commons, the student apartments, agreed with City Hall’s decision to halt evening shuttle buses between the campuses and downtown, to reduce risks of COVID spread in crowded bars. Instead, SUNY’s Student Association and its adviser disagreed, and are negotiating with Hale Bus Co., Madison County, to continue evening runs, (albeit, for shopping in Southside Mall.) • Three, President
Hartwick Asks Students: Test Once, Twice
HARTWICK/From A1 All students and employees will be required to: • Provide evidence of negative results from COVID-19 testing within a maximum of 14 days prior to arrival. • Quarantine for 14 days, if arriving from a “Hot Spot” state, as determined by the State of New York, even if the student has tested negative for COVID-19; • Undergo COVID-19 testing again on arriving on campus Aug. 22-31 – students and commuters, and all employees. • Be tested every week until the end of in-person classes (Nov 20). Again, that applies to students and employees. Further, “Out Social Compact” requires wearing masks in public, six-foot social distancing at all time, and respect for personal space; good hygiene, including frequent handwashing; participating in daily screenings including temperature checks; disinfecting living and working spaces and personal items on a regular basis; and comply with the College’s Reopening Campus Plan as well as local, state, and federal guidelines on COVID-19 when both on and off campus. Course work will be delivered both in-person and virtually for students in the fall semester. Changes to the academic calendar for the fall semester eliminated breaks until in-person instruction ends on Friday, November 20. All students will leave campus by November 21 and then complete the semester’s instruction and exams remotely. Final exams conclude on Dec. 10. The College has enhanced safety and cleaning measures campus-wide, including: • Daily screening of all individuals entering campus. • Increased sanitizing of academic and administrative buildings and residence halls. • Additional hand sanitizer dispensers at building entrances, dining and café locations, fitness entrances, and event spaces. • Markings and signage in campus buildings to indicate six-foot distancing. • Designated single-direction foot-traffic in some spaces, and limited the number of building entrances to facilitate screening. • Restricted elevator occupancy. • Reduced capacity in theaters and auditoriums to maintain six-foot social distance.
a time, for COVID. (It turns out the campus is participating in an innovative COVID-control collaboration; see related story, A1) In an interview Monday, Aug. 17, Herzig announced the tip-line – (607) 3767453 – that students and the public should call if they observe activities – parties, gatherings, flouting of social-distancing measures – that may assist the spread of COVID-19. Pointing out the arrival of students – SUNY’s began arriving Monday; Hartwick’s this weekend – will double HOMETOWN ONEONTA the city’s population, Herzig & The Freeman’s Journal said, “We love our students. Sal Trupia, Long We need our students here. Island, helps his We are doing everything we daughter Lauryn can to minimize the risks, to move into her SUNY keep students safe; to keep Oneonta dorm room year-‘round people safe, so Monday afternoon, we all come out on the other Aug. 17, with his side and return to life as wife Jeannine and normal.” son Joseph assisting. Hartwick students are Hartwick students are required to live on campus; arriving in Oneonta about half of SUNY this weekend. students live on-campus, Morris, as of last week, was half off-campus. College spokesman resisting participation in an “opt in” SUNY Upstate plan Kim McLeod, speaking on to “pool test” students, 20 at Morris’ behalf, disagreed
with the mayor’s assessment of SUNY Oneonta’s participation. On the first point, she said Bill Woodward, director of community standards, did write his own “extensive email” to “students in the Greater Oneonta community” detailing “point by point” provisions in Herzig’s welcome letter. Also, she said, Herzig’s letter was posted on the SUNY Oneonta parents’ page. On the second point, nighttime buses, McLeod said “students do have to shop and do things after classes.” Student Life Director and the S.A. have arranged shuttles to the mall and Walmart, 4-9 p.m. weekdays and noon-9 p.m. weekends. “I’m expecting that will turn out well as well,” she said. On the third point, testing students, she arranged an interview with Lachlan Squair, chief of facilities & safety, who said the campus is using waste-water monitoring, testing and quarantining as necessary through its health center, and that it has
decided to opt-in to the SUNY system’s collaboration with Upstate Medical in Syracuse. In an interview, Herzig said , “Both campuses have excellent safety plans, which require students to sacrifice greatly while they are on campus. “Dorm visits are greatly restrictive. Dining halls
are non-existent or greatly restricted. Masks. Forgoing in-person classes. “My position is that is all for naught if we don’t take the same approach and have the same intent when the students are off-campus, what’s the point of having extensive behavioral sacrifices on campus.”
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THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
B-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Law Or Not, Most People Wear Masks Downtown MASKS/From A1 heard about in a report on WKTV-TV, Utica. Locally, Village Board members who had crafted the law, and businesspeople who may have worried about it, seemed to unanimously agree that the first weekend of the new strictures had gone smoothly. Saturday, Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh Kuch went into the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market while hubby Gary Kuch, the town justice, sat in the car waiting and watching. “What’s your take, Gary?” she asked on finishing her shopping. “He said, ‘Easily, 97 or 98 percent are compliant. Those who don’t wear it have it around their necks.’” “I walked Main Street a little bit,” she said. “I found the same thing.” Village police patrolled,
but didn’t have to give out any citations, the mayor said. They asked a few people to put on their masks, and they did. (She emphasized: If they had been issued citations, fines – they are authorized to $1,000 – wouldn’t go to the village, but into state coffers.) Trustee Richard Sternberg, who has been most hawkish about the need to require mask-wearing, had a similar experience. “I thought I was seeing a higher percentage of masks,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s just a statistical variance. Some people weren’t aware of the new law yet.” Jess Lanza, new board chair at the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, estimated adherence to the law “in the 90 percentile” along Main Street. In Kate’s Upstate, the fashion store he operates with his wife,
“we haven’t had any issue with people coming in and fussing about it,” even under the less strict state order. “We didn’t have any issues or anything,” agreed Laurie Fink, Tin Bin Alley proprietor. “From my perspective, the first weekend went very well.” The Village Board unanimously passed the law Monday, Aug. 10, requiring masks to be worn on Main Street between Fair Street and Pine Boulevard, and on Pioneer between Church and Lake. The law was reviewed by Village Attorney Martin Tillapaugh, then filed with the New York secretary of state by week’s end, and it went into effect. The law enhances Governor Cuomo’s executive order requiring people to wear masks within six feet of each other; because of sidewalk cafes, the
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trustees were worried pedestrians are unable to maintain the required distance on downtown sidewalks. Concerned that there be enforcement, Sternberg said he had engaged village patrolmen in conversations about their plans to walk Main Street sidewalks. But that was before he and the rest of the trustees received an email from the mayor clarifying the chain of command: “She is the sole authority to speak to police,” as well as Village Administrator Teri Barown, he said. “She is correct.” (However, if Tillapaugh and Barown are both out of town, he continued, the Village Board can meet and designate an acting mayor until one of the women returns.) Meanwhile, the “Masks on Main” effort to alert out-oftowners to the new law is continuing, with signage, “masks required,” placed in the rain gardens along Main Street, the mayor said. “We ordered more signage after the law passed Monday night,” she said. “Sandwich boards should be in this week,” she added.
Taking Initiative, CGP Professor Acts So Students Can Study Safely
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal & HOMETOWN ONEONTA
On his own initiative over the summer, Eric Stengler, Cooperstown Graduate Program assistant professor, transformed the conference room and exhibit space in the lakeside building into one large room and arranged the desks so 17 students, practicing social distancing, can attend class as one. There are 23-24 students in each CGP class, so Director Gretchen Sorin split attendance in two: half attend class weekly, while the other half participates via Zoom, from home. The following week, vice versa. Stengler likewise adjusted labs and the lounge so the optimum number of master’s students can use them safely. Stengler graduated from the University of Cologne and received a Ph.D. from Oxford. He has been at the CGP for two years.
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Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Patriot APS, LLC Filed w/ SSNY 8/10/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY designated as agent upon whom proc. may be served & shall mail to 5001 St Hwy 23 Suite 3-148, Oneonta NY 13820. Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.24 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE Public Notice is heareby given Under Sec.182 NYS Lien Law, that property described as contents of storage unit, will be sold at public auction at 6 p.m. on August 28th, 2020 at Rt. 23 Self Storage of Oneonta, 8745 St. Hwy. 23, Oneonta NY. The sale of such property is to satisfy the lien of Rt 23 Self Storage of Oneonta on property stored for the accounts of: Unit # 409 Edmund Kingston
SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Kehoe & Merzig, PC, 8-12 Dietz St., Ste. 202, Oneonta, NY 13820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business location: 27 Solar Bluff, Worcester, NY 12197. 6LegalSept.24 Legal nOtice NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT Gary W. McCoy a/k/a Gary McCoy Nature of this action: foreclosure action involving real property commonly known as 2900 State Highway 80, Burlington Flats, New York seeking a judgment of foreclosure and sale for the amount due and owing to the Plaintiff, NBT Bank, National Association, under the Note and Mortgage with a current principal balance of Nineteen Thousand One Hundred Ninety Three and 53/100 Dollars ($19,193.53) together with interest, late fees and other charges. AMENDED SUMMONS
Unit # 507 Charles Ison Legal nOtice
Index No.: EF2020-34
NOTICE OF FORMATION OF
STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF OTSEGO
J&R PROPERTIES OF WORCESTER, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/1/20. Office in Otsego Co.
NBT BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff,
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-against-
GARY W. McCOY a/k/a GARY McCOY; ELIZABETH McCOY; ELIZABETH V. ROONEY; ERIE MATERIALS INC.; ALLIED BUILDING PRODUCTS; CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A.; VELOCITY INVESTMENTS, INC; CAVALRY SPV I, LLC; PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES, LLC; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; and JOHN DOE and MARY ROE, said Individuals being fictitious and intended as possible occupants of the premises which are the subject matter of this action, and whose identity is unknown, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above action and serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or if the service of the Summons is made by any means other than by personal delivery to you within the State of New York, within thirty (30) days after such service is complete. In case of your failure to appear or Answer thereto, judgment will be
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TESTING/From A1 in the virus five days before it can be detected in testing of symptoms.” The idea of testing waste-water – in a word, sewage – has been surfacing in news reports only in the past few days – “the canary in the coal mine,” a Clemson University administrator called it – so SUNY Oneonta is on the cutting edge. As far as he knows, Squair said, Oneonta is the first SUNY campus to adopt the technique, which grew out of a collaboration with Cornell, Syracuse University, Upstate Medical in Syracuse, and a company called Quadrant Biosciences, also in Syracuse. It is one of three tools SUNY Oneonta has adopted to stay ahead of the pandemic threat, along with: • Pooled testing, where a “pool” of saliva from 20 students is sent to Upstate Medical for testing. If the sample tests positive for COVID-19, the 20 students can then be tested individually. It’s less
LEGALS
taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may Answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. Otsego County is designated as the place of trial, the basis of venue in this action is the location of the mortgaged premises. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR
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THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT, GARY W. McCOY a/k/a GARY McCOY Dated: January 13, 2020 Clifton Park, New York BURGESS & ASSOCIATES P.C. Melissa H. Pugliese, Esq. Attorneys for plaintiff Office and P.O. Address 646 Plank Road, Suite 103 Clifton Park, New York 12065 (51 8) 371 -0052 4LegalSept.10 Legal nOtice NOTICE OF FORMATION OF RADICALLY ALIGNED LLC Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 07/27/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to: 238 Percy Holmes Rd Worcester, NY 12197. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.17 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of
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the Local Gal, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 05/11/20. Office location: Otsego. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY should mail process to 56 Center St, Oneonta, NY 13820. Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.17 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 2229 County Highway LLC filed w/ SSNY 7/29/20. Off. in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served & shall mail process to the LLC, 1945 County Hwy. 22, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. Any lawful purpose. 6LegalSept.17 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Arnold Lake, LLC . Filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 08/03/20. Office location: Otsego County. Walt Frazier designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. Walt Frazier shall mail process to the LLC at 273 Southside Drive, Oneonta N.Y. 13820. Purpose: Any lawful
expensive and more efficient than testing everyone. • If symptoms appear, students are immediately directed to the campus Health & Wellness Center, that round building on the left as you approach campus on Ravine Parkway. There, students will be tested, then quarantined while awaiting results; if positive, any infected student will be isolated through recovery. SUNY Oneonta will be testing for 24 hours, twice weekly, at three waste-water outflow points. If a COVID indication surfaces, quarantining and isolating would be initiated in that one-third of the campus. Test samples will be sent to Quadrant, Squair said, where “there’s a test available that’s so sensitive it can pick up a very small COVID positive in a 200,000 population. “This is going to be a very important tool in the control of COVID,” he continued. “We’re part of a group of early adopters of this technology.”
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activity 6LegalSept.10
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Notice of Formation of
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GREULICH REALTY LLC
Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company
Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/23/2020. Office in Otsego Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Jeff Greulich, 9 Roaring Rock Rd., Washington, NJ 07882. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business location: 40 Maple Ave., Unadilla, NY 13849. 6LegalSept.3
Name: HOTEL PRATT LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 17 June 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 50 Pioneer St, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.10 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Goss Properties, LLC, Art. of Org. filed with SSNY on 6/25/20. Off. loc.: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom proc. may be served & shall mail 33 Ford Ave., Oneonta, NY 13820. Purp.: any lawful. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice
Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: PRIME’S OUTDOOR POWER LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 5715 US Hwy 20, East Springfield, NY 13333. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice
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Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company Name: SPRINGFIELD CAMPGROUND LLC Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 24 July 2020. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and SSNY shall mail copy of process to 7761 State Highway 80, Springfield Center, NY 13468. Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws. 6LegalSept.3 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of AMERICAN MAIN STREET PROJECT LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 06/26/20. Office location: Otsego County. SSNY desg. as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 81 Spruce St., Oneonta, New York, 13820. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. 6LegalAug.20
►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, August 20, 2020
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL B-5
OBITUARIES
STERNBERG: It’s Unlikely Immunity Will Save Us Morganna E. Garbera, 79; Worked With Kids For 21 Years Herd Unfortunately, too many STERNBERG/From A5
RICHFIELD SPRINGS – Morganna Ellen Coleman Garbera, 79, who spent 21 years working with young children in Richfield Springs, passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 11 at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester She was born in Cooperstown, on Feb. 16, 1941 to Charles Coleman and his wife Anita Coleman (née Morgan) and was the youngest of their five children. She married Michael Harold Garbera, Jr. on February 15th, 1958 at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Roman Catholic Church in Cooperstown and spent the
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of Jacksonville, Fla; her daughter Brenda Babcock and her husband Rodger Babcock of Jacksonville, Fla;her son Michael Garbera III and his fiancée Bianca Kessler of Richfield Springs; her son Gregory Garbera and his wife Ramona Garbera of Phoenix, AZ; her daughter Lisa Vanwinkler and her husband Mitchell Vanwinkler of Richfield Springs , with whom she lived these past three years; her son Chad Garberaand his wife Farzaneh Samie of South Glastonbury, Conn. She is survived by nine grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. She was predeceased by her brother Charles Coleman, her brother Roger Coleman and his wife Carol, her sister Josephine Taugher (née Coleman) and her
husband Stuart, and her sister Jane Reich (née Coleman) and her husband Robert. Morganna Garbera A memorial service will be set at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made in her memory to Richfield Springs Central School for the “Ganna’s Sweet Treats Fund”. This fund will honor Ganna’s legacy of bringing joy to children through simple acts of kindness such as providing them with the occasional sweet treat to brighten their day. Funeral arrangements are entrusted to the J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home.
Dennis Rose, 73, Burlington Flats; Enjoyed Hunting
312 Chestnut St., Oneonta 557 St. Hwy 80 East, New Berlin
BURLINGTON FLATS – Dennis (Denny) Rose of 607-433-0975 • 607-847-6549 Burlington Flats, 73, died sicklermemorials.com • sicklerm@outlook.com peacefully at his home on
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
Aug. 11, 2020, after a battle with cancer. He was born on Jan. 27, 1947, in New Berlin and raised in Burlington Flats, the son of the late Kenneth and Grace Rose, and predeceased by his son Kenneth Clayton, his sister Nancy Schoonover and brother, Andrew Rose. Denny had a great love for coyote hunting with his son James and his many hunting buddies throughout the years. He has been surrounded with many wonderful friends and neighbors. He was happiest when hunting and was known for being a hard worker, helping anyone in need and showing his love through practical jokes no matter who was around him.
He is survived by his wife of 29 years, Susan Rose; a daughter and son-in law, Tina Dennis and Steven Rose Tschaar of West Exeter; a daughter and son-in-law, Victoria and Martin Wales from The Bronx; son and daughterin-law James and Tammy Kerwin; and daughter and son-in-law Tracey and Tom Lucas; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren. The family would like to express their sincere gratitude for the kindness and compassion of the Hospice staff.
Seth Yerdon, 83, Cherry Valley; Army Veteran, Retired Postmaster CHERRY VALLEY – Seth E. Yerdon, 83, formerly of Cherry Valley, an Army veteran and retired postmaster, passed away peacefully on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020, at his home in Tamarac, Fla. Seth was born on Feb. 20, 1937, in Little Falls, a son of the late DeForest and Mae Yerdon. He retired in 1990 after serving in the military and with the U.S. Postal Service. Seth will forever be remembered as having a great sense of humor and a quick wit. As a young man he was a tremendous basketball and baseball player and in later years he enjoyed the game of golf
with his wife and many close friends. In addition, he enjoyed playing piano and loved music and dancing. He approached each day by flinging open the front door and saying, “Good Morning World!” and if you were to ask, he would tell you he had a great life. Seth is survived by his two daughters, Tracy Moylan and Cheryl Myint; grandchildren, Evan, Brianna, Charles, Sarah Myint (Evan’s wife) and Trey Barnes (Brianna’s husband); great-grandchildren, Elijah, Leah and Logan Myint and Waylon Barnes; sister-inlaw, Janice Yerdon; nieces and nephews and John Moylan, a special friend of the family. In addition to his parents he was predeceased by his wife, Elaine, and brothers, David and Gary Yerdon. The family will have a private service in Cherry Valley at a later date. Arrangements are entrusted to the KalisMcIntee Funeral Home, Wilton Manors, Fla. Condolences may be sent to the family at KalisMcIntee.com.
MeMories to Cherish every life has a story. everyone deserves a final appreciation.
Be sure to remind your funeral director to provide obituary information to our newspapers, along with your favorite photo of your loved one.
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Cooperstown’s Newspaper
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& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch
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1808 BY
ONEONTA
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Or submit the information yourself, directly to info@AllOtsegO.com, or by filling out a special form at www.AllOtsegO.com/loved-ones/
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next 60 years together in their home in the hamlet of South Columbia, NY, where they raised five children. A great cook and avid baker, she grew adept at many different cuisines, from the corned beef and cabbage of her Irish heritage to the many Polish delicacies she learned to prepare after her marriage, including pierogies, golumpki, and kruschicki. She loved children all her life and spent over 21 years as a Child Associate in the Richfield Springs Central School District’s Primary Project program. She is survived by her husband Michael, with whom she celebrated her 62nd anniversary in February; her sisters-in-law Delores Coleman (née Snyder) of Cooperstown, Mary Jane Coretti (née Garbera)
For 212 Years
AllOTSEGO.com
Other places, I have read numbers as low as 20 percent (highly wishful thinking) and as high as 90 percent. The truth is an individual’s risk does decrease as the percentage immune around her increases, but it doesn’t hit zero until she is immune either by having contracted the disease or by immunization. The disease doesn’t go away until the percentage with it reaches zero, which is termed eradication. For example, worldwide we are so close to eradicating polio, but until the last cases have recovered without any further transmission the population is not safe and new generations can get the disease. The same is true with COVID-19. What it comes down to is: Herd immunity is the point where the transmission rate of the disease is so low and so few people are contracting it that society as a whole accepts the remaining cases as being inevitable. Measles as a disease was mostly eradicated in the U.S. by aggressive immunization programs for decades beginning in the ’60s. Measles kills. But as herd immunity developed, some parents refused to have their children vaccinated, thinking that if everybody else’s children were vaccinated there would be nobody for their child to catch it from.
people thought this way. Measles is very highly contagious, probably more so than COVID-19, and a big enough reservoir of the non-immunized was now left that occasionally it takes off. It can be fatal and children died (unnecessarily). You have probably heard or read about this in the media in the last few years. The same will happen with COVID-19, unless the percentages immune become very high. So, if we take 70 percent as the point where we declare herd immunity, then 240 million Americans will have had to contract it. At an overall fatality rate of between 0.5 and 1.0 percent (this includes minimally and asymptomatic people who are still infective anyway), we can expect 1.2-2.4 million Americans to die. There will still be 90 million people at risk. We need to slow the spread and pray for a vaccine soon to avoid this result. Wear your masks. And to the people who claim that they can’t wear a mask (don’t get me going on that), wear a face shield. It works as well and doesn’t interfere with your breathing. Richard Sternberg, a retired Bassett Hospital orthopedic surgeon, has agreed to provide his professional perspective while the coronavirus threat continues. Dr. Sternberg, who is also a village trustee, resides in Cooperstown.
VELEZ: Will Pandemic Lead To More Justice, Understanding VELEZ/From A4 Humanity has survived wars, droughts, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, plagues and pandemics of biblical proportions. We tend to consider them as isolated events in history, having an impact only in the time and place of their occurrence. However, if we consider them as parts of a broader, divine plan, each may have greater significance. Virtually all religions are predicated on a core set of values that are usually encapsulated in a primary document. Every major religion has a written source that incorporates its theology, history, traditions, rituals and moral code. For Jews, it is the Torah. For Christians, it is the New Testament. For Muslims, it is the Qur’an. It is from books such as these and from the studies of learned scholars that the faithful draw the knowledge and wisdom to direct how they conduct themselves in all aspects of life. In this context, major disasters may be seen as opportunities for us to fulfill our part in a divine plan. The essence of the great commandment, to love God and our neighbor, binds us to each other in our quest for justice and peace. Nevertheless, throughout history it is clear that for the most part, we have failed to produce permanent change for the better in times of greatest need. It always seems that we can rationalize that it is not our problem and so, we walk away. COVID-19 has changed that view. This virus is highly contagious and deadly. While
it is completely indiscriminate in whom it infects, the consequences are worse for the poor. It has spread worldwide and has brought the world economy to its knees. It is as though all of humanity has been put into the crucible at once. No one can walk away because no one is immune to this scourge or exempt from its broader consequences. Overcome the grave and diverse consequences of the pandemic, we have had to adopt new paradigms of personal and social relationships. We are discovering that our survival depends on our turning to others for assistance and supporting others in their need. Every day we witness and engage in selfless and sometimes courageous acts of aid to others. This is a consequence of our sharing in the crisis rather than simply observing it as we have others in the past. While the end seems far away, there will come a time when we will manage our way into the future with COVID-19. The crisis will pass but the virus will remain, and hopefully the experience will have changed us for the better. Our heightened awareness of the pervasive social and economic injustice, coupled with our new understanding of “who is my neighbor,” may bring us finally to embrace our part in the plan and bring about lasting justice and peace for all. Velez is deacon at St. Mary’s “Our Lady of the Lake” Catholic Church in Cooperstown and St. Thomas, The Apostle in Cherry Valley.
HESSE: We’re All Still Americans HESSE/From A4 Where is the money coming from to finance all the protests? Who is paying for making the 200 photos on the wall in Oneonta? And what about those displayed recently in Unadilla? Who are the behind-the-scene organizers? The public needs to have these questions answered. Transparency should be the order of the day. Intertwined with all this is the subject of our police force. I live in Otego and have been coming to Oneonta for over 70 years. During that time I have come to respect and appreciate Oneonta’s police presence. I have read Chief Brenner’s letter and I do not feel it was in any way “an example of white fragility.” Such a statement serves only to provoke a problem. The current demonstrations and protests in our country have unequivocally served to divide this country. It would be remiss for Chief Brenner not to have supported his officers.
There are somewhere between 750,000 and 850,000 police on the job in the United States, and there are as many as 1.1 million in the field of law enforcement. Of the individuals shot by police in 2020, 215 were white, 111 were black. (statista.com) Police who died in the line of duty in 2020 numbered 145. (odmp.org) You do the math! Another concern is with the dictate from Governor Cuomo for local municipalities to establish a Community Advisory Board to review the rules governing their local police forces, Oneonta being no exception. Oneonta’s board, as currently composed, is not likely to provide a broad and unbiased perspective on the matter, given the backgrounds and affiliations of the proposed members. Police are an important part of our society. We need to support them. BUZZ HESSE Otego
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THURSDAY, August 20, 2020
OTSEgO AUTO MAll
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