COOP M IA
1808 BY
DG
E WIL
L
Cooperstown’s offiCial newspaper
JU
E
OUNDED
IN
R
•F
founded in 1808
HAPPY 250th BIRTHDAY, AMERICA! VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 218, No. 27
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, July 2, 2026
RS NOW ! U O Y B A GR ION’S THE REG GUIDE! RIST BEST TOU
&
L IF E IN D O O G E H T GUIDE TO 18
th
anniversary
200
8 - 20
NTA ONEO atch
ware Disp
sego-Dela
& The Ot
2
6
H
n one ow
ta on
N OMETOW
Homet
N TOW S R E A P T O N CO ONEO
Newsstand Price $1
Otsego Town Officials Send Comprehensive Plan Back to Committee for Another Look By DEBRA MOFFITT
T
FLY CREEK he Town of Otsego will take a second look at proposed changes to its comprehensive plan after the blueprint for land-use laws drew complaints from residents and a Manhattan developer who owns hundreds of acres. “I’m just saying let’s go back to the table on this,” Town Council member Pat Kennedy said at a June 24 working session. Council members agreed to pull the draft comprehensive plan from the town’s Planning
Board and return it to the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. Some town officials have stressed that the comprehensive plan represents a broad vision, but critics point to its specific recommendations. At a town council meeting this month, residents who operate short-term rentals voiced concerns about a proposal to adopt restrictions like those in the Village of Cooperstown, which require owner-occupancy of the rental units. Property owners who rent properties in Otsego County depend on that income, several residents said. Taking Continued on page 9
Military Legacy Lives on through Family’s Preservation Efforts By PEYTON CARTER
E
OTSEGO COUNTY very summer, a couple from just outside Detroit, Michigan returns to Otsego County carrying soft brushes, conservation cleaner and decades of family research. Their mission is not simply to clean old headstones, but to preserve the lives and legacies of the Civil War soldiers buried beneath them. For the wife, Jeanne K. (Dagg) Marble, whose family has traced its roots in the region for generations, the annual trips began with a lesson from her mother. “My mother always said she did family history rather than genealogy,” she said. “She wanted to know who people were, not just their names and dates.” That philosophy eventually led Jeanne to the graves of six Union soldiers who were all part of her family’s story. Jeanne’s first visit to Fly Creek Valley INSIDE
► Celebrating America at 250, page 2 ► PRESERVING Family honor, page 3 ► kicking down barriers, page 4 ► southside strength, page 5 ► unrest in otsego county, page 9 ► more manocherian, page 14 ► rivera’s resolve, page 14 Follow Breaking News On
at 19 after working as a farmhand and turning his wages over to help support his mother. Serving with the 121st New York Infantry, he was written in the company record of Missing in Action at Salem Church, Virginia in 1863, shortly after his 20th birthday, before it was confirmed he was Killed in Action in Fredericksburg. His death left his mother dependent on a military pension. James rests beside his brothers, William F. Lindsay and David Griffiths Lindsay, who also answered the call to serve. William survived a gunshot wound at Fredericksburg and bouts of typhoid fever before returning home on a disability pension, while David endured repeated hospitalizations for disease, later serving as a military nurse before returning to Fly Creek after the Photo provided war. Together, the three brothers repreJann Dagg and Brianna Marble place flags and Indian corn on the monument for James M. Lindsay during a 2005 visit to the Fly Creek Valley Cemetery. Lindsay was a Civil War sent one family’s extraordinary sacrifice during the Civil War. soldier killed in action at Fredericksburg in May 1863. He had just turned 20 years old. Another ancestor, Lewis H. Allen, Cemetery in 1992 remains unforget- she placed Indian corn on his headstone served as a bugler with the 6th New table. Standing at the grave of her to show he was still remembered. Continued on page 8 beloved ancestor, James M. Lindsay, James enlisted in the Union Army
Kennedy To Retire after Three Decades of Service
S
ONEONTA pringbrook announces the retirement of Chief Executive Officer Patricia E. Kennedy, concluding an extraordinary career spanning more than 30 years of service to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families, and communities Springbrook serves, officials said in a press release issued on Monday, June 29. Kennedy’s retirement marks the conclusion of a transformative chapter in Springbrook’s history, during which Kennedy guided Springbrook through a period of growth and innovation, expanding the organization from a small local provider of
Photo provided
PATRICIA E. KENNEDY
approximately 200 employees into a leading regional agency with more than 1,200 employees, a $100 million operating budget,
and services supporting more than 1,400 people of all ages across multiple regions. “It has been one of the greatest privileges of my life to serve Springbrook and the people who guide our mission,” Kennedy said. “I am deeply grateful for the people we support, their families, our dedicated staff, community partners, and donors whose commitment and generosity have made our shared accomplishments possible.” Prior to becoming CEO, Kennedy served in several educational leadership roles, including director of education for The School at Springbrook. As CEO, Kennedy focused extensively on strategic plan-
ning, systems development and mission-driven growth. Among her many accomplishments, Kennedy established Otsego County’s first fully integrated preschool program, Kids Unlimited Preschool, now recognized as a model for inclusive early childhood education. She also spearheaded Springbrook’s most ambitious capital effort, the development of the Tom Golisano Center for Autism, a transformative initiative that brought children and young adults with autism back to New York State from out-ofstate placements and expanded access to specialized supports for families across the region, 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