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Volume 217, No. 15
VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, April 10, 2025
Newsstand Price $1
RSS Presents Its Vision for $25 Million Development By MONICA CALZOLARI
T Photo by James Herman
Umbrellas, rain gear and witty signs were part and parcel of the “Hands Off!” rally held in Oneonta on Saturday, April 5. Approximately 500 attended the rally, organizers said.
Locals Join Millions Nationwide To Protest Trump, Musk, DOGE By TERESA WINCHESTER
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ONEONTA/ALBANY n Saturday, April 5 people from across the nation participated in some 1,400 “Hands Off!” protests in all 50 states. In upstate New York, participants braved rainy, chilly and windy conditions to raise their voices in peaceful protest. The rallies were mounted by Indivisible, MoveOn, Third Act and other national pro-democracy groups. At issue were multiple objections as to how President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, Trump’s head of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, are conducting the affairs of the nation. According to the BBC, April 5 represented “the largest one-day, nationwide display of public resistance.” Leigh Bailey of Indivisible Albany reported INSIDE ► sewer cleaning catches some villagers unawares, page 2 ► whistleblower raises concerns about hartwick water, page 2
that the national chapter of Indivisible estimates 5.5 million protesters participated in the “Hands Off!” initiative. Protesters’ concerns included what they believe are imminent threats to Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, and the Veterans Administration, as well as to job losses due to cuts in the agencies that support these long-standing social programs. Possible violations of civil rights regarding immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community were called into question, and many posters also demanded environmental protections. Support for continued free and fair elections, cancer research, women’s reproductive rights, NATO, and consumer protections were also on the table. Some protest signs called for respect for the rule of law and court decisions. Schools and libraries were the subject Continued on page 14
ONEONTA hey say a picture is worth a thousand words. Do the words affordable housing, rehabilitation and low-income conjure up an image of a brand new $25 million complex? At the City of Oneonta’s Common Council meeting on Tuesday, April 1, Director of Strategic Partnerships Christine Nealon of Rehabilitation Support Services presented an archiGraphic provided tectural rendering of the Rehabilitation Support Services is proposing to build development her organiza- a $25M complex at 27 Market Street, if the sale of the tion is proposing to build at property is approved by the City of Oneonta. 27 Market Street should city theater, which seats 200-300. Fewer officials approve sale of the than 100 people attended. Constituents property to RSS. The building would include 47 of the eight wards in the city have been apartment units, 30 parking spaces and pressuring their council members for 7,200 square feet reserved for commer- months to vote for or against the sale of 27 Market Street to RSS. cial use. Nealon addressed the controversy “Supportive services are available to head-on. She said supportive services 12 units,” Nealon said. differ from rehabilitation services. Taking advantage of support What RSS is proposing, Nealon said, services is voluntary, not mandatory, is “not a shelter; not a half-way house, she added. and not a drug and alcohol rehabilitaRSS provided those who attended with a detailed fact sheet along with tion facility.” The onsite supervision RSS plans an image of the proposed mixedto provide the residents of the 12 units use building. Spring 2027 is the estiwith supportive services “is more like mated date such a building could be leadership and mentorship,” she said. operational. What RSS is proposing, according to The Common Council will vote on the RSS proposal to buy and develop the presentation and handout provided, is “affordable, high-quality housing for the property on Tuesday, May 6. Hartwick College hosted the meeting individuals and families earning 30-70 in Anderson Center for the Arts amphiContinued on page 15
OLA Wins Newsletter Award for Fourth Consecutive Year By K. Wayne Bunn and Susan O’HandlEy
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SPRINGFIELD or the fourth year in a row, the Otsego Lake Association has won a ► T wo new exhibits at CAA, first-place award in the Professional page 3 Category for medium size lake associations in a newsletter contest sponsored by the New ► can we trust ai more than the national news York State Federation of Lake Associations. The winning submission of OLA’s semimedia? page 4 annual journal, “Our Glimmerglass,” was ► springtime for derosa: the Fall 2024 edition, which can be viewed puttering and at https://tinyurl.com/39d9pvcp. worrying, page 6 There are a total of roughly 240 lake ► Hunt eggs rain or shine associations in New York State that are at hyde hall, page 14 members of NYSFOLA. The organization had submitted for many years with no Follow Breaking News On award, so to have won first place for four years in a row is a great acknowledgement. This award is a great honor and recognition
for the OLA Board of Directors and other OLA members who contribute articles and photos throughout each year. It is also a wonderful achievement for past OLA Editor Scottie Baker, who passed away in April 2024, and Susan O’Handley of Central NY Mobile Marketing, who both edits and produces the layout. OLA extends congratulations to everyone involved with “Our Glimmerglass.” As a tribute to Scottie Baker, OLA has established a new photo contest, “Reflections,” that will run each year. Baker was an educator and entrepreneur, an avid conservationist, and an active member of OLA. Through her business, Natura Productions, she produced spirited graphics, photographs, prints, and posters celebrating the area’s essential connection to wilderness and water. Continued on page 14
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD