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Oneonta, N.Y., Thursday, October 17, 2024
Volume 16, No. 51
Newsstand Price $1
DMV Satellite Office Opening Next Month
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Photo by Darla M. Youngs
JoAnn Gardner (standing in front of the television) was one of several Hartwick residents who spoke out at the Town Board meeting on Monday, October 14 against alleged voter intimidation tactics, calling for the resignation of Board member Bryan LoRusso.
Controversy Dominates Town Board Meeting By DARLA M. YOUNGS
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HARTWICK ryan LoRusso and several other former Town of Hartwick employees want Hartwick Town Board member Chris Briggs to resign. A contingent of concerned Hartwick residents wants LoRusso, also a Town Board member, to resign. Hartwick Town Supervisor Robert O’Brien will be relocating before the end of the year, leaving that post unfilled. And the town’s attorney, William Green, has resigned, effective January 1, 2025. The room was at maximum
► PUBLIC INVITED TO ROCK AND ROLL FOR HELIOS, page 2
By TERESA WINCHESTER
► pantry unveils ellen’s cupboard, page 2 ► book talk, film festival and more, page 3 ► can talk diffuse tensions in the middle east? page 4 ► chamber touts new educational program, page 5 ► berkson battles with ma bell, page 7 ► calendar, page 10 Follow Breaking News On
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Markusen and Tom Murphy, along with Andrea Vazquez, the town clerk, and attorney Green. A call to order was followed by roll call, review of the previous month’s minutes, review and approval of bills, and other budget and finance reports. O’Brien then opened the meeting to public comments, at which time a group of nearly two dozen audience members stood to speak, or to show solidarity for those who did. JoAnn Gardner was first to address the crowd with regard to “Mr. LoRusso’s Facebook threats Continued on page 6
New Museum Brings To Life Morris of Bygone Days
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capacity on the evening of Monday, October 14, when approximately 50 residents assembled for the monthly meeting of the Town Board. In preparation for what was expected to be a long meeting, there was pizza and, just in case things got out of hand, there was law enforcement. The meeting began like any other, following a slight delay in start time due to difficulty connecting to Zoom, via which the town meetings are recorded and made available to the public. The full board was in attendance: Supervisor O’Brien, Briggs, and LoRusso were joined at the table by board members Bruce
ONEONTA tsego County Clerk Jennifer Basile has announced that the county’s long-awaited Department of Motor Vehicles satellite location will be open for business as of Tuesday, November 12 at 9:30 a.m. “This project has involved countless steps and processes, starting long ago. The last major hurdle was completed in February 2024, when we ordered the mobile equipment from New York State,” Basile said in a media release. “As I mentioned previously, we expected a six-to12-month wait for the equipment, but we’re delighted to say that we’ve received everything in record time,” Basile added. According to Basile, county officials had originally planned to operate on the first floor at 242 Main Street, “but an unexpected opportunity arose when another department offered us the old DMV space in the lower level.” Preparing the space was a significant undertaking, Basile said, extending her thanks to the Building Services and IT departments for their hard work and support under a very tight timeline, her staff for their dedication and for putting the final touches on the space, and to the Public Safety and Legal Affairs Committee and the Board of Representatives for their help in moving the project forward. “County government is all about providing the services that our constituents need, and bringing back the DMV to Oneonta is one example of how we are trying to be responsive to our constituents,” said Otsego County Board of Representatives Chair Edwin Frazier Jr. Otsego County’s DMV satellite location will operate Tuesday through Thursday, serving walk-ins from 9-11 a.m. and appointments from noon to 3:30 p.m. “Please note that this is not a full-scale office,” Basile pointed out. “For detailed information on specific services and transactions, visit https://www. otsegocountyny.gov/departments/a-c/county_clerk/ Continued on page 6
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MORRIS ince its opening in September 2023, the Gatehouse Coffee Shop at the corner of Main and Broad streets in the Village of Morris has injected a welcomed vitality into the village. But imagine a time when 32 stores operated simultaneously on these two principal streets in Morris. Such was the case, as related in the 1872-73 edition of the “Business Directory of Otsego County.” The newly-opened Morris Historical Society Museum has done a commendable job in documenting the once thriving community.
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On Sunday, September 29, MHS welcomed approximately 125 visitors to the museum at 89 Broad Street. The open house included tours of the renovated spaces of the structure, donated in 2022 to MHS by American Legion Post #1135. “My sister (Janet Washbon) and I are happy to see the historical society realize their goal of opening the museum and repurposing the historic structure. We are thrilled we could contribute research and resources to this endeavor and how well curated and informative the exhibits are,” Photo by Stacia Norman said Tom Washbon, whose family The Morris Historical Society Museum, at 89 Broad Street, occupies a lines in Morris reach as far back building donated in 2022 by American Legion Post 1139. Built in the early 1800s, the building housed numerous commercial enterprises until it was as the 1790s. purchased by the Legion in 1954. Continued on page 9
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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