The job scene

from Hometown Oneonta 04-13-23

by All Otsego - News of Oneonta, Cooperstown & Otsego County, NY

SHIFT Fair Coming Up April 22-23

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

$17/hour starting wage $1500* sign-on bonus

*DETAILS UPON HIRE*

The Farmers’ Museum has an opening for: Farmer

The Farmers’ Museum is seeking qualified applicants for a full-time year round position. Qualified applicants will be knowledgeable in the care and feeding of museum livestock and farm animals. They will assist with maintenance, care and upkeep of barns, outbuildings, and fencing, and with the planting, maintaining, and harvesting of field demonstration plots and gardens. Knowledge of hand operated and mechanical equipment necessary. Experience working with the public to provide a pleasant informative atmosphere. Ability to lift 50 lbs. Excellent benefit package. Covid-19 vaccination required.

Applications are available online at farmersmuseum.org or email hr@fenimoreart.org.

Annual WSBC Futsal Tournament a Huge Success

WORCESTER—On Saturday, March 25, the Worcester Sports Booster Club held its third annual youth futsal tournament at Worcester Central School. The tourney drew students in grades three through six from Schenevus, Oneonta, Cobleskill, Worcester and surrounding towns. Proceeds from this year’s event helped to fund a European soccer trip for three WCS senior athletes—Connor Fancher, Anna Serdy and Sophia Adams. According to the booster club, this event always brings in a great showing of spectators and students; WCS athletes also came to volunteer their time, helping out and “paying it forward.” In addition to thanking all who attended, the WSBC praised Matt Maynard for his hard work and dedication in organizing the event, and gave a special shout-out to the WCS Prom Committee, who provided an abundant concession. “We are already looking forward to next year’s tournament,” said booster club member Jessica Kenyon. “The WSBC thrives on raising money to help provide students of all ages the opportunity to participate in clinics, camps, tournaments and other sporting ventures,” she said. More information can be found at the WSBC Facebook page.

Cherry Valley Sculpture Trail Calls for Entries

CHERRY VALLEY—Entries for the 10th-anniversary biennial Cherry Valley Summer Sculpture Trail will be accepted until April 30. Established and emerging artists are invited to submit applications, which should include images of previous or available sculptures. Existing and new works are welcome. All entrants will be eligible for the $1,000.00 grand prize and $500.00 first prize. There is no application fee. Cherry Valley Artworks will provide installation support and liability insurance, and can offer limited assistance with moving expenses upon application. Sales will be actively encouraged. Previous shows have featured work from across the U.S. and from as far away as Japan and Iran. The 2023 show will run from July 3 to October 6. It will be curated by Marc-Anthony Polizzi, of Utica. Polizzi is a founding member of the Upstate Artists Collective. His work has been featured in shows nationwide. Artists should submit their applications to Sculpturetrailinfo@cvartworks.org by April 30. For more information or to complete an application form, visit https://www. cvartworks.org/sculpturetrail23.

CFOC Selects April Nonprofit of the Month

SPRINGFIELD—The Community Foundation of Otsego County announces it will select and help publicize an Otsego County nonprofit as our Nonprofit of the Month, throughout 2023. This will be seen in a Nonprofit Spotlight on our website, cfotsego. org. The first selection for the series is the Cooperstown Food Pantry, which serves large parts of Otsego County, including the Village of Cooperstown and 18 other townships and villages.

Boy Scouts Host First Aid Meet

ONEONTA—The Boy Scouts of America Leatherstocking Council hosted the annual regional First Aid Meet at SUNY Oneonta’s Chase Gym on Friday, March 17. Twenty-two teams totaling around 110 scouts attended. Each team responded to three first-aid scenarios of increasing difficulty. Judges selected first-, second-, and third-place winners for junior and senior divisions. The BSA Council plans to hold the event again next year.

Hartwick Announces Speaker, Honorary Degree

ONEONTA—Hartwick College will confer an honorary degree on Francesca Zambello, artistic and general director emerita of the Glimmerglass Festival, and will welcome Baseball Hall of Fame President Josh Rawitch as commencement speaker for the May 20 ceremony. Zambello is an internationally recognized opera and theater director who steered Glimmerglass Festival for 12 years. She is now artistic director at the Washington National Opera. Among many prestigious international awards, Zambello has received the San Francisco Opera Medal for Artistic Excellence, the Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, two French Grand Prix des Critiques, and the Russian Federation’s medal for Service to Culture. Before joining the Hall of Fame, Rawitch served as senior vice president of content and communications with the Arizona Diamondbacks for 10 seasons. He received the 2018 Robert O. Fishel award for public relations excellence among non-uniformed MLB representatives. “Francesca Zambello and Josh Rawitch are visionaries who have each demonstrated an exemplary commitment to this region,” said Hartwick President Darren Reisberg. The commencement ceremony will begin at 11:30 a.m. on May 20. For more information, visit the college website.

DEC Issues Human-Bear Guidance

NEW YORK—The state Department of Environmental Conservation reminded New Yorkers to remove or secure outdoor food sources as spring arrives. In a release from April 7, the DEC urged residents with bird feeders to remove them and clean up spilled seed, as warmer weather allows birds to feed themselves. According to DEC officials, black bears are emerging from hibernation with depleted fat reserves and will be extremely bold in their search for food. New Yorkers are also advised to secure garbage cans and protect poultry coops and apiaries with electric fencing. Feeding bears intentionally is illegal. Unintentional feeding can create problems for the surrounding community or even the bear, if it becomes a threat to people or property. For more information on keeping black bears healthy, wild and safe, visit the DEC website or bearwise.org.

country felt the same way, the two filmmakers then embarked on a tour across the U.S., beginning in the south, continuing to the East Coast and winding up with a 30-day series of interviews in the west.

“In all, we were on the road for 50 days, interviewed 200 people in 30 states and clocked 16,500 miles,” Stillman said.

Wachter and Stillman sought to interview as diverse a group as possible. Without being labeled by political beliefs, interviewees spanned the full spectrum as to gender, race and age—the youngest interviewee being 18 years old.

“We always prefaced the interviews by saying, “We want to know what you really feel about America at this time,” Wachter said, noting that “once people cross the threshold of trust, they open up and begin to share.”

Wachter and Stillman carried out their work during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. One advantage of that situation was that venues were easily available. Another was that gas prices were exceptionally low.

“We observed COVID protocols to maintain safety for everyone involved. We scheduled interviews an hour and a half apart,” Wachter said, noting also that she and Stillman wore masks while the interviewees did not, but were standing a minimum of six feet from their subjects.

“It was definitely production on the fly. Complete strangers from all over the country facilitated the process, cooked meals for us, and invited us into their homes,” Wachter said.

Besides the practical challenges presented by the pandemic, Wachter and Stillman sensed its emotional impact on the general population. It seemed to exacerbate feelings of malcontent associated with the existing political situation.

“A lot of people were expressing the pain they were feeling. They were hurting for a number of reasons and the shut-down caused them to internalize their feelings of anger and confusion,” Stillman said.

The film was finalized in March, 2022. Running 100 minutes, it considers 11 distinct topics, including “Haves and Have-nots,” “Racism in America” and

“Why is There Angst?”

Wachter and Stillman approached the project with different attitudes—yet another example of the diversity of opinions and attitudes so prevalent across the nation.

“I began with cynical ideas about whether we did have things in common but ended up feeling that we all want the same things—good jobs, good healthcare, good schools and safe communities,” Stillman said.

“I started out with a little more faith in mankind than Joe. I found out so much about myself by interviewing others. I identified with what they were saying and thinking. If we take enough time to share conversation and listen, we can find nuggets of similarities that allow us to embrace each other,” Wachter said.

In 2022, Wachter and Stillman met with success in film competitions. The film won the “Grand Festival

Documentary Award” at the Berkley Video Film Festival.

It took top honors at the South Texas Underground Film Festival and was a semi-finalist at Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival. It was also selected to be in the fulllength documentary category for the 4th annual Morehouse College Human Rights Film Festival.

More information can be found at https://somethinginthewater.today.

Voyage

Continued from page 2

But, just as every player has to warm up before stepping up to the plate, the USS Cooperstown has already had a chance to knock the dirt off her cleats. Last month, while undergoing a routine trial run and awaiting her entrance as an integral part of the U.S. Naval fleet, she received a distress call and diverted course to rescue a stranded mariner off the coast of South Carolina.

The stories of the men commemorated by the USS Cooperstown will be shared in a future article, breathing a bit of life into what was once just a hulk of steel.

Redistrict

Continued from page 1 of minority communities. Wards must have contiguous territory and must be as compact as possible.

The commission spent much of its time considering communities of interest, which are identifiable groups with a unique common interest that may be affected by council action. Thanks to the efforts of committee members William Shue (Sixth Ward) and Glenn Pichardo (Seventh Ward), Oneonta’s Sixth Ward and college students were each identified as communities of interest. It was not possible to fit all SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College students into a single ward. Herzig stated that the commission had done everything possible to ensure the Sixth Ward and the students could continue to act as communities.

During the public comment period, Hartwick College student Jasmin Ahmed expressed concern about a Hartwick freshman dorm placed in the Eighth Ward, separate from the rest of the college in the Fifth Ward. City Administrator Greg Mattice replied that it may not be possible to move the boundary without violating the population rule.

Herzig thanked Mattice and Engineering and Public Works GIS Specialist Maureen Seymour on behalf of the entire commission for their tireless work in creating the draft ward map. Their assistance saved Oneonta taxpayers a $16,000.00 fee to hire an outside consultant, he said.

In a release, the city reminded voters that Otsego County uses the City of Oneonta’s ward boundaries to define their four city voting districts. As Otsego County had previously completed its redistricting process for 2020, it will be necessary for the county officials to recalculate their weighted voting allotments once the City of Oneonta’s redistricting plan is approved and adopted by the Common Council. In addition, the new ward configurations will not take effect before the

2023 Common Council elections. Unfortunately, Herzig explained, this means that no council members will be elected to the new districts until 2027. The redistricting commission and Common Council will continue to work on the draft plans in an effort to accommodate public concerns, Herzig said. Joel J. Plue contributed to this article.

SENIOR RESTAURANT DINING!

$3.50 per meal

The Senior Restaurant Dining Program offers 60+ residents a unique opportunity to enjoy a nutritious meal at a local restaurant! This program offers socialization, community engagement and the flexibility of various times and days while supporting local business.

Eligibilty 60+ residents in Otsego County. Must register with Otsego County Office for the Aging by calling (607) 547-6454.

Gratuity responsibility of participant

Suggested contribution: $350 per meal