A LIFE IN
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Cooperstown’s Newspaper
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WENDELL TRIPP LOOKS BACK ON 50-YEAR CAREER/B1
For 206 Years
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VISIT WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM Volume 206, No. 17
COOPERSTOWN AND AROUND
2ND BIGGEST PROJECT IN VILLAGE HISTORY
This Isn’t Simple Sidewalk Repair
Ian Austin/The Freeman’s Journal
Mr. and Mrs. Bunny lead Tara, Tess and Lincoln Dilorenzo and the rest of the kids in the Saturday, April 19, Easter Parade up Pioneer Street from Lakefront Park to a tea at the Tunnicliff.
Q&A Planned On Funding For Library
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question-and-answer session is planned at 4 p.m. Sunday, May 4, on the resolution to support the Village Library of Cooperstown that will appear on CCS’ ballot Tuesday, May 20, moderated at the library by the League of Women Voters. As recommended by the state Board of Regents, the library board is proposing that the village library and Kinney Memorial Library in Hartwick be designated school district libraries, to allow their funding to be approved annually on the district ballot. HELP AFTER FIRE: The Smithy Center for the Arts will host a benefit for the Tandle family of Hartwick, whose home was destroyed by February fire, 6- 8 p.m. Friday, May 9, featuring live music, a silent auction (donations sought until the event) and “Spring Clean” Art Swap.
Newsstand Price $1
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, April 24, 2014
Syrstone Inc.’s Bo Shapley, Sylvan Beach, lowers a granite curb to be set in place along Main Street by John Harrison, center, Fort Plain, and Hans Oertel, Johnstown. Below, three of 17 concrete frames, which will soon house rain guards, line the block between Hoffman Lane and Mickey’s Place. Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
One-Month In, What’s Going On? By JIM KEVLIN
4 Running For 2 CCS Vacancies COOPERSTOWN
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wo newcomers emerged as candidates for the CCS Board of Education by the 5 p.m. Monday, April 21, filing deadline: • Tim Hayes, Cooperstown, senior advancement officer in SUNY Oneonta’s Division of College Advancement. • David Petri, Christian Hill, the former candidate for Hartwick town supervisor. The two board members whose terms are up are also running: • Theresa Russo, Cooperstown, professor, SUNY Oneonta Human Ecology Department. • Jean Schifano, Beaver Meadow area, an admiistrator in Bassett Hospital’s Pediatrics Department. District Clerk Wendy Lansing said the League of Women Voters is planning a candidates forum. The polls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at Room 304 at the high school, when the $18 million 2014-15 budget will also be up for a vote. For a look at tentative budget, follow link from: WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
County Roadwork
COOPERSTOWN
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eed to redo a sidewalk? Hire a guy who jackhammers away the old concrete, 10 inches or so, and pours a new slab. Job done. By contrast, the Village of Cooperstown’s expensive sidewalk redo – an estimated $3 million by the time it’s done – is a major multi-stepped construction project that, when complete, “will become a showpiece for multiple people,” said Mayor Jeff Katz.
Mayor Katz leads Trustee Cindy Falk and engineers Jon McManus and Frank Novak on an inspection.
In fact, the State of New York, which is paying the bill, doesn’t consider it a sidePlease See SIDEWALK, A7
11C Bridge Completion Being Done By LIBBY CUDMORE
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ravelers trying to take Hartwick Seminary’s Route 11C bridge across the Susquehanna will find that the bridge saga is Thursday, April 17, sitting on piano not over yet. By LIBBY CUDMORE benches and coffee tables as staff Completing repairs to the tried to pack more chairs into rows. former truss bridge damONEONTA “It’s a thrill to see this many people aged March 20, 2013, when KITES WILL FLY: A Kite here,” said SUNY Oneonta President a 13-foot, 4-inch tall truck Festival, the fifth, is planned r. Cindy Falk’s 20th annual SuNancy Kleniewski. “We’ve never carrying bottles bound for again this year, on Sept. 27, san Sutton Smith Prize lecture, had a crowd like this before.” Ommegang became enCherry Valley Artworks an“Barns of New York,” drew a Falk, Cooperstown Graduate Pro- tangled in the 10-foot, 3-inch nounced. bigger crowd than anyone was anticigram professor of material culture structure, tops county Highpating. (and a Cooperstown village trustee), way Supt. Ron Tiderencel’s Students and public packed SUNY said a guide to the state’s barns, to-do list for 2014. Ian Austin/The Freeman’s Journal Oneonta’s Morris Conference Center Please See FALK, A6 Please See ROADS, A6 Professor Falk gives Sutton lecture.
NY Barns Inspire, Prize-Winning Professor Falk Declares
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LOCALS
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL CCS ARTISTS PREPARE FOR ANNUAL SHOW
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
Student artists – from left, Noah Hecox, Liz Millea, Jen Flynn, ginger Miller, Caroline Leonard, Mary Kennedy and Kate Preston – pose with the works they will display at the annual CCS Art Show that opens with a 5-7 p.m. reception Friday, May 2, at the Cooperstown Art Association.
Main Street Oneonta
OH FEST Saturday April 26
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
MELISSA RADDATZ ‘BOSTON STRONg!’ AFTER MARATHON
Cooperstown native Melissa Raddatz, now living in New york City, poses with dad, Dr. Don Raddatz, after she completed the Boston Marathon Monday, April 21, in 3 hours, 6 minutes and 25 seconds. “All went well,” dad reports. “Boston strong!”
RIgByS CRUISE ON USS RONALD REAgAN
Bill and Janet Rigby visited their son Will, a nuclear electrician with the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, a nuclear-powered supercarrier, for a full-day cruise for sailors families out of San Diego on Wednesday, April 9.
Smithy, Pathfinder Village Awarded DEC Grant Funds COOPERSTOWN
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It’s OH-Fest Carnival Time!
he Smithy Center for the Arts was one of 17 Otsego County non-profits to receive a grant from the Chenango Arts Council. $99,400 in cultural funding was given to 54 artists and non-profits through the 2014 Decentralization Grant (DEC) Program. Also receiving grants in Otsego County are: Butternut Valley Arts and Crafts Center, Catskill Choral Society, Catskill Valley Wind Ensemble, Cherry Valley Artworks, Inc., Cherry Valley-Springfield Endowment Foundation, First Presbyterian Church of Gilbertsville, Little Delaware Youth Ensemble, Oneonta Community Concert Band Association, Otsego County Dance Society, Pathfinder Village, Richfield Springs Historic Association, Skip West, Unadilla Historical Association, Village of Laurens and Worcester Free Library. SENIF HONORED: Bill
Senif, Northwestern Mutual financial adviser, has qualified for membership in the Million Dollar Roundtable. Senif has been with Northwestern Mutual since 1999 and has qualified for MDRT membership six times. COLLINS RE-UPS: Specialist Alfred Collins, New Berlin, has reenlisted to continue service with the 152nd Engineer Support Company, Army National Guard.
You’ll Have a Great Time on Main Street! Saturday, April 26 · 1 to 5 pm Main Street Oneonta is showing support for the 9th Annual OH-Fest celebration
Mother’s Day Dinner Sixth Ward Athletic Club 22 West Broadway, Oneonta
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YOUR “HOMETOWN” INSURANCE AGENCY
Left to right: Ben Novellano, Agent Steve Bieritz, President
by sponsoring the street performers for the Downtown Carnival. MSO will have jugglers, caricature artists, and clowns with magic downtown to entertain.
Main Street Oneonta
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Our hours are YOUR hours, not bankers’ hours!
The Bieritz Agency team, here, in your neighborhood, for you today, tomorrow and the future…GUARANTEED! Call for a FREE quote! We represent over 20 companies To stay up-to-date on all the downtown activities Like us on Facebook at Main Street Oneonta.
The BieriTz Agency 209 Main Street, Cooperstown (across from Bruce Hall) · 607-547-2951 Morris Insurance · Morris · 607-263-5170
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
Spring
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Ma River Street
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702 kids and family members – a record – participated in the annual Easter Egg Hunt Saturday, April 19, at Hyde Hall, sponsored by Leatherstocking Federal Credit Union.
Ian Austin/The Freeman’s Journal
Fabrics Notions ••Classes • Kits• Kits • Fabrics • •Notions Classes Monthly Raffles••Baby Baby Quilts • Bags Monthly Raffles Quilts • Bags Table Toppers••Applique Applique Techniques Table Toppers Techniques
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THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-3
HYDE HALL REPORT RECORD TURNOUT AT EASTER EGG HUNT
RUSH
Can’t wait to see at The Zoo! Can’t wait to see youcoffee’s at The Zoo! The coffee’s The on!
LOCALS
The youngsters who found the “three special eggs” at Hyde Hall’s Easter Egg Hunt are, from left, Madison Kane of Cherry Valley (held by mom Kristin), Abigale O’Brien of Hartwick and Mia Horvath of Cherry Valley. In the background are Hyde Hall Executive Director Jon Maney and Carla Eckler, representing sponsor Leatherstocking Federal Credit Union.
Mallory Garretson In Honor Society At St. Lawrence CHERRY VALLEY
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allory V. Garretson of Cherry Valley has been inducted into the Irving Bacheller Society, the St. Lawrence University English Department’s honorary society. The daughter Tom and Amy Garretson is a member of the Class of 2015, majoring in Environmental Studies/English. She is a graduate of Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School. The Irving Bacheller Society is named for a 1882 graduate of St. Lawrence, who went on to write the first best-selling novel of the 20th century, “Eben Holden.”
Spiritual Arts Fair!
MAgicAl For the Whole FAMily!
10th Annual Spiritual Holistic Festive Transformation
Sat, May 10 · 10 am to 5 pm and Sun, May 11 · 10 am to 5 pm at the Hunt Union, SUNY Oneonta e Private sessions with 14 tried and true psychic readers and 14 Reiki and energy healers. Drop in or book ahead! f e Unique metaphysical gifts & crafts f e Events for all ages: henna tattoos, aura photos, and more f e 25 free workshops on “Ghosts, Spirits and Spooks”, “Happiness Is a Choice”, “Spirit Guides”, “Messages from Spirit”, intuitive development, career direction, self healing… f e “Would not miss it! Amazing! So much fun! Vendors galore!” f
2-daY adMiSSiON price: $6 in advance/$8 at door children under 10 Free (accompanied by an adult) all details online: SHiFTNewYork.com Questions: call diana Friedell at 607-433-2089
Any first treatment Offer expires Friday, May 30, 5 pm
Perspectives
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
EDITORIAL
Otsego County’s 2nd ‘Golden Age Of Hops’ About To Happen
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ven Welcome was a wasteland. In that Town of Pittsfield crossroads hamlet, James Fenimore Cooper’s grandson found only one sizeable home, occupied by a solitary widow, her children gone, who stayed there, it seems, only out of habit and memory. Pick up and review your copy of “The Legends and Traditions of a Northern County” by the younger James Fenimore Cooper, the 1920 memoir of Otsego County he wrote for Cooper his own grandchildren, and mostly you’ll find decrepitude. As Cooper, a partner in Cooper Erving & Savage, the Albany law firm, traverses the county in leisure hours, driving – or when, often, the roads are too far gone, on horseback – he finds overgrown fields, landscapes empty of human activity, old mansions vacant, with unsecured front doors creaking in the wind. Oh my. And this picture of failure and flight, almost a century ago, his founding great-grandfather’s dream shattered, was before the
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o review Hartwick professor Carly Ficano’s “Greater Otsego County Hops Feasibility Report,” follow the link from: WWW.ALLOTSEGO.COM
national recession in agriculture of the 1920s. What happened? • After 108 pages of this, the sun suddenly shines. “For years,” he writes, “hops made this country rich, and built many of the great farmhouses still standing … Extraordinary profits were made and it was not unusual for a hop grower to make the value of his farm out of one crop.” Happy hops, and Otsego’s “were considered the bestgrown in the world.” It cost 12 cents to produce a pound, and prices rose to $1.60. Buyers came from “everywhere,” and thousands of pickers at harvest time who raised local fears of lawlessness. “Much hard liquor was absorbed and the usual number of free fights resulted,” Cooper writes. Now largely forgotten, he describes Jimmy Clark’s “Hop City,” just south of Cooperstown where the Toddsville Road comes into Route 28, and stretching east to Phoenix Mills across those fields south of Otsego Manor. Alas, “then the change
From the New York State Archives
Family members pause from their labors at Hop City, south of today’s Otsego Manor, that was so big it included stores and a municipal court during the crop’s heyday in the late 19th century.
came; it was found that inferior hops could be grown on the Pacific Coast and elsewhere. Our Otsego growers were undersold and gradually the hop industry shrank; the growers failed and the yards were plowed up. “…The days when ‘Hops were King’ were the Golden Age of Otsego County. With the collapse came poverty to many. Farms were abandoned money loaned on them was lost.” • Suddenly, though, a second Golden Age of Hops is in reach.
LETTERS
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James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
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Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal U.S. Rep. Chris Gibson, R-19th, hosted a forum Monday, April 21, at Richfield Springs Central School, where the top issue to emerge was how the county’s Route 20 corridor might benefit from the state’s $1 billion nanotechnology investment at SUNY/IT, north of Utica. Attendees included state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, foreground, and at left, county Board Chair Kathy Clark, R-Otego, and Sandy Mathes, the county’s “single point of contact” economic developer. Inset is Richfield Town Supervisor Fran Enjem.
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Cooperstown’s Newspaper
This does not mean that the libraries are becoming part of the school system. They will both remain as independent municipal libraries. It does mean that a new tax will be created and that the school district will be given the task of collecting that tax. In fact, very few new dollars are being requested. The support that is presently coming from the towns, the Village of Cooperstown and CCS will no longer be needed, resulting in tax saving for those entities. The end result of this proposition is a more equitable distribution of support and more stable funding for both libraries. I ask for your support for the Library Proposition on May 20. TOM SELOVER Member Board of Directors Village Library R
For 206 Years
Mary Joan Kevlin Associate Publisher
Tara Barnwell Advertising Director
BILL SIMONS OTHER VIEWS
Thom Rhodes • Susan Straub Area Advertising Consultants Libby Cudmore • Richard Whitby Reporters Kathleen Peters • Dan Knickerbocker Graphics
foods in New York City alone. Sandy Mathes, the county’s new “single point of contact” for economic development, is exploring a local “food hub” that will connect with a regional hub in the Hudson Valley that will feed into Gotham’s markets. And to ensure an expert workforce for the hops revival, Hartwick College has launched a Center for Craft Food & Beverage. • And, then, what happened earlier this month can’t be celebrated enough. Lou Hager Jr., Town of Otsego, the Anheuser Busch heir, announced his Northern Eagle Beverage distributorship in Oneonta had purchased the Milford-based Cooperstown Brewing Co. from Chuck Williamson’s Butternuts Brewery. Northern Eagle is about to break ground on a new building in West Oneonta, where it plans to add the county’s first pelletizer. That will allow local hops crops, including a sizeable tract Hager is about to plant in Pierstown, to be converted into stable pellets that can be easily stored for later brewing use. That completes the circle, from farmer to brewer to customer. Sit tight, Welcome: Cooper’s “Golden Age of Otsego County” is about to happen again.
NANOTECHNOLOGY FOCUS OF RICHFIELD FORUM
Vote For Library Funding To the Editor: On May 20, we will be asked to vote on approval of the Cooperstown Central School budget. This year there will be a second separate proposition to be voted upon. The vote to approve funding for the Village Library of Cooperstown and the Kinney Memorial Library of Hartwick is somewhat confusing. In the past, the towns of Middlefield and Otsego, the Village of Cooperstown and CCS have been the primary fund providers for the Cooperstown Village Library. The Town of Hartwick has provided most of the support for the Kinney Memorial Library. Based on this proposition, the service area for the two libraries will be primarily the same as the geographical boundaries of the school district.
The driver is the national trend toward craft beer – itself part of a consumer shift toward “artisanal food” and “value added” farm products. Not everyone can afford a $1 million one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, but pretty much everybody can afford a high-quality glass of beer. And rarely a week goes by without another piece of the local hops’ revival falling into place. Brewery Ommegang’s success and the national expansion plans of its parent, the Belgian Duvel Moortgat,
is one much heralded piece. Ommegang began growing hops last year, and a half-dozen county farmers are doing the same, with more to follow. That piece is being driven by neighboring Madison County, where Cooperative Extension Agent Steve Miller has become the expert for the historic six-county Central New York hops-growing region. • Another driver is the 2012 state Farm Brewery Law, which requires that, by 2024 – just 10 years from now – in-state microbreweries get 90 percent of their raw materials – hops, barley, wheat, yeast – from New York State farms. Locally, GO-EDC, Albert Colone and Bill Shue’s Greater Oneonta Economic Development Committee, has led the conversation, bolstered now by a parallel effort by Mayor Dick Miller’s Oneonta Alliance. One outgrowth: Carly Ficano, the Hartwick College economics professor, is completing a master plan for hops’ local revival. Ficano is coordinating with Rebecca Morgan, executive director of CADE (the Center for Agricultural Development & Entrepreneurship), who has focused on a dramatic figure: There is $1 billion in unmet demand for craft beer and artisanal
Ian Austin Photographer Tom Heitz Consultant
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
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SUNY Faculty Should Resist Cuts In Adjuncts
UP Oneonta is concerned that serious and perhaps escalating challenges confront adjuncts, part-time professionals and contingents. Fiscal matters, enrollment managerment and evolving decisions have the potential to reduce UUP employee numbers in those categories. This is a time for vigilance and clarity. UUP strongly asserts that any reduction in the number of adjuncts, part-time professionals and contingents should come about only through attrition. Moreover, the union and its members must continue to advocate for respect, resources and fair compen-
sation for adjuncts, part-time professionals and contingents. This is the concern of all of us. Division between full-time and parttime UUPers or between academic and professional employees will fragment all of us. There is strength in solidarity, as was evident Wednesday, March 12. UUP had issued a call for a meeting that day to its adjunct, professional, part-time and contingent employees – and their advocates. Due to the high numbers who responded, we moved from the UUP office to another room, and even that space filled to capacity. In addition, others who were pre-
cluded from attending due to schedule conflicts either e-mailed, phoned or face-to-face articulated ideas and concerns both before and after the meeting. It was agreed that a summary of the concerns and ideas would appear in the Sentinel (the UUP publication). However, no names or identifying information about attendees would leave the room. Within a supportive atmosphere, significant issues were raised. Bill Simons is president of the SUNY Oneonta chapter of the United University Professions.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
BOUND VOLUMES Compiled by Tom HeiTz with resources courtesy of The New York State Historical Association Library
200 YEARS AGO
The Armistice – From all information we have obtained on this subject, the following are the particulars, we believe, so far as they have progressed in this important affair. As we understand, a proposition has been received from Sir George Prevost, governor of Lower Canada, by our government, for a suspension of hostilities between the forces of the United States and those of Great Britain under his command in the two Canadas, during we presume, the pending negotiations between the two governments. To this proposition our executive, after a consultation of his cabinet, has acceded; with a provision that the armistice shall extend to operations by sea as well as by land – and to ascertain whether this annexed condition is accepted, a flag has been sent to the commander of the naval forces of the British on our coast, the result of which is yet to be learnt. April 23, 1814
75 YEARS AGO
175 YEARS AGO
Cure for Horn Distemper – Permit me to communicate the following information to farmers in relation to the disease of cattle called the “Horn Distemper.� The remedy is infallible. It consists in free blood-letting as soon as the disease appears, and immediate relief will be given. Where the first bleeding has not been copious, a second and even a third bleeding may be necessary. There is no danger of over-bleeding where the condition of the animal is good. The nature of the disease shows the propriety of the remedy. It is an inflammation of the membranes of the brain & neighboring parts, & of course, a great determination of blood to the head. Congestion of the vessels to the head is the result; hence the frequent staggering and reeling of the animal in attempting to walk. The remedy has never failed to cure immediately where it has been resorted to. The common practice of boring the horns is worse than useless. April 22, 1839
150 YEARS AGO
A melancholy affair – Our whole village was shocked last Saturday by the report suddenly circulated through the streets, that Mr. James Cockett had taken his life by shooting himself at his own home with a shot gun. Mr. C. had for
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lieve the right of American women to vote rests upon the Declaration of Independence, that governments “derive their just powers from the consent of the governed,� and upon the constitution of the United States which declares that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens thereof, and of the states in which they reside.� If these two women are persons, they are citizens; they are governed; therefore women, equally with other citizens, have a moral right, and should have a legal right to vote. April 26, 1889
100 YEARS AGO
The Cooperstown school opened Tuesday morning after the spring vacation with the largest attendance in the history of the institution. Forty-one new pupils registered in the primary department making a total enrollment of 80. New pupils in the primary departApril 1939 ment include: Robert K. Fuller, Paul B. Michaels, more than six months been an invalid, whose recovery from John H. Schneider, M. Louise Ellsworth, William severe illness and general prostration was a matter of much H. St. John, Mary M. Knapp, Arthur G. Rowley, Robert T. doubt. By careful management and nursing he was able to Tallman, Harold D. Butler, and S. Craig Davis. get outdoors a little during recent pleasant days, but was April 22, 1914 still extremely debilitated and feeble. His nervous system was shattered, and to some extent, probably, his brain was affected. He had frequent turns of mental depression and The April Board meeting of the Northern Otsego Chapapprehension; at one time he related to his physician the ter of the American Red Cross was held April 21 at the effort it had required to keep from ending his gloomy days. Cooperstown Community House, with Hubert Wilmot, The gun was kept in a closet near his room, and it was not Chapter Chairman presiding. Following the Surgeon Generknown he had the means of loading it. He died immediately. al’s statement of the dangers of lung cancer from smoking, April 22, 1864 the National Red Cross will discontinue giving cigarettes to patients in military and Veterans’ Hospitals April 29, 1964 Women’s Rights – Letter to the Editor: I have just read the following: “Our Otsego Members of the Assembly are both married gentlemen and evidently very gallant, as they voted The Susquehanna SPCA’s thrift shop, The Better Exin favor of the woman suffrage bill – and yet we have never change, will open Thursday, May 17, at 139C Main Street heard one Otsego County woman express a wish to see it bein Cooperstown. Staffed by volunteers, the shop will be come a law.� I know two Otsego women who are interested open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Satin the equal suffrage movement. These two women are not urdays. The Better Exchange will offer toys, books, small ignorant of the fact, that the old argument that all men supappliances and furniture as well as clothing. port all women is fallacious, for in our State alone there are April 25, 1984 80,000 more women than men and 20,000 men in New York State are supported by women. These two Otsego women be-
50 YEARS AGO
125 YEARS AGO
25 YEARS AGO
ANNuAl YMCA MeMber MeetiNg NOtiCe
On April 29th, 2014 at 4:00 pm, the Oneonta Family YMCA will hold its Annual Member Meeting. Members are invited to vote for new Board Members at the meeting or to provide a signed proxy statement allowing John Hayen & Mark Degraw to cast the vote in the member’s absence. Oneonta Family YMCA 20-26 Ford Ave, Oneonta, NY 13820 607-432-0010
Bassett Eyewear Center
No Appointment Needed Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Clinic Building, Cooperstown (607) 547-3142
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
Documenting Disappearing Barns Gains Professor Top SUNY Prize FALK/From A1 suggested by The Farmers’ Museum, wasn’t one she would have chosen on her own. But the winner of the $1,000 prize soon warmed up to the idea: “My family got used to me yelling, ‘Pull over, I need to take a picture of this!’ when we were in the car.” Similar guides exist for New England and Pennsylvania, but not as much in New York. “These barns are such familiar sights,” she told the gathering in the Craven Lounge. “We need to bring more attention to them.” For they are disappearing. In 2010, when her project was just beginning, Falk took a picture of a barn on Route 20 near Bouckville; in 2012, when she drove by it again, it was all but demolished. With help from her students, who helped with research and photographs, she published “Barns of New York: Rural Architecture of the Empire State” (Cornell University Press, 2012). Inside a barn in Tully, Onondaga County, she found bins stacked to the ceiling. “I was stumped,” she said. “But one of my students found a book with illustrations of a ‘New York-style Cabbage House’ – it turns out we’re the third largest
cabbage producer in the country!” In another barn she found a downstairs room (for pigs), an upstairs with slats for ventilation (to keep corn dry) and a front room with a chimney. “I figured out that they used the oven to boil the corn, which is what you do when you’re trying to fatten pigs for market quickly. It’s a very functional building.” As agriculture evolved, so did the buildings. “When there was an outbreak of typhoid, dairy producers had to get a certain number of points from a dairy inspector before they could take milk to market,” she said. “The inspector gave points for adding a milk house to a barn, and if that milk house had windows, and if those windows had screens. It changed not only what farmers thought about their products, but also the
County Crew Focused On Completing 11C Bridge
government’s place in protecting their consumers.” The restoration of historic barns is eligible for a tax credit under the Farmer’s Protection & Farm Preservation Act. “All of this is important because we still feel the effects of our agricultural heritage in the present,” she said. “The market value of our agriculture is $5 million. We’re second in the nation for apples and maple syrup, fourth for milk. It’s important to think of how these buildings can still work for New York.” More than that, Falk said, it’s about the place of historic barns in our collective psyche. “We need to think about the value of these places,” she said. “They can inspire paintings and photographs, they have a nostalgic quality. They’re our emotional, our spiritual resources.”
roADS/From A1 In January, temporary approaches were laid down to get the bridge reopened for traffic, but with spring weather and summer traffic approaching, the bridge was once again closed Monday, April 21, for final repairs. “We have to pave the approaches and cut grooves into the concrete,” said Tiderencel. “The grooves slow down drivers and keeps water off the bridge so cars don’t slide.” Workers will then seal the bridge, put in the approach joints and clean the property for the road’s residence. Weather permitting, Tiderencel believes the bridge will be open again in two weeks. The season’s second major job is a HotIn-Place Recycling surface treatment on Route 34 in the Town of Roseboom, heading south from South Valley. The process, which heats asphalt with a rejuvenating oil and stone treatment, is one of the annual ongoing restoration projects for the county. “We can’t do all the roads in one year, so we do a little here, a little there, all over,” he said. Every day, county highway workers will
Jim Kevlin/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
Chad Fancher, New Century Construction, Watervliet, washes down new Route 11C span.
also be patching potholes. “The potholes are never-ending,” he said. “With the constant freeze-thaw cycle, it was a rough winter for our roads.” And when those projects are finished, Tiderencel said, the crews will be working on road shoulders, ditches and cutting down trees. “The normal maintenance we do,” he said. With the exception of the 11C bridge project, Tiderencel says no roads will be closed.
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607-547-4045
Patricia Bensen-Ashley – Licensed Real Estate Broker/Owner
Cottage with otsego Lake Access This very sweet cottage is in move-in condition w/most furnishings being negotiable. Everything has been redone. Nicely renovated kitchen w/maple cabinets, pine breakfast bar leading into DR which has doors to the deck w/a privacy fence and lake views. LR area has lake-view window and woodstove. 2 BRs and full bath. Lower level has a pine-paneled room for storage or perhaps extra sleeping space. Lake access is at Hickory Grove Point as well as a 5’ lake right-of-way on Lake Shore Drive. This darling cottage is available for immediate occupancy. Offered Exclusively by Ashley Connor Realty $169,900
Visit us on the Web at www.ashleyconnorrealty.com Contact us at info@ashleyconnorrealty.com For Appointment: Patricia Bensen-Ashley, Broker, 607-437-1149 Jack Foster, Sales Agent, 607-547-5304 • Donna Skinner, Associate Broker, 607-547-8288 Christopher Patterson, Sales Agent, 518-774-8175
MLS#93521 Worcester $97,500 This is a beautiful example of a Mission-style bungalow with 3 BRs 1 bath, LR, DR, kitchen and 2 enclosed porches. It’s in excellent condition w/too many upgrades to list—easy access in a picturesque country village. This property has real value and offers minimum maintenance and repairs for many years to come.
Dave LaDuke, Broker 607-435-2405
Bim Ashford 607-435-3971
Mike Winslow, Broker 607-435-0183
Brian Guzy 607-547-7161
Laura Coleman 607-437-4881
John LaDuke 607-547-8551
Cooperstown Country!
Over-the-top quality construction! This 4 BR, 3 bath home in the Cooperstown School District sits on 4 picturesque acres with a stream, apple trees, organic gardens, and great hunting! Features include: master suite, cherry and ash wood floors, fabulous kitchen with Silestone countertops, radiant heat on all 3 floors, sauna, deck, patio and much more!
$319,000
David Mattice
Madeline K. Woerner 607-434-3697
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Exit Team Advantage Realty • 5366 Main Street, Oneonta 607-433-TEAM (8326) • 607-433-8833 (fax) • www.exitta.com
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MOTIVATED SELLER BRING ALL OFFERS! This home is one of the nicest properties offered in the town of Oneonta. Cedar-sided chalet offers 3 BRs—master BR has private ½ bath. Home also features Wood-Mode® kitchen, wood-burning fireplace in LR w/loft. Large finished walk-out basement is great for entertaining or could easily be converted to a mother-in-law apt. Basement is bright w/Andersen sliding glass doors leading to beautifully manicured lawn w/magnolia tree, apple tree, weeping willow. Large pond w/retaining wall and fish. Huge 2-car garage w/storage room underneath. Relax on the wrap-around deck w/views of the pond and Oneonta Country Club. With over 1½ acres of land there is plenty of room for a garden and outdoor activities. $169,900 MLS#92737
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THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-7
THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014
Complex Main Street Project Takes Shape
SIDEWALK/From A1 walk project at all but, rather, a storm-water treatment project. And when it’s done, 1,540 pounds per year of “suspended solidsâ€? – dirt – won’t flow into nearby Otsego Lake or the Susquehanna River at its source. Another 7.14 pounds of nitrogen and 1.51 pounds of phosphorus annually will be captured, according to Frank Novak, an engineer with McManus Engineering Group, which is overseeing the project for the village. “We took a sidewalk project and sold it to the state as a storm-water project,â€? said Trustee Cindy Falk, who chairs the Village Board’s Street Committee. Either one – or both, as of Wednesday, April 23, work had been underway for a month, funded in large part by a $638,000 GIG (Green Innovation Grant) from the state Environmental Facilities Corp. “Our goal is to have it clear and walkable by a few days before Memorial Day,â€? said Katz. The second phase, beginning Labor Day and funded in part by a $1.7 million grant from the state/federal Transportation Enhancement Program, will do the same for sidewalks on the south side of Main Street, plus Pioneer Street north to Tillapaugh Funeral Home and south to Church Street. Historic street lamps will be rehabilitated, LED lights added, utilities buried, street furniture replaced and bike racks erected, according to Katz, who estimates this is the second largest municipal project in village history, after the $5 million Gateway project completed last year. “There are very specific guidelines we have to follow,â€? said Jon McManus of McManus Engineering Group, the village’s engineer on the new project, during a walk down the north side of Main Street the other day. As McManus explained it, the multiple steps that sidewalk superintendents have been remarking on since work began Monday, March 23, include: • 4-foot-deep excavations, 14-feet wide, from Hoffman Lane to the Cooperstown Diner, the extent of the project, removing concrete and dirt packed so hard that dirty water simply runs off the sidewalks into the storm drains. • Installing 4- to 10-foot concrete frames that will contain “rain gardensâ€? of water-absorbing plants. There are 17 on the northside, under construction this spring; an-
other 19 will be added on the southside during construction next fall. • Filling in the excavations with a “more perviousâ€? mixture of gravel and dirt that will absorb rain water, allowing it to be filtered through the earth and arrive cleansed at Otsego Lake or the Susquehanna. • Installing an 8-foot-wide concrete sidewalk, beginning at the store fronts, then a 6foot-wide parallel strip of brick “paversâ€? between the concrete and new granite curbs, 700 linear feet in all. Also, laying a line of porous asphalt along the street side of the curbs. The pavers – overhead wires will be buried underneath them – will be level with the concrete frames, so runoff will flow into the rain gardens, planted with shrubs and trees that thrive in (and absorb) the damp. Overflow from the rain gardens will run through
a notch in the granite, then percolate through the porous asphalt. There have been a few surprises along the way. One, the Community Bank branch at 62 Main and the Vets’ Club next door discovered they had shared a sewer line for decades, and quickly installed separate lines before the new sidewalk is laid. A half-dozen properties – Sal’s, Tin Bin Alley and the Cooperstown Bat Co., as well as the iron-clad building where Danny’s and Riverwood are located – extend under the sidewalks, and care has been taken to ensure their basements aren’t damaged. Precisely what trees will be planted, one in each rain garden, is still to be determined, Falk said In the next couple of weeks, a representative intends to visit and meet with the village’s Tree Committee.
The Private Collection of Robert Loden HUNTING & FISHING GEAR
Thursday, May 1, 2014 - 4:30 pm Hesse Galleries, 350 Main St., Otego, New York
To be sold unreserved: Decoys, Lures, Hooks, Spears, Creels, Backpacks, Signs, Photographica, Knives, Paddles, Bait Boxes, Books, Spurs & Related Hunting & Fishing Camp Items. Attend this sale or bid in absentia by contacting us at 607-988-2523 to arrange for phone or written bid.
Auction may be viewed at www.HESSEGALLERIES.com or AuctionZip.com auctioneer #2029
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THURSDAY-FRIDAY, APRIL 24-25, 2014
OBITUARIES Frank Mathias Heller, 77; Funeral Director In Schenevus, Worcester SCHENEVUS – Frank Mathias Heller, 77, owner of Heller Funeral Home and E.J. Skinner Funeral Chapel, passed away on Good Friday, April 18, 2014. He was born December 9, 1936, in Germantown, Columbia County, son of Gaza and Elizabeth (Boytos) Heller. Frank was raised on the family fruit farm. He graduated from Germantown Central High School and Simmons Institute of Funeral Service, Syracuse, Class of 1963.
He was an Army veteran. Frank married Sharon L. King on August 10, 1963, in Mattydale. Frank Heller He owned and operated the Heller Funeral Home in Schenevus since 1967. In 1995, he bought the E.J. Skinner Co. Funeral Chapel in Worcester, where he has enjoyed working side by side with his daughter,
Kathleen, and son-in-law, John Pietrobono. Frank also owned and operated the Heller Construction Co. for many years. He was a parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Worcester, was the Otsego County coroner for many years and the president and trustee for the Schenevus Cemetery Association for 46 years. Over the years, he sponsored and supported many sports teams and local organizations. Frank was a hard work-
ing and dedicated man. His generosity and kindness shown towards others was never for the recognition, it was simply because it was the right thing to do. He enjoyed helping the community and his neighbors, especially if it involved using his Kubota. He refused payment; however, the sweets that were left were much appreciated. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sharon Heller of Schenevus; children, Deborah and Thomas Makofske of Schenevus, Rich-
ard and Tammy Heller of Murfreesboro, Tenn., Kathleen and John Pietrobono of Oneonta, and Michael and Sandra Heller of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; grandchildren, Victoria and fiancé, Andrew, Amanda, Teryn, Bryce, McKenna, Alyssa and Hunter; brother, John and Cecelia Heller of Rhinebeck; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents and brother, Alexander and wife, Tootsie Heller. The funeral mass was
Wednesday, April 23, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Worcester, with the Rev. Ronald Green, MM, as celebrant. Interment with military honors followed at the Schenevus Cemetery. Donations may be made to the Schenevus Cemetery Association, PO Box 346, Schenevus, or the Tri-Town Baseball, c/o Tom Snyder, 111 County Highway 34, Schenevus, NY 12155. Arrangements are entrusted to the Heller Funeral Home, Schenevus.
Lyle T. Wilbert, 78, Fly Creek Cemetery Superintendent RICHFIELD SPRINGS – Lyle T. Wilbert, 78, former superintendent of the Fly Creek Cemetery Association, passed away Wednesday morning, April 16, 2014, in Saint Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Utica. He was born on April 13, 1936, in Rome, son of the late Stanley K. and Margaret E. Decker Wilbert. A lifelong area resident, he was raised and educated in Richfield Springs. Lyle was an honorably discharged Army veteran, serving our country from 1955 to 1958. On June 22, 1974, he married the former Sandra Sherman in Bridgewater.
Mr. Wilbert was a material controller for the Special Metals Corp., New Hartford, retiring in 1996 after 40 years. He then assumed duties at Fly Creek Cemetery, retiring from there in 2006. In his earlier years, Lyle enjoyed driving stock cars in local races. He also like playing golf and bowling. Lyle was an avid Yankees and Dallas Cowboys fan. A devoted family man, he was always a source of sup-
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port and encouragement to family members and treasured the time he spent with them. To his many friends he was honest and sincere. Any conversation with him was right to the point, yet you always felt a warmth and friendship whenever you were with him. Surviving are his loving wife of 40 years, Sandra; five sons, John and his wife, Sherry Maine, Jeff Wilbert, John and his wife, Lynda Wratten, Dean and his wife, Jenna Wratten and Todd Wratten; two daughters, Kim Soule and Sue Behr; 18 grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; several nieces, nephews and cousins. Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Colton Wilbert; his daughter, Patty Zaccagnino; and his son, Bobby Sherman. Calling hours were planned 4-7 p.m. Thursday, April 24, in J. Seaton
Margaret L. Hough, 87; MCS Teacher MARYLAND – Margaret L. Hough, 87, a Milford Central School teacher for 20 years, passed away Wednesday, April 16, 2014, at Fox Hospital in Oneonta. She was born April 28, 1926 in Gilboa, the daughter of LeGrand and E. Ruth (Burnett) Tompkins. She married Albert Hough at her family’s homestead in Gilboa on April 28, 1946. Mrs. Hough earned her Master’s degree in Education from SUNY Oneonta. She loved being a teacher, and taught at Milford Central School District for 20 years. She was a member of the Cooperstown Junction United Methodist Church, the Schenevus VFW Auxiliary and the NYS Teacher’s Association. She taught Sunday School at the Schenevus United Methodist Church and she was also a leader for the 4-H and Girl Scout Brownies. She is survived by her daughter, Ruth and husband, Bill Cole of North Carolina; a son, Al and wife, Valerie Hough of Endicott; 5 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Albert Hough; a son, Jack Hough and a daughter, Katherine “Kathy” Hough. The funeral service was Tuesday, April 22 at the Lewis, Hurley & Pietrobono Funeral Home, with the Rev. Al Bullard, pastor of the Cooperstown Junction Methodist Church, officiating. Interment will follow at the Glenwood Cemetery, Oneonta. Donations may be made to the Schenevus-Maryland Emergency Squad, 205 Valder Rd., Schenevus, NY 12155 or the Salvation Army, 25 River St., Oneonta, NY 13820.
McGrath Funeral Home, Richfield Springs. A graveside funeral service with military honors will be at 11 a.m. Friday, April 25, in Twilight Rest Cemetery in Monticello. The Rev. Alan Miller will officiate. A reception will follow at the Richfield Springs American Legion Post No. 616. Memorial donations may be made to the Richfield Springs Emergency Squad. Arrangements are entrusted to the J. Seaton McGrath Funeral Home.
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