WILLIAM
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Volume 207, No. 19
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OUNDED
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Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, May 14, 2015
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Common Core ‘Whack-A-Mole’ At Candidate Forum Few Encouraging Words Surface On Now-Controversial Testing POLLS OPEN 5/19
By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN
C The Freeman’s Journal
ommon Core was the Whack-A-Mole at the League of Women Voters’ forum Monday, May 11, for Cooperstown Central school board candidates: Other
The dilatory honey locusts started budding Monday, May 11, to Trustee Falk’s relief.
Nail-Biting Over As Locusts Join Blooming Trees COOPERSTOWN
O
f the 17 new downtown trees, 11 began to bud about a week ago. But the other six remained bare. People were asking, Had they died in the recordcold winter? Even Village Trustee Cindy Falk, architect of the downtown redo, wondered. Then, as the mercury topped 80 Monday, May 11, the six trees budded. It turned out they were flowering honey locusts, which bud later than the rest, a relieved Falk said. TIN TOP DONE: A ribbon-cutting Saturday, May 19, marked the completion of a $250,000 welcome center in that Hyde Hall landmark/SEE A4
issues were addressed, but Topic One kept popping up. It began in the opening
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
COMPETITION FOR EC-DEV FUNDING
‘HUNGER GAMES’ MAY YIELD $500m
Otsego Joins ‘MV500’ Bid
Hanging Stoplight Survives
By JIM KEVLIN
F
By LIBBY CUDMORE COOPERSTOWN
E
verything in the artistic renderings presented by Barton & Loguidice MORE SNIPPING: Engineering’s Jeff Nudge The day before, a cerand Mark Budosh looked emonial ribbon-cutting at good to the Village Board Pathfinder Village marked – permanent crosswalks, construction of the Wila lighted flagpole, bike liam F. Streck Community Health Center there/SEE A2 racks and enhanced signage. But the trustees balked TIRRELL RETIRING: when they suggested Patients have been receivreplacing the hanging ing notification that Dr. Paul stoplight with signals on Tirrell, longtime Bassett each corner. “We are not physician, will be retiring in September. BIKE TO WORK; OCCA’s annual Bike to Work Day is coming up Wednesday, May 20. You can record your mileage electronically for the National Bike Challenge.
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olls will be open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the high school to vote on 2015-6 budget and fill three school board vacancies.
remarks, with incumbent 20-year board member Tony Scalici calling Common Core testing “excessive and poorly designed … It wasn’t designed by teachers. It’s being used as a punitive tool and not an educational tool.” Others stuck to their credentials and reasons Please See CORE, A6
CCS board candidates are, from left, Tony Scalici, Marcy Birch, Tabetha Rathbone, Laurie Williams and Mary Bonderoff.
Grace Cotten/The Freeman’s Journal
The crowd turns to hear Village Trustee Cindy Falk question the consultant at the Monday, May 11, informational meeting.
going to do that,” said Mayor Jeff Katz. “Hugh McDougall found that traffic light was installed in 1927,”
said Trustee Cindy Falk. “It appears in photos, and keeping that helps maintain the character of the village. People feel
strongly about it.” “We’re proud of our one traffic light,” said resident Bill Waller. Please See PLAN, A3
Hotel Developer Donates $500 For Trees COOPERSTOWN
A
s plans for a deluxe downtown hotel inch forward, BTP Partners’ Perry Ferrara has donated $500 to the village to put
H-PARB Awaits ‘Complete’ Application a tree-cutting episode at the back of the site at 124 Main St. behind him. Ferrara also wrote a letter “saying, ‘I’m sorry,’” said Mayor Jeff
Katz. “$500 will go into the tree-planting budget. To some degree, that’s a better solution.” The village planned to ticket the developers, but
this avoids the possibility of a blot on their record. Village Attorney Martin Tillapaugh, who had pushed for a court solution, has signed off on the alternative, Katz said. Please See HOTEL, A7
or the past month, four delegates from Otsego County have been part of a sixcounty task force seeking to win $1/2 billion in state funding, and to do so must out-compete at least four other regions of Upstate New York. The four representatives on what’s being called “MV500” are county Rep. Craig Gelbsman, R-Oneonta, who as owner of First Choice Cleaners is also representing small business; Cooperstown Mayor Jeff Katz, representing municipalities; Otsego Now President Sandy Mathes, representing economic development efforts, and Dan Robinson, president/CEO of New York Central Mutual, representing the county’s larger enterprises. “This is a deal changer if we are selected,” said Mathes. The task force is participating in Governor Cuomo’s version of “The Hunger Games” – as the Wall Street Journal put it – for part of a three-way split of the governor’s $1.5 billion Upstate Please See MV500, A7
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
A-2 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
THURSDAY, may 14, 2015
locals
GROUND-BREAKING FOR STRECK HEALTH CLINIC
STEVE RATLIFF, CHARLES GANNON NEWEST EAGLES
Charles Gannon and Steven Ratliff, members of Troop 1254, Cooperstown, were elevated to Eagle Scout Sunday, May 10, at a ceremony in the Christ Church chapel. The 15-year-olds have been together in Boy Scouting since second grade. From left are Steven, his parents Janet and Dr. Derek Ratliff, Charles’ mothJim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal er Dr. KathThose breaking ground on the William F. Streck Community Health Cenerine Gannon ter Friday, May 8, at Pathfinder Village included, from left, Marian Mullen, and Charles. Congressman Gibson, Senator Seward and the honoree, Dr. Bill Streck. Two UNRESERVED ESTATE AUCTION past Streck is Dr. Vance Brown, his successor as Bassett president/CEO. Furniture ! Furniture ! Trains ! & Good Accessories ! The clinic, serving Edmeston and Burlington, is due to open by fall. Thursday, May 21, 2015 - 4:30 PM Hesse Galleries, 350 Main St., Otego, New York Plan to attend this good auction or bid in absentia. All absentee bid are executed competitively. For complete illustrated order of sale go to:
Tabetha Rathbone
for Cooperstown School District Board of Education
www.HESSEGALLERIES.com or AuctionZip, auctioneer # 2029
Tabetha has the Character and Qualifications to Serve on Our School Board
AUCTIONEERS & APPRAISERS Dedicated to both Seller & Buyer
• • • • • •
• • • • • •
Honest and Sincere Certified Public Accountant CFC of Local Corporation Fiscally Responsible Understands Financial Statements and Accounting Standards Believes in Public Education Students Community Parents Teachers Ability to Analyze Data Good Communicator Ability to Collaborate and Build Consensus with Others Possesses Critical Thinking Skills Experienced in Managing Differing Viewpoints and Agendas Member of Cooperstown Rotary Club and Fly Creek Methodist Church
“Tabetha is a strong advocate of public education. Her communication and consensus building skills, coupled with her financial expertise, would allow her to be a valuable Board of Education member.”
MILLER HONORED: Jacob Miller, Cooperstown, a junior majoring in biology, was named to Dean’s List at Lycoming College, Williamsport, Pa., for the spring semester.
Kim’s
Election is May 19, 2015 7 am to 8 pm At the CCS High School
Kut & Style
NeW LoCatioN, New You, New Style Perms Wash, Cut & Style
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On this Memorial Day munson’s
SUNY HONOR: Professor Theresa Russo, Cooperstown, in SUNY Oneonta’s Department of Human Ecology, will receive the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Faculty Service during commencement exercises Saturday, Feb. 16, in Dewar Arena.
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THURSDAY, may 14, 2015
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-3
Chestnut-Main Intersection Plan Review To Keep Traffic Signal Hanging PLAN/From A1 New designs that keep the stoplight hanging were presented at a public meeting on Monday, May 11. “The trustees were looking for other funding opportunities for the streets projects,” said Falk. “The TEP – Transportation Enhancement Program – stood out because it looks at the pedestrian and the cyclist experience.” The project is anticipated to cost
For all those boots on the ground...
Thank You 165 Main St., Cooperstown • 547 - 6141
$2.2 million, with $1.76 million being paid with federal funds. The village is working to identify non-taxpayer sources to cover the majority of the remaining 20 percent they must match. The largest piece is the Main and Chestnut intersection. “Businesses on upper Main blame that intersection for bad business,” said Katz. “People stand on the corner near Schneider’s Bakery and look across the corner – it seems like a
We honor our Veterans
USA 5006 State Hwy 23, Oneonta 607-432-5478
long distance, so they don’t make that cross. It’s an obstacle.” It’s also a safety concern. “I’ve had to pull at least half a dozen people out of that crosswalk,” Ellen Pope, director of Otsego 2000, told the board. “They don’t know there’s a stoplight there. We don’t want to wait until someone gets hit to fix it.” In addition to new crosswalks and pedestrian signals, the presented plan squares off the corner
Lester R. Grummons Funeral Home
at Mel’s, leaving room for green space and outdoor seating. The reactions at the meeting were mixed. Some argued that the trustees were “selling their souls,” Falk recounted. “Any improvement we do is going to bump out that corner,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where the funding comes from. Even if I personally funded it, we still have to meet national standards.” And both Falk and Katz stress
14 Grand Street, Oneonta 607-432-6821
Honoring Those Who Serve
We support the troops!
Haggerty We support our veterans who serve to keep our country safe
that the design will be consistent with Cooperstown’s classic style. “We’re going to keep as much of the historic look as possible,” said Katz. “The lampposts will replicate historic lampposts. We plan to keep that core Cooperstown look.” The final design will be presented in August, with plans to go to bid next spring and start in the fall. The village will accept public comment until May 29.
Hardware
5390 State Hwy 28 • Cooperstown • 607-547-2166 Price Chopper Plaza • Delhi • 607-746-8810 36 West Street • Walton • 607-510-4150 www.haggertyace.com
sends our sincere gratitude to those who served
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info@cooperstowncc.com
Cooperstown natural Foods
wE hONOR ThOSE whO SERVE. 155 River St., Oneonta 607-432-4982
Honoring Those Who Served Mohican Flowers 207 Main Street Cooperstown 607.547.8822 800.378.1143
Bieritz insurance your Hometown Insurance Agency
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Your high-quality body shop All phases of auto body repair
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Bieritz agency 209 main street cooperstown • 547-2951 or in Morris 607-263-5170
TriTown Computers
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The area’s premier metal restoration shop
A leader in “Computer Services” since 1999
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61 Linden Avenue, Cooperstown, NY
CONNELL, DOW & DEYSENROTH, INC. FuNERaL HOmE
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Perspectives
A-4 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015
EDITORIAL
A Half-Billion Dollars Still Buys Something – Let’s Get It
R
eading about Empire Center for Public Policy President Ed McMahon’s address to Citizen Voices last week at the Carriage House in Southside Oneonta, didn’t the words “old think” pop into your head? McMahon reportedly called Otsego and Delaware counties “orphans,” helpless in the face of economic trends beyond their control. Delaware, maybe. Maybe other Upstate counties. But not Otsego. While there have been some bumps in the road, the county’s IDA – rechristened Otsego Now and underwritten with money generated from project fees, not tax dollars – has put in place a state-of-the-art process to bring economic development here for the first time in a half-century. Mantra One: Shovelready sites, which are being developed in Pony Farm,
Gelbsman
Katz
Oneonta’s D&H yards and the proposed commerce park on Richfield Springs’ outer Lake Street. Mantra Two: Singlepoint of contact – Otsego Now, on the fifth floor of Oneonta’s landmark 189 Main, and personified in its president, Sandy Mathes. We’re ready. No orphans here. • How local thinking has evolved since state Sen. Jim Seward’s first “Seward Summit” on March 15, 2011, at The Otesaga was evident the other day in the energy evident around
Mathes
Robinson
the table as Mathes, Cooperstown Mayor Jeff Katz, and county Rep. Craig Gelbsman, R-Oneonta, laid out details of “MV500,” an effort of Otsego and five other counties to claim a chunk of Governor Cuomo’s $1.5 billion Upstate Development Fund. Governor Cuomo has set up a competition – likened to “The Hunger Games” by fearful detractors – among seven of the state’s 10 Regional Economic Development areas (Long Island, New York City and the Buffalo area have been taken care of otherwise ) for three
LETTERS
Scalici Impressed By Teachers, Students, Buoyed By Seeing Indicators Of Success To the Editor: I am asking to be elected for another term on the school board. After many years as a board member, my interest is the same – children, parents and community. My wife and I have lived in the village
‘Take Back Night’ Shines Fortin Park To the Editor: SUNY Oneonta’s Ultimate Frisbee Team YOU ROCK!! Trish Riddell Kent and I would like to express our gratitude on behalf of the Town of Oneonta for the totally awesome job you did at Fortin Park during “Into The Streets.” You pulled together as a team to do an incredible job painting the park storage building and cleaning up, not one, but TWO playgrounds so the kids of the town have a beautiful place to enjoy. You worked hard and did so with grace and good humor. We are proud to have such excellent humans as part of the Oneonta community (and Jeeter loves you, too!) PAT JACOB Town Board Member Oneonta
James C. Kevlin Editor & Publisher
Thom Rhodes • Jim Koury Advertising Consultants
Celeste Brown Thomas Copy Editor
Mary Joan Kevlin Associate Publisher
Tara Barnwell Advertising Director
since 1977 with two children, both schooled and graduated from CCS. My background is a bachelor’s in secondary school English and a master’s in technology education with a work history of 30-plus years as executive director of a nonprofit housing development and services corporation. School board responsibilities are taxation, adherence to laws and regulations, and enactment of policies and a program of education that represent community expectations. For me, the last means equal attention to individual students as well as to the entire school body and upholding learning opportunity to best prepare young people for life. Cooperstown’s program of education, despite evergreater financial constraints, and excessive bureaucracy, has held to a caring and exceptional program of elementary teaching, sound intervention and specialneeds learning for a full curriculum of core classes, arts and music, a selection of advanced high school classes, and diverse athletics and after-school activities. New offerings in robotics and engineering have been added, as are college credit
Judith Bartow Billing
Kathleen Peters Graphics Libby Cudmore Reporter
Ian Austin Photographer
Stephenie Walker Production Coordinator
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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$500 million chunks of the total, money obtained from a settlement of Wall Street wrongdoing. The three regions that come up with the most “impressive economic visions” – the governor’s words – and most convincing strategies to achieve them, will get the money, paid out $100 million a year over the next half decade. If Otsego claimed one-tenth of a Mohawk Valley region share, it would pay for a $3 million bridge to connect the D&H yards, a state-ofthe-art Richfield park and much more. In most regions, the Economic Development Commission staffs are preparing the applications. Here, a task force with representation and staffing from the six counties in the Mohawk Valley region is seeking to make our application exciting, first-rate, fully regional.
As Gelbsman, Katz and Mathes testified – the fourth local task force member is Dan Robinson, New York Central Mutual president – after a half-dozen Monday evening task force meetings, they are already getting a better understanding of how the six counties can work as an entity, combining the strengths of our universities, our farm-to-table pioneers, our breweries, our tourist attractions to create a self-accelerating critical mass. Clearly, the nanotechnology hub on the Utica-Marcy-Rome axis will win the lion’s share of any award – the state has already invested $2 billion there, and will want to enhance that investment. But our colleges, the tech-focus Richfield commerce park and our increasingly techfocus high schools can help that futuristic initiative and benefit from it. Win-win.
• As reported, McMahon did deliver news worth knowing, most compelling: The state’s unemployment rate is dropping, not because more jobs are being created, but because the labor force is shrinking as people leave the state. Will the last Upstater turn off the lights on the way out the door? That’s a problem for every one of us, except those of us who plan to pass away in the next decade. The impetus set in motion by the “Seward Summits” is not to despoil our water, woods, farms and scenic vistas, but to fill our vacant houses and classrooms, and to bulk up our sagging social fabric, to return to a multi-generational society. When collapsing houses and barns no longer dot the landscape, we know we’re heading in the right direction.
T T P IN
OP’S
ROMISE
chool board elections and budget votes are Tuesday, May 19, in Oneonta and Cooperstown school districts. In Oneonta, polls are open from noon to 9 p.m. In Cooperstown, polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
courses at no cost to parents. Taxation is far more difficult decision because it burdens residents with with costs of regulation and control that have no value inside the classroom. To date Cooperstown has managed to hold taxes at or under the annual 2 percent limit. A public exchange of truth and consequence is the most important part of finalizing a spending plan that in the end must keep the responsibility of education as central. My views on common core and testing are that that are excessive and mistakenly designed. They pointlessly look for fault in teachers and local districts. If they would be redesigned to target learner deficiencies and connecting teachers to helpful resources, we would have something good. I am encouraged by parental activism over this issue, but offer that school boards are not your adversary. Washington and New York’s punishment-minded administration own all that is wrong. For all my years on the board, each one has impressed me with teacher and student achievement and with the admirable behavior of students both in school and when away. These are the indicators of success I hope to see continue. ANTHONY SCALICI Cooperstown
As Tin Top frames the Hyde Hall National Historic Landmark, Ruth Pierpont, deputy commissioner of the state Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, speaks of the benefits of cultural tourism.
Jim Kevlin/The Freeman’s Journal
Cultural Tourism Help Bolster Upstate Economy Editor’s Note: Deputy State Parks Commissioner Ruth Pierpoint outlined the benefits of cultural tourism at the dedication of a welcome center at Tin Top, the Hyde Hall National Historic Landmark’s gatehouse. This is an excerpt of her remarks. t around the same time that the Friends of Hyde Hall was established, Tin Top, Hyde Hall’s unique gatehouse, was moved from its original location near the park entrance to where it stands now, ... once again fulfilling its role of welcoming people to what is now a National Historic Landmark and State Historic Site. ... The State of New York has for many years placed an ever increasing emphasis on the importance of our heritage in building our future. Over the past 50 years, Hyde Hall has come a long way, but so has the historic preservation movement, which is now widely recognized as a vital component of community revitalization, economic development and job creation. To name a few of the strides we have made over the years towards protection of our irreplaceable historic resources: • Hyde Hall is one of nearly 250 National Historic Landmarks in New York
A
out of only 2,500 nationwide; so 10 percent of the most celebrated historic places in our country are located in New York, and this is one of them. • We also now boast over 6,000 listings on the State and National Registers of Historic Places that include many historic districts and encompass about 150,000 individual buildings, structures and sites. • Listing on the Registers makes properties eligible for grant and tax-credit programs as well as recognizing and celebrating their historic and cultural significance. • Our agency has a long-standing grant program for the rehabilitation of historic properties under the Environmental Protection Fund and Hyde Hall is one of many hundreds of municipal and nonprofit owned properties that have benefitted from EPF dollars • For privately owned properties, thanks to our legislature and Governor Cuomo, we have a homeowner tax credit program that has resulted in the rehabilitation of approximately 1,500 homes since its inception and a commercial program that complements a federal rehabilitation tax credit program and has resulted in approximately $2.5 billion worth of investment in historic buildings over the past three years, much of it Upstate.
AllOTSEGO.com • MORE LETTERS, A6
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR WELCOME • E-MAIL THEM TO info@
THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL A-5
BOUND VOLUMES 200 YEARS AGO
School Fund – The last annual report of the Trustees of the Free School Society of New York, of which DeWitt Clinton, Esq. is President, has the following remarks: “Within the last year, 3,708 dollars and 14 cents have been apportioned to this society, as its quota of the fund distributed by a law of the state for the establishment and support of the common schools. And, in thus announcing to the Society, the receipt of the first appropriation under this Act, the Trustees wish to express their deep satisfaction at the practical commencement of a plan, which, in their opinion, is calculated to confer lasting benefit on the community. Intimately acquainted with the value of extensive and permanent institutions for the instruction of the destitute, they consider this to be one of the most important laws recorded in the annals of the Legislature.” (Ed. note: This passage may mark the beginning of public funding aid for education in New York State) May 18, 1815
150 YEARS AGO
The new three-cent coin is coming into circulation. The size of the piece is precisely that of the dime, which may not have been wholly forgotten. The obverse bears the head of Liberty, with the legend “United States of America,” and the date “1865.” The reverse has the Roman numerals “III” surrounded by a wreath. The edge of the coin is plain unlike that of the ten-cent piece, which is milled. When new, the piece has a silvery luster, but the large proportion of copper employed will probably cause it to tarnish rapidly. The law authorizing the issue of this coin passed March 3, 1865 makes it a legal tender for all sums not exceeding sixty cents, and prohibits any further issue of three-cent fractional currency. May 19, 1865
125 YEARS AGO
Phoenix Mills has become a busy little hamlet, and a station of no small importance on the railroad, furnishing and receiving much freight – also many passengers. Four new double houses, costing over $4,000, have been put up there during the past year by I.D. Houck for Mr. Frelinghuysen, the proprietor LETTER
Aid To Nepal Means Local People Care To the Editor:
I have found that one of the hallmarks of small town life is the willingness of residents to help others. Whether it’s events like the Polar Bear Jump or Relay for Life or a fundraiser at the fire hall to help a sick neighbor, it seems that everyone wants to help in some way. It’s even more astonishing when people gather together to support those who live half a world away. Wednesday night, April 29, Origins Cafe hosted a dinner to raise money for relief efforts in Nepal. On short notice, 70 people came and donated $2,168 to the CGLF Earthquake Relief Fund organized by Phakchok Rinpoche of Nepal and Rangjung Yeshe Gomde Meditation Center in Cooperstown. My thanks to all who attended that evening and especially to Kristen and Dana Leonard of Origins Cafe for organizing it all. I feel fortunate to live in such a caring community. DORIA MOTTA Chair Chokgyur Lingpa Foundation Cooperstown
175 YEARS AGO
May 18, 1840 of the Index Knitting Mills at that place for the employees’ use. Mr. F. is also causing a splendid water system to be constructed for protection against fire. A 12,000 gallon reservoir with a pressure of 45 pounds to the inch at the Mills is being constructed by J.W. Lamb & Co. of this village. Two hydrants will be located on the main highway through the village for use in case of fire breaking out in buildings nearby. Other hydrants will be located near the Mill together with an interior supple equal to any emergency. May 16, 1890
100 YEARS AGO
Cooperstown and vicinity abounds in Indian lore although it is over a century since the red men camped on Otsego Lake and journeyed up and down the Susquehanna River and its banks. During recent years considerable numbers of relics have been found on the lake shore and near the Susquehanna River from the village down as far as Sidney. The spring of the year is the most preferable time for excursions by Indian relic hunters – although in the autumn after the crops have been harvested and the fall plowing done searchers may also be rewarded with success. May 12, 1915
75 YEARS AGO
The world is witnessing the effort of a powerful, relentless people, led by a man of fanatical skill and daring, to wipe out the principles upon which civilization is based. For centuries, man has struggled to establish his rights as an individual, to enjoy personal integrity, freedom and peace.
the law offices of
Frederick R.
EYE ON THE WEATHER
Now man stands with his back to the wall, in a desperate struggle to prevent obliteration and the consequent return to intellectual and economic serfdom. For there can be no doubt that Hitler is gambling everything in the attempt to make good his announced plan of destroying England and France as world powers. If successful, the sequel will be Germany’s domination of Europe and eventually of the world. May 15, 1940
50 YEARS AGO
More than 200 persons attended an open house held Tuesday night of last week at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in observance of National Hospital Week. With some 65 members of the hospital staff taking part, a simulated mass casualty situation was demonstrated for visitors with 14 members of Boy Scout Troops 12 and 54 serving as “victims.” As each “casualty” was brought into the hospital’s emergency section, groups of ten visitors were assigned as observers to follow through the treatment routines for burns, fractures and other injuries. The scouts had been made up with simulated injuries by Dr. John S. Davis, a Bassett Hospital physician. May 19, 1965
Editor’s Note: David Mattice, National Weather Service observer in the Oneonta area for the past 30 years, is providing monthly and annual summaries of local weather as a public service.
APRIL 2015 Highest Temperature..............................................75°F (April 14) Lowest Temperature..................................................19°F (April 2) Average Maximum Temperature.............................................53°F Average Minimum Temperature..............................................30°F Monthly Mean Temperature.................................................41.5°F Precipitation Total.....................................................................3.37″ Most Precipitation in One Day..................................0.86” (April 9) Thunderstorms..........................................................1 (1 for 2015) Snow...........................................................................................0.4” (65.4” for 2015; 90.1“ for 2014-15 winter) Most Snow in One Day.................................................0.3” (April 5) YTD Precipitation......................................................................9.93” Number of Days at or below zero F................................................0 (23 for 2015; 23 for 2014-15 winter ) Number of Days at or below 32°F.....................21 (110 for 2015)
Comments: The good news for April – no records broken. The bad news for April – significantly colder than normal, again! Is this getting old or what? Temperatures for every month in 2015 have been colder than average. Is this trend the new normal? January was 5.2° colder than normal, February was 4.3° under par, March was a brutal 7.9° shy of the norm, and in April we had temperatures that averaged 3.0° below where they should be! We introduced this column in January DAVID 2014 and only three months during that 16month period have had monthly mean temMATTICE peratures that were normal or above! That’s horrible! What a win/loss record – three wins and 13 losses. Our precipitation for April was 3.37” which is only 0.09” above normal. The year-to-date precipitation is 9.93”, which is 1.45” shy of where it should be. Just 0.4” of snow fell during April, giving us 90.1” for the winter 2014-15, On April 18, Susan Marie Lasher, which is exactly a foot above average. And for January-April we’ve received 65.4”, just 10” above for 2015. There is some daughter of Mrs. Barbara Lasher good news for the first 10 days of May. Daytime high temperaof Lake Street and David Lasher of tures are forecast to be 5-15 degrees above normal, and that’s Cooperstown, was recognized at the something we haven’t seen in a long time. We should reach the Honors Awards ceremony at Connecti- 80° mark a couple of times during that stretch! While we enjoy cut College for achievement in Histhe late spring and early summer months, we need to pay close panic studies. Susan Lasher is a 1986 attention to weather forecasts. For the entire United States, the graduate of Cooperstown Central High highest likelihood for severe thunderstorm and tornado activity is during May and June. We can see temperatures on the east School. May 16, 1990 side of a cold front in the 80s while on the backside they may be in the 30s. When the “spread” of temperatures is so great and the air masses clash, we can have tremendous uplifting of air, especially when a big dip in the jet stream is also present. Great Brook Enterprises, a company Severe weather can hit any given area with little or no warning. installing solar, wind, micro-hydro Please listen for all watches and warnings, take them seriously and know what to do to stay safe should bad weather occur power systems and geo-thermal heat nearby. We do not need to live in fear, just spend a little time pumps, will host free “open house” tours on Saturday, May 14 at 119 East educating yourself and share what you learn with friends and family about the do’s and don’ts of coping with bad weather Hill Road. Each tour of this residential issues should they unfold. If you know what to do chances are solar electric system will take between very slim that you will be injured during severe weather. Get 30 minutes to an hour. Interested paroutside, enjoy a round of golf, take a hike, fire up the grill, catch a baseball game, throw a Frisbee or work in your garden. It’s a ties are encouraged to come any time beautiful time of year here in the greater Cooperstown/Oneonta from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 13, 2005 area. Visit or revisit some of the many attractions that we are so fortunate to have here in Otsego County. And as always, Keep Your Eye On The Weather!
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A-6 THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL
THURSDAY, may 14, 2015
At Forum, Questions Keep Coming Around To Common Core CORE/From A1 for running in introductory remarks, but first-time candidate Mary Bonderoff referred to “parent-teacher activism” showing “a need for change. The system’s broken.” After years of calm as concern about national standards and standardized testing arose in surrounding districts, “parent-teacher activism” – spurred by Governor Cuomo’s Jan. 21 State of the State call to use scores to weed out poor teachers – burst forth here at the Wednesday, March 4, CCS board meeting, where a capacity crowd filled the high school library. Parent Kim Jastremski – she was absent from Monday’s League forum – warned of a “climate of fear” in Cooperstown Elementary, with teachers “afraid to speak the truth about the Common Core to the board.” Representatives of teacher-led Opt Out CNY appeared to another packed house in Village Hall that Sunday. When the tests were given beginning Tuesday, April 14, a full 60 percent of eligible CCS pupils – 250 – chose not
to participate. Last year, only nine opted out. Jastremski then said the local opt-out campaign was supporting Trevor Fuller, Tabetha Rathbone and Laurie Williams for school board; Fuller has since dropped out. In addition to them and Scalici, other candidates when the polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 19, are incumbent Marcy Birch and first-timer Mary Bonderoff. School board member Andrew Marietta (he is not up for reelection), the second person to ask a question in the Q&A, talked about the controversy splitting the community into “pro-testing” and “anti-testing” – “Is that – breaking people into categories – does that make sense?” Williams called that eitheror a “gross oversimplification. You have to have benchmarks, some form of testing.” She said APPR (the teachers’ annual professional performance review) shouldn’t be punitive, and that a locally developed “classroom test should have as much weight – more weight” than standardized ones. Scalici repeated, “testing is excessive and misdirected.
As far as any level of activism, I think it’s good.” He said criticism, however, should be directed at Albany and Washington, D.C., “not to school boards: We’re not your enemies.” Incumbent Marcy Birch compared opinions about Common Core to the fable of the “nine blind men. Everyone is looking at that elephant from a different direction.” Despite unhappiness about Cuomo’s remarks, data “is something that teachers use – and often like,” she said. Rathbone said of the unrest, “some is directed here internally,” an apparent reference to Executive Principal Lynn Strang, who the CCS board recruited in 2013 to ensure successful Common Core implementation, and is leaving at the end of the school year. “When the governor vilified teachers,” she added, “sure that divided people.” Bonderoff said, “I respect civil disobedience.” But, she continued, “opt out, opt in
has segregated people. Some parents have felt pressure – and students: Why are you taking the test and I’m not taking the test? … We all played a part in developing the system; we all need to be a part of breaking that down.” Questions then shifted to governance, the role of school board members, and the cost of running a school district – resident Rick Hulse Sr. pointed out that, 10 years ago, enrollment was $13 million for 1,154 students; today, it is $18 million for 900 students. But Common Core kept coming back. Walter Franck, the retired physician, asked about appropriate performance reviews. (Cuomo’s proposal, which the state Legislature sent to the state Education Department to make recommendations by the end of June, called for teachers whose students fall below Common Core standards for
To the Editor: Cooperstown, like so many communities in rural New York, struggles to balance sustainable economic growth with the unique quality of life that has traditionally made our small town so special. Marcy Birch understands that a strong school is essential to a healthy, economically viable community. A strong school attracts families to, and keeps families in, the community. A strong school cultivates local students into confident, creative young adults who can contribute to the economic and social of viability of Cooperstown or whatever community they live in. Marcy Birch is an educator who understands the very real economic and social challenges of our region. Marcy is an entrepreneur whose has built a successful, family-friendly business from scratch where, for over a decade, she has employed local teenagers and cultivated them into confident young men and women with good work habits. Marcy invests her time and talent into organizations that celebrate our community’s rich history and culture. Marcy believes that “a rising tide floats all boats” and works to
enhance the economic climate of our community and our region through her active participation in the activities of the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce and her leadership in the new “Miles of Smiles” collaborative promotional initiative. A sustainable, healthy 21st century community is multifaceted. Marcy Birch has proven her commitment to enhancing many aspects of our community’s strength. Her balanced and outstanding record of service on Cooperstown Central School’s School Board is another example of this that should continue with her reelection. Marcy is a great collaborator who brings significant talents and a practical perspective to her leadership role in on one of community’s most important Boards. The future of our school and our children, and the significant role both play our community, is in good hands when entrusted to Marcy Birch. I strongly encourage you to reelect Marcy Birch to the Cooperstown School Board on May 19! LIZ CALLAHAN Cooperstown Hanford Mills Museum Director
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ferred to Common Core more obliquely. One question asked how much time candidates, if elected, planned to spend inside the schools. Responses varied, with Rathbone saying “it’s incredibly important to have a presence in both schools; you can’t manage anything without presence,” to Bonderoff saying, “If teachers invite you in. It would have to be an invitation.” Sandra Bliss, a retired teacher and UUP rep, asked how the candidates felt about micromanaging. Again, responses varied, with Birch saying she has confidence in the superintendent, C.J. Hebert, to run the schools, the way CEOs run companies day-to-day. “I do respect the system,” she said. “It doesn’t mean I agree with everything, but I do respect the system.”
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three years to be fired.) Scalici decried “state authoritarianism,” calling for “not a hammer, but a tool.” Birch said “there’s a consensus the rubrics” – a standard of performance for a defined population – “are something people would like to see stay.” Some see data as, “that’s how we identify (bad teachers) and fire them,” said Rathbone. “I think that’s (baloney).” Under the current system, “can you fire a bad teacher?” she asked. “Absolutely, you can fire a bad teacher. Bonderoff said there are ways still unexplored in assessing teachers, and assessing them in ways that might help them improve. She told of a teacher sending out a Tweet, “#whatIwishmyteachersknew,” allowing students to give feedback, anonymously if they wished. Questions from teachers re-
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Birch Serves School District Well
To the Editor: Marcy Birch’s performance as an active member of the Cooperstown school board has been stellar. On average she has given 10-12 hours each week, attending important meetings addressing school policies, state and federal regulations. She has provided 22 years as a speech pathologist to Otsego County, serving children and directing special education programs. An additional element Marcy Birch brings to the table is her experience as a mother who has children who have progressed through the Cooperstown school district. Such an experience prompted her to “get involved” and request to be elected to the school board. She is a clear thinker. She gathers all the available facts before deciding what is best for the students, the parents and the community at large. She makes her own decision based on the information she receives,
her personal experience as a mother, as an educator and a genuine concern for what is the “right thing to do.” Her style is one of courtesy and respect for all who wish to present a point of view whether it opposes her or supports her. Serving as a school board member demands attention to detail, identifying the key pieces of information provided at meetings, board conferences and listening carefully to parents. This is the manner in which Marcy Birch conducts her business as a school board member and a citizen. She is well educated, a good listener, attentive to detail, a working member of our community and an attribute to the school board. The citizens of the Cooperstown school district will benefit by re-electing Marcy Birch. JACK HENSON Middlefield
MLS#85975 Cooperstown $175,000 Lovely year-round cottage on West Lake Road, just north of Cooperstown, w/knotty pine interior, woodstove and gas heat. Renovated throughout. Deeded parking for 2 behind cottage on Saints Rest Road, as well as parking in front. 50´ of direct private lake frontage w/dock and beach complete this nice move-in package. Suitable for a small family or a terrific investment for Dreams Park rental at $1,200/week. Small deck w/beautiful lake view on front. Some replacement thermal windows. New code-approved septic system installed 2011. Dave LaDuke, Broker 607-435-2405
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THURSDAY, MAY 14, 2015
6-County Tax-Force’s Goal: Get Piece Of $1.5 Billion
MV500/From A1 Development Fund. The money is part of a $5 billion settlement in Wall Street wrongdoing. Cuomo called the undertaking the Upstate New York Economic Revitalization Competition, and when it was announced in February, some mayors and other local officials criticized the idea. “The neediest places have the least capacity to make the case for the money,” Peter A. Baynes, state Conference of Mayors executive director, was quoted as saying. There was also concern that the governor might direct the money to the region that would best benefit him politically. Since most of Upstate, however, voted against Cuomo last November, the Mohawk Valley region wouldn’t necessarily be at a disadvantage. “Why would you have a competition if you had already determined winners?” asked Howard Zemsky, Empire State Development Corp. president, in the WSJ article. Under the program, seven
of the state’s 10 regional economic development commissions – Long Island, New York City and the Buffalo area are excluded – are being asked to come up with the best vision for their region’s future and the best strategies to get there to win the one-time funding. In his announcement, Cuomo said he wants “long-term, impressive economic visions.” If MV500 is successful, the region – Otsego, plus Fulton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida and Schoharie – will received $100 million a year for next five years. Mathes said only $50 million total for Otsego would allow the full development of the D&H yards and the commerce park proposed on outer Lake Street, Richfield Springs. The effort, independent of but under the umbrella of the Mohawk Valley Regional Economic Development Commission, is being co-chaired by Alicia Dicks, president/CEO of the Community Foundation of Oneida & Herkimer Counties, and Bob Esche, former professional hockey goalie who is
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president of the Utica Comets. The community foundation has been hosting the weekly meetings in Utica, but plans are to move the meetings around, to give participants a better sense of what the region has to offer. That’s already happening, according to Katz, who expressed surprise at the crowds attracted to the Turningstone Casino outside Utica; how might some of them be attracted to Cooperstown-area attractions, he mused. Gelbsman, Katz and Mathes outlined MV500 in an interview Thursday afternoon, May 7. Several committees have been spun off from the main task force to explore promising topics in the six counties. The three were reluctant to get too specific, but nanotechnology, tourism, agriculture and
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HOTEL/From A1 Meanwhile, H-PARB chair Teresa Drerup, who physically remained in the actual chair Tuesday, May 12, as she put on her alternate hat – architect for the hotel project – told her H-PARB colleagues that BTP doesn’t plan to submit a revised plan to the Historic Preservation & Architectural Review Board for the time being. Last month, the H-PARB had rejected BTP Partners’ plan as incomplete. Drerup said the developers plan to wait until the Village Board decides to issue or not issue a “special use permit” required for a hotel to rise in the Business District. The trustees scheduled a hearing on the permit for June 29. Meanwhile, Drerup will
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offer a revised parking plan to the village Planning Board when it meets Tuesday, May 19. The original plan – 31 spaces of valet parking – was deemed illegal by the Planning Board last month. Then, Tuesday, June 2, the Zoning Board of Appeals may vote on a height variance: The 47-foot tall hotel is 5 foot over the 42-foot permitted limit. If the Planning Board and ZBA keep the hotel plan alive, the trustees can decided after June 29 whether to issue a special permit. Drerup could then return to H-PARB to complete her application. “That’s the easiest, in my opinion,” he said. “The materials are easier to change if necessary, and the board gives constructive feedback.”
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higher education might be logical ones for the Mohawk Valley region that includes Otsego County. “We’ve been a region for five years,” said Katz, referring to Cuomo shifting Otsego from a Southern Tier orientation to the MVREDC. “This is forcing us to have an identity.” Participating entities are contributing staff to the undertaking. Elizabeth Horvath, Otsego Now COO, will be involved in branding the region and in putting together the report due at MVREDC offices by the end of August. The regional commission will review the report and forward it to Albany by October for a decision by year’s end.
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MLS# 99365 $158,000 Best Deal! 50’ lakefront. Furnished, dry in 2006 flood, great condition, new roof, 130’ well, 12 months of use. Call George (ROD) Sluyter @ 315-520-6512 (cell)
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MLS#98655 $189,900 Land, Land, Land! 100+ acres in the Cooperstown School District. A great piece of land—perfect for building, hunting or recreational use. Priced to sell! Call Kristi J. Ough @ 607-434-3026 (cell)
MLS#93990 $199,900 Location! Location! Milford intersection St Hwy 28. Endless business opportunities on the most direct route to Cooperstown. 5 miles south of Dreams Park. Call Katherine L. Fistrowicz @ 607-267-2683 (cell)
MLS#94076 $149,900 Opportunity Knocks! Priced almost $30K below assessment! This 4-unit apartment house is located in the heart of Cooperstown, close to school. Call Kristi J. Ough @ 607-434-3026 (cell)
MLS#96682 $274,900 Fly Creek Village Victorian 3 BRs, 2½ baths. Restoration includes wiring, plumbing, insulation cherry cabinetry in the eat-in kitchen. Front porch. Call Katherine L. Fistrowicz @ 607-267-2683 (cell)
MLS#97943 $259,000 Cooperstown – 4 BRs, 2½ baths, hardwood floors, open kitchen/DR, family room w/gas FP/stove, master BR/bath, deck. Nearly 1 acre. 1-car attached garage. Call Katherine L. Fistrowicz @ 607-267-2683 (cell)
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MLS#97004 $160,000 Renovated 3-BR, 2-bath home on 6.72 acres has barn, fenced pastures, 2-car garage w/workshop, small cabin w/FP, 2 ponds. Wrap-around porch, new fence. Call Katherine L. Fistrowicz @ 607-267-2683 (cell)
MLS#99554 $84,900 Hartwick – Nice 3-BR home w/large, rocking-chair front porch. Short drive to Cooperstown. Call Kristi J. Ough @ 607-434-3026 (cell)
MLS#99242 $299,000 East Side of Canadarago Lake Views, sunsets, deck, dock, 3 or 4 BRs, 2 baths, year-round, radiant heat, AC. Knotty pine interior, totally renovated. Call George (ROD) Sluyter @ 315-520-6512 (cell)
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MLS#97672 $29,900 Exceptional Value! Highly desirable location! Babbling brook and 10 wooded acres just a short drive to the NYS Thruway. Priced to sell immediately. Call Leanne McCormack @ 607-287-8965 (cell)
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MLS# 99522 $99,000
Best in Capital Improvements Enjoy this comfortable, relaxing year-round home, 200’ from the lake, lake rights. Move-in ready! Call George (ROD) Sluyter @ 315-520-6512 (cell)
MLS# 99012 $139,000 65’ Lake Frontage Surveyed, new well, new deck/patio, totally renovated interior. Most furniture remains. Call George (ROD) Sluyter @ 315-520-6512 (cell) Virtual tour: www.canadaragohome9.com
Peace and Tranquility! Totally private 3-BR, 2-bath home on 4+ acres in Oneonta Schools. Main level features living room, dining area, spacious kitchen and 2 BRs with large full bath, and wraparound deck overlooking large pond and hills. Finished lower level has a family room with pellet stove, bedroom, full bath, and an area for a second kitchen to be installed. Call today to view this secluded hideaway just minutes from the city of Oneonta.
MLS#97384 $22,000 4.85+/- acres w/500’+/- paved road frontage w/level building locations. Land slopes behind to creek. Close Cooperstown Village closingvalue. costs (up to Cooperstown andhome. pricedSeller belowpays assessed to w/acceptable offer). Call$3,000 Katherine L. Fistrowicz @ 607-267-2683 (cell)
Price Reduced! Contemporary ranch on 1.49 acres on a dead-end street in the city of Oneonta. Home features 3 BRs, 2 updated baths, laundry. Kitchen has granite countertops, open to DR. Bright and spacious LR has hardwood floors, bluestone fireplace, open to DR. Sitting room w/tile floor and entrance to stone patio, large deck w/hot tub and large backyard w/ pond. Family room has tile flooring, fireplace. Basement is dry. Extensive drainage recently done. 1-car attached garage. Close to SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick College, Oneonta High School and Wilber Park. MLS #99757 $199,900
$199,999 MLS#99237
Lizabeth Rose, Broker/Owner Cricket Keto, Licensed Assoc. Broker Peter D. Clark, Consultant
HUBBELL’S REAL ESTATE 607-547-5740•607-547-6000 (fax) 157 Main Street Cooperstown, NY 13326
ASHLEY
E-Mail: info@hubbellsrealestate.com Web Site: www.hubbellsrealestate.com
REALTY
CONNOR
29 Pioneer Street, Cooperstown · 607-547-4045 Patricia Bensen-Ashley – Licensed Real Estate Broker/Owner
Artfully originAl on 3.5 ACres
Cooperstown split level
(8018) Enjoy the charm of this 3-BR home near the hospital. Home features a brick fireplace, formal DR, private den, newer bath, paneled rec room, hardwood flooring. Attached garage. You will fall for this lovely “must-see” home. Hubbell’s Exclusive—$289,900
(7874) This superbly kept 3 BR, 2+bath contemporary Cape is set amidst rural beauty. It features a LR w/vaulted ceiling and gas fireplace, den/office, main-level master BR, formal DR, eat-in kitchen w/ island. Sun room has passive solar heat. Cherry, pine and tile floors, skylights, radiant-floor heat. 2-car garage, large wrap-around deck commanding valley views. Cooperstown Schools. Hubbell’s Exclusive—$479,000
CommerCial ProPerty for rent Warehouse/Shop for rent in Oneonta, close to the Rail Yards. 2400 square feet, plenty of parking, loading dock. Reasonable rent.
Ray KRone
For more information, call 607-434-1655
Cooperstown vAlue
(8013) Superbly kept Village 3-BR cottage-style home. Some of the highlights of this residence are formal DR, remodeled bath, eat-in kitchen and enclosed sun/porch. Mud room, hot water heat. This attractive home is neat as a pin. Hubbell’s Co-exclusive—$149,000
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Hours: M-F 8am-5pm Phone: 607-432-2022 22-26 Watkins Ave, Oneonta, NY 13820
AllOTSEGO.homes
Cherry Valley Victorian This 3,200+/- sq ft home in the Village of Cherry Valley is an easy walk to the grocery store, shops, bank, and restaurants. Large wrap-around porch, 1.21+/- acre yard, and 3,000+/sq ft 2-story carriage barn. Inside is a formal LR w/fireplace, formal DR, master BR, den/office, laundry room, full bath, and kitchen w/breakfast room. Upstairs are 4-5 BRs, 1 full bath, and ample closets. This is a spacious and comfortable family home. Offered Exclusively by Ashley Connor Realty — $159,900 Visit us on the Web at www.ashleyconnorrealty.com Contact us at info@ashleyconnorrealty.com
For Appointment: Patricia Bensen-Ashley, Broker/Owner, 607-437-1149 Jack Foster, Sales Agent, 607-547-5304 • Robert Schneider, Associate Broker, 607-282-2814 Donna Skinner, Associate Broker, 607-547-8288 • Chris Patterson, Sales Agent, 518-774-8175
CALL 607-547-6103 TO ADVERTISE IN REGION’S LARGEST REALTY SECTION/MORE ADS, A6