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VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 217, No. 19
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, May 8, 2025
Newsstand Price $1
Village Board Discusses Grants, Linden Ave. Dog Park Proposal By SARAH ROBERTS
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COOPERSTOWN he April meeting of the Village of Cooperstown Board of Trustees opened with a number of public comments regarding the future and status of a dog park proposed just outside village limits. Five community members spoke, all of whom presented positive rationales for the project. As of the time of the meeting, 132 local residents had signed a petition in favor of the dog park. “We, the undersigned Cooperstown area residents and supporters of a pet-friendly Cooperstown,” reads the petition, “respectfully request the establishment of a dedicated dog park on Linden Avenue. “Cooperstown is home to many dog owners, yet we currently lack a designated area where dogs can safely play off-leash. A dog park on Linden Avenue would provide much-needed recreational space for dogs and their owners, improve community health, strengthen neighborhood ties, and reduce off-leash conflicts in public spaces… “We believe that by utilizing a portion of the land on Linden Avenue where Cooperstown has a permanent easement for recreational use, Cooperstown can create a low-cost, high impact community asset that meets the needs of pet owners and improves public space for everyone,” the petition concludes. Additional statements given regarding the potential benefits of such a park include the importance of “third places”—a term generally meaning a place other than home and work or school, where people can engage in a INSIDE ► powell recognized at quinquennial, page 3 ► popular ‘wine auction’ benefit is back! page 3
Additional statements given regarding the potential benefits of such a park include the importance of “third places”—a term generally meaning a place other than home and work or school, where people can engage in a public space recreationally... public space recreationally—a boost in human interactions for the owners of the dogs, and the park as a potential asset to attract new faces to a growing community. One speaker was so passionate about what he feels are the positive impacts of the dog park that he finished his comment to village trustees by stating: “This is the thing that got me off the couch and to come talk to you.” There were no dissenting opinions among those making public comments at the meeting. However, on social media some community members have expressed concerns about aggressive and unfriendly furry patrons, the spread of disease either canine-to-canine or canine-to-human, ugliness and dog feces, and the lack of usefulness of the space for non-pet owners. Other matters addressed in the meeting by the Board of Trustees included a review of village police Continued on page 15
Photo by Maria Griswold
The Rail Explorers Cooperstown crew poses with one of their two-person bikes.
All Aboard! Rail Explorers Opens for Fifth Season of Excursions By BILL BELLEN
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MILFORD uring the warmer months of the year, the sight of red pedaling bikes traversing the rails between Milford and Cooperstown has become a familiar sight for locals. Since 2021, Rail Explorers Cooperstown has operated out of the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley Railroad’s depot on East Street in Milford. Bruce
Hodges—president of the Leatherstocking Historical Society, which manages the railway— had invited Rail Explorers to open a division on the line. Rail Explorers has been offering locals and tourists rail excursions each season ever since. “We [go] in two directions,” Michelle Weigel, division manager at Rail Explorers Cooperstown, said. “We go toward Cooperstown, and we also go toward Portlandville … That’s our south-
bound tour. That is [an] eight mile round trip. You go four down, four back, whereas our north tour, which goes toward Cooperstown, is 12 miles round trip, so six down, six back.” As of April 26, these tours take a scenic journey along the railroad in both cardinal directions, with the southern route predominantly crossing through a plethora of farm vistas and a trestle bridge over Continued on page 10
Little Pink House Features Artwork and ‘Rockin Gifts’ By SARAH ROBERTS
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UNADILLA ust a few days ago, Mark Donnell of Unadilla opened his “Little Pink House’” art stand once again. For ► is california on to years, Donnell has sold crafts and artworks, as well something? page 4 as mugs with photos of the art, from his building at 326 ► seeds of discord could Butternut Road in Unadilla. sow war, page 4 Donnell postponed the opening, originally planned for April, in the name of expanding his current form of artistic ► new experiences for expression—oil paintings. students, page 5 “I [was] hesitating opening because I’m playing with my ► coop sports teams painting,” he joked, adding, “The oil pictures are new this staying strong, page 6 year, barely anybody has seen them. Not even my family ► berkson digs into days has seen them.” gone by, page 8 Donnell has created 97 pieces for the Little Pink House his year. His works are all inspired by hobbies from his ► lots to do! page 16 childhood that help to keep him busy during the cold Follow Breaking News On months of winter. He has been crafting over the winter for years, he said, and has found that people happily buy what Continued on page 9
Photo provided
Mark Donnell describes his art stand on Butternut Road in Unadilla as the “good luck shop.”
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