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mobile dmv to open in town of hartwick, page 3 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 217, No. 33
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, August 14, 2025
Newsstand Price $1
County Hears Airport Concerns, Debates DMV By BILL BELLEN
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OTSEGO COUNTY he Otsego County Board of Representatives meeting on Wednesday, August 6 started out with a bang. Following a short address by Edward Dawyot and mirroring similar remarks made by a group the night before at the City of Oneonta Common Council meeting, numerous individuals brought to the board’s attention their concerns over proposals for expansion of the
Oneonta Municipal Airport. Randy Miritello spoke first on behalf of the Otsego County Wilderness and Watershed Coalition, which he described as “a group of families banded together to protect our properties from threat of eminent domain and clear cutting.” He stated that these actions are what the airport is pursuing in order to apply for the FAA grant spoken of at the July board meeting. Miritello detailed that the clear-cut would cover roughly 140 acres on privately-owned property,
directly affecting 10 families near the airport, none of which, he said, are interested in signing over easement rights for work to be done. He criticized the proposal for catering to the wealthy using tax-funded services, contending that much of the fuel sales at the airport are not from jets, but from people with sports cars seeking clean fuel. He added that many jets do not refuel locally because they have exclusive fuel contracts with the airports they Continued on page 11
Subdivision Presentations Draw Large Crowds, Raise Concerns By BILL BELLEN OTSEGO, SPRINGFIELD he towns of Otsego and Springfield have been abuzz over the past week with the onset of two contentious town planning board meetings. The matter at hand: A proposed 111lot subdivision of 1,525 acres of properties on the west side of Otsego Lake owned by real estate developer Fraydun Manocherian. The proposal’s 765 acres and 59 lots in the Town of Otsego and 760 acres and 52 lots in the Town of Springfield represent what was noted at the Otsego meeting to be the largest single property division in either town in decades. Each planning board was presented with an in-depth sketch plan; a very early-stages display of the bare bones of what the proposed project would entail.
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INSIDE ► DINNER TO BENEFIT SNAP MATCH PROGRAM, page 2
Town of Otsego Otsego’s Planning Board meeting was held first, on Tuesday, August 5 at 7:30 p.m. Chairman Tom Huntsman made clear that it was not a public hearing, and that the Manocherian team was merely there to present what information they had. The Manocherian family was represented by Allison Phillips of the Young/Sommer law firm, alongside Rob Aiello and James Caris from the site development consultants firm JMC. Phillips made remarks regarding the limited scope of information collected so far. She was followed by Aiello, taking the helm to present a slideshow of the sketch plan, which he agreed to share in an accessible manner after the meeting upon public request. Aiello opened with overview maps of the properties, showing the proposed 111 lots with various filters over them, including the municipal boundary, proposed “neighborhoods” of developContinued on page 13
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Bicycling in the Butternut Valley GARRATTSVILLE —Registration for the Butternut Valley Alliance’s Gravel Grinder is now underway. See details on page 3. Cyclists participating in 2024 included, from left, Josh Schafler (Oneonta), former world champion and winner of the Tour de Flandres Alessandro Ballan (Castelfranco Veneto, Italy), Ben Savoie (Cooperstown), and Keith Toombs (Schenectady).
Network Continues Recruitment of New Practitioners
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COOPERSTOWN assett Healthcare ► BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR Network has HABS, page 3 welcomed nine ► thoughts on taxation new healthcare practiallocation, page 4 tioners over the last two months. ► Otsego Reuse now Nicole Betancourt, recycling plastic film, MD, has joined Bassett page 5 Healthcare Network ► THE UNIQUENESS OF as director of inpatient SO. OTSEGO, page 6 pediatrics at Bassett ► DIPERNA ON HALL OF FAME Medical Center, 1 Atwell Road, Cooperstown. WEEKEND, page 8 Dr. Betancourt pro► in memoriam: jim vides care to pediatwell, page 9 atric patients admitted to Bassett Medical Follow Breaking News On Center in Pediatrics and the Birthing Center, including diagnosis and
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NICOLE BETANCOURT, MD
ADAM HOCKENSMITH, MD
Victoria McKane, MD
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dr. peter shawki, MD
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treatment of illness, prescriptions, specialist referrals following a patient’s hospital stay, and more. Dr. Betancourt completed her medical degree
and residency training at Albany Medical Center Her fellowship training in pediatric critical care medicine took place at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children
in Philadelphia. She is board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Adam Hockensmith, MD, has joined Bassett Healthcare Network
as associate chief of emergency and trauma services. Dr. Hockensmith provides care to patients of all ages, including diagnosis and treatment Continued on page 7
THE FREEMAN’S JOURNAL & HOMETOWN ONEONTA, OTSEGO COUNTY’S AWARD-WINNING WEEKLIES 2010 WINNERS OF The Otsego County Chamber/KEY BANK SMALL BUSINESS AWARD
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