from the ASHES •F
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1808 BY
For 205 Years
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Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, March 21, 2013
Volume 205, No. 12
COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND
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VISIT WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
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IN
Cooperstown’s Newspaper
O M C O PE
AFTER FIRE, RETIRED PROFS BACK IN FRANKLIN MOUNTAIN LOG HOME/B1
Newsstand Price $1
No Contest, Low Turnout 3 Newcomers Join Village Board
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
I
n 2010, it was a historic outpouring in the village elections, with Republican mayoral candidate Joe
Booan besting his Democratic rival, Jeff Katz, 431329. In all, 760 ballots were cast that year in a village of 900 homes.
The next year, some 600 votes were cast, as Ellen Tillapaugh led the ticket with 434 votes and Democrats trounced a full GOP slate.
Last year, with no contested seats on the Village Board, fewer than 200 people voted. The unopposed Democrats swept the
CRAYON FEST FUN!
Village Honors Pro Baseball’s Black Pioneer
The Freeman’s Journal
Chef Joe Carentz of the Knights of Columbus slices corned beef at the annual St. Patty’s Day feast Sunday, March 17, at St. Mary’s Parish Hall, Cooperstown. Tom Gallagher advises from the background/OTHER
‘Bud Fowler Day’ To Include Street Renaming, Symposium By JIM KEVLIN
PHOTO, A2
RR Crossing, Street Repair Due To Start
COOPERSTOWN
I
COOPERSTOWN
T
ired of getting your fillings shaken driving over the railroad tracks at Walnut and Chestnut? Help is on the way. Monday, March 25, a sixmonth project begins between Walnut and Delaware that will replace water and sewer lines, then rebuild and repave the street. During construction, traffic between Chestnut and Linden will be open to local traffic only, as well as school buses and school staff. Drivers are being asked to seek alternate routes. GIRLS HOST GUYS: The Girls on the Run of Central New York is hosting a Guys Night Out 6-9:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, at Brewery Ommegang, to raise awareness about GOTR. Only 70 tickets, $100 apiece. Tickets via PayPal at www.girlsontheruncny.org, or call Sherrie Kingsley at 264-3377.
field, with mayoral hopeful Katz netting 176, and trustee hopefuls Jim Dean and Cindy Falk at 171 and 177 respectively. This year, the trend continued: 100 ballots were cast. Please See VOTE, A3
Brave mom Jenn Howarth brought all four of the kids: Ally, 6; Charlie, 4; Hannah, 2, and Sam, 6 months.
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
Joseph Longhi, 7, goes airborne on the inflatable basketball court at the Crayon Carnival Saturday, March 16, a highpoint of the CCS spring. In the background, volunteers Kari Gagnon and Jacob Lansing keep watch.
Angelica Palmer instructs Ariah Maziemder, 3, (with mom Jubaida) on all things Polish at the Stroll of Nation’s adjunct to the carnival.
LEARNING LAW: The Fracking Bans Due county Planning Department In Appelate Court is planning a training session for local officials on the FoI and Open Meetings Law ppeals against the towns of 5:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Middlefield and Dryden’s April 3, in SUNY Oneonta’s fracking bans are schedHunt Union Ballroom. Reg- uled to be argued before a panel of ister by April 1 at 547-4225. judges at the Appellate Division, Third Department, at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, March 21, in Albany.
A
See www.allotsego.com later that day
n a year where no living Major Leaguer will enter the Hall of Plaques, African-American pro-baseball pioneer Bud Fowler may offer a boost his hometown’s recession-battered Main Street really Bud Fowler grew needs. up here long beAlready, two nafore it was Basetional networks have ball Town U.S.A. expressed interest in covering a two-day celebration the Village of Cooperstown is planning the weekend of April 20-21, and attention may grow from there, Mayor Jeff Katz hopes. “It’s just a great story,” said Katz, in detailing two days of celebratory activities. “It’s a great human story about a black man in 19th century America, in Cooperstown, who fought the good fight to protect his right to do what he wanted.” At 4 p.m. Saturday, April 20, the mayor and trustees will unveiled a street sign, Fowler Way, that leads from Chestnut Street to Doubleday Field. VIPs, including U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19, and the MLB’s official historian, John “Total Baseball: The Official Encyclopedia of Mayor League Baseball” Thorn, will then proceed to Doubleday, where a plaque will be unveiled in Fowler’s honor on Please See FOWLER, A7
Chief Found $400,000+ In Uncollected Parking Fines By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
(R
eader Advisory: Read on, there’s a happy ending to this story.) After his appointment last June, Village Police Chief Mike
Covert began getting familiar with his department from A to Z. At P, for parking tickets, the seasoned officer received a bit of a shock. “There were a lot of people ignoring the tickets that were issued,” the chief said in an interview. Please See TICKETS, A3
Chief Covert examines an image of the hand-held tickettaking computer. Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD O v e r
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THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
LOCALS IT’S EASY BEING GREEN ON ST. PATRICK’S DAY!
Paul Donnelly/The Freeman’s Journal
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
Fred Lemister, member of the Knights of Columbus of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha serves Annie Stewart a heaping helping of cabbage as part of their annual St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Down the line, Chris and Tom Hurley with their dad, Jim, will serve up the carrots and corned beef.
Gastroenterology Chief Joins Bassett Team COOPERSTOWN
Paul and Pat Donnelly, visiting their son, Patrick, new spokesman for The National Women’s Soccer League, in Chicago over the weekend, sent back this picture of the Chicago River dyed green for St. Patrick’s Day, Sunday, March 17. BOCES CLASS COMES IN FOR A TOUR
The American Journal of Gastroenterology, Gastroenterology, Endoscopy Journal, International Journal of Radiation Oncology and Annals of Surgery. Dr. Roubein earned his undergraduate degree, with high honors, at Rutgers Dr. Roubein University, and his medical degree at Louisiana State University School of Medicine. He completed an internal medicine residency at University of Texas Affiliated Hospitals and a fellowship in gastroenterology at Baylor College of Medicine.
L
eor Roubein has joined Bassett Healthcare as chief of gastroenterology in the Division of Digestive Diseases at Bassett Medical Center. He has practiced as a gastroenterologist for nearly 30 years. From 1985 to 1995 worked at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. Since 2004, Dr. Roubein has been in private practice in Tulsa, Okla. He also was associate professor at the University of Kentucky. Dr. Roubein has lectured nationally and internationally, has authored numerous papers and book chapters and has been published in scientific journals including
LET’S HAVE A
Great Summer!
& A GU
ID
COOE TO THE GOO PER D LIFE IN ST ONE OWN ON
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
ONC BOCES Visual Arts and Media Technology seniors Tori Couse, Oneonta, Sara Eichhorn, Laurens, Katie Monser, Cooperstown, Meghan Stoner, Morris, Dezaray Bigas, Oneonta and Ann Kiehan stopped by the Freeman’s Journal/Hometown Oneonta offices on Monday, March 4 to learn about newspaper production. Here, reporter Libby Cudmore demonstrates how to lay out a newspaper page. The class has also started a successful photography business, Forever Photos.
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Cider Mill Opens March 23, Plans 5K Run This Year FLY CREEK
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fter a long winter, the Fly Creek Cider Mill will kick off it’s 157th season on Saturday, March 23. New this year will be the Cider Run 5K Fun Run/3K Walk fundraiser to benefit the United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties on April 27. Participants who register before April 1 will receive a commemorative tee-shirt and pint glass filled with hard or sweet cider upon completion of the race. To pre-register for the race visit www. unitedwaydo.org or call the United Way at (607) 4328006.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-3
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013
Maxson, Nicols, Allstadt Elected To Village Board SUBOXONE VOTE/From A1 The polls in the Chestnut Street firehall closed at 9 p.m. Tuesday, March 19. By 9:06, the ballots had been counted and the results were known: • Bruce Maxson, a public defender and president of the Cooperstown Fire Department, led the balloting for three trustee vacancies with 77 votes. Crossendorsed, he received 57 Democratic votes and 20 Republican ones. • Joan Nicols, wife of Hank Nicols, the former Democratic county chair, came in second with 76. She received 61 Democratic votes and 15 on the Many Voices line. • Lou Allstadt, the retired Mobil executive vice president and a relative newcomer to living fulltime in the village, tallied 74, 55 on the
mitted absentee ballots. While the turnout was low, spirits were high on Westridge Road, where Richie Abbate, the village (and county) Democratic chair, toasted the winners. While – except for the Maxson cross-endorsement – the Republicans had failed to field a slate, Abbate said that had not diminished the quality of the Democratic offerings. Maxson and Nicols, elected to two-year terms, and Allstadt, elected for one year, will replace retiring Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal trustees Walter Franck, Richard Abbate, right, village Democratic chair, Lynne Mebust and Frank congratulates newly elected Village Trustees Capozza in April. Joan Nicols and Lou Allstadt in a victory celebraInterviewed earlier in the tion his Westridge Road home. Due to a family day, Mayor Katz said he had situation, Bruce Maxson was unable to attend. already asked the new trustees to provide him a priority Democratic line and 19 on ballots in person, accordlist of committees on which the Many Voices line. ing to election official Teri they would prefer to serve. In all, 86 people cast Barown. Another 14 sub“If I can juggle where
Enforcing Tickets May Bring In 6-Figure Revenues TICKETS/From A1 Between 2008 and 2011, he discovered, 4,139 parking tickets were unpaid, which at $35 a ticket translated into $144,865 in lost revenues. After 60 days, the fine rises to $70 and, after 90 days, to $140. Upper end, he calculated, the village had lost $579,460 in potential revenue, many times his salary and almost twice his 14-member department’s annual budget.
“Even if 50 percent were answered as $35, that’s huge,” said the chief, who joined the village force after a career with the county Sheriff’s Department. You might think that most of the unpaid tickets were from Texas or Oregon, hard to enforce, but not so: Of the total, 1,349 were from out of state, but 2,790 had been issued to New Yorkers. In making the rounds with his new officers, Covert discovered “they weren’t writ-
ing as many tickets as they could.” Why bother, they figured, since the tickets weren’t being adjudicated anyone? “I looked at this and thought: There’s got to be a better way,” the chief said. Even today, there’s a parking-ticket backlog in the Village Justices’ office going back to October. There are 989 tickets unpaid from last year alone. A few weeks later, Covert was visiting the Oneonta Police Department when the parking-enforcement officer returned from his rounds with a hand-held computer. The hand-held, it turned out, was a produced of Complus Data Innovations. Last fall, Covert proposed to the trustees that the village make the transition. Complus didn’t take a set fee, but a portion of revenues collected. After negotiations, Complus lowered its usual 25 percent commission to 18 percent, and a deal was made. The hand-helds are due to arrive in May, in time for the summer season. Complus will provide two handhelds during the summer, and one in the off-season. These devices will al-
low parking-enforcement officers to simply scan the bar code on the registration sticker on a car’s windshield, and to take one or two photos to document if the car is in a handicapped or non-parking zone. No input is required. The data goes immediately into Complus’ database, and the citation is soon in the hands of the errant driver, who can then – if he or she chooses – go to a website and pay on a credit card. Reminders are automatically issued at 90 and 120 days. The Village Board has included $50,000 in estimated revenues from the Complus system in the 2013-14 budget it is due to approve in early April, but Mayor Jeff Katz says the numbers could go into the six figures. “It was definitely troubling,” said Katz, who has been a trustee since 2006 and became mayor a year ago. “I knew there was a backlog, but it was never given to us as a number.” On discovering the backlog, the mayor began referring to the backlog as “a locked safe full of money; we just had to unlock it,” which he believes the village has now done.
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people are, depending where they want to be, they will be happier,” said the mayor, who is completing the first year of his term. Allstadt, he noted, has spearheaded Friends of 22 Main, which is seeking to renovate the historic Village Hall, and would make him a natural for the Streets & Buildings Committee, as would his business experience for Finance. Maxson’s ties to the fire department might work in his favor or, if he was seen as too pro the department, might not. Nicols could fill a variety of roles, he said. Regardless, serving in a number of capacities can be helpful in getting a full understanding of how the village operates. “When I first came on the board, I was always moved around,” Katz recalled. “I kind of liked that. Each committee is important in its own way. Approval of the 2013-14 budget will be one of the first orders of business.
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Perspectives
A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013
EDITORIAL
The Heart Says ‘Yes’ To Saving Otsego Manor, But The Head...
C
ounty Rep. Pauline Koren, R-Milford, put it this way: “In my heart, I don’t want to sell it. But in my brain, I know we’re doing the right thing.” It was telling that five of six county reps – three Republicans, three Democrats – at the first of three informational meetings on the future of Otsego Manor Saturday, March 16, at the Worcester American Legion agreed with her. And they said their constituents agreed with them, (particularly those who call, saying any tax increase will force them from their homes.) The sixth rep, John Kosmer, D-Fly Creek, said he believes a majority of his constituents want to see Otsego Manor saved, which is why he developed the Kosmer Plan, which seeks a combination of union concessions and revenue from a .25 percentile increase in sales tax to reduce The Manor’s growing deficit. (It will soon claim 50 percent of the county’s $10 million tax levy.) But even Kosmer, discouraged that only a dozen members of the public showed up in Worcester, said, “I’ve done my job.” For the Kosmer Plan to happen, there has to be an outpouring of public support that wasn’t evident there. •
D-Oneonta, who chairs The Manor Committee, by Manor director Ed Marchi and by Kosmer, it seems clear The Manor will simply become more and more of a burden on county finances as time goes on. • First, state and federal reimbursements will continue to decline. It costs $366.98 a day to care for a Manor resident; the Medicaid reimbursement – it applies to 75 percent of the residents – is $190 a day. If anything, the reimbursement will continue dropping due to “regional pricing,” which reimburses counties based on the average regional cost. The Manor’s pay scales are way above the region’s, and the county must pick up the gap. To give just one instance from Stuligross’ presentation: At Otsego Manor, the range of CNA (certified nursing assistant) wages is $14.39-$16.88 per hour; regionally, it is $10.85-$13.06. Locally, CNA benefits are an additional $7.63 per hour; regionally, $3.41. That’s more than $7 per hour, per 70 CNAs, 24 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. And that’s just one category. Good wages and benefits are not a negative, but the county is in a situation where it is being punished for being above average.
IF YOU GO: The county board is planing two more informational sessions on The Manor: Saturday, March 23, at the county courthouse, Cooperstown, and Saturday, April 6, at Oneonta High School. Both are at 1:30 p.m. Before we go any further, let’s stipulate that the vast majority of people in Otsego County agree with Koren: In our hearts, we want to preserve Otsego Manor as it is; in our heads, it becoming harder and harder see our way clear. Further, let’s agree that the continuing efforts of Maureen and Fred Culbert of East Springfield to rally support for keeping The Manor in public hands are praiseworthy in the extreme. The Culberts have nothing to gain. Maureen was simply inspired by the quality of care her mother received at The Manor during her last months to embark on her worthy crusade. The humanity of The Manor – Hilda Wilcox and John Webb fully capture it in their reflections elsewhere on this page – is something everyone in Otsego County should honor. It makes all of us proud. Still, in listening to the Worcester presentation by county Rep. Kay Stuligross,
ning for the doors, the way it appeared to be a year ago. The RFP seeking private bids emphasizes “quality,” and that must be paramount. The county has contracted with the Rochester-based Center for Governmental Research, a non-profit founded by George Eastman that has 100 years of providing “fact-based, objective research and analysis.” And with Harris Beach, a law firm with offices through Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal Upstate New York with Otsego Manor director Ed Marchi and county specific expertise. Reps. Kay Stuligross and John Kosmer, detail The Save Our Manor adherManor future Saturday, March 16, in Worcester. ents might be wise to shift the focus from keeping The In an interview a few chi. Otsego Manor, with is Manor as it is to ensuring it weeks ago, Marchi profive “neighborhoods” and passes into the best hands. posed that unionized Manor pleasant living conditions, This conclusion is employees accept the upper is a “social model.” Under reached with regret. Otsego end of the regional scale the new regimen, nursManor is an admirable to help bring county costs ing homes will revert to institution, one that we can down. Even if that were to the “medical model,” one be proud of, but one that happen, that would simply Marchi likened to an ICU. does not appear sustainable drive down the regional People will live at home given forces well beyond average, further eroding the until they are seriously ill, Otsego County’s boundaries county’s reimbursement. moving to The Manor only or control. Continued public ownership in their very final days. But, please, don’t take is a downward spiral. All the trends are moving our word for it. The county • away from The Manor that board is planning two more In Worcester, Marchi we revere, and the money sessions, at 1:30 p.m. Saturraised another issue: Obam- to support this model is day, March 22, at the county acare, which will begin tak- moving with it. Even a ing hold in 2014, will shift per-person fee, like MOSA, courthouse in Cooperstown, and 1:30 p.m. Saturday, eldercare to a managed-care of $100 or $200 per perApril 6, at Oneonta High model. Money will move son, would not ensure The School. from supporting institutions Manor’s survival, even if Certainly, people of like Otsego Manor into that were affordable, and to good will can disagree. homecare, enabling people many, it isn’t. And we would welcome to stay in their houses. • being proved wrong. But The Meadows, the The good news – and the privatization of Otsego county’s former nursthis was repeated again and Manor, regrettably, seems ing home, was based on a again at Worcester – is that inevitable. “medical model,” said Mar- the county board isn’t run-
letters
ISSUE & DEBATE
Why Not Abolish Medical Profession?
•
A
s I write, I am looking at an article from the April 18, 1958, issue of the Oneonta Star bearing the headline, “$480,000 County Home Bonds Sold,” clipped by my grandmother and placed prominently in her scrapbook of family memorabilia. The picture accompanying the article shows then-county attorney Sterling Harrington; county treasurer Bernice Jones, and my father, Badgley Webb of Roseboom, who was then chairman of the county’s Board of Supervisors, at the signing of the bonds that would finance the construction of The Meadows, The Manor’s predecessor. I was a young man at that time, but I vividly remember the significance of this event from the phone calls, the get-togethers of county and town officials at our home, and my father’s dinnertime reports of the deliberations surrounding the decision to move forward with this major project. I even remember the preparations for the trip that Bernice, Sterling and my dad took to New York City for the official signing of the bonds. I was present with my parents for
FOUND
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CO OPER IA
M
IN 1808 BY DG
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By JOHN B. WEBB
ED
Cooperstown’s Newspaper
Never Forget: We Are Our Brothers’ Keepers
studies of 37 million patient records. Additionally a study by Zhan & Miller published in JAMA revealed that medical errors caused approximately 98,000 deaths annually. Based on these statistics medical malpractice causes over three times the 31,000 deaths by firearms quoted by Ms. Whelan. Should the medical profession be abolished because of this? Should background checks be required for all aspiring and current doctors before they are allowed to practice their profession? An affirmative answer to these two question is as preposterous as is repealing the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is as relevant today as when it was written, perhaps even more so in today’s world of uncertainties. F.J. HESSE Otego
U
To the Editor: Mary Anne Whelan’s letter to the editor of March 15 suggesting repeal of the Second Amendment is inherently, anti-American, anti-Bill of Rights, and not at all patriotic. Meddling with the Bill of Rights degrades the intent of the original authors. It seems to me that this kind of thinking shows the failure to understand the intent of our Founders when they drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Statistics show that approximately 98,000 (according to JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association) to as many as 195,000 (as per HeathGrades studies) people are killed every year due to medical errors in the United States, resulting in an estimated cost of $324 million. This information is derived from HealthGrades
For 205 Years
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
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OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR Otsego County • Town of Cherry Valley • Town of Middlefield Cooperstown Central School District Subscriptions Rates: Otsego County, $48 a year. All other areas, $65 a year. First Class Subscription, $130 a year. Published Thursdays by Iron String Press, Inc. 21 Railroad Ave., Cooperstown NY 13326 Telephone: (607) 547-6103. Fax: (607) 547-6080. E-mail: info@allotsego.com • www.allotsego.com Contents © Iron String Press, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at USPS Cooperstown 40 Main St., Cooperstown NY 13326-9598 USPS Permit Number 018-449 Postmaster Send Address Changes To: Box 890, Cooperstown NY 13326
the grand opening of The Meadows with speeches extolling the quality of care that residents would receive in the home and infirmary, the guided tour, the excitement and pride that prevailed, and the jokes with Guy Maddelone, then Board chair, about whether any of the Board members
who had supported The Meadows’ construction would end up there one day. (My father died – at The Manor – in 2007.) There was a recognition shared among all involved that this was a costly undertaking and that it reprePlease See WEBB, A6
Manor Preserves Uniqueness Of Each Resident
Libby Cudmore Reporter
John B. Webb retrieved this April 18, 1958, newspaper clipping from his grandmother’s scrapbook, showing his father, Badgley Webb (standing), then chairman of the county Board of Supervisors, and other signing the bond issue for The Meadows, The Manor’s predecessor.
By HILDA WILCOX
O
ne thing I have learned from life is that, in some ways, we are all alike. Whether we are rich or poor, handsome or plain, smart or not so smart, the one thing we all want – deep down, never to lose – is our sense of our own identity. We want to be known as the unique persons we are and nobody else is. What we see when we see residents of The Manor are people whose sense of identity has remained intact. They are still pretty much the same people who went there to live, and the staff
sees them as who they are and treats them that way. There are other nursing homes I’ve visited that aren’t that way – where even if you are called by your first name, you aren’t really you. You’re just that resident who gives them trouble or doesn’t give them trouble, who is sedated or is not sedated. And when you die – well, you die, and the right forms must be filled out and the right relatives notified. What I’m talking about is the dignity of the human being and how an institution can help us to keep intact that dignity – or lose it. None of us wants to go into that next world as a thing.
I see The Manor, thanks to the quality of the people who work there, as the kind of people we want around us when we can’t do as much for ourselves as we could do before. When we have a good thing like that, we can’t afford to lose it. We’ve got to use all the ingenuity we can put together from all our citizens – not just the county board alone – to save it. We’ve got to believe we can pool our insights to make the changes we will need to make – to save Otsego Manor. Hilda Wilcox, an educator long active in community causes, lives in Cooperstown.
THURSDAY, MARCH 21 2013
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5
BOUND VOLUMES Compiled by Tom Heitz from Freeman’s Journal archives, courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library
50 YEARS AGO
Family Financing 101
Painting with Pastels
The Joys of Watercolor Painting Soap Making 101
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q $48 In County (2 years-$90) q $65 Outside County (2 years-$120) q $135 First-Class Postage Mail check or money order to the Freeman’s Journal, Box 890, Cooperstown, NY 13326. Call 607-547-6103, or stop by our offices at 21 Railroad Avenue, Cooperstown. Visa and MasterCard accepted.
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Coach Dave Bertram’s 26-0 Cooperstown Redskins eliminated the Potsdam Sandstoners, 55-51, in the semi-final round of the Class C, New York State Boys’ Basketball tournament at Glens Falls on Friday night but they had to come from behind in the fourth period. A three-pointer from shooting guard Jeremy Holmes pulled the Redskins to within a point late in the period and they overtook the stubborn Sandstoners in the closing minutes. Holmes performance against Potsdam pushed his CCS career points total past the 1,000 mark. However, in the championship final the Redskins fell to the Buffalo City Honors Centaurs, 66-59. It was only the third time a team had scored more than 60 points against the CCS defense. March 21, 2003
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Local – The Doctors Bassett have not lacked for professional practice – where the sense of doing good for 17 years has been their reward – during the past fortnight, they have had 36 cases of measles on their hands at the Orphanage, and no adequate accommodations for such a state of affairs. The practice of catching on sleighs for short rides, which is carried on to a great extent by village youngsters, is one which is
Under a state contract opening now for bids, the Otsego Lake highway, constructed in 1908 from Cooperstown to Three-Mile Point and in 1919 from Three-Mile Point to Warren, will soon be widened and paved with a surface of bitulithic macadam. The specifications also call for curves to be eliminated. The approximate length of the highway is 10.11 miles, and when completed it is to be about 20 feet in width. With the exception of the lands of Mr. and Mrs. John B. McManus at Five-Mile Point, where a March 20, 1863 sharp curve is to be eliminated, all rights attended with more or less danger to life and of way were secured last fall. Condemnation proceedings were authorized by the limb, and should be discontinued. Board of Supervisors in connection with the To keep up with the spirit of the times the remaining right of way and a Commission enterprising firm of B.F. Murdock & Sons, J.F. Reustle, the Boston Clothing House and appointed. Immediately upon the appointment of the Commission the land reverted D.M. Hunter are now among the additional merchants lighting their stores with electric- to the state. March 23, 1938 ity. Some of our citizens could now do a good act, which would be appreciated by many, by clearing their sidewalks of snow and ice. A tragic accident took the life of a March 23, 1888 Cooperstown village employee Monday afternoon when a dump truck he was driv-
Volunteers from the Otsego County Unit of the American Cancer Society will sell “flowers of hope” from March 23 to March 25 as part of a countywide campaign. This year’s goal is $14,000. The society raised $12,000 last year. Area merchants, schools and granges will participate in the effort. Flowers will also be sold by such organizations as Bassett Hospital, the Women’s Club of Cooperstown, and the Richfield Springs Lionesses. March 23, 1988
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125 YEARS AGO
75 YEARS AGO
25 YEARS AGO
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Local News – The weather here for the last two weeks has been most of the time extremely mild for the season. The sleighing has disappeared. Mr. Cooper has a new novel in press called “Homeward Bound.” It will be published by Carey, Lea & Blanchard. We are informed that the house of Mr. Voltaire Merrell was destroyed by fire on the night of the 10th inst. The house was occupied by Mr. Phillip Gardner, and the fire is supposed to have originated from ashes deposited in a box in the wood shed. Robert H. Shankland, formerly of this village, has, we are gratified to observe, received the appointment of Surrogate for the County of Cattaraugus. March 26, 1838
In Our Town – It is reported that Asa E. Acker intends to open soon a moving picture show in the location now occupied by his Main Street saloon. While opinions may differ as to the necessity for another moving picture show, there is no doubt that the village can get along with one less drinking place. Mr. Acker promises that the new show house will be up-to-date in every respect. The old Board of Village Trustees, on the eve of the village elections, passed a resolution authorizing a salary of $300 per year for the incoming President. The office of Village President requires so much attention that there has been a growing sentiment for some time that there should be a salary attached to it. President Barnum, who had held the office for two terms without salary, favored the measure. March 19, 1913
ing was struck by a Delaware and Hudson freight train on a little-used crossing just south of the village limits. A. William Page, aged 44, of 59 Beaver Street, was burned to death despite valiant efforts of members of the train’s crew to pull him free of the flaming wreckage which ignited after the crash apparently ruptured the vehicle’s 20-gallon fuel tank just behind the cab. The accident occurred at 1:44 p.m. as Mr. Page was returning to Cooperstown from the sewage disposal plant. March 20, 1963
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175 YEARS AGO
100 YEARS AGO
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A Fair Set-Off – Poor unadvised Pace has paced into a newspaper of this village, and says, with his usual thoughtlessness that I have eloped from his bed and board; he might have had a board, but never had a bed of his own. I have bedded and boarded him fifteen years, in the same place which I now occupy and elsewhere – I regret saying that, I am wearied with it; the numerous debts which I have paid for him, he is welcome to, if, as he has now eloped from my bed and board, he will keep away for the future. To close, Henry, I am friendly enough to advise you to become steady and industrious, and drink less whiskey and buy a bed, which you may enjoy unmolested by Bethia Eaton, Otsego, March, 1813. March 20, 1813
150 YEARS AGO
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200 YEARS AGO
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
We’re Brothers’ Keepers
‘Redskins’ Would Have Satisfied Juliet To the Editor: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.” This is a commonly quoted part of a dialogue LETTERS in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” in which Juliet argues that the name of things do not matter, only what things are. The nickname “Redskins” has been used with pride by Cooperstown Central School for almost a century. Now we are being told by some people that it is not politically correct to use this name as it is insulting to the American Indian. As Juliet said, the name of things do not matter, only what things are. So what are “Redskins”?
The school board unanimously passed a resolution honoring the nickname. The resolution asked that the nickname, “Redskins, be seen for its historical content and intent which was to give form and substance to the competitive nature, institutional pride and indomitable spirit that characterizes the student body, past and present.” Anthony Scalici said it better: “The only certainty that I have concluded from any of the evidence and all of the evidence is that Cooperstown people, past, present and the future never gave or would project any meaning other than endearment and pride for the use Redskins.” So what’s the problem? Do those in favor of a change of name object to the fact that over
these nearly 100 years, the thousands of CCS students, teachers and administrators held Indians in high regard and wanted to be identified with them, or is it that they object to using the nickname, “Redskins”? I personally don’t see the point in making an issue of this and making all of the former students, teachers and administrators feel that they have been guilty of something shameful all these years. That is grossly unfair. It seems that the school board agrees with me, hence the resolution that they passed honoring the nickname. If the name must be changed, my suggestion is simply to change it to the Cooperstown “Indians.” GRACE KULL Cooperstown
Mayor Miller Educable On Constitution Pipeline To the Editor: I appreciate the effort of your newspapers to give more indepth coverage of local politics, but was uncomfortable with several miscues printed in the March 8 editorial. You loosely described me as a “Sustainable Otsego adherent” rather than as an independent leader who galvanized the Butternuts area to speak out against fracking. What’s worse, you egregiously stated that at the county Democratic Committee meeting, I “took pains to differentiate between fracking and the Constitution pipeline.” Nothing could be further from the truth! In the meeting, I stated very
clearly that I strongly disagreed with Mayor Miller on the issue of pipeline, but that I believed he was “educable.” I suggest that the mayor entertain a private meeting with “Stop the Pipeline” for a respectful exchange of views on this issue. It is puzzling to me how “snake oil salesmen,” such as those who shill for oil and gas interests, are welcomed into communities with opened arms and instantly trusted by decision makers with virtually no scrutiny, by merely waving dollar signs in the air. On the other hand, those who live in, contribute to, and care about the community, rather
than exploit it, are dismissed. Since the pipeline developers have explicitly stated, “Leatherstocking intends to connect to existing and new gas production ... to the Constitution Pipeline,” I hardly see how the mayor can deny the obvious. In another false step, your editorial characterized the committee’s vote to allow Miller to appear on the Democratic line in November as “backpedaling.” Why this choice of words? There was a simple up and down vote on the matter, and that was that. Where’s the “backpedaling” there? TERESA WINCHESTER Town of Butternuts
WEBB/From A4 sented a seriously challenging commitment of county resources and taxpayers’ hard-earned dollars. This was a group of fiscal conservatives who would make even today’s advocates of budgetary caution stand at attention, so they did not take any of this lightly. What left a lasting impression on me was that, in spite of all the concerns over the magnitude of the investment, not one of them questioned, not for one moment, the importance of the county’s having and overseeing a first-rate facility where its citizens would have a guarantee of growing old and infirm with dignity, personal, psychological and financial. They believed that it was not only a politically desirable action, but it was the humane thing to do. The presence of such a facility, run by the people and not by some outside corporation, made Otsego County a safer and more humane place in which to live. THAT was the spirit behind what was happening in the picture in the Star that day. Everywhere we turn these days, we find ourselves facing increased disassociation from the ideal that we are our brothers’ keepers. The excuse is, more often than not, a lack of money, and our current County legislators offer that as the excuse for selling The Manor. They should realize that back in 1958, the burden on the county’s budget for the construction and then the future maintenance of The Meadows was very heavy, but that did not overshadow their sense of commitment to and responsibility for the well-being of their constituents. Over the years, countless people,
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many of whom we have known personally, and our own family members have relied on these county-owned and county-run facilities in the most critical times of life, among them illness, disability, old age and death. And indeed, it has made Otsego County a safer and more humane place in which to live. The county representatives insist that they will not let The Manor go without appropriate safeguards and oversight, but we all know that to believe their rhetoric is naivete in its most acute form. Turning it over to private operators condemns the institution, its residents and the people who care for them to the bottom-line of corporate profit margins without any substantial local control over the quality of care given or received. I keep hoping, optimistically, that the legislators will have a change of heart and realize, just as their predecessors did back in 1958, that keeping The Manor is the right and humane thing to do, that it is our God-given responsibility to be our brothers’ keepers, that the people who go to the manor are worthy of the collective cost to the community, and that the county will continue to fund it. The darker pessimistic side of me fears that The Manor’s sale is a done deal. Sadly, if it is, today’s county representatives will be turning their backs on an admirable and respectable legacy left to them by those who were motivated to govern humanely (and conservatively), and Otsego County will be seriously diminished by their thoughtless actions. John B. Webb resides in the Town of Otsego.
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COOPERSTOWN – Louise Bertha Lewis, 90, who worked for the Otesaga for over two decades, passed away March 8, 2013, at the University Upstate Hospital in Syracuse. She was born May 27, 1922, in Frenchtown, N.J., the daughter of Harvey and Sadie Parks. Mrs. Lewis lived in Westville and was employed at the Otesaga Resort Hotel in Cooperstown for more than 20 years. She is survived by her son, William Lewis II and his wife, Donna Lynn of Antwerp; five grandchildren, William Lewis III and his wife, April of Philadelphia, NY, Timothy David Lewis of Otego, Stacey Lee Lewis of Franklin, Cindy Jean Brigham and husband, Jason of Antwerp and Scott William Lewis of Antwerp; five great- grandchildren; two sisters, Beatrice Parks and Orvetta and George Palmer of Newburgh; and a niece. She was predeceased by her husband, William F. Lewis. Graveside services will be held at 11 a.m., May 13, in the Maple Grove Cemetery, Worcester. Flowers may be sent to the service. Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society, Central New York Region, P.O. Box 7, East Syracuse, NY 13057. Arrangements are entrusted to the E.J. Skinner Co., Worcester.
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Amelia Island, Fla., and Cynthia (Daniel) Strafel of Alpharetta, Ga.; a son, Thomas (Jeanne) Druse of Rock Hill; seven grandchildren, Mitchell (Joelle) Derrick; Stacey (Alec) Huff; Bradley (Laurin) Derrick; Loring (George) Esch; Eric (Shelby) Strafel; Alicia (Ryan) Bonifas; and Kristen Druse; nine great-grandchildren, Brynn, Braxton, Taylor, Braden, Bryce, Griffin, Elliot, Koen and Grayson; a sister-in-law, Mrs. Frank (Nancy) Druse; and numerous nieces and nephews. Besides her husband, she was preceded by two brothers, Leon and Gordon Rathbun. A memorial service will be announced at a later date. Interment will be in Springfield Center Cemetery.
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RICHFIELD SPRINGS – Ruth R. Druse, 89, a former teacher at Mount Markham Central School, died Wednesday, March 13, 2013. She was born July 31, 1923, in Springfield, the daughter of the late Ward and Lena Eckler Rathbun. She married Albert F. Druse on Dec. 13, 1944. He predeceased her on Aug. 26, 1989. Ruth was a graduate of Cobleskill College and Oneonta State Teachers College. For 20 years, she taught second grade at Mount Markham Central School in West Winfield. She was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richfield Springs and volunteered at M.I. Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. Surviving are two daughters, Sylvia Derrick of
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could always be found with her nose in a good book, even while watching her favorite NASCAR races! She is survived by her mother Beverly Drake of Hartwick, NY; her husband, Edward Skillen, Jr. of Milford; her daughters, Gabriella and Natasha Skillen of Milford; her brother, Douglas Sargeant (Natalie) of Laurens; her sisters, Melody (Keith) Fritts of West Laurens, and Heather Drake of Raleigh, NC; as well as by several nieces and nephews. Susan was predeceased by her father Stanley “Stub” Drake in 2010. A graveside memorial service was held Monday, March 25 in the Hartwick Cemetery. Memorial donations be made to a benefit account in the names of Gabriella and Natasha Skillen at the Leatherstocking Federal Credit Union in Cooperstown. Arrangements are entrusted to Tillapaugh Funeral Service in Cooperstown.
Ruth R. Druse, 89; Second-Grade Teacher Leaves By Two Daughters
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MILFORD – Susan Drake-Skillen, 45, a career nurse who worked for At Home Care Inc, died Friday, March 15, 2013 after a courageous battle with lymphoma. Born May 23, 1967 in Stamford, the daughter of Stanley and Beverly (Whitbeck) Drake, Susan received her Associates Degree in Nursing from SUNY Morrisville. Nursing was her passion and she spent many years pursuing her dream of caring for others. Throughout her nursing career, she traveled to many homes with At Home Care, Inc. She was also a dedicated and long-time employee of Bassett Hospital where her kind, patient and compassionate nature touched the lives of countless patients. When spring rolled around you could always find her cheering for her girls at their softball games. During the off season, you could even find her playing catch in the backyard. Susan was also an avid reader. She
band James, of Cherry Valley, and Mary Harris of New York City; two sons, David Mark Iseman and wife Lynn, of Springfield, Mo, and Robert Paul Iseman and wife Lisa Lewis, of Pittsburgh, Pa; nine grandchildren, Chance and Link Oberlander, Darlan Harris Monterisi, Luke David, Mia Colleen, Carla Rae, Scott Thomas and Adam Lawrence Iseman, and Wilem Salcius; two step grandchildren, Derek and Michael Franklin; two great-grandchildren, Maddox and Yukon Monterisi; and one sister, Peggy Mogle, of Indiana, Pa. A private family visitation and memorial service were held at the First Presbyterian Church of Cooperstown. The family asks that donations in lieu of flowers go to the church, 25 Church St. Cooperstown NY 13326, care of Pastor Elsie Armstrong Rhodes.
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promoted throughout the years to the positions of Secretary/Treasurer and Accounting Department Manager. He retired Feb. 28, 1995. He will be remembered for his uncanny ability to work with numbers, his compassion and generosity, especially with children, his practicality and hard work, his skill at horseshoes, his scrabble expertise and his sense of humor, notably in times of duress. Hours before passing, he played charades with some of his children and wife. More seriously, he warned of the danger of smoking tobacco. David is survived by wife, Margaret, whom he affectionately called Peggy; four daughters, Colleen Salcius whose husband is Peter Salcius, of Pawling, Carla Oberlander of Yonkers, Maureen Iseman-Broeking and hus-
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daughter, Colleen, in Pawling. David was born July 3, 1928, in Indiana, Pa. After Iseman graduating from Indiana High School with the Class of 1946, David attended Robert Morris College in Pittsburgh, where he earned an associate’s degree. He served in the U.S. Navy. He married the former Margaret Maxine Smith on Aug. 10, 1949, a bond that lasted until his death, more than 63 years. An accountant and manager of people, he was employed for more than three decades by Sauer, Inc., in Pittsburgh. He joined the company as an accountant on Dec. 2, 1963 and was
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COOPERSTOWN – A good man, David C. Iseman, died March 10. He was 84. Just before passing, David Iseman looked up and became enraptured as if something profound and virtuous hovered overhead. The family hopes so. After an active life full of joy and challenge, he suffered for years with lung and heart problems while helping his wife Margaret through health issues of her own. He deserved a break. A former resident of Mount Oliver Borough, which is surrounded by Pittsburgh, Pa., David died about 4 p.m. at Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown. He and his wife recently moved to Otsego Manor in Cooperstown to be near their daughter, Maureen, who lives in Cherry Valley. Prior to this, the couple had lived for a time with their
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THURSDAY-FRIDAY, MARCH 21-22, 2013
A-7
Chamber Leaders Embrace Bully Pulpit Otsego’s President Hutzley, Executive Heegan Seek To Create Foundation For Success
Village To Honor Bud Fowler’s Achievement Star-Tribune, and SABR (the Society for American Baseball Research) has featured the upcoming celebration on its website. Conceivably, national coverage of the Bud Fowler story will in itself bring fans and baseball-history buffs to Cooperstown in a year when the Hall of Fame Induction is expected to lag. “The feedback we’ve been getting is really strong,” said Katz. “The village recognizing him. Not the Hall of Fame – the village recognizing the contributions of one of its own.” He continued, “It’s a baseball story, a civil rights story – Cooperstown and baseball making a connection decades before the Hall of Fame.”
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Main St. Oneonta commercial building (490 Main St.). 1,200 sq. ft., plenty of parking. Call (607) 432-5458, cell (607) 287-4100. 3ClassMar22 APARTMENTS FOR RENT Cooperstown 2 BR apt. – $600 per month plus utilities. Available May 1st. First floor, living room, kitchen & bathroom. Washer/dryers hoop-up. No smoking. Pets to b e discussed. Off-street parking. Call (845-674-0438 or (845) 265-3086. 3ClassApr15 Oneonta furnished efficiency apt. Near Neahwa Park, close to downtown. Kitchen, bathroom. Heat, & garbage pickup included. No smoking,. No pets. One year lease plus one month security. Call (607) 4325458, cell (607) 287-4100. 3ClassMar22 Cooperstown Main Street 2 BR apt. Third floor, available now, $650. Includes heat, year’s lease, one month security. No pets. Call Hubbell’s Real Estate, (607) 547-5740. TFN HOMES FOR RENT
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2000 SQ FT COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR RENT. Located in Cooperstown on Railroad Avenue. Wide open floor plan with phone, high speed internet and power connections spread throughout the space. Electric, Heat and Garbage are included in the asking price of $1800 per month. Offered by John Mitchell Real Estate. Contact Michael Swatling (607) 264-3954 TFN
House for Rent: 4 bedroom, 2 bath, 2000 sq. ft, laundry, walk to everything, hospital, grocery stores, main st. Available now through May 31, ‘13, $1,000/mon. plus heat. Contact Rob at 607 434-5177, Benson Real Estate. TFN
Commercial rental; Near the only stop light in Cooperstown. Plenty of off street parking for clients and employees. Newly renovated. 1/2 bath. 1,400 sq ft. Call Hubbell’s Real Estate for details. 607-547-5740. TFN
Central Cooperstown Village House for Rent: 5 bedroom, 2.5 bath, laundry, garage, large lawn area, walk to everything. $1600/month plus util. Contact Rob Lee, 607- 434-5177, Benson Agency Real Estate. TFN
FOR RENT: Main Street business location in the village of Cooperstown........525 square feet of space....$750.00 per month.....includes heat, water, trash removal. Two year lease required. Call Lamb Realty at 607-547—8145 for additional information. TFN Turn-key Greek/American restaurant at busy State Routes 7/23 location. Seating for 20 and brisk takeout and delivery in place now. Lease will be $1,200 per month with tenant purchase of equipment. Plenty of storage space. Low overhead. Contact Rodger Moran at Benson Agency Real Estate. 607-287-1559. TFN
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ATTENTION ADVERTISERS! RESERVE AD SPACE NOW! Call 607-547-6103 or e-mail ads@allotsego.com Ad deadline: May 6
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Lovely three bedroom home in immaculate condition with top of the line appliances, attached one car garage, fireplace, two bathrooms, excellent closet and storage space, in the Village near the lake with spectacular lake views. For lease at $1900. per month plus utilities, snow removal, garbage removal and lawn care. References required. Please
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RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT
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HOUSE FOR RENT VILLAGE OF COOPERSTOWN. Large 4 bedroom, 1 1/2 bath with new kitchen, hardwood floors, nice 2nd level deck and good size back yard.
House for rent: Newly remodeled 4 bedroom, 2 bath. Country setting, great views, 3 acres. Laundry. No smoking. Pet possible. Cooperstown schools. $1,400 a month. Available immediately. Contact Rob at 607 434-5177, Benson Real Estate. TFN
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call Ashley-Connor Realty at 607-547-4045. TFN
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COMMERCIAL RENTAL
Close to all amenities. $1800 per month including all utilities. Tenant is responsible for phone and internet only. Offered by John Mitchell Real Estate. Contact Michael Swatling (607) 264-3954 TFN
ration with Cooperstown. “They don’t want to see the silo thing.” “...And is just doesn’t work,” Hutzley added. Pat Szarpa, Cooperstown Chamber executive, has four interns through the Otsego Chamber’s program who are exploring the question, “How do you market to college students?”
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Commission designated Cooperstown the Birthplace of Baseball (erroneously, it turned out), and decades before the National Baseball Hall of Fame opened its doors, and almost a century before Jackie Robinson broke the color line, a black teenager who grew up here was making history of his own. Bud Fowler – he was John W. Jackson growing up, son of a local barber – learned to play America’s Pastime locally, before launching a career that took him from eastern Massachusetts to Keokuk, Iowa. In addition to interest from the national networks, Bud Fowler’s Cooperstown story has already led to an article in the Minneapolis
Commerce on the “Local First” campaign that aims to dramatize what products and services are available in downtowns throughout the county, and to encourage shoppers to go there first, before turning to the Internet. “People want to see that we’re working together,” said Heegan of the collabo-
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FOWLER/From A1 on what is the 100th anniversary of his death. At 10 a.m. Sunday, April 21, the village will host a program in the Hall of Fame’s Grandstand Theatre where Fowler’s accomplishments – in 1878 he pitched for the Lynn (Mass.) Live Oaks against National League Boston, then went on to a career playing with and organizing pro and semi-pro teams – will be explored and discussed. Students from the Graduate Program in Museum Studies will detail findings of a research project into Fowler’s career. Other speakers are still being lined up. And what a coincidence. Years before the Mills
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
The Shops at Ford & Main show entrepreneurship is alive and well locally. Chamber President Brian Hutzley and Executive Director Barbara Ann Heegan discuss the venue with SUNY students Kasey Lightfoot, Caroline Curtis and Megan Harrington.
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‘W
e feel like we’re in Boston or Montreal,” said SUNY Oneonta student Caroline Curtis, a New Paltz native who the other day was just finishing lunch at The Shops at Ford & Main with two friends. Caroline’s remark was music to the ears of Brian Hutzley, Otsego County Chamber board chairman, and Barbara Ann Heegan, executive director. A few minutes earlier in an interview in the Chamber office on the second floor of 189 Main, they were detailing one of their priorities: To get as many SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick College interns in local busi-
offer discounts to each other. The networking luncheon at St. James Manor last fall attracted 85 businesspeople; one earlier this month in the Foothills Atrium attracted 92. • Workforce development. The Small Business Development Center – Michelle Catan is director – has moved from across the hall into the Chamber offices. The Chamber is also working with Broome Community College to offer college courses to students and advanced training for adults in local high schools. • Outreach beyond the county line. Heegan has become active in CANY, the Chamber Alliance of New York, and is developing contacts in Schenectady, Saratoga and even New York City that she hopes will bear fruit later. • Collaborating with the Cooperstown Chamber of
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Otsego County Chamber Appreciation Week. To Hutzley and Heegan, The Shops at Ford & Main – 10 businesses in a minimall Peter Clark developed last summer in an long-vacant mattress store across from City Hall – exemplifies an entrepreneurism that is making Oneonta a more enticing place for young people. (Hutzley also chairs the “SUNY in the Entrepreneurial Century” initiative.) As Heegan tells it, and Hutzley concurs, a large part of the Chamber’s purpose is to rally the business community, to point out the good things about doing business locally, to help people collaborate. Some of the initiatives they pointed out include: • Networking, encouraging Chamber members to do business with each other, to
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nesses as possible in hopes they will remain here after graduation. “They’ve never been asked to stay,” said Heegan, who is two-thirds through her first year on the job and has already recruited 61 new members. “They were never aware of the opportunities.” The Chamber itself has 10 interns, provided by SUNY’s Megan Ackley and Hartwick’s Melissa Marietta. “It’s incredible how many interns continue working with their employers,” said Hutzley, who lives in Garrattsville and commutes daily to Albany. The two were interviewed in advance of the Annual Banquet & Appreciation of Business Friday, March 22, at SUNY Oneonta’s Hunt Union Ballroom, which is also the culmination of
By JIM KEVLIN