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CCS Board Discusses UPK, Coaching Staff
By KRISTIAN CONNOLLY
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VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, August 22, 2024
COOPERSTOWN he corner of Atwell Road and River Street in Cooperstown is quite possibly the sight of the busiest continuous pedestrian-and-automobile traffic in Otsego County. So there was a slight disconnect on the lawn of the Bassett Medical Center on Tuesday, August 13, when New York’s senior United States senator and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer highlighted the importance of rural healthcare and announced more than $17 million in COVID-19 reimbursement funding for the Bassett Healthcare Network as part of the American Rescue Plan. At the three-pronged intersection, in a setting similar to an average Manhattan street corner with its constant stream of activity and the din of foot and motor traffic, even honking horns, Schumer made sure two points were heard loud and clear: Rural healthcare systems like Bassett Healthcare deserve the support of the federal government, and he was here to provide it. “Bassett’s reputation is fabulous not just here in the Southern Tier and in Otsego County, not just in New York State, but really around the country for being the kind of great provider it is, in a rural area giving top-notch medical care to [eight] counties,” said Schumer, who was joined by Bassett Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Staci Thompson, Village of Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, Otsego County Board Chair Edwin Frazier Jr., Bassett Healthcare Continued on page 7
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LACK OF CLARITY ABOUT REMOVAL OF BOOKS AT CCS: READ THE ARTICLE ON ALLOTSEGO.COM
Bassett Receives $17M in FEMA Reimbursements
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Volume 216, No. 32
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Kate Sullivan (second from left) presents a ceremonial check to Helios Care Board Member Connie Jastremski, Board Chair Jeff Woeppel and Dan Ayres, Helios Care president and CEO.
Golf Tournament Supports Helios Care Work, Services ONEONTA—On Tuesday, August 13, Kate Sullivan of the Lucky Duck Golf Tournament presented a check to Helios Care in the amount of $2,000.00, gathered from a yearly tournament that Kate and husband Mike put on to enjoy a fun round of golf and give back to the community. The Lucky Duck Golf Tournament began 18 years ago as Continued on page 6
COOPERSTOWN hird time’s the charm? That’s just one question after Universal Pre-K was brought back to the table at the Cooperstown Central School District Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, August 14. While Universal Pre-K was not among the topics on the published agenda for the meeting, the subject was the primary focus of CCSD Superintendent Sarah Spross’ prepared report to the BOE. Spross said she’s heard, indirectly, that Universal Pre-K is a desire of some community members, so the superintendent felt it was the right time to “put everyone on the same page” about the idea so that the current board could decide whether to further explore the possibility. Spross, who has been in the superintendent’s seat since 2021, said this is at least the third instance that UPK has been brought to the BOE during that time, with prior iterations of the board declining to proceed toward establishing the program. “Universal Pre-K…is a state and federally funded pre-kindergarten program offered to families free of charge,” Spross informed the BOE, later adding that UPK has to be offered five days a week, but that it could be full- or half-day. But, Spross said, the program is “not an entitlement, and not all families have access to UPK, and they don’t have to.” In the presentation, Spross highlighted some of the many competing challenges a school district faces in New York State when considering whether to offer UPK. Challenges that range from the more obvious (for example, funding and available classroom space, or staff certification requirements) to the less apparent, such as the fact that state law requires that the selection process for filling a UPK class be conducted at random. That means that the potential exists that not everyone who expresses interest in the program is guaranteed to get a spot. The lottery-style class-selection system mandated by state law presents another challenge for any district Continued on page 6
Parade, Fireworks Celebrate GFD’s 150th Anniversary By TERESA WINCHESTER
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GILBERTSVILLE n August 17, 1874, a group of citizens living in the then-unincorporated Village of Gilbertsville voted to form a new organization to be known as “Eagle Fire and Engine Company.” One hundred and fifty years later, to the day, the Eagle Fire and Engine Company, commonly referred to as the Gilbertsville Fire Department, marked its sesquicentennial with a parade and fireworks.The parade began at 7 p.m. Some 50 people lined Commercial Street to watch the event while others stood in front of their homes as the parade wound through the streets of Gilbertsville. Rolling along behind the color brigade was the company’s
original hose and cart. The GFD’s “attack truck,” known as “Big Mike,” was accompanied by the department’s other vehicles—a tanker and a brush truck. The GFD was joined in the parade by other area departments and their fire engines: Sidney, Morris, South New Berlin, and Wells Bridge. The Sidney contingent also included a 1929 Model-A Ford. The parade ended at Centennial Park, where the Ladies’ Auxiliary sold hotdogs and other refreshments, and where a spectacular fireworks show took place at dusk. An anonymous party donated the fireworks. Besides its anniversary, the Photo by Teresa Winchester department was also celebrating Gilbertsville Fire Department President John Mason, flanked by Christine Wilder and Bryan Beadle, carries the U.S. flag in the GFD’s the arrival of a new ambulance for Continued on page 6 sesquicentennial parade held on August 17.
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S LARGEST PRINT CIRCULATION 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD