The Freeman's Journal 10-26-23

OUNDED

M C

IA

DG

E WIL

L

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

JU

rt of Be a pa t the bes k y Boo Holida egion! in the r

1808 BY

OOP

E

•F

IN

! e m i T y a Holid

R

founded in 1808

SSY!

GLO R AND

O -6103forums, page 6 L COL candidate HIPS HostING L U F E 607-547 AR

a at r a AGES y or P T d n L r a L o R A t Randy Contac 07-547-6103 t c a t n 6 Co Tara at VISIT www.

OTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S DAILY NEWSPAPER/ONLINE

All

Volume 215, No. 43

Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, October 26, 2023

Newsstand Price $1

Parking a Controversial Subject in Oneonta Downtown Parking in City is Available, if Not Convenient

By MONICA CALZOLARI ONEONTA here is a perception that there is a shortage of parking in the City of Oneonta. When the parking garage on Market Street closed, the city lost 433 parking spaces.

City Administrator Greg Mattice has been studying the supply and demand for parking since May 2021 and closely monitoring usage before and after the parking garage closed.

When the new apartments on Dietz Street opened, the city gained 57 parking spots as well as a number of new residents.

Mattice said, “The southern portion of the Dietz lot is now open and available for public parking.”

He clarified that this lot is not reserved for the residents of the new apartments on Dietz Street, but they are welcome to park there.

The parking spots on Main Street, in the Westcott lot and in the Wall Street lot, are the most popular. Before the garage was closed, these locations reached 80-90 percent occupancy mid-day and are now at 99-100 percent occupancy.

According to Mattice, “In total, there are 66 spaces on Main Street between Fairview Street to Grand Street….The busiest times of the week, in terms of greatest number of cars parked in downtown public spaces, are typically mid-day on Thursdays and Fridays.”

T

INSIDE ► news from the village of milford, page 2 ► Clark family honored for stewardship, page 3 ► what is the vet pfas act? page 4 ► readers weigh in on elections, page 4 ► on stage: ‘I and you’ this weekend, page 6 ► coop soccer teams in semifinals, page 11 ► new harpsichord for orchestra, page 13 ► citizen science, page 13 Follow Breaking News On

AllOTSEGO.com

Mattice concluded, “…Even without the parking garage, there are still enough public parking spaces in downtown Oneonta to accommodate the current quantity of parking demand…. It may seem difficult to find a parking space on or very close to Main Street because those are the most highly coveted spaces.”

The location of the remaining parking spots may not be as conveniently located, but parking is available. In total, there are 301 on-street parking spots in down-

Even without the parking garage, there are still enough public parking spaces in downtown Oneonta to accommodate the current quantity of parking demand...

Greg Mattice City Administrator town Oneonta. Plus, there are four public parking lots with another 282 spaces including the Dietz, Westcott and Wall Street lots.

As a map on the City of Oneonta website indicates, some provide free overnight parking. Others are limited to two hours or restrict parking between 2-6 a.m.

Tyler Miller, a resident of downtown Oneonta, said, “It is chal-

lenging for sure. Parking during the week is different than on the weekends. I park overnight in the Dietz Street lot from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.”

Miller used to park overnight in the spots marked “tenants only” behind Theresa’s Emporium. Then he found out that those spots were reserved for certain apartments, not the one he rents. Like other private lots reserved for customers, this lot frequently has empty spaces.

In addition to the 583 parking spots owned by the city, there are many privately-owned parking lots not under the purview of the City of Oneonta. Some include: • The Clinton Plaza parking lot

by B-side has 65 parking spaces.

• The Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center has approximately 70 spaces.

• The Marx Hotel has a large parking lot.

• NBT Bank on Chestnut Street has 26 spaces.

• Community Arts Network of Oneonta has approximately 23 spaces.

• Community Bank on Main Street has approximately 87 spaces behind its building that are now being patrolled for customers only.

Parking Under Development The former Oneonta Sales building site will become a temporary parking lot with approximately 49 spaces, but it is not yet open.

The former parking garage site will become a parking lot with approximately 108 spaces. It will Continued on page 9

Rendering of the Bank Lofts, Richfield Springs, New York © River Architects, PLLC.

Energy efficiency and carbon neutrality are hallmarks of the Bank Lofts project.

Bank Lofts Garnering Awards, Recognition

By DAN SULLIVAN RICHFIELD SPRINGS efore it is even finished, the ambitious Bank Lofts project at 118 Main Street in Richfield Springs is attracting accolades and a lot of positive attention, having been featured recently in “Passive House Accelerator” magazine.”

The project is a venture combining three entities into the team: River Architects LLC, represented by Juhee-Lee Hartford; Dooalot LLC, in the persons of Faith Gay and Francesca Zambello, the owner/developers, and Josh Edmonds of Simple Integrity LLC, the builders. The New York Department of State selected the project as one of 10 regionally-significant projects to share $12 million in support as part Continued on page 12

B

FAM Exhibit Teases, Tickles, Taunts the Imagination

By TERESA WINCHESTER COOPERSTOWN ewis Carroll’s Alice went down a rabbit hole to be transported to a world of wonder and strangeness.

Something similar happens when visiting Fenimore Art Museum’s exhibit, “A Cabinet of Curious Matters: Work by Nancy Callahan and Richard Whitten.”

Museum goers should plan to spend a long while in the gallery. These works cannot be fully appreciated in a casual stroll-through. Each piece is the product of an active imagination, requiring the active participation of the observer’s imagination as well. Trompe l’oeil, visual puns, whimsy and even trickery are part and parcel of the show. As in our dreams, the real blends with the unreal, continually confounding our perceptions.

Photo by Todd Kenyon The works of Callahan and Whitten are Richard Whitten, Air Paddle, 2022. Oil on wood uncannily complementary. Museum notes panel.

L

state the artists “share an interest in dreams, antique scientific and medical instruments, mythologies, and mysteries.” Despite their common interests, however, Callahan, retired professor Emerita at SUNY-Oneonta, and Whitten, professor of painting at Rhode Island College, go about their work in a polar opposite manner.

“Like a dreamer letting down their guard for the night, I give myself over to the work in the studio day after day not knowing where it will take me. There are no carefully drawn sketches, thoughtfully formed plans or even a map to guide the way,” Callahan writes in a catalog of her exhibit.

Conversely, Whitten methodically works out each drawing before finalizing it.

“I draft out the piece, then make notebook drawings, then make a model,” Whitten said in a talk at the museum.

Whitten’s paintings, largely oil on wood panel, reveal a fascination with architecture, Continued on page 13

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER EDDM PRESORT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID ONEONTA PERMIT NO. 890

A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

Town Talk

Village of Milford

ANNUAL CRAFT & VENDOR FAIR

Saturday and Sunday, November 5 & 6 11 am to 5 pmNovember 4 • Over 70 vendors!

Saturday Interested in renting a table?

E-mail Patty at Southside Mall at 607-432-4401 pdresser@x0x0x0x0x0x0x.com

AllOTSEGO.

dining&entertainment

MILFORD—The Village of Milford is participating in Operation Green Light for Veterans.

Starting on Monday, October 23, residents and business owners can receive free green light bulbs at the Village Offices until supplies are depleted. Mayor Brian Pokorny and his wife, Sue, have generously donated 100 bulbs to show their support for this worthwhile cause.

Similarly, Otsego County will also be joining the initiative in alignment with the efforts of the New York State Association of Counties.

District 5 Otsego County Board Representative Margaret Kennedy (Hartwick, Milford, New Lisbon) and County Veterans Director Phil Couse have been actively encouraging countywide participation. The campaign urges counties, residents, and businesses to demonstrate their support by illuminating their buildings and entryways with green bulbs from November 6 to November 12.

Operation Green Light for Veterans holds significant importance as a nationwide movement that symbolizes support, appreciation, and recognition for our veterans. Furthermore, it serves as a valuable resource for veterans to access essential county services.

BFS Continues Lake Testing OTSEGO LAKE—The SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station completed testing for Microcystis cyanobacteria toxins in Otsego Lake on Wednesday, October 18. Toxins were detectable at low concentrations down to 39 feet of depth at the mid-lake testing site. Light foam was observed on the surface in all areas of the lake. Lake users should continue to exercise caution, primarily with small children and pets.

The BFS is not an ELAP-certified laboratory.

Elks Announce Veterans’ Event SIDNEY—Following the success of the inaugural event in 2022, the Sidney Elks Lodge will once again host a Veterans’ Resource Fair from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 1. It will be held at the Lodge, 104 River Street. The fair will feature lunch, giveaways, haircuts, blood pressure screening, door prizes, vendors and live music. Veterans and their guests are welcome. Reservations are encouraged but not required; call (607) 563-2175 to register or for more information.

Candidate Interviews Online OTSEGO COUNTY—If you have not yet read the full interviews with Otsego County clerk candidates Jennifer Basile and MacGuire Benton, you can find them on allotsego.com.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-3

Jane Forbes Clark, Clark Family Honored with Steward Award WASHINGTON, D.C. passion and dedication to the preservation ane Forbes Clark and the Clark of a legendary historic hotel and guaranFamily of Cooperstown have been tees that travelers can continue to enjoy named the recipient of the 2023 this special place well into the future.

Historic Hotels of America Steward of For more than 150 years, members History and Historic Preservation Award of the Clark Family have been stewards

by Historic Hotels of America®. Historic of history and historic preservation in Hotels of America is the official program of Cooperstown. Cooperstown was founded the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1786 by Judge William Cooper, father for recognizing and celebrating the finest of famed novelist James Fenimore Cooper. historic hotels in the U.S. This award recogAccording to a release from Historic nizes the achievements of Jane Forbes Clark Hotels of America, “Each generation of the and the Clark Family. It is presented to the Clark Family, since the first Edward Clark stewards of The Otesaga Resort Hotel, an arrived in the iconic American town with historic resort established in 1909, and a zeal for land conservation, has possessed honors their tradition of cultural, historic, a strong sense of civic responsibility, and Photo by Emma Tannenbaum and community works in Cooperstown. their efforts have made Cooperstown the Jane Forbes Clark and the Clark Family were honored recently with the 2023 Hisdesirable destination it is today.”

The 2023 Historic Hotels of America toric Hotels of America Steward of History and Historic Preservation Award.

In 1909, the third generation of the Clark Steward of History and Historic Preservation family—brothers Edward S. Clark and the world. Clark was unable to attend the event, but Award was presented to Jane Forbes Clark at the 2023 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence accepted the award through a video shown during the Stephen C. Clark —used their family’s wealth from their stake in the Singer sewing machine company to Ceremony and Gala on Thursday, October 12 at awards gala.

Clark’s dedication to historic preservation ensures build a fine resort for Cooperstown. At the time, The The Wigwam, an historic resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona, and attended by owners, general managers, that future generations of travelers can experience Otesaga Resort Hotel was praised for its sumptuous and other senior decision-makers representing many The Otesaga Resort Hotel, an iconic American appointments and modern engineering. They directed of the finest historic hotels in the U.S. and around destination. This award recognizes and honors her Continued on page 7

J

AllOTSEGO.dining&entertainment THE

BUFFET AT BROOKS’ Did someone say BUFFET? Served protein station with hot and cold buffet stations including a salad bar.

Soft Drinks, Iced Tea, Coffee, Hot Tea and more along with a Dessert station.

The BROOKS’ ROOST BANQUET ROOM IS BACK! BOOK YOUR HOLIDAY PARTIES NOW. 607-432-1782

Where to go...What to do...Right here!

Advertise your event! 607-547-6103 OUNDED

OOP

E

•F

M C IA L

Home

R

E WIL

& The Otsego-Delaware Dispatch

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

DG

08 - 2023

1808 BY

20

JU

th

HOMETOWN anniversary ONEONTA

IN

15

nta eo

wn on to

founded in 1808

AllOTSEGO.com

5560 NY Rt. 7, Oneonta brooksbbq.com

Perspectives

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL

THE PARTIAL OBSERVER

EDITORIAL

Vets Could Benefit from VET PFAS Act

Ghost Story

N

ext Tuesday is All Hallows’ Eve, more commonly known as Hallowe’en, a celebration observed by Christians across the globe on October 31 as the eve of the feast of All Saints Day, which is a day to honor the dead, including saints, martyrs and the faithful departed.

It’s the night the kids dress up in their outlandish costumes of choice, parade up Otsego County’s Main Streets and fill their bottomless bags with all measure of calorie-enhanced candy. It is also the night that is filled with ghosts, both familiar and foreign, who are thought to roam the universe with spirit-filled, at times frightening, abandon.

Hallowe’en became a commonly celebrated event in the United Sates at the end of the 19th century, when the Irish and Scottish immigrants brought the tradition with them. At first acknowledged only by those communities, by the early 20th century it was welcomed by people of all social, racial and religious backgrounds. Artifacts and symbols were added to the merry festival through time: jack-o-lanterns—pumpkins by another name—were Irish folklore, said to represent a soul who has been denied entry into both heaven and hell; black cats are associated with witches; scarecrows are reminiscent of the harvest; pranks—tricks or treats—were first mentioned in 1780 by the Scottish poet John Mayne; and the supernatural—ghosts—appeared in the poem “Halloween,” by Robert Burns in 1780, where they were referred to as frights.

In folklore, a ghost is, among various accounts, the soul or spirit of a departed person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living, or to at least some of the living. Ghosts can be invisible presences, wispy shapes or realistic forms. Our ghost comes from the Old English gāst, meaning the living or deceased human spirit or soul. It also denotes any good or evil spirit, such as angels or demons.

Ghosts appeared in ancient Egypt; Homer wrote of them in both “Odyssey” and “Iliad”; Macbeth saw the ghost of Banquo in Shakespeare’s play of 1606; Horace Walpole put them in his 1764 gothic novel “The Castle of Oranto”; Charles Dickens wrote in 1843 of the Christmas ghosts.

The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship; ChatGPT will ghost write anything and everything.

In this country, Edith Wharton wrote ghost stories in the early 1920s; “Casper the Friendly Ghost” appeared in the 1930s; “The Ghost and Mrs. Muir” in 1947. Topper was a hit show in the 1960s and Disneyland opened The Haunted Mansion in August 1969, a tad late as haunted houses first appeared in the 9th-century collection of Middle Eastern folktales, “Arabian Nights.” Ghosts filled the movies from the 1970s on, including “Field of Dreams” (1989), “Ghost” (1990), “A Nightmare on Elm Street” (from the 1980s), and they are still here, although much more dramatic, noisy and horrific.

According to the findings of the Pew Research Center, 18 percent of Americans say they have seen a ghost. In Cooperstown, there is a vast history of ghosts. From the Christ Church Graveyard to River Street, where there are almost more ghosts—a man, a woman and a Native American, all within an arm’s length of each other—than houses, and on to Lake Street, where an old woman screams, Cooperstown Candlelit Ghost Tours tells their story with knowledge and care. The Farmers’ Museum presents “Things that Go Bump in the Night” this week, and, at the other end of the lake, Hyde and Shriek terrifies at Hyde Hall, the home of two centuries of ghostly apparitions.

Happy Hallowe’en.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

•F

OUNDED

M C

IA

JU

DG

E WIL

L

Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper

1808 BY

OOP

IN

E

“The Freeman’s Journal” welcomes letters to the editor that reflect the writer’s thoughts on an article or other item appearing in the paper.

They must include the writer’s name, address, e-mail and telephone/ mobile number; the opinions expressed must be the writer’s own.

Hostile, offensive, factually incorrect or excessively inflammatory content will not be published. The length must be no more than 250 words.

The editors reserve the right to accept, reject or edit letters for clarity and space. Please send letters to: info@allotsego.com.

R

founded in 1808

a publication of Iron String Press, Inc. Publisher / Advertising Director

Tara Barnwell

News Editor

Wriley Nelson

General Manager / Senior Editor

Darla M. Youngs

Sales Consultant

Randy Christian

Office Manager

Larissa Ryan

Columnists and Contributing Writers

Terry Berkson, Monica Calzolari, Rachel Frick Cardelle, Elizabeth Cooper, Maureen Culbert, Richard deRosa, Caspar Ewig, Ian Kenyon, Marcia Kozubek, Tom Shelby, Dan Sullivan, T. Stephen Wager, Teresa Winchester, Jamie Zvirzdin

Web Architect Xander Moffat

Historian

Tom Heitz/Sharon Stuart

JONATHAN SHARP

Legal Counsel

Jill Ann Poulson

Editorial Board

Tara Barnwell, Faith Gay, Michael Moffat, Elinor Vincent, Darla M. Youngs

OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR Otsego County • Village of Cooperstown • Village of Milford Cooperstown Central School District MEMBER: National Newspaper Association, NY Press Association Subscription 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.

Email: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com Contents © Iron String Press, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at USPS Cooperstown 40 Main Street, Cooperstown NY 13326-9598 USPS Permit Number 018-449

Postmaster Send Address Changes to: Box 890, Cooperstown NY 13326

Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of William Cooper is in the Fenimore Art Museum

B

y the early 1970s, U.S. military bases began heavily employing aqueous film-forming foam for firefighter training and quelling hydrocarbon fuel fires.

The foam was the result of a collaboration between the Navy’s Research Lab and the 3M chemical corporation, which added per/polyfluoroalkyl substances to its composition for their formidable surfactant properties.

PFAS are a class of over 14,700 artificial compounds commonly called “forever chemicals” because their durable molecular bonds prevent natural decomposition. Of these thousands of subtypes, the ones used in fluorinated firefighting foams were PFOA and PFOS, which were also present in consumer products like Teflon and Scotch Guard.

Although AFFF manufacturers maintained that both compounds were inert ingredients that posed no threat to human health, internal documents and communications going back decades indicate otherwise. Not only were manufacturers aware of PFOA and PFOS’ hazardous potential, but they also didn’t disclose this information to federal authorities.

After independent research into forever chemicals’ effects started picking up in the early 2000s, studies found that PFAS are environmentally resilient and mobile toxins that can easily contaminate drinking water sources.

Since they’re also bio accumulative, particularly in the bloodstream, chronic exposure has been linked to higher cancer risks and a host of adverse health effects and conditions.

The EPA released non-regulatory advisories for PFOA and PFOS in 2016, which defined concentrations greater than 70 parts per trillion in drinking water as unsafe. The Department of Defense would subsequently perform site assessments at over 700 military bases where AFFF is known or suspected to have been used.

In the Empire State, DoD testing found PFOA and PFOS in groundwater samples collected from several military installations across the state, albeit to differing degrees.

Peekskill’s Camp Smith registered combined levels of 168 ppt, while the highest detection at Watertown’s Fort Drum registered 6,600 ppt of PFOS. However, these concen-

trations pale in comparison with the levels reported at Plattsburgh AFB (1,045,000 ppt).

As manufacturers suppressed both compounds’ toxicity for years, PFOA and PFOS weren’t adequately accounted for as enduring health risks. Consequentially, even though the Department of Veteran Affairs tacitly admits PFAS’ hazardous potential, it doesn’t regard “forever chemical” exposure as a presumptive service-related factor that would automatically guarantee former service members’ access to disability benefits and compensation.

Veterans filing claims with the VA first have to prove that their condition is unequivocally service-connected. Problematically, the current evidence for PFAS’ precise causal relation to deadly diseases isn’t seen as sufficiently substantive enough, meaning that “forever chemical” exposure could fail to be reflected as a determinant or contributive cause in most medical diagnoses.

Meanwhile, ongoing research continues to find evidence of the compounds’ causal links to life-threatening conditions, with a recent federal study determining that U.S. Air Force service members’ higher PFOS blood levels were positively associated with increased testicular cancer risks.

The mounting knowledge of PFAS’ longlasting implications for human health and the environment has nevertheless prompted promising regulatory actions addressing “forever chemicals.”

The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act would finance ongoing PFAS investigations and cleanup projects on affected bases, including facilities in New York State, and require the armed forces to discontinue AFFF use by October 2024. Earlier this year, the DoD adopted new military specifications for non-fluorinated firefighting foams.

In March 2023, the EPA proposed the first national standards for PFAS in drinking water, which would effectively reduce acceptable PFOA and PFOS concentrations to only 4 ppt.

Once officially legislated, with a final decision on the matter expected later this year Continued on page 12

Letters to the editor … In their opinion

Vote Benton for Energy, Ideas

Mac Benton in Over His Head

This letter is written in enthusiastic support of MacGuire Benton’s candidacy for Otsego County clerk. I have known MacGuire Benton for a number of years and have always found him to be incredibly focused on results, dedicated to our community and, above all, tireless in his work ethic.

No one will work harder than Mr. Benton to improve customer service at DMV and the Otsego County Clerk’s office. He’ll bring a fresh perspective and energy to the task. The claim that customer experience will be improved, services restored, and convenience prioritized by someone who has worked there for 14 years and hasn’t delivered yet, is hard to believe.

MacGuire is proud of his record and his plans for the future. He looked forward to giving the voters the opportunity to vet him in public and to compare him with his opponent. Unfortunately, his opponent refused to debate and that has left voters in the dark.

Transparency, a fresh perspective and new ideas, like expanding the “Return the Favor” program that provides a tangible thank you to our veterans through public and private sector partnership is what we need in Otsego County.

Vote for MacGuire Benton to be our next Otsego County clerk on Tuesday, November 7.

Elizabeth Bloom Oneonta

Among the Otsego County races toward this November’s election, the race to fill the Otsego County clerk [seat] bears interesting detail.

As every reader of this letter knows, the candidates for this vacant county clerk position are Jennifer Basile and MacGuire Benton.

However, what many readers may not know is that MacGuire Benton’s entry as a viable candidate [under the Customer Service party affiliation] for this clerk office almost didn’t happen at all.

For any candidate to run for an elected office, rules and procedures must be followed as instructed by the Board of Elections. Apparently, Benton didn’t find such rules important to follow, or, he neglected to review his petitions before presenting them to the BOE. The result of his incompetence was 176 violations and/or errors.

Think about that for a moment. This is a man who desires to manifest a position that requires stipulated administrative procedures of record…yet, he grossly neglected a process as simple and defined by the BOE to be a viable candidate?

Either he failed to administrate his petition process, or he didn’t care to follow through for accuracy. In either side, Benton revealed a complete lack of skill, not to embrace the challenges necessary that said clerk office demands.

As every person who

ventured to be on the ballot for election, the petition of signatures is taken seriously. Yet, Benton’s petition harbored numerous violations including incorrect addresses, towns, counties, as well as duplicate signatures. Judicial decision allowed Benton to correct and represent barely enough signatures to achieve ballot status.

Clearly, Benton lacks the necessary eye for detail.

How this candidate can be any form of competition against Jennifer Basile, who has been the Otsego County deputy clerk for several years, is astounding.

Putting Benton’s mess of a viable candidacy aside; experience-wise, Jennifer Basile already has the experience.

And this experience is among those of the Otsego County Board members over a period of several years.

Benton, quite honestly, is [no] opposition.

Garrett deBlieck Unadilla

FOTP Pickleball Clarification Thank you for printing the piece about the Friends of the Parks pickleball court opening.

You mentioned that people who own their own paddles and balls can now use the court, but you didn’t say that people who do not have the equipment may borrow FOTP’s equipment from the library. This enables everyone to play.

Jaye Shelby Cooperstown Continued on page 10

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023 news from the noteworthy

SUSTAINABLE OTSEGO

Regenerative Ag: It’s All About the Soil Compiled by Tom Heitz/SHARON STUART with resources courtesy of The Fenimore Art Museum Research Library

85 YEARS AGO

Major League Base Ball clubs appear most favorably disposed toward playing exhibition games on historic Doubleday Field in connection with the Centennial Celebration of the National Game. Eight of the sixteen clubs of the National and American Leagues have expressed themselves. Recently, Lester G. Bursey, local program chairman, addressed invitations to the managements of all the clubs, to participate in the celebration by playing here. Replies have been received from the Cincinnati Reds, the Boston Bees, the New York Yankees, the Athletics and Phillies of Philadelphia, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the St. Louis Browns and the Chicago White Sox. October 26, 1938

60 YEARS AGO

R

eaders of our “Life of the Land” column have probably noticed that we celebrate examples of “regenerative agriculture“ in the local farm community. But a precise definition of regenerative agriculture is elusive.

Unlike “organic farming,” “permaculture,” or “biodynamic farming,” the idea of regenerative agriculture is not an absolute prescription, but rather an agricultural philosophy which is directed at high-quality production within the context of preservation and restoration of the local “natural capital” embedded in soil, water, and biodiversity.

The principles of organic agriculture and regenerative agriculture overlap significantly, and many farmers try to honor both practices. But United States Department of Agriculture certifiedorganic farming prohibits genetically modified seeds or “synthetic” substances (such as herbicides, pesticides and antibiotics), whereas these are discouraged but not prohibited for the regenerative farmer. Likewise, the organic farmer may be scrupulous about the synthetic substances and genetically modified organism seeds but might not follow regenerative practices.

The “best practices” in regenerative ag literature are not new but are increasingly being examined in light of climate change. These include breaking up of monoculture with cover cropping; no till planting methods; composting; agroforestry integrating trees and shrubs into plantings; intensive

rotational grazing of livestock; conservation buffers to protect water courses from livestock, or hedgerows to reduce wind.

Part of the regenerative agricultural community has resisted USDA certification. Organic farming, which began as a small scale, localized movement is now, thanks to USDA “branding,” big business. Eighty percent of organic foods sold in the U.S. come from farms with sales over $500,000.00 annually. This is a mixed blessing. More organic food is available to consumers, but the economies of large scale seriously disadvantage small farmers. And it is unlikely the huge farms are practicing regenerative agriculture, which requires careful attention to farm microenvironments.

One of the arguments against certification of RA is the distortion and co-optation of principles which can occur. A good example of this is what has happened with no-till agriculture, which was first recognized as a conservation practice in the 1960s. Tillage causes erosion and also disrupts the complex community of the soil’s microbiome.

When to till, how deep and how much all remain areas of intense research. Weed management is a major problem. Of course, Monsanto came up with their version of no-till: saturate the soil with their herbicide (Roundup) and then plant their GMO Roundup-resistant seeds. No muss, no fuss!!

The U.S. food supply chain provides supermarContinued on page 12

By MERL REAGLE

The Hollywood Shuffle #4…

A few more marquee mixups

October 23, 1963

35 YEARS AGO

Cooperstown Mayor Harold H. Hollis was one of only five weather observers selected from more than 12,000 volunteers throughout the country to receive the Thomas Jefferson Award, the highest accolade given to observers. Four representatives of the National Weather Service met last Friday at the Hollis home on Walnut Street to present the award. Hollis began recording weather observations in 1950 for the U.S. Weather Bureau as it was then known. Hollis and the other 12,000 observers, working daily, record minimum and maximum temperatures, rainfall, snowfall, and snow depth. “Weather watchers like Hollis are a dying breed,” said Roland Guy Loffredo, area manager and meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Albany.

October 26, 1988

20 YEARS AGO

Barbara Harper, a world-renowned expert and author on natural and non-invasive birthing techniques, including water births, will present a public lecture in Clark Auditorium at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital on October 27. Harper is the author of “Gentle Birth Choices.” “I want to bring a message of gentle, non-violent birth. The lecture will look at the current state of maternal care in New York State and will offer information to empower women to make choices,” Harper said. The lecture will discuss using a Dula, midwives, and giving birth in water. Harper said that midwives at Bassett sought her out to come and lecture. Harper has been a nurse since 1973 and has supported water birth since 1983.

October 24, 2003

Solution: “Where’s George?” (October 19)

ACROSS 1 Annoyance 5 Flatten 9 Iraqi missile 13 Law & Order first name 16 Broadcast and print, e.g.

17 Aleutian island 18 Super stars?

20 Let it all out, perhaps 21 Bill Gates’s favorite film?

24 It’s found in the ground 25 Rod or ton, e.g.

26 Never-give-up trait 27 Film about Super Dog, based on his famous shout?

29 Champlain, e.g., to Champlain 30 Mixed bag 31 Risk taker 33 Edition 34 Film from Redundancy Pictures?

37 Watering holes 40 Speck of land in the ocean 41 Louis Quatorze, e.g.

42 Van Rensselaer founded one: abbr.

43 Actor Stoltz 47 Murder mystery that takes place in an office?

53 ___ Victor 56 Canola triglyceride 57 Be beaten by 58 On the ___ (at large) 59 Consumes 61 Nauseated 62 Taylor of The Haunting 64 Maya Angelou poem, “Still ___” 66 Film about “a football star by day, a vampire by night”?

72 Soft-palate thingy 73 Flaws and all 74 Old boat 75 N.Y.C. PBS station 76 ___-de-lance 77 Bubble-bath features 81 Prospero’s servant 83 With 101 Down, unfaithful ones 84 Film about Tarzan’s bonsai garden?

89 Ump’s call 90 Do in 91 Eggs 92 Joanne in The Long, Hot Summer 96 Spud

65 Recorder abbr.

98 Film featuring the line “I’m 12 Fix, as socks gonna (ribbit) give him an 13 Odorous boats 67 Hyphen’s cousin offer (ribbit) he can’t refuse 14 Pianist Claudio 68 Snarled (ribbit)”?

15 “Not a chance!”

69 Give it ___ 102 Light lunch 16 Talking birds 70 Legal action 105 Commercial honors 19 Cantor the singer 71 Truck-to-truck talker 107 Pal, to Papillon 21 It means “many” 78 “___ la vie” 108 Sesame-seed site 22 A canal 79 Mystery first name?

109 Gender-reassignment 80 A rea “closer” to the viewer, 23 Race loser musical? in tennis telecasts 112 Composer Khachaturian 28 Plus 81 Place ___ (buy space) 30 It means “straight” 113 Marriage, e.g.

82 Café con ___ 31 A Christian name?

114 It’s a free country 85 Iron, e.g.

115 Working title of Psycho? 32 In the center of 86 Godzilla studio, 1956 35 Comprehend 119 Author Clancy 87 Concord Sonata composer 36 Dianetics creator, partly 120 Between, to Berlioz 88 Little guy 38 North Carolina county 121 Life saver?

93 Mediator 39 “Ignore change” 122 Leveled 94 Defeated handily 42 One way to be packed 123 Place to do laps 95 Cecil B.’s niece 44 See 49 Down 124 Salon offerings 97 Sun-dried brick 45 Worried 125 Fight crew 98 Neat 46 Regains consciousness 126 Texas symbol 99 Lusty 48 Italian director Petri DOWN 49 With 44 Down, very capable 100 Asian nursemaid 1 Flower stalk on one’s own 101 See 83 Across 2 Times change?

50 Untamed 102 Closes 3 Sloth, for one 51 Dict. picture, e.g.

103 Guy with morals 4 Mess 52 Potting ___ 104 Pack animal 5 Ohio city where Warren G. 53 Snubs 106 Electro or hydro ending Harding is buried 54 T

he bandit leader in The 110 Camera part 6 Element abbr.

Magnificent Seven (played 111 Like a literary rabbit 7 Have snow fun

by Eli Wallach) 112 West of Hollywood 8 Party attire 55 Take ___ (see, in a way) 113 Lineage, to Luis 9 Trap 60 Aero ending 116 A California Santa 10 Faces 62 Rope 117 “... ___ a lender be” 118 11 Eye part 63 Palindromic adverbe Be up

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA ON STAGE: PERFORMING ARTS AT OUR ONEONTA CAMPUSES

rachel frick cardelle

Student Director Discusses Upcoming Production of ‘I and You’

I

eat hot dogs cold, often.” hardest challenge. She said that the support Can we agree this might be one of the and advice of the theater department chair, weirder responses a director of a play John Bagby, was critical in this. might give to the question, “Without giving When our conversation turned to actors anything away, what’s your favorite line of and directors who most inspired Katelyn, I dialogue?”? That was the answer given to anticipated hearing her tell me about shows me by Katelyn Litwak, a senior at SUNY and actors she had seen in New York City or Oneonta and the director of “I and You” by elsewhere. Instead, she thought for a moment Lauren Gunderson, the next play production and said those who inspired her most as a to come to one of our college stages. Yet by director were alumni and faculty, like John the end of our interview, I completely underBagby, who acted as guiding lights and stood why this was the line that came to her, offered support and advice to her. and I hope that by the end of this article you As we wrapped up the interview, Katelyn will, too. said that to her the overarching message of “I “I and You,” an award-winning play first and You” is that it is the small, easily overperformed in 2013, provides an engaging, looked things in life that often are what most funny, thoughtful evening of entertainment. make life worth living. As a director, she has It’s the story of one afternoon in the life of Photo by Rachel Frick Cardelle tried to make sure her production emphasizes two high school-aged students, Anthony and The “I and You” cast and crew are, from left: Arlee Pearson (run crew), that message. When I interviewed Katelyn, Evelyn Winters (Caroline), Renée Hooper (assistant stage manager), So- I had already read the play and sat through Caroline, working together on an English Lit. project based on Walt Whitman’s poetry fia Delgado (stage manager), Ethan Cardinal (run crew), Katelyn Litwak a full rehearsal, enjoying both immensely. (director), Gabriel Gutierrez (Anthony), Jessica Davis (prop coordinacollection, “Leaves of Grass.” Anthony And as Katelyn articulated it, I realized that tor), and Leah Fridman (sound board operator). shows up at Caroline’s house the day before overarching message had been part of my gracious than I fear I would be in a similar situation! the project is due, announcing that they enjoyment. Walking home after talking to her, What drew Katelyn to decide to stage this are project partners, and he needs her help. This I found myself suddenly and completely captivated production was in large part the role that Anthony comes as a shock to Caroline, who has been stuck by two trees that I walk by every day without seeing plays, that of bringing light to Caroline’s world at home for much of her life due to an illness. The them. The deep, rich red and orange of their leaves, and reminding her in small ways that life is good. two of them spend the rest of the play getting to alive and as full of flickering movement as any Katelyn was one of the freshmen who had to head know each other as they work on the project. bonfire’s flames, warmed my heart and gave me a home when SUNY O shut down all in-person activi- quiet joy that followed me home. My conversation I asked why this play, and Katelyn told me that ties in the fall of 2020, so that instead of getting when she originally looked around for a play to with Katelyn and her production of “I and You” the “college experience” she expected, she, like do one of her professors, Drew (Kahl), suggested will, I hope, continue to inspire me to pay attention Caroline, had to spend much of her time at home this one. “Love Letters” had been the play another to the small, easily overlooked beauty in life. student (Emily Kramer) had directed and been ready not getting to hang out with fellow students. There I will be going back to see “I and You” once were people who brought Katelyn’s life the same to open in the spring of 2020 but, like much else in it opens, just to enjoy the show again and be kind of light that Anthony brings to Caroline in the the spring of 2020, the play was “postponed” until reminded that one of the small things in life that play, and Katelyn wanted to do this play to honor the fall of 2020. When SUNY O again suspended makes it worth living are the myriad opportunithose people. all in-person classes and activities that fall, Emily ties to see live theater having two colleges in town Kramer’s production was one of the casualties of When our discussion turned to the challenges of offers. the COVID pandemic. Katelyn shared with me You can watch “I and You” in the Fine Arts being a director, especially as a student, Katelyn that she had contacted Emily to talk about being a reflected on having to learn how to let other people Center’s Hamblin Theatre on SUNY O’s campus student director and I asked how Emily felt after October 26- 28 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) at in the production do their jobs in their own style. all the work on the play that she and her team had 7:30 p.m., and October 29 (Sunday) at 2 p.m. for Katelyn told me she is a planner, preferring to done never saw the light of day, while Katelyn was $8.00, general admission, or $3.00 with a SUNY get all her ducks in a row well in advance of any going to get to stage her production. Katelyn told Oneonta ID. deadlines. Others she has needed to rely on to me that Emily gave her blessing, saying she was Up Next: “Keely and Du,” performed at put the show together rely on a more “seat of the happy Katelyn could make this happen. Which Hartwick College, November 8–11 at Hartwick’s pants” style, which raised her anxiety level as a makes Emily, a young woman who is more than Slade Theater and “All in the Timing,” performed planner. Learning how to manage that and respect three decades younger than me, far more mature and the creative process that others go through was her at SUNY Oneonta, November 9- 12.

Hartwick Institute of Public Service Hosts Local Candidate Forums

By WRILEY NELSON ONEONTA artwick College’s Institute of Public Service will host two forums for Oneonta and Otsego County candidates for public office at the College’s Shineman Chapel House.

County candidates will attend the event on Wednesday, October 25 and city candidates will address the Wednesday, November 1 gathering; both forums run from 6-8 p.m.

HIPS aims to inform local residents about the offices and candidates up for election in 2023 and provide every office seeker with a chance to share

H

their ideas and engage with constituents.

As of press time, five candidates had accepted the invitation to the Otsego County Candidate Forum on October 25: County Clerk candidate MacGuire Benton, New York State Supreme Court District 6 candidate Deirdre Hay, and County Board of Representatives candidates Margaret Kennedy, Nora Mendez, and Adrienne Martini.

Supreme Court District 6 candidate Cheryl Insinga and District Attorney candidate John Muehl expressed interest in the forum but are unable to attend due to prior scheduling commitments.

“All candidates who agree to participate in the forum will be allotted equal time to discuss their vision for office,” said Associate Professor of Sociology and HIPS CoDirector Zachary McKenney.

“After each candidate has been given an opportunity to speak, we will hold a catered reception with light refreshments for all attendees. The reception will provide [candidates] with the opportunity to hear directly from constituents about their concerns and priorities.”

Candidates attending the November 1 Oneonta Candidate Forum include Common Council hopefuls Emily Falco, Bryce Wooden,

Scott Harrington, Donald Garrison, Leonard Carson, Daniel Rorick and Cecelia Walsh-Russo. More local candidates may attend.

“The candidate forums are critical to help inform college students who are members of our community about the key issues facing Oneonta and Otsego County,” McKenney continued. HIPS registered 163 Hartwick students to vote this semester, including 132 who registered to vote in Oneonta.

The candidate forums and receptions are free and open to all members of the public, thanks in part to a grant by the Community Foundation

of Otsego County. Pending candidate approval, the events will be recorded and posted to the College’s Youtube page to allow all community members to view them.

HIPS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan regional political institute dedicated to state and local government, civic engagement, and legal studies. It aims to inspire a new generation of public servants, create avenues for meaningful public service careers in state and local governments, nonprofit organizations and legal services, and serve as a hub of innovation and collaboration between New York communities.

Cherry Valley Water Project Culminates in Performance, Exhibit “We were so glad we made it to the performance last week,” said local dentist and ceramic artist Leah Carpenter. “I don’t think CHERRY VALLEY anyone knew quite what to expect, and I’m he Cherry Valley Water Project, a still not exactly sure how to describe it… an summer-long collaborative artistic celeexperimental outdoor performance art/poetry bration of Cherry Valley’s natural beauty reading/community gathering/nature celebraand creative spirit, culminated in a performance tion/dance party extravaganza… we left with and exhibit opening on Friday, October 6. Project a deeper appreciation for our beautiful Cherry founder Angelica Dzeli Palmer, a lifelong artist Valley Creek and all who will hopefully enjoy who grew up in Cherry Valley and now operand care for this precious resource for generaates The Telegraph School for Performing tions to come.” and Healing Arts, received a $10,000.00 grant After the performance, artists and audience from the New York State Council on the Arts’ alike moved to 25 Main Collective art gallery competitive Rural and Traditional Arts fellowfor the opening reception for the Water Project ship. The Water Project aimed to foster new exhibition.

The exhibit features a wide variety connections and a closer relationship between of artistic media celebrating the Cherry Valley Cherry Valley residents, artists, and waterCreek, the people who have called it home ways. It featured artistic workshops and perforand generations to come.

Reception attendees mances, and promoted a detailed map of local enjoyed a large selection of refreshments and water bodies to encourage exploration.

Photo by Kat Schafer the crowd spilled onto the sidewalk as dozens The flagship event was a multidisciplinary Angelica Dzeli Palmer portrays the Great Blue Heron, guiding “Water of people engaged with the selected art works. eco-theater performance, “Water Dreams,” Dreams” audience members through the performance.

“WATER” is open at 25 Main Collective located in the Village Park along the Cherry often from surprising places, to tell about their lives through Sunday, October 29. The gallery is Valley Creek. “‘Water Dreams’ [shared] the magic, the power through words, song, and movement. It was rich open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through and the emotions of the Cherry Valley Creek,” Palmer in costuming and puppetry. Humans from the past Sunday. Funding for the project was made availsaid. “The performance was made up of five parts, and present shared their stories and poems about able by the New York State Council on the Arts with and the audience was guided by a majestic great the healing waters of Cherry Valley. It ended with a support from the Governor’s Office and Legislature, blue heron to each part in a different location along twilight circle of candles, drumming, and song, where the Arts Council for Wyoming County, Stewart’s the creek, behind the Old School. The creatures of everyone sang, danced, and celebrated our precious Shops and the Cherry Valley Community Facility Corporation. the creek broke their vows of silence and emerged, water with the words, ‘care for her, listen to her.’”

By WRILEY NELSON

T

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-7

Clark

Since 1992, Stephen C. Clark’s granddaughter, Jane Forbes Clark, has carried on the Clark Family legacy as president of the Clark Foundation, chairman of Bassett Medical Center, chairman of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, and more.

She is the fifth generation of her family to work on behalf of the village to ensure that it remains an idyllic and culturally meaningful place for residents and visitors alike.

“I am very honored that the Historic Hotels of America are recognizing my family’s vision and work for The Otesaga Hotel in Cooperstown, New York, with their extremely prestigious Steward of History and Historic Preservation Award,” said Clark. “The Clark family’s legacy is one of preservation and conservation, focusing on the need to protect and preserve the rich culture and deep history of the village, while ensuring its relevancy in the years going forward. I am deeply grateful to Historic Hotels of America and its leadership for this esteemed honor.”

“Historic Hotels of America and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are pleased to honor the exceptional contributions in Cooperstown, New York,

by Jane Forbes Clark and the Clark Family, and their exemplary record of historic preservation and stewardship at The Otesaga Hotel,” said Lawrence Horwitz, executive vice president at Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide. “Since the mid-19th Century, the Clark family has made a personal commitment to preserving the past while enhancing the future for the Cooperstown community. We are honored to recognize Jane Forbes Clark for her decades of stewardship.”

Join Our Team of Dedicated and Caring Professionals

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

The

the design and creation of the Leatherstocking Golf Course, now rated by “Golfweek” magazine as one of the two finest golf courses in New York State. Later, Edward S. Clark went on to build the Alfred Corning Clark Gymnasium, create the Bassett Medical Center, now associated with Columbia University, to serve the region, and in 1931 Stephen C. founded The Clark Foundation, one of the largest charitable foundations in New York State. He had the idea to bring the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum to Cooperstown.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum opened in 1939 with Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, Christy Mathewson, Babe Ruth, and Honus Wagner as its first class of inductees.

In Cooperstown today, The Clark Foundation supports the institutions Stephen Clark helped establish in his lifetime, including Fenimore Art Museum andThe Farmers’ Museum created on the site of the original family homestead, and, later, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

job scene

Continued from page 3

Emergency Housing Coordinator Weatherization/Energy Svcs.

Home Energy Auditor Classroom (Toddler) Teacher Head Start Recruiting & Outreach Coordinator Home Visitor FT Weatherization/Energy Svcs.

Positions working 4 days, 10-hr. shifts: Crew Laborer Crew Leader FT Head Start Positions with school breaks and summers off: Assistant Teacher Family Partner OFO is a family-oriented organization offering competitive wages, excellent benefits and opportunities for professional growth. For details on our current openings, our benefit package summary, and TO APPLY, EOE visit www.ofoinc.org/jobs The leader in developing innovative solutions to promote healthy lives, thriving families, and caring communities since 1966.

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

BUILD YOUR LEGACY WHERE LEGACIES ARE BUILT. For over 100 years, Bassett has been a pioneer in delivering innovative care and fostering healthy rural communities.

JOIN OUR TEAM

bassett.org/careers

CUSTOMER SERVICE LOGISTICS COORDINATOR SSI is seeking a Customer Service Logistics Coordinator to support the Customer Service department as the customer point of contact for all outgoing New Construction Division shipments.

Responsibilities/Duties incluDe but not limiteD to: • Collaborate with New Construction Division Sales team to review backlog and shipping and delivery. requirements for outstanding orders.

• Collaborate with Production Scheduling to verify ship dates.

• Update orders as necessary with correct address and site contact information.

• Gather details for product returns and obtain order approval from Finance when necessary.

• Collaborate with Customer Service if customer contact is required due to a Finance Hold.

• Prior to shipment, verify and follow up with customer for written order approval and tax exemption status if not already received.

• Collaborate with Sales and Shipping to determine best shipment method of orders scheduled to ship.

• Release orders to ship to the Shipping Department.

• Produce and file RMA’s with Shipping and Finance.

• Gather relevant documentation and information from customers for freight claims, submit to Finance for claim filing and set up re-shipment of goods.

• Other duties as assigned.

RequiReD qualifications: skills: • Strong communication, organizational, attention to detail and problem-solving skills.

• Ability to interact and communicate effectively/respectfully at all levels.

• Ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment.

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Applications (Word, Excel, etc.).

• Flexible schedule when required.

• Ability to accept feedback and/or constructive criticism.

EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION: • High attention to detail.

• Ability to complete tasks in a safe and efficient manner in a deadline-driven environment.

• Ability to communicate effectively.

• Ability to use and operate hand tools and warehouse equipment safely.

• Must be mathematically inclined.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE: • Bachelor’s Degree preferred. Associate Degree with 4 years’ experience in Customer Service/Logistics environment will be considered in lieu of.

• Experience with ERP database.

Salary DOE, great benefit package includes but not limited to: health, dental, vision, 401(k) with company match, life insurance, flexible spending and paid time off. To apply, submit application online, apply in person at 41155 State Highway 10, fax resume to (607) 746-3107 or send resume to: Human Resources, P.O. Box 231, Delhi, NY 13753. Sportsfield Specialties, Inc. is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

A-8 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Community Bank To Host ShredFest, Warm Clothing Drive COOPERSTOWN ommunity Bank will hold a community-wide ShredFest and Warm Clothing Drive event at its Cooperstown branch on Saturday, October 28 from 9 a.m. to noon.

The event offers a dual opportunity.

Attendees can take advantage of free shredding services, allowing them to

C

Legal

Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE is hereby given that there has been duly introduced before the Board of Representatives of the County of Otsego, New York, a Local Law entitled: A Local Law amending the salaries of Public Defender and County Attorney (PT).

NOTICE is further given that the Board of Representatives will conduct a public hearing on the proposed Local Law in the Representatives Chambers at the County Office Building in the Village of Cooperstown, New York on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 at 9:50 a.m. at which time all persons interested will be heard.

The location of the public hearing is accessible to persons with mobility impairment.

The public hearing will be streamed via Facebook Live on the official Otsego County Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/otsegocountynewyork A copy of this Local Law is available on the Otsego County website.

Dated: October 26, 2023 Carol D. McGovern Clerk of the Board of Representatives Otsego County, New York Legal nOtice COUNTY OF OTSEGO NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING 2024 Countywide Shared Service Property Tax Savings Plan The County of Otsego will hold a public hearing on the 2024 Countywide Shared Services Property Tax Savings Plan.

New York State’s

Legal

Countywide Shared Services Initiative (CWSSI) generates property tax savings by enabling collaboration between local governments across the state. The CWSSI expands on the ongoing commitment to reduce property taxes and modernize local government services by fostering new shared services and enhancing the existing collaborations already in place.

Otsego County intends to identify projects that will save taxpayers money through shared, coordinated, and efficient services between the county and local governments.

Plans that demonstrate actual savings in taxpayer dollars may be eligible for a one-time reimbursement match on the savings amount. Written comments will be accepted until November 10, 2023. Comments should be directed to the Otsego County Planning Department, 197 Main Street, Cooperstown, NY 13326, or they can be submitted by email to planning@ otsegocounty. com.

The hearing will be held as follows: Topic: CWSSI Public Hearing Date/Time: November 3, 2023 at 1:30 PM Eastern Time Location: Classroom B Meadows Office Complex 140 County Hwy 33W Cooperstown, NY 13326 David Bliss, Chair—Otsego County Board of Representatives Legal nOtice NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Zoning Board of Appeals for the Village of Cooperstown

securely dispose of sensitive personal documents, financial statements, and credit card offers, safeguarding their identity.

Community Bank will also support a noteworthy cause, partnering with local non-profit organization Food vs.

Fuel to host a Warm Clothing Drive.

The drive aims to provide essential

Legal

will hold the following public hearing on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 5:00 P.M. or as soon thereafter as can be heard: Meeting to be held in the Village Office Building, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown.

83 Pioneer Street - Applicant is seeking an area variance to build in the side-yard setback The plans for this project are on file with the Village Clerk’s Office at the Village Office, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown, New York, and may be seen during regular office hours, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Public comments must be provided by email to the Zoning Officer at zoning@cooperstownny.org, or by regular mail to the address below no later than Tuesday, November 7, 2023, or may be offered in person at the 5:00 p.m. ZBA meeting on November 7, 2023.

Respectfully, Jenna Utter Village Clerk Village of Cooperstown 22 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326 Tele: (607)5472411 Email: jutter@ cooperstownny. org Legal nOtice Surrogate’s Court Schoharie County 3RD SUPPLEMENTAL CITATION File No. 2022-162 Filed: Sept. 25, 2023 Schoharie County Surrogate’s Court To: Luke Shaul A petition having been duly filed

by Ian Joshua Shaul, who is domiciled at 523 Mill Valley Road, Middleburgh, NY 12122.

You Are Hereby cited to show

Legal

winter clothing to elderly community members, ensuring their comfort and warmth during the upcoming season.

“We’re excited to host this great event for the Cooperstown community,” Cooperstown Branch Manager Naomi Duncan said. “Identity theft is on the rise, so we encourage everyone to bring their old sensitive materials to our free

LEGALS

cause before the surrogates cour, Schoharie County, at 290 Main Str., Schoharie, New York, on Friday, December 1, 2023, at 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of Gertrude K. Shaul a/k/a Gertrude H. Shaul, lately domiciled at 523 Mill Valley Road, Middleburgh, NY 12122 admitting to probage a Will dated June 28, 2011 a copy of which is attached, as the Will of Gertrude K Shaul a/k/a Gertrude H. Shaul, deceased, relating to real and personal property and directing that Letter Testamentary issue to Ian Joshua Shaul.

Date, Attested and Sealed: September 25, 2023. /s/ Hon. Ryan T. McAllister, Surrogate Michael L. Breen Attorney for Petitioner (518) 827-4320 109-1 Railroad Avenue, PO Box 982, Middleburgh, NY 12122 (Note: This citation is served upon you as required by law.

You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested.

You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.)

Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Limited Liability Company (LLC) Name: Strata-East Records, LLC Articles of Organization filed by the Department of State of New York on: 08/30/2023 Office location: County of Otsego Purpose: Any and all lawful activities Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) is designated as agent of LLC upon whom process

Legal

against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: The LLC P.O. Box 36 New York, NY 10163 6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company.

Name: BAW PROPERTIES LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 September 2023.

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 4978 US Hwy 20, Springfield Center, NY 13468.

Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of a NY Limited Liability Company.

Name: WEBSTER FAMILY RENTALS LLC. Articles of Organization filing date with Secretary of State (SSNY) was 8 September 2023.

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 4978 US Hwy 20, Springfield Center, NY 13468.

Purpose is to engage in any and all business activities permitted under NYS laws.

6LegalNov.30

Legal

Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Ashley Hatzidakis, Family Health Nurse Practitioner PLLC. Filed 10/11/23.

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 36 Kilkenny St, Unadilla, NY 13849.

Purpose: NP in Family Health.

6LegalNov.30 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of ISGAR ENTERPRISES, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on 10/10/23.

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

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him to: The LLC, 145 Cliffside Cir., Maryland, NY 12116.

The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalNov.23 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of CITY OF THE HILLS AIRCRAFT, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on 9/5/23.

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

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him to: The

event—and while you’re there, please consider donating any winter clothing to help keep our elderly community members warm this season.”

Subscribe to AllOtsego.com for additional news content each week.

Your annual subscription now through September 30 can also support one of four nonprofits.

Legal

LLC, 4 Overlook Dr., Oneonta, NY 13820.

The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalNov.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of CUTTING EDGE PAINTING & FINISHING LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 9/7/23.

Office Location: Otsego County.

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

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 1033 County Highway 18, South New Berlin, NY 13843.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalNov.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of MAPLE ISLAND TREES, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the NY Secretary of State on 9/25/23.

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

The Secretary of State has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

The Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her to: The LLC, 438 Mansfield Ave., Levittown, NY 11756.

The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful act or activity.

6LegalNov.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NAME: MONKEY MAN TREE SERVICE, LLC

Legal

LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on June 2, 2023.

Office location Otsego County.

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

SSNY shall mail a copy of Process to the LLC at 7345 State Highway 51, West Winfield, NY 13491 PURPOSE: For any lawful Purpose 6LegalNov.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY NAME: HIBBARD FARMS, LLC LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on June 2, 2023.

Office Location Otsego County.

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

SSNY shall mail a copy of Process to the LLC at 7345 State Highway 51, West Winfield, NY 13491.

PURPOSE: For any lawful Purpose 6LegalNov.9 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 185-187 MAIN STREET WORCESTER, NY, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 08/31/23.

Latest date to dissolve: 12/31/2123.

Office: Otsego County.

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

SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Anthony Gaudio, 7 Polonia Court, Monroe Twp, NJ 08831.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalNov.2

Legal

Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of 177 LIPPITT DEVELOPMENT LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/14/23.

Office location: Otsego County.

Princ. office of LLC: 177 Lippitt Development Rd., Cooperstown, NY 13326.

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

SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

6LegalNov.2 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of Gatehouse Coffee LLC Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 7/21/23.

Office Location: Otsego County.

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

SSNY shall mail copy of process to 203 County Highway 8, Morris, NY 13808 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6LegalNov.2 Legal nOtice Notice of Formation of JAMIE REEVES, CONDUCTOR LLC. Filed 7/4/23.

Office: Otsego Co. SSNY desig. as agent for process & shall mail to: 11 Westridge Rd, Cooperstown, NY 13326.

Registered Agent: United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Ave, Ste 202, Bklyn, NY 11228.

Purpose: General.

6LegalOct.26

►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, OCTOBER 26, 2023

Parking

Continued from page 1 be at least a year before this opens.

Miller said, “The garage provided covered parking overnight. When it snowed, I was still able to get to work.”

He worries about what the city’s plan is this winter.

One new downtown resident who attended the October 17, 2023 Common Council meeting asked about parking rules during snow storms.

Plans and Solutions Mattice responded that cars can be parked at Damaschke Field during a snow storm.

When snow reaches 2.53 inches, a snow emergency is declared and residents are asked to remove their cars from

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-9

the street so the city can plow the snow.

The Damaschke Field lot has approximately 108 parking spaces. Neahwa Park’s Large Pavilion lot has another 108 spaces.

The City of Oneonta piloted a program and ran a shuttle from these locations this summer.

Mattice is in favor of “an intelligent paid parking program.” During the Common Council session on the City’s Strategic Plan, he proposed a paid parking permit for Oneonta residents and pay-by-plate parking in high demand areas.

The City of Oneonta Police Department has one full-time parking enforcement officer.

Mattice shared an article summarizing an 800-page book, “The High Cost of Free Parking.” The author, Donald Shoup, notes,

“Thinking about parking seems to take place in the reptilian cortex, the primitive part of the brain said to govern behavior like aggression, territoriality, and ritual display—all factors in parking.”

To address the controversy about parking, the mayor’s office is designing an illustrated parking map which will be available as a brochure throughout the business district soon. That map will be displayed as a poster on the city’s trash cans.

“Student trainees from the Oneonta Job Corps drone program will be shooting and posting photographic documentation of parking availabilities downtown at 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m. daily,” according to Mayor Drnek. “The images will be available on a website that will be unveiled in the next few weeks.”

NYS Soil and Water Committee To Meet Tues.

EDMESTON—The New York State Soil and Water Conservation Committee will hold a meeting at 10 a.m. in the Orchard Room at 10B Airline Drive in Albany on Tuesday, October 31. There will be alternate in-person locations for the meeting at: Stein Farm, 8246 North Road, Leroy; America Farmland Trust Office, 112 Spring Street, Suite 207, Saratoga Springs; Hickling’s Fish Farm, 219 Pitts Road, Edmeston; Jefferson County SWCD Office, 25541 State Route 12, Watertown; and Montgomery County SWCD Office, 4001 State Highway 5S, Fultonville. The meeting can also be accessed virtually by calling (518) 549-0500 and using access code 1612 58 8013. Meeting materials and a recording will be made available at https://agriculture. ny.gov/soil-and-water/about-soil-water-conservation-committee.

OBITUARIES

Photo provided

Diana e. holliday

Diana E. Holliday 1940-2023

MARYLAND— Diana (Hoyt) Holliday, 83, passed away on October 18, 2023 at Cooperstown Center after a courageous battle with cancer.

She was born to George Frederick “Fritz” and Ellrose (VanTassell) Hoyt on August 24, 1940.

Diana was a lifelong area resident and some of her fondest memories were on Goodyear Lake.

She graduated from Oneonta High School.

After meeting Eldred Holliday, she raised a family of three.

A strong work ethic was something that Diana was proud of, working locally at Mike’s Diner, The Milford Meat Market, The Elm Inn and the Hannah-Lee House. She was a true homesteader and loved canning, making her own butter, and raising their own food to feed her family.

The simplest pleasures in life brought great joys to Diana. She enjoyed her little piece of heaven on Crumhorn Mountain; gardening, riding her four-wheeler and harnessing her horse, “Maggie-Mae,” and most of all her grandchildren.

Diana is survived by her sister, Ronna Bagnardi; her children, Lance and his wife, Kelly Holliday,

Melissa Holliday and her husband, Joe Roe, Leisha and her husband, Gus Konchar; her grandchildren, Dalton Roe and fiancé Jiawen Shen, Lizette and husband Wyatt Waters, Keenan Holliday and girlfriend Sierra Kitson, and Ian Miller and girlfriend Sylvia Hernandez.

Diana is predeceased by her parents.

She will be interred at the Milford Center Cemetery alongside ancestors that date well before the Civil War. Reverend Stephen Fournier will officiate a graveside service at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 27 at the Milford Center Cemetery. All are welcome to join the family.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff at the Cooperstown Center (a special CNA who became a friend, Love Duke) and Helios Care for their care and compassion.

The family suggests donations may be sent to Helios Care, 297 River Street Service Road, Oneonta, NY 13820.

Arrangements are entrusted with Oneonta’s only family-owned funeral home, Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono at 51 Dietz Street; www. lhpfuneralhome.com

Photo provided

GRACE L. WEBER

Grace L. Weber 1941-2023 ONEONTA—It is with heavy hearts that Charles Weber and family announce the passing of beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, Grace Weber, on October 14, 2023 at the age of 82, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease.

She was known for her gentle and kind nature and her journey through life was marked by her passion for the arts and her dedication to her family and community.

Grace was born as Grace Marie Lynn on October 5, 1941 in Buffalo, New York. She attended high school at St. Mary of the Angels Academy in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and she obtained a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from Marymount College in 1963.

Grace’s love story with

leWiS, HurleY & pietrobono

her husband, Charlie, began on a blind date during college, culminating in their union in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in 1965. The couple later settled in Oneonta in 1966, where they built a life filled with love and commitment.

The couple’s only child, Chuck, was born in 1967, and Grace devoted herself to being a caring, stay-at-home mom for many years.

In 1975, Grace was called to volunteer at the Oneonta Boys Club, where she created the club’s Arts and Crafts program. Her creativity and organizational talent soon earned her a full-time role as the club’s administrative assistant. Grace served the club and its members for several decades, including the club’s transformation and rededication as the Oneonta Boys and Girls Club in 1998.

Grace was a multitalented artist, engaging in various creative pursuits throughout her life, from writing to painting, stained glass art, graphic design, calligraphy and embroidery.

She possessed a remarkable sense of humor and, though she was softspoken, her mischievous side would emerge on occasion, spreading joy to those around her.

Grace is survived by

Heller & Skinner

Funeral Home

Funeral Home

51 Dietz Street oneonta, nY 607-432-1511 www.lhpfuneralhome.com

155 Main Street Worcester, nY 607-397-9711 www.hellerskinnerfh.com

Proud to be family-owned John & Kathleen (Heller) Pietrobono

her devoted husband of 58 years, Charlie; her son, Chuck, and his wife, Jeannie; her granddaughters, Lanie and Maddie; and her siblings, George Lynn, Daniel Lynn, and Alice Troncillito.

She was predeceased by her parents, George Lynn in 1968 and Ruth Lynn in 1997, as well as her brother, Dennis Lynn in 2022.

A visitation will be at 10 a.m. to the celebration of Grace’s life beginning at 11 a.m. on Thursday, October 26 at the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono

Funeral Home at 51 Deitz Street in Oneonta.

In memory of Grace Weber, the family kindly requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation.

Grace’s legacy of kindness and devotion to her family and community will be cherished and remembered by all who had the privilege of knowing her. She will be greatly missed and forever in our hearts.

Online condolences may be sent to, www. lhpfuneralhome.com

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

Funeral Home

Dignity, Respect, Tradition

Dignified and Caring Service since 1925

Peaceful grounds. Home-like atmosphere.

Suitable for large or small gatherings.

Peter A. Deysenroth

82 Chestnut Street, Cooperstown | 607-547-8231 www.cooperstownfuneralhome.com

THURSday, OCTOBER 26, 2023

A-10 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Letters

Continued from page 4

Benton Has My Confidence I endorse MacGuire Benton for Otsego County clerk.

Working with MacGuire for the past several months, I have observed first hand his energy and commitment to public service. Both are inspiring, and I believe his relative youth is an asset. I hope his example will encourage other young people to become involved in serving their communities.

MacGuire is running an energetic and wholehearted campaign, reaching out to people in all parts of our large county. He also continues to fulfill his responsibilities in his employment with Cooperstown Distillery, a job that requires him to be organized, efficient, creative and responsible—qualities that will transfer seamlessly to the position of county clerk.

MacGuire has worked collaboratively on the Village Board for the past several years, a commitment that has contributed significantly to his administrative skills and his desire to be a good public servant. Every sitting board member has unanimously endorsed his candidacy.

For all of the above reasons, I am confident that MacGuire will be able to fulfill his campaign promise to bring dollars back to Otsego County.

He has my vote—please give him yours.

Melinda Hardin Cooperstown

Vote Basile for Skill, Experience I am writing today to express my support for Mrs. Jennifer Basile for Otsego County clerk.

First and foremost, Mrs. Basile’s 14 years’ experience and movement up in the ranks at the County Clerk’s Office speaks volumes to her outstanding commitment and qualifications to fill this seat not only with expertise but also with professionalism.

The Office of County Clerk has many moving parts, roles and responsibilities, all of which Mrs. Basile, due to her tenure in the office, is well versed. As the repository of county records, the responsibilities of this office are many including but not limited to: the collection of fees and fines, filings, indexing, property records, certification of court documents, DMV oversight, and the maintenance of all governing body transactions including resolutions and ordinances.

During my tenure as both a town clerk for eight years and a village clerk for approximately five years, I have personally had the absolute pleasure of working with Jen. These positions equate to more than 10 years of witnessing first hand her experience in the office, her willingness to go above and beyond, and her utmost professionalism and in-depth knowledge of the information housed there. Outside of business, I am honored to call Jennifer my friend.

While her opponent, Mr.

MacGuire Benton, may well be a good person and likeable, his lack of experience also speaks volumes. I implore all to ask yourselves, “What qualifies Mr. Benton?” Has he for any period of time held a public office successfully?

Has he worked in a governmental office setting? Has he ever been tasked with such great responsibility? Has he spent any time priming for the position? If so, how long?

While I wish the best for Mr. Benton, I do not see where he is at all qualified to fill this very important seat.

The County Clerk’s Office is not a partisan position; the election process unfortunately forces it. The clerk has no vote on the Board of Representatives; however, I will caveat the initiatives the office pushes for can have an impact on how business is conducted there. I know beyond any doubt Mrs. Basile will push for initiatives that are in the best interest of Otsego County. I cannot speak the same for her opponent.

I strongly urge everyone to please vote experience and not party lines during this upcoming election.

Sarah McGuire Town of Hartwick

Vote Benton for Customer Service Benton is the right choice for Otsego County clerk. In the upcoming election for Otsego County clerk, voters face an important decision that will have a direct impact on the efficiency, transparency and accessibility of essential government services. I have had the pleasure of working with MacGuire Benton over the past six years and firmly believe he is the ideal choice for this crucial position due to his strong track record in local government and his proven commitment to serving the community.

Benton’s record as a member of the Cooperstown Board of Trustees shows that he is not only capable of understanding complex municipal issues, but that he is also capable of hitting the ground running from day one. Moreover, over the course of his years of public service, Benton has always put the needs of his constituents first.

One of Benton’s key strengths is his unwavering dedication to ensuring that government services are readily accessible to all. His vision for the county clerk’s office includes reopening the Oneonta DMV, creating a mobile DMV to serve residents located in the outer reaches of the county, and improving online access to the service the clerk’s office provides.

Perhaps Benton’s most impressive quality of all, is his unwavering commitment to customer service and his willingness to communicate his ideas to his constituents.

Benton has traveled throughout the county, taking every opportunity to discuss his vision for the clerk’s office. Unlike his opponent, he has never hidden behind his workload or his experience to avoid a thorough examination of his positions and qualifications.

When considering the qualities needed for an effective

county clerk, it is clear that MacGuire Benton possesses the essential experience, dedication, and vision to lead the clerk’s office. His commitment to accessibility, transparency, customer service, and grassroots community engagement make him the ideal candidate for the position. On Election Day, I encourage Otsego County residents to cast their votes for MacGuire Benton, a leader who will truly put the needs of our community first. Otsego County deserves nothing less.

Danny Lapin Former Otsego County Representative (City of Oneonta, Wards 5 & 6)

Basile Dedicated, Hard Working My name is Jayne Buttice.

I am a local abstractor and have been going to the Otsego County Clerk’s Office for 12 years. In the 12 years I have been researching and interacting with the clerks, it is always a very cooperative and friendly environment.

Jennifer has many years’ experience in the County Clerk’s Office and is very knowledgeable in any question asked about any of the books, documents, recording documents, etc., in the Records Room. No question asked is ignored by Jennifer or the rest of the staff in the Clerk’s Office. Jennifer and staff have always explained in detail about policies, procedures and how to locate any document/file pertaining to the Clerk’s Office.

I am thankful for the education Jennifer and staff have given me and many others in the Clerk’s Office. Jennifer’s leadership and training of her staff has shown, as the Clerk’s Office is run like a fine-tuned machine.

Jennifer is always open to discussion of the needs of the community. For example, the opening of the DMV office in the City of Oneonta. Her hard work and dedication to the community has been proven.

She has 14 plus years’ experience, and will grow with the changes of the New York State Legislature. Jennifer will continually work hard for the Otsego County community in the Otsego County Clerk’s Office.

Vote Jennifer Basile—hardworking AND dedicated to the Otsego County community.

Jayne A. Buttice Buttice Abstract and Research, Inc.

Benton Has the Energy, Spirit I have known MacGuire Benton for years and admire his energy and spirit. We will need that energy to face the challenges we have now and those on the horizon, including reopening the Oneonta DMV. It is for that reason I am voting for MacGuire Benton for Otsego County Clerk.

Luke Murphy City Councilman, 1st Ward Oneonta

Basile Has Earned Clerk Position In a few weeks, the voters of Otsego County will have the opportunity to participate in the election of our next

county clerk.

I have been practicing law in Otsego County for 40 years. I interact, either directly or indirectly, with the County Clerk’s Office on almost a daily basis.

The clerk’s office serves a vital and important role to the residents of the county at large, and to my clients in particular.

It is important that the office runs smoothly and efficiently.

While I do not know either candidate socially, I have had a great deal of professional contact with Jennifer Basile.

Both candidates, I believe, are good people, but Jennifer has spent the time and energy to master the intricacies of the office.

The county clerk must know how, among other things, to process a summons and complaint, enter an order or judgment, record a deed, mortgage, or other papers, and file a map. I can attest that Jennifer knows how to perform these functions, as she has done so, over and over again, at my request.

Jennifer is a working clerk.

Unlike her opponent, she knows and understands the many functions of the office. She does not need time to learn the job. She can hit the ground running. As a consumer of the services of the county clerk, I want to work with a person who has experience and knowledge.

Jennifer is not a bureaucrat. She is a committed public servant performing an invaluable service in a quiet, efficient and cost-effective manner. Please cast your vote for Jennifer Basile for Otsego County clerk.

Richard A. Harlem Oneonta

Benton Energetic, People-focused This is written in support of MacGuire Benton’s candidacy for the office of Otsego County clerk.

MacGuire is a highly energetic, people-focused individual who has a track record of working successfully in both the private and public sectors. He served as a village board member and as deputy Otsego County elections commissioner. He is responsible for the growth, operation, and management of Cooperstown Distillery’s state and national distribution efforts. He has taken on the challenge of campaigning in a county-wide election for an office that hasn’t seen a contested race in 20 years.

This is a daunting goal.

His planning, perseverance, and engagement with voters where they are—county fair, picnics, harvest celebrations, society gatherings, and at their homes, speaks to his style of public service, that is, hearing directly from his prospective constituents. We need this approach in county government.

There should be no concern about MacGuire’s ability to conduct the responsibilities of the job on a daily basis. We have before us an opportunity to have a fresh set of eyes and a new creative approach to the leadership of the office.

MacGuire brings this type of entrepreneurial spirit and customer focus to the role.

He has already announced

a number of priorities that he stands ready to deliver on as county clerk. The office is constantly being handed down changes, tweaks and new direction from the State of New York. Regardless of who is elected our next county clerk, they will be challenged with new things to learn, process and implement.

MacGuire Benton has a demonstrated commitment to public service, the ability to relate to and engage constituents, and a vision for a peoplecentric approach to this aspect of county government. I support his candidacy.

Jeff Woeppel Middlefield Town Councilman

A Vote for Basile Ensures Service Experience, leadership and track record are why I am supporting Jennifer Basile for Otsego County clerk.

As a former Otsego County representative and the former Otsego County Industrial Development Authority chairman, I deeply understand the importance of having the right professional in this role. Jennifer Basile IS this professional.

Having completed the first ever line item analysis of Otsego County operations across all aspects of EVERY department while county representative, I gained a very clear understanding of the critical importance the role of county clerk plays in the day-to-day lives of Otsego County residents.

A vote for Jennifer Basile for Otsego County clerk ensures that Otsego County residents are served well by an experienced professional deserving of this great responsibility.

Rick Hulse Jr. Fly Creek

Basile Is Most Qualified Choice I proudly announce my full endorsement of Jen Basile to serve as the next Otsego County clerk. Jen has served Otsego County for over 14 years, earning a promotion halfway through her career to serve as deputy clerk—this experience makes her the most qualified candidate to serve the people of Otsego County.

Get out and vote for Jen Basile for Otsego County clerk on Election Day! Elise Stefanik Congresswoman, 21st District

Exhibit Focus Is on Voter Rights Our right to vote is precious and hard won. In a moving exhibit at the Sam and Adele Golden Gallery, New Berlin, artists reflect on the struggle for the right to vote in this country. In the exhibition catalogue, Gretchen Sorin writes, “The right to vote was so meaningful that these activists petitioned, demonstrated, were arrested and jailed, even beaten and murdered to gain and protect the right to vote.

Today, many of us take voting for granted, but it is the cornerstone of our democracy and it Continued on page 12 CLOG-FREE GUTTERS

FOR LIMITED TIME*

Switch to DISH for access to every professional football game this fall on YouTube, Prime Video, Peacock, and ESPN+ DISH has the most college football with SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, and Longhorn Networks.

Plus, get the Multi-Sport Pack on us!

Sign up for AT120+ or above and get 15 additional sports channels with the Multi-Sport Pack at no cost.

8,000 TOUCHDOWNS DON’T MISS ANY OF THE ACTION!

SWITCH TO DISH & GET UP TO A

$300 GIFT CARD! *FOR QUALIFYING CUSTOMERS

O N E P L A C E T O W AT C H !

Plus, Multi-Sport Pack Included for a Limited Time

1-866-782-4069 \HDU SULFH JXDUDQWHH UHTXLUHV FUHGLW TXDOLƓFDWLRQ DQG \HDU FRPPLWPHQW DQG FRYHUV FRUH SURJUDPPLQJ ORFDO QHWZRUNV DQG HTXLSPHQW &DOO , 7HFK IRU GHWDLOV DW *LIW &DUG 2IIHU HQGV 5HTXLUHV RIIHU FRGH '79 ',6+ (OLJLELOLW\ UHTXLUHV FRQWLQXLQJ DFWLYH ',6+ VHUYLFH FRPSOHWLRQ RI WKH ƓUVW GD\V RI ',6+ VHUYLFH SD\PHQW RI Ɠ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

EXCLUSIVE LIMITED TIME OFFER!

FOREVER

TODAY FOR 15% + 10% + 0% ACALLFREEUS ESTIMATE OFF

YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE*

SENIORS & MILITARY!

OFF

APR FOR 24 MONTHS**

Promo Code: 285 FREE GUTTER ALIGNMENT + FREE GUTTER CLEANING*

1-855-478-9473

Mon-Thurs: 8am-11pm, Fri-Sat: 8am-5pm, Sun: 2pm-8pm EST

**Wells Fargo Home Projects credit card is issued by Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., an Equal Housing Lender. Special terms for 24 mo. apply to qualifying purchases of $1,000 or more ZLWK DSSURYHG FUHGLW 0LQLPXP PRQWKO\ SD\PHQWV ZLOO QRW SD\ R΍ EDODQFH EHIRUH HQG RI SURPRWLRQDO SHULRG $35 IRU QHZ SXUFKDVHV LV (΍HFWLYH VXEMHFW WR FKDQJH &DOO IRU FRPSOHWH GHWDLOV 7KH OHDGLQJ FRQVXPHU UHSRUWLQJ DJHQF\ FRQGXFWHG D PRQWK RXWGRRU WHVW RI JXWWHU JXDUGV LQ DQG UHFRJQL]HG /HDI)LOWHU DV WKH Ȋ UDWHG SURIHVVLRQDOO\ LQVWDOOHG JXWWHU JXDUG V\VWHP LQ $PHULFD ȋ )RU WKRVH ZKR TXDOLI\ 2QH FRXSRQ SHU KRXVHKROG 1R REOLJDWLRQ HVWLPDWH YDOLG IRU \HDU 2΍HU YDOLG DW WLPH RI HVWLPDWH RQO\ 6HH 5HSUHVHQWDWLYH IRU IXOO ZDUUDQW\ GHWDLOV 0DQXIDFWXUHG LQ 3ODLQZHOO 0LFKLJDQ DQG SURFHVVHG DW /070HUFHU *URXS LQ 2KLR $5 &$ &7 +Ζ& )/ &%& Ζ$ & Ζ' 5&( /$ 0$ 0' 0+Ζ& 0Ζ 01 Ζ5 07 1' 1( 1- 9+ 10 19 1< + + 25 3$ 3$ 5Ζ *& 71 87 9$ :$ /($))1: -= :9 :9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-11

‘Walk To End Alzheimer’s’ Is This Saturday at Sports Center COOPERSTOWN—The Alzheimer’s Association, Northeastern New York chapter is hosting its 2023 Walk to End Alzheimer’s-Cooperstown on Saturday, October 28 at the Clark Sports Center. Participants may check in beginning at 9 a.m. with an opening ceremony at 10. The walk will begin immediately following the opening ceremony.

On walk day, participants honor those affected by Alzheimer’s with the poignant Promise Garden ceremony—a mission-focused experience that signifies solidarity in the fight against the disease. During the ceremony, walkers will Photos by Wriley Nelson carry flowers of various colors, each color symbolizing their personal connection Colyn Criqui (1) gets a head on the ball in a huge defensive play as goalkeeper Charlie to the disease.

“This walk means so much to the community—to those living with the disease, to Lambert, Conrad Erway (22) and Ben Lewis (30) prepare to support. those providing care, to those who have lost someone to the disease,” said Andrew Sagarin, development events manager for the Alzheimer’s Association Northeastern New York chapter. “Walk is a reminder that we’re fighting for a different future. We are closer than ever before to ending this disease, but we have more work left.

“We hope that everyone impacted in our community will join us by starting a walk team. By helping us raise awareness and funds, our chapter can continue to provide free care and support services for families facing the disease today, as School

By WRILEY NELSON High well as invest in research to finally find a cure,” said Sagarin. on Thursday, More than six million Americans age 65 and older are living with Alzheimer’s October 26.

COOPERSTOWN disease, including 410,000 New Yorkers. It’s not only a leading cause of death in On the girls’ ooperstown boys the U.S., more than 11 million family members and friends provide unpaid care and girls soccer side, the twoto people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. each won their seeded Hawkeyes Walk to End Alzheimer’s is the world’s largest event to raise awareness and first two Section III Class rallied from a funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research. The Cooperstown Walk is C playoff games. The deficit at the half supported by local presenting sponsor, New York Central Mutual. The goal for four-seeded boys shut to defeat number this year’s Cooperstown walk is to raise $30,000.00. out number 13 Thousand 18 Sandy Creek To register as an individual walker or team captain, and to receive the latest Islands 5-0 at home on 2-1 at home updates, visit alz.org/walk.

Thursday, Wednesday, October 18. on 19.

Senior Frank Panzarella October SQSPCA Announces Estate Planning Pet Event made a goal and an S o p h o m o r e Ben Lewis (30) returns the ball to assist. Senior Eero Aho Mia Pelcer tied COOPERSTOWN—Susquehanna SPCA will observe National Estate Planning play as Cooperstown boys soccer and junior Cooper up the game in shuts out Thousand Islands.

Awareness Month with a presentation on planning for pet welfare. Local attorney Bradley scored. Charlie the second half Lauren Glynn will discuss steps that pet owners can take to provide for their scoreless until the final animals after their own death; topics will include creating a care plan, collecting Lambert and the rest of on an assist by the Cooperstown defense senior Sophia Hotaling, 11 minutes, when junior records and documents, and setting aside funds for pet care. The presentation will made their ninth shutout who went on to net the Annelise Jensen scored be given in the SQSPCA Community Room at 11 a.m. on Monday, October 30. winning goal with eight on an assist by Pelcer. of the season.

The Hawkeyes ad- minutes left to play. Hotaling rounded out Sidney Elks Will Host Veterans’ Resource Fair vanced to the playoff Junior Brenna Seamon the 2-0 victory with an SIDNEY—Following the success of the inaugural event in 2022, the Sidney Elks quarterfinals against five- made four saves for unassisted goal with Lodge will once again host a Veterans’ Resource Fair from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on three minutes to play. which seeded Waterville, also Cooperstown, Wednesday, November 1. It will be held at the Lodge, 104 River Street. The fair will Seamon made six more at home on Paul Lambert outshot the Eagles 38-5. feature lunch, giveaways, haircuts, blood pressure screening, door prizes, vendors saves in the shutout.

The Hawkeyes faced Field, on Friday, October and live music.

Veterans and their guests are welcome. Reservations are encouraged Cooperstown will face Dolgeville 20. Cooperstown rallied 10-seeded but not required; call (607) 563-2175 to register or for more information. six-seeded Beaver River from a one goal deficit in the quarterfinals on in a semifinal match on late in the game to win Saturday, October 21.

3-1. Waterville scored The match remained Wednesday, October 25. *Visit AllOtsego.com for all the news that didn’t fit. on a penalty kick with 15 minutes left in the second half before Cooperstown junior Janak Pandit tied the game five minutes later. Bradley gave the Hawkeyes the lead, heading a pass by sophomore Miles Nelen.

Panzarella scored the insurance goal with five minutes remaining.

Lambert made six saves and the Hawkeyes outshot the Eagles 28-11.

Cooperstown will face eight-seeded FabiusPompey at Liverpool

Boys, Girls Soccer Sweep Games, Heading to Class C Semifinals

C

AllOTSEGO. Advertise your financial planning resources and services here!

Send your information to: randyc@allotsego. com or call 607-547-6103

finance 1 -Year Share Certificate

Everyday Rate.

Simple Terms.

4.75% For A 12 Month Term!!!

*APY (Annual Percentage Yield). Minimum deposit of $1,000 required. Annual Percentage Yield for the 12-month term is accurate as of 09/15/2023. Penalty applies if a withdrawal is made prior to maturity date. Rates subject to change without notice.

Additional terms and conditions may apply. Membership required for eligibility.

Holiday Time!

Be a part of the best Holiday Book in the region! Advertise the most sought after, wanted, unusual, one-of-a-kind things you have in your store, things that people can fill stockings with or fill up under the tree!

Publishes late November, 2023 ALL PAGES ARE FULL COLOR AND GLOSSY!

Contact Randy or Tara at 607-547-6103

THURSday, OCTOBER 26, 2023

A-12 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Letters

Continued from page 10 enables us to continue to live as free people.” If you need inspiration to make a plan and vote this year, visit this wonderful exhibit. Every election matters, your vote in each election sustains our democracy. Make your voice heard—vote early, vote absentee or vote on Election Day. You can register to vote until October 28. Early voting begins that same day, Saturday, October 28 and continues until Sunday, November 5.

You can vote early at the Meadows Complex at 140 County Highway 33W in Cooperstown, or at the Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center at 24 Market Street in Oneonta.

If you need an absentee ballot, you can get the application at the Board of Elections in the Meadows Complex, or online at Vote411.org or at abse-

teeballot.elections.ny.gov.

Election Day is November 7, and you can find your polling place at vote411 or at Otsegocounty.com in the Board of Elections department.

The exhibit, “Our Votes, Our Stories,” is at Golden Artist Colors’ gallery at 237 Bell Road, New Berlin. It is curated by Gretchen Sorin’s students at the Cooperstown Graduate Program.

The artwork and the curators’ comments will remind you of the sacrifices that have been made so that you can vote. The League of Women Voters of the Cooperstown Area urges every eligible citizen to exercise their right to vote.

Maureen Murray LWVCA Board Co-chair Kristin Pullybank LWVCA Board Co-chair Hudi Podolsky LWVCA Voter Services Chair

Are there Harmful Algal Blooms (“HABs”) in Otsego Lake?

Use the QR code below for up-to-date results from the SUNY Oneonta Biological Field Station: For context: the New York State Department of Health opens swimming areas at regulated beaches when testing results in a total microcystin level below 4 µg/L and there are no HABs visible for at least a day

Testing will now continue year-round, thanks to the support of the Clark Foundation and many generous Cooperstonians, which will allow *citizens to make rational decisions about when and how to use the lake *and scientists to gather the high-quality, long-term data necessary for any future HAB remediation efforts

But more help is needed so if you’re able please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to this effort

https://suny.oneontaalumni.com/g/give/ scroll to "Couldn’t find the fund you’re looking for?” and type "BFS Account” into the “Enter Fund Name” field

No Place for Washington Congresswoman Elise Stefanik is getting involved in our local race for Otsego County clerk.

Washington is in a state of chaos and dysfunction at the hands of Elise Stefanik’s “leadership.”

We have gone two weeks without a Speaker of the House for the first time in American history.

The question you should ask yourself is why is Washington D.C. stepping in to influence Otsego County voters on behalf of Jennifer Basile?

Voters here in our communities are smart, thoughtful and deliberative people.

We don’t need D.C to swoop in and tell us how to vote in a “local” election year. Why would any of us take advice from an insurrectionist who helped champion the attempted overthrow of the United States Constitution?

MacGuire Benton hasn’t asked for or taken any endorsements from Albany or Washington D.C. Mr. Benton trusts the voters of Otsego County to make this important decision without influence from far away elitists who don’t understand our communities. We deserve better. I urge you to support MacGuire Benton for Otsego County clerk.

Jeanne Grampp Town of Richfield

Basile Has the Needed Skills It is without hesitation that I write this endorsement of Jennifer Basile

Medicare Advantage with dental?

CDPHP has that! ®

Speak one-on-one with a trained specialist about the CDPHP Medicare Advantage plans available to you!

October 2 – December 6 Bassett Healthcare Center 125 Main St. • Oneonta, NY 13820 Tuesdays: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Bassett Medical Center, First Floor 1 Atwell Road • Cooperstown, NY 13326 Mondays: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

FoxCare Center 1 FoxCare Dr. • Oneonta, NY 13820 Thursdays: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

O’Connor Hospital 460 Andes Road • Delhi, NY 13753 Wednesdays: 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Walk-ins welcome!

Prefer an appointment or looking for special needs accommodations? Call 1-888-519-7914 (TTY: 711).

for Otsego County clerk.

As a licensed real estate broker, former town supervisor and current county representative for District 8, I have had countless interactions with the Clerk’s Office in several counties.

Throughout her tenure as deputy clerk, I have come to know Jennifer as a dedicated and extremely knowledgeable professional whose desire to serve the community is apparent. Her expertise in the duties and responsibilities of the county clerk and DMV offices far exceed her opponent.

Furthermore, she is the only candidate that has the technical and software skills required to operate the computer systems and applications unique to the County Clerk and DMV offices. Common sense tells us proficiency in these particular operating systems is, at the very least, a prerequisite to anyone seeking a position of this importance. Please join me in casting a ballot for Jennifer Basile.

David Bliss Cooperstown

Benton Brings Fresh Ideas I keep hearing claims that MacGuire Benton is unqualified. Jennifer Basile claims that only someone who has worked in the Otsego County Clerk’s Office is qualified.

She has gone so far as to say that Otsego County is so unique that even someone who has been a county clerk elsewhere could not do the job. How she can advance such is beyond comprehension.

For most of my life, I lived in a county with 10 times the population and 20 times the number of land parcels as Otsego County. The county courts had over 30 judges. This added up to hundreds of filings per day in the clerk’s office, not the few dozen filings that our clerk’s office sees.

The idea that the job requires unique experience is nonsense.

It requires the ability to manage a staff. It requires understanding what customers want and need. It requires dedication to customer service.

One candidate has been going door to door for many months engaging voters and customers.

One candidate is working hard to get my vote. One candidate has fresh ideas for improving customer satisfaction. The other candidate is running as though she thinks she is entitled to my vote.

The other candidate has refused to debate. The other candidate has yet to explain what ideas, if any, she has come up with to make the clerk’s office better in 14 years on the job. The choice is simple, new leadership or business as usual. We need MacGuire Benton as our next county clerk.

Thomas Russo Cooperstown

Observer

Continued from page 4

CDPHP is an HMO and a PPO with a Medicare contract.

Enrollment in CDPHP Medicare Advantage depends on contract renewal.

Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Inc. | CDPHP Universal Benefits,® Inc. Y0019_24_24454_C

or by 2024, the EPA’s standards will likely have extensive ramifications.

Although the 2022 PACT Act sought to address a broad range of service-related toxic

exposures, the bill doesn’t include specific provisions regarding PFAS exposure and its enduring effects. Despite its seemingly dismissive stance on “forever chemicals,” the PACT Act’s success serves as a motivating example for similarly minded legislative proposals.

In June 2023, Rep. Dan Kildee reintroduced the Veterans Exposed to Toxic PFAS Act to the House, with a companion bill submitted to the Senate a month later by Sen. Debbie Stabenow.

Notably, the bill has been on the books yet continuously passed over since 2018.

Under the VET PFAS Act, veterans’ and military dependents’ PFAS-related conditions, which can be traced back to their residence on contaminated military bases, would be presumptively recognized as serviceconnected, enabling eligible individuals’ access to adequate healthcare benefits and compensation.

Jonathan Sharp is the CFO of Environmental Litigation Group PC, a law firm from Birmingham, Alabama, that specializes in toxic exposure cases and assists individuals harmed by hazardous substances on contaminated military installations.

Soil

Continued from page 5 kets packed with copious, cheap items.

In areas which have been intensively farmed by standard industrial methods, severe erosion and groundwater depletion are now ubiquitous.

We are lucky to live in an area where we have the option of supporting local farmers working to reverse this pattern. As the bumper sticker puts it: “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food.”

Authored by Sustainable Otsego.

Since 2007, we have promoted ecologically sound practices—locally, regionally and nationally. Our platform calls for sustainable living, economic independence and home rule. Visit us at sustainableotsego.net or facebook. com/SustainableOtsego.

Project

Continued from page 1 of its Carbon Neutral Community Development Plan. In addition, New York State Energy Research and Development awarded a Buildings of Excellence designation in its Round Three competition for Early Design Support.

The latter award is meant to spotlight plans for replicable and carbon-neutral multifamily buildings that model safe, comfortable living spaces for people who occupy them while creating attractive, longterm business opportunities for owners in a classic win-win situation.

Energy efficiency and carbon neutrality are hallmarks of the project.

To guide the team in reaching this target, the Phius CORE 2021 stan-

dards are a minimum goal. The rigorous Phius CORE protocol has 10 standards of building performance which translates into simplified, all-electric mechanical systems and overall reduction in energy use.

The Bank Lofts project will produce a significant portion of its own energy, in fact; an 18.284 kWh/tr solar array on the parking lot’s canopies will power the building’s systems as well as the on-site electric vehicle charging stations.

As the Bank Lofts team envisioned the project, they paid attention to the town and village Comprehensive Plan, a joint document adopted in 2018 that itself won the Comprehensive Plan Award from the New York Planning Federation. Several goals of the Comprehensive Plan are implemented in the completion of Bank Lofts: the need for desirable market-rate rental housing (10 units in all); more and better shopping in the downtown (first floor commercial space); sustainability, as a carbon neutral building, and historic preservation. With three historic districts and 191 contributing buildings and structures in Richfield, many in need of restoration, the Bank Lofts is a beacon to stimulate more restoration and repurposing.

Residents of the Richfield area have a strong sentimental attachment to many building in the historic districts, and 118 Main Street is one of the favorites. It is still referred to as the “bank,” even though there has been no financial institution there since the mid-1960s. The project is likely to inspire other restoration, as plans are being made for three more projects on Main Street in the near future.

The Town of Richfield’s recently submitted New York Forward application proposes historic street signage and streetscape improvements to complement restoration efforts like the Bank Lofts.

In the days soon after the building was purchased in 2022 by Dooalot LLC, Josh Edmonds of Simple Integrity LLC was asked about the challenges of restoring a 140-year-old building and bringing it to carbon-neutrality.

“It should be an interesting palette to work with!” Edmonds said.

With each passing day, the finished product comes more into view and excitement grows in the community as a grand old edifice is restored to glory.

To read the full article in “Passive House Accelerator” magazine,” visit https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/ articles/mainstreamingclean-energy-on-mainstreet-usa.

WE WANT TO CELEBRATE

YOU!

Promotions, births, events, new hires, milestones, grand openings, awards, meetings, opinions, results of sporting events, personal bests, weddings and more.

Photos welcome, too. info@allotsego.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2023

THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA A-13

CITIZEN SCIENCE

JAMIE ZVIRZDIN

Superstitious By Design: How We Negotiate Chaos, Uncertainty

W

hen I was seven, I was gifted a grotesquely vivid rabbit’s foot. Dyed two shades of purple, clinging to a gold-bead keychain, it occupied a sacred corner of my childhood drawer—a reliquary of sorts where keepsakes were stashed and semi-forgotten. At that age, causality was an ever-evolving puzzle.

Did I truly believe that this amputated appendage wielded the power to tilt fortune in my favor? I don’t think so. But there was a frayed boundary between doubt and credulity, a membrane thin enough to let superstitions seep in. The foot stayed, as did the illusion of control it offered.

When we’re young, the world unfolds in found talismans and nursery ditties. Singsong superstitions are verses in the narratives we construct about our lives. I was no exception. Sidewalks transformed into mythical landscapes, each crack a fault line through which my mother’s well-being might crumble. “Step on a crack and you’ll break your mother’s back,” echoed in my head as I hopped from slab to slab, trying to balance my step cadence with the frequency of sidewalk cracks. I didn’t want to test the waters of that particular curse.

And yet, for all the cracks diligently avoided and pennies religiously picked up, there were also superstitions I boldly flouted. Take the number 13—a numerical pariah shunned by elevators and airlines alike. When my second-grade birthday rolled around on a Friday the 13th, I braced for a deluge of misfortune. Instead, the day unfurled with the uneventful joy of any childhood birthday.

Well, almost uneventful—I did find my missing shoelace, and I clearly recall holding it up and feeling lucky. Not win-the-lottery lucky, just gladI-found-my-shoelace lucky (how I lost a whole shoelace in the first place has been forgotten).

This underwhelming anticlimax was an early lesson in healthy skepticism. If an ostensibly accursed day could transpire without event, what else among our folklore might crumble under scrutiny? Astrological predictions became my prime target for psychological unpacking. As I entered adulthood, the more I learned about astronomy, the more the notion that Mercury’s retrograde orbit could steer my destiny seemed as flimsy as it was absurd. Carl Sagan’s words became my mantra: The doctor who assisted at my birth wielded more

Photo by Tara Barnwell

Get ready to be scared! Tom and Patti Gelhaus on South Chestnut Street in Cooperstown have the Halloween spirit.

Every inch of the porches on the side-by-side houses is covered with Halloween decorations. “This really draws a lot of attention, people stop all of the time and they love it,” Tom Gelhaus said. Go take a look, they will have plenty of candy for the trick or treaters!

cosmic influence over my life than any celestial entity ever could. My fate became my own as I came into my own.

But why do we, collectively, hum these ditties of irrationality? Why do we invest emotionally in their credos? Superstitions—reduced to rhyming couplets or simple gestures, salt over our shoulders—are cultural heirlooms, mnemonics passed from generation to generation. They offer us a

Exhibit

Continued from page 1 invented machinery and toys. Although one-dimensional, they often convey depth and movement. His “frames,” architectural in character, are an integral part of the paintings themselves.

Whitten’s “Air Paddle” reflects his interest in the mechanical and his penchant for playfulness. The precision and starkness of his pulley and plumb bob, strung with rope through bobbins, strangely project realism. Yet for what purpose would anyone devise such a contraption?

“Caccia,” Italian for “hunt,” features a mechanical device posed on what looks to be a vintage schoolroom desk or a Victorian table. A medallion with a cat face is fastened to what could be a stereo needle.

A wire, evoking a mouse’s tail, is attached to the needle. At the end of the wire is another medallion containing a mouse’s face, suggesting that a “catand-mouse” game is at play, all the more so since “caccia” is onomatopoeic for “catchya.” Word play adds to the visual tease of this piece.

While Whitten works one-dimensionally, Callahan works in three dimensions. Her installations evoke a Victorian-era predilection for whimsy. One has the impression of being in a dream world anchored in the 19th century. Eclectic objects, found or meticulously fashioned by Callahan, fill museum space in the cluttered way Victoriana filled rooms of their era. The cabinets which enclose many of her dream “specimens” were constructed by Callahan herself, showcasing her high level of craftsmanship.

Her installation features images from the dreams of eight people. Some, like Darwin’s contemporary

Photo by Nancy Callahan

A dream image “surreptitiously plucked” from a dream of Alfred Russell Wallace, documented as “Specimen 382” in Nancy Callahan’s component of “A Cabinet of Curious Matters,” an exhibit running through December 31 at the Fenimore Art Museum.

Alfred Russell Wallace, are historic figures; others are products of Callahan’s imagination. The “artifacts” in the exhibit have been “surreptitiously plucked” from the dreams of each subject.

microcosm of control, a token economy in which luck can be both stored and spent. As I reconciled . . . and continue to reconcile . . . my personal litany of innocent superstitions with a more reasoned worldview, I realize the allure of superstitions isn’t in the promise of a luckier outcome but an active attempt to control the uncertainty of existence.

I don’t even know what happened to the gross purple rabbit’s foot, but the old ditties still echo in the recesses of memory, like fragments of a once-sacred hymn. Our need to feel control in an uncontrollable world has roots in our need to survive: If you bolted at ghosts, you might escape the tiger hiding in the grass. Some superstitions help calm this survival anxiety, but others augment fear and tension.

So this Halloween, don’t worry about the black cat that crosses your path, but do worry about walking under ladders and breaking mirrors, not because it’s unlucky but because actions still have consequences, and some amount of survival anxiety is needful and warranted. But see if you can supplant anxious habits with evidence-based practices: What if, when we feel anxious and out of control, we did 10 pushups instead of reaching for an alcoholic drink or mood-mellowing drug?

What if we sat down with a planner and made some goals instead of checking out our latest horoscope online? What if we recognized that all numbers, statistically speaking, are unlucky lottery numbers, and we saved up that lottery money for something better? What if we accepted that there are some things we can control and some things we can’t? In doing so, we may find we can affect the circumstances of our lives more positively than we previously imagined.

As we creep through the cornfield maze of our existence, we all cling to whatever semblance of order we can find. Sometimes that order is a purple rabbit’s foot, sometimes it’s wishing on a star, sometimes it’s humming a song to ward off evil spirits. But always, it’s a testament to our human impulse to navigate, negotiate, and, when possible, defy the chaos and uncertainty in our world.

Jamie Zvirzdin researches cosmic rays with the Telescope Array Project, teaches science writing at Johns Hopkins University and is the author of “Subatomic Writing.”

One “artifact” from the stenographer’s dream is a mechanized shorthand device featuring many curious bells and whistles, one of which is a glass aperture containing a 19th-century engraving of a pin nib game whose purpose is to project spitballs. Another, tucked into the side of this whimsical machine, is a box containing a miniature brush whose paper-thin bristles are made from a shorthand dictionary—a handy gadget for “brushing up” on one’s shorthand skills.

As dreams are often products of stress, the “artifacts” or “specimens” created by Callahan emerge from stressful experiences of each dreamer. For instance, Wallace spent four years collecting specimens in the Amazon only to have the majority of them destroyed on his return trip, when the boat on which he was sailing caught fire. Numerous “specimens”—lush and surreal and salvaged only in Wallace’s dreams—fill an entire gallery space.

The “specimens” from Wallace’s dream, in particular, hark back to Renaissance painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo, whose work anticipated surrealism. His paintings, like Callahan’s, combine random subjects (fruits, vegetables, sea creatures and library books), radically deviating from traditional art. Nevertheless, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II so greatly appreciated Arcimboldo’s art that he displayed it in his prized Kunstkammer, his “cabinet of curiosities.”

We were not around to see Maximilian II’s 16thcentury cabinet, but the Fenimore’s current “Cabinet of Curious Matters” is not to be missed.

The Fenimore Art Museum is currently open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through December 31. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. Info at fenimoreartmuseum.org.

Harpsichord Will Take FCO to the Next Level COOPERSTOWN very special instrument was delivered to Christ Church on Monday, October 23: a harpsichord. “For a music director, it opens up a vast repertoire that we previously had not been able to do without difficulty. Now we can play everything!” said Fenimore Chamber Orchestra Artistic Director and Conductor Maciej Żółtowski. The harpsichord was secured through donations to FCO and came from an estate in Pennsylvania.

“This is yet another manifestation of how the community has come together to support us. It is greatly appreciated,” said Rosemary Summers, FCO director of operations. “People from all over the country already come to see our performances. This will make us even better,” said Thomas Wolf, founder and chair of the FCO governing board. “We reached our $25,000.00 donor challenge in a little over four weeks. That shows the commitment of the community,” Wolf added. The harpsichord will make its debut at the December 2 FCO concert at Christ Church. Tickets are available online at www.fenimoreco.org. “This will be a very special concert for our audience,” Żółtowski said.

A

Photo by Tara Barnwell

Rosemary Summers, Thomas Wolf and Maciej Żółtowski gather around FCO’s new harpsichord.

what’s haPPENIN’ in OtsegO COunty _________ Send calendar items to info@allotsego.com

THURSday, OCTOBER 26, 2023

A-14 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA

►Friday, Oct. 27 POTTERY— 1:30-4:30 p.m. Open Studio. Experienced potters are invited to work on personal projects.

No instruction provided. $30/session. The Smithy Clay Studio, 1 Otsego Court, Cooperstown. Gallery@SmithyArts.org.

HISTORY TOUR— 3 p.m. “The Dangerous Victorian House Tour.”

Held daily. Hyde Hall, 267 Glimmerglass State Park Road, Cooperstown. (607) 547-5098.

SPAGHETTI DINNER— 5-7 p.m. Delicious dinner includes spaghetti and meat sauce, salad, drinks and deserts. Free. Laurens Presbyterian Church, 3 Main Street, Laurens.

(607) 432-3738.

FUNDRAISER—5 p.m.

“Dine Out For A Cause.”

Enjoy a meal and support Helios Care programs.

Also 10 a.m. on 10/28,

10/29. The Tulip and The Rose, 435 Main Street, Franklin. (607) 432-6773.

GHOST TOURS— 5:30 p.m. “Things That Go Bump In The Night.”

Eerie lantern-lit tour of the shadowy museum grounds. Tours leave each half hour, 5:30-8. Tickets, $20/non-member. Also 10/28. The Farmers’ Museum, 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown.

(607) 547-1450.

HALLOWEEN— 6-7:30 p.m. “Oneonta Pumpkin Glow.” Tour the jack-o’-lantern lit park, sip fall refreshments and vote on your favorite. Huntington Park, Oneonta.

(607) 432-1980.

GHOST TOURS— 6 p.m. “Hyde & Shriek!

Candlelight Ghost Tours.”

Tickets, $25. Tours leave every half hour to 7:30.

Also 10/28. Hyde Hall, 267 Glimmerglass State Park Road, Cooperstown.

(607) 547-5098.

what’s haPPENIN’ in OtsegO COunty _________

FUNDRAISER— another shot at great7 p.m. “17th Annual ness. Tickets, $20/adult. what’s haPPENIN’ GOHS Online Auction.”

Production Center, Footin OtsegO COunty Last day of the online hills Performing Arts and auction. Includes many Civic Center, 24 Market interesting items donated Street, Oneonta. Visit by the local community. biggerdreamsproductions.

(607) 432-0960. org CONCERT—7:30 p.m. ►Saturday, Oct. 28 “Adam Kent, Piano.”

Oneonta Concert AssociaALZHEIMER’S WALK— tion presents this award9 a.m. Walk To End winning pianist performAlzheimer’s fundraiser ing pieces discovered in for care, support and the Hyde Hall collection. research. Free, donations Tickets, $25. First United welcome. Clark Sports Methodist Church of Center, 124 County HighOneonta, 66 Chestnut way 52, Cooperstown.

Street, Oneonta. Visit Visit act.alz.org oneontaconcertassociaAPPRECIATION— tion.org 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. “OCCA ENCORE—8 p.m.

Community Appreciation “Deathtrap” by Ira Levin returns for one night only. Day.” OCCA thanks the community for their supThe story of a washed up port throughout the year. playwright desperate for Featuring all day kids’ scavenger hunt, trick or treating, self-guided hikes, paint and sip, more. Betty and Wilber 157 Main Street, CooperStown Davis State Park, 133 607-547-5740 • www.hubbellsrealestate.com Davis Road, Schenevus.

(607) 547-4488.

FALL ART—10 a.m. to noon. “Pumpkin Painting” with the Cooperstown Police Department. Decorate pumpkins for Halloween. Includes coffee, hot cocoa. Village Hall, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown.

(607) 547-8344.

TOUR—11 a.m. & 2 p.m. “Walking Ghost Tour” with Sue Miller. An informative, fun and scary walk around town to learn about the haunting of this historic village. Start at Plaide Palette, 45 Main Street, Cherry Valley.

Enchanting On 13.77 acrEs FESTIVAL—Noon to (9368) Perfect setting in this magnificent 5BR/3BA traditional-style on 13.77 6 p.m. “Worcester Weird Festival.” Featuring acres. Pristine-clean, one-owner home set off by master bedroom w/Palladian winauthors, artists, vendors, dow, large living room and dining room. Two staircases. Large screened-in porch food and the “Rocky w/mahogany floor. Woodstove, built-in bookcases, stained woodwork, wood inHorror Picture Show” layed ceilings. Pegged flooring, custom kitchen w/granite counter top and cenat the Wieting Theatre. ter island. Ceiling fans. 30x50 pole barn, two-car garage with large workshop, Strawberry Hall, 174 Main rec room w/bar. Pond. 11 miles to Cooperstown. Hubbell’s Exclusive. $499,000.

Street, Worcester.

_______

AllOTSEGO.

HALLOWEEN—Noon to 2 p.m. “Pumpkin Carving Contest.” Bring your own or use a provided pumpkin (first come, first serve). NBT parking lot, 16 Main Street, Cherry Valley.

HALLOWEEN— 1-4 p.m. “Trick-or-Treat.”

Bring the kids for trickor-treating through the historic village, where they will interact with characters from “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.”

The Farmers’ Museum, 5775 State Highway 80, Cooperstown. (607) 5471450.

WRITERS GROUP— 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. Join online group to work on writing prompts, share current work, and get some feedback. Presented by the Huntington Memorial Library, Oneonta.

Register at hmlwriters@ gmail.com MIDDLEFIELD—2 p.m.

“8th Annual Halloween Trunk-or-Treating Party.”

Fun and safe trick-ortreating featuring decorated cars, candy, costumes, more. 3737 County Route 35, Middlefield.

WALKING TOUR— 2 p.m. “Local Signs and Monuments” with Will Walker. Meet at Cooperstown Village Library, 22 Main Street, Cooperstown. (607) 5478344.

HARVEST—3-6 p.m.

Potluck Harvest Dinner.

Volunteer, bring a dish to pass, or enjoy a meal with neighbors. Free. Friends of Recovery of Delaware and Otsego Counties, The Lord’s Table, 18 Elm Street, Oneonta. (607) 267-4435.

HARTWICK— 4:30-6 p.m. “5th Annual Halloween Treat Trail.”

Youngsters trick-or-treat through the Haunted Husky Trail in costume.

Hartwick Town Park, Wells Avenue, Hartwick. (607) 386-9769.

CEMETERY—5 p.m.

Meet “Samuel Clyde” in

homes

the cemetery, presented

by Terry McMaster. Learn the stories of those buried at Cherry Valley Cemetery, 36 Alden Street, Cherry Valley.

OPEN MIC—7-9 p.m.

“Coffee House.” Singers, writers, musicians, others are invited to share works. Light refreshments available. Free, open to public. Schuyler Lake United Methodist Church, 128 Church Street, Schuyler Lake. (315) 8582523.

►Sunday, Oct. 29 FUNDRAISER— 8-11 a.m. “Ambulance Fundraiser Breakfast.”

Help Gilbertsville Emergency Squad raise money for a new ambulance.

Featuring fluffy pancakes, tasty syrups and good company. Baptist Church Fellowship Hall, Spring Street, Gilbertsville. (607) 783-2520.

HALLOWEEN—Noon to 3 p.m. “Malloween.”

Halloween fun featuring a costume contest at 1 (cutest, scariest and original), face painting, trick-or-treating, more. Southside Mall, 5006 State Highway 23, Oneonta. (607) 432-4401.

FESTIVAL—1-4 p.m.

“October Community Fun Day/Halloween Party.”

Fun for the whole family, featuring crafts, bouncy houses, more. Costumes optional. Richfield Springs Community Center, 6 Ann Street, Richfield Springs.

(315) 858-3200.

HALLOWEEN RUN— 1-3 p.m. “Coop Loop 5K and 10K.” Run through scenic Cooperstown this Halloween season.

Includes costume contest.

Begins and ends at Clark Sports Center, 124 County Route 52, Cooperstown.

(607) 547-2800.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY—2 p.m. “Elk Creek History.” Presentation on the original settlers, organization, social life, businesses, and surprising events of Elk Creek.

All welcome. Town of Maryland Historical Society, AmVets Hall, 16 Main Street, Schenevus. (606) 638-9343. ►Visit allotsego.com/ otsego-county-events-calendar/ for the full calendar

INSURANCE

MANY COMPANIES. MANY OPTIONS.

Bieritz insurance agency Real people who truly care... your hometown insurance agency!

209 Main Street, Cooperstown 607-547-2951 across from Bruce Hall 607-263-5170 in Morris Celebrating our rd

Ben Novellano

Perfect Center City Location...walk everywhere! This Victorian has been updated with a great open concept for the kitchen, dining and family room. Amazing details include: stained glass windows, original front double doors, 2 fireplaces, fancy original staircase! Newer full bath on the 1st floor. 3 bedrooms and a full bath on the second floor, w/3rd floor bedroom and sitting area. Outside the front porch is spectacular and there is a private back deck overlooking huge level yard. The interior does need a little finish trim here and there, but what a find this one is! $234,500 MLS#R1496306

33 YEAR! 1990-2023

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

Matt Schuermann

Registered Mortgage Broker NYS Banking Dept.

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

WANTED Seeking apartment in Cooperstown for single, elderly man Call 607-264-3321

Modern and Historic Details BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY HOME blends modern/historic touches. 4 BRs, 2 BA, updated kitchen w/high-end appliances, wood floors, original hand-hewn beams.

Front deck and back-yard patio take advantage of the serenity of nature.

MLS # 1498180 $299,500

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

99 Main Street, Oneonta office 607.441.7312 fax 607.432.7580 166 Main Street, Suite 1 Oneonta | 607.433.2873 oneontarealty.com

3-FAMILY HOME in great location.

Fully updated first-floor apartment w/ eat-in kitchen, new bathroom, office space & large BD, perfect for owner occupied. Rental units have some updates, outdoor deck, back yard, garage. Call today!!!

MLS # 1503445 $169,900

www.oneontarealty.com

Lizabeth Rose, Broker/Owner Cricket Keto, Licensed Assoc. Broker Peter D. Clark, Consultant