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founded in 1808
CONGRATS TO OUR beautification contest award winners! page 7 VISIT www.ALLOTSEGO.com, OTSEGO COUNTY’S NEWSPAPER/ONLINE Volume 217, No. 39
Cooperstown, New York, Thursday, September 25, 2025
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Trustees Discuss Zoning, Staffing Changes By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
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COOPERSTOWN t its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, September 22, the Board of Trustees of the Village of Cooperstown discussed issues including the exit of Police Chief Frank Cavalieri, upcoming zoning hearings for a proposed apartment building and rezoning of the Cooper Inn, the status of different grants, permits for local events, and more. The board also accepted the resignation of Deputy Treasurer Kathy Caffery and voted to advertise for a replacement. The board considered several permit requests. They included permits for Village property use for a bass
fishing tournament on October 5, an “Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest” at Three Mile Point Park on October 4, pending safety and liability concerns to be resolved, and book sales on sidewalks in the fall and spring. The board voted to accept a zoning official’s report on a potential zone change for 15 Chestnut Street, the site of the former Cooper Inn. The building is now being used as office space. The property owner, Leatherstocking Corporation, is seeking to have the zoning designation changed so that the portion of the land with the building can be altered from residential to business. “We believe that this change would reflect the historic Continued on page 9
Newest RSS Proposal Draws Concern of Sixth Ward Residents By MONICA CALZOLARI
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ONEONTA t was standing room only as nearly 50 Sixth Ward residents gathered for the City of Oneonta Planning Commission meeting on the evening of Wednesday, September 17 to discuss an affordable housing project proposed by Rehabilitation Support Services. Marcela Micucci, chair of the Planning Commission, made it clear at the beginning of the meeting that no decisions would be made about the site plan that night. In the presence of a uniformed police officer, Micucci asked audience members to practice decorum and promised to “make sure your voices are heard.” Three speakers briefly outlined the housing project RSS has proposed for the Sixth Ward. Eleven documents INSIDE ► rep. riley roasts nyseg, page 3 ► innovative concept: free speech, page 4
providing further details were submitted to City of Oneonta officials and are available on the city’s website, www. oneonta.ny.us. Christine Nealon, director of strategic partnerships for RSS, provided an overview of the proposed project. According to the Planning Commission Meeting Materials web page, “The applicant proposes the construction of a 3-story, ±61-unit, affordable housing project known as ‘Solstice Commons’ to be located at 164 River Street, Oneonta, NY 13820. The building will occupy the northern portion of the ±6.5acre tax parcel (299.12-2-37). The project proposes to subdivide the southern portion of the parcel (see attached site plan).” Nealon said RSS purchased the Sixth Ward property in 2018. According to a memo dated
Photo provided
This rendering of the proposed “Solstice Commons” affordable housing project is among the many documents available for viewing on the City of Oneonta Planning Commission Material Meetings web page.
September 4, 2025 from City of Oneonta Code Enforcement Officer Stephen Yerly to
Nealon, saved as “CEO Memo” on the city’s website, the site of the proposed devel-
opment is approximately 6.5 acres between West Broadway Continued on page 11
GYLA Installs Memorial for Former President Shultis By BILL BELLEN
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MILFORD n Saturday, September ► TERRY BERKSON’S 20, members of DAWN DANCE, page 4 the Goodyear Lake Association gathered beside the ► LEAF: How to HANDLe group’s records shed on Lake peer CONFLICT, page 5 Shore Drive North. Beginning ► HAIFA FISH RECALL, page 6 around noon, attendees sat down in the shade of pop-up ► ‘TRAILWAGGER’ RACE canopies and awaited freshlyCOMING UP, page 8 grilled burgers and hotdogs at ► COOPERSTOWN PD CHIEF the annual GYLA picnic. RETIRING, page 9 Before sitting down for ► HARVEST SUPPER: PULL UP casual banter, GYLA Board Member and recently-desigA CHAIR, page 9 nated historian Lori Michaels Follow Breaking News On and Joyce Shultis, former longtime treasurer and secretary for the association, took the short
Photo by Bill Bellen
Joyce Shultis enjoys a moment in the sun on the bench dedicated to her late husband, Bruce, by the Goodyear Lake Association.
drive down the street to one of GYLA’s designated lake access
sites—affectionately dubbed “Journey’s End”—where they
visited a recently-installed bench along the waterfront. Placed on September 15 at roughly 10 a.m., the bench was dedicated in loving memory to Bruce Shultis. Husband of Joyce, Bruce shifted between the positions of GYLA president and vice president for years. Known for his central role in organizing the Goodyear Lake centennial celebration in 2007 and revitalizing the lake association as a whole, fellow residents always make a note of Bruce’s kind demeanor and overwhelming care for both the people and environment of the lake. Bruce also played an instrumental role in the opening Continued on page 11
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