Hometown Oneonta - The Otesgo-Delaware Dispatch

The Plains At Parish Homestead

Friday, December 12, 2008

When The Kids Leave Home,
Now There’s An Option

By LAURA COX

When the children leave, that four-bedroom home, once bustling with the energy, can seem too still and vacant. The neighbors, once best friends, have come and gone as well.
Which can get couples thinking about moving into a smaller home or apartment – perhaps with all the amenities provided, with common rooms for socializing or card playing, and a beauty salon right around the corner.
Something like, say, The Plains at Parish Homestead, Otsego County’s first 55-plus active-adult community – it’s at Routes 7 and 205 on Oneonta’s west end – which earlier this month welcomed its first residents.
Appropriately, they were Gordon B. Roberts, the retired insurance man, community leader and long-time advocate of such a facility, and his wife Alyce.
The Plains is the only community around here where one can “age in place,” according to Barbara Ann Heegan, its director of marketing.
The main building at The Plains – scheduled to be completed late next summer – will include 64 independent apartments, 43 assisted living and “memory care” apartments, as well as a beauty salon, a café, country store, business center, library and a wellness and fitness center.
The 31-acre property will also include 39 patio homes, built in groups of three, and a community garden.
Walking into the Robertses brand new house, they had already made it home after only five days. The wallpaper was the same as the five-bedroom home they left behind on Glen Avenue. There was a fire in the fireplace. And many paintings by Alyce leaned against the walls ready to be hung.
Alyce, 89, did needlepoint in the family room as Gordie, 84, conducted a tour.
The master suite is large and comfortably fit multiple dressers in addition to the bed and side tables. The walkway to the bathroom has his and hers closets; the bathroom is sizeable.
The center of the home – the family room – features a stone-mantle fireplace with cathedral ceilings, a dining area and a large kitchen. A patio door leads out to a concrete patio, which Roberts said the couple is still deciding whether to enclose – he is waiting to see what it looks like after the landscaping and construction of other homes behind his are done.
A second bedroom is off the dining area with a bathroom adjacent. The Roberts took advantage of the option for a bonus room on a small second level, where Gordie has his office space, plus a pull-out couch for when family comes to visit.
Under the staircase is a large storage space, where Gordie keeps his large assortment of ties.
Lastly, Gordie opened the door to his two-car garage, half filled with boxes yet to be unpacked, and a wall filled with Alyce’s stuffed-bear collection.
The pricing for a patio home in 2008 is $174,900 - $189,900.
A long-time resident of Oneonta, Gordie Roberts is greatly responsible for the creation of the active adult community.

“Gordie Roberts was the first to get the ideas flowing,” said Heegan
The idea goes back to 1972, Roberts said, when a friend – close to death – handed him a check for a large sum of money. She told him she wanted it to go towards the development of a retirement community in Oneonta.
Roberts spent the next 30 years trying to gather support for the development and find a location. After meeting much resistance, the funding from his friend ended up going to a development in Norwich.
In the early 1990s Milly Parish, the sixth generation to live on the Parish Homestead, joined Gordie in discussion about the development. She was living alone on the 31 acres and realized she couldn’t manage it alone anymore. So she offered up the land for the development, as long as she could continue to live in her home at the front of the property.
After facing more roadblocks, Parish and Roberts finally connected with Christa Construction & Living Communities LLC. The groundbreaking for The Plains at Parish Homestead came in November 2007, a dream come true.
“You have no idea what it is like to have a place like this, where you live by all people your age and you can do activities like playing cards any time,” said Roberts, who visited many active-adult communities in New York, Florida, Maine and North Carolina leading up to the development of The Plains.

When The Plains at Parish Homestead is complete, more than 100 housing units will have risen on a hillside on Oneonta’s west side. In this map of the active-adult project, Route 7 is to the right of the image; Route 205 is to the north. The main building – apartments, the country store, the dining areas, salons, fitness and wellness center – is at left. The other buildings are the triplex patio homes.

Labels: 12-12-08, Barbara Ann Heegan, Gordon B. Roberts, Plains at Parish Homestead, The City of the Hills

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OHS Boys’ Swimming And Diving

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Labels: 12-12-08, Hometown Sports

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Surprising Christmas Songs

EVAN JAGELS

NIGHT LIFE

The sound at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oneonta can seem a little distant at times from the last few pews in the back. This can be a problem in any large church, as the sound often reverberates down the nave from the crossing between the transepts.
However, when the Catskill Choral Society opened last Sunday’s concert at St. Marys with “In Dulci Jubilo” with the accompaniment of the Catskill Brass Quintet, they proved that the space can be amply and richly filled.
The concert was entitled “Choral Songs of the Season,” and although its running theme was easily identified, there was much delight of musical surprise and even parody, not to mention a wonderful “classical” performance.
Since its inception as the Community Chorale in 1970, the Catskill Choral Society presents regular fall and spring concerts and has truly emerged as an outstanding musical organization in the central New York region.
Comprised of more than 60 men and women from surrounding areas, it is no easy task to get the best possible sound out of such a large chorus, even with such outstanding singers filling the chairs. Leave the task of conducting to Tim Newton, Ph.D., who holds a doctorate in choral conducting and literature from the University of Illinois.
Currently a professor and conductor at SUNY Oneonta’s Department of Music and Music Industry, Dr. Newton’s career is full of testament to excellence and experience in the field of symphonic and chamber choral music. He performed with the London Symphony Chorus, the BBC Symphony Chorus and the Philharmonia Chorus, as well as conducting master classes at the Toronto International Bach Festival, the Vancouver Chamber Choir’s National Conducting Symposium, and Chorus America.
The third selection of Sunday’s program, Francis Poulenc’s “Gloria,” featured another SUNY Oneonta professor, Colby Thomas. Thomas, a SUNY Oneonta alum, has had nearly two decades of professional experience in off-Broadway productions and European productions, as well as concerts in the U.S. and Europe. Her vocal command and power yet sensitivity to dynamic was what made this soprano most outstanding.
Following the choir, members of the Catskill Brass Quintet arranged themselves front and center for a triumphant and crisp performance of Handel’s “For Unto Us A Child Is Born From Messiah,” (arranged by Ben Aldridge, trumpet), “The Christmas Song” by Mel Torme, (arranged by Frank Bennett), and “Danse Villageoise” from “Suite from Monteregian Hills” by Morley Calvert.
Whether it was the impressive tuba runs in Handel, played by Charles England, the sonic-high notes played by Carleton Clay on his pocket trumpet, or the tight and precise close voicing in Bennett’s arrangement, it was a pleasure to listen to this rich and remarkable brass quintet.
And what holiday concert wouldn’t be complete without a performance by talented youth.
The Catskill Choral Society Girl Choir was formed in 1998 to give area girls the opportunity to enjoy the delights of singing a variety of music under professional instruction.
The choir performed “S’vivon traditional” with the talented Colin Gill on violin and “All Things Bright and Beautiful” by Philip E. Silvey. The choir is directed by Laura Hamwey and accompanied by choir alum Audrey Zuk.
The Catskill Choral Society then re-entered for some arrangements of holiday favorites with a few twists.
For example, “Deck the Halls” in 7/8 meter, and a most wonderful take on “12 Days of Christmas” with the brass quintet.
For example, “One the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me some brass music on CD.” The quintet then introduced wonderful selections from Bach, Handel, Hayden, Rossini and Gershwin (there are others, 12 in all to be exact) between each verse.
The concert closed with a mass-like sing along of “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “The First Noel,” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The sound of full audience, organ, Catskill Choral Society and Girls Choir as well as the Catskill Brass Quintet filled the church in a magnificent way so appropriate to the concert’s theme.
The Catskill Choral Society will accompany the Catskill Symphony Orchestra for their holiday concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, at Oneonta High School. For more information, visit www.catskillchoralsociety.org.

Labels: 12-12-08, Catskill Choral Society, Evan Jagels, Night Life

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One For The Books

SAM GOODYEAR

ART BEAT

It has long been my contention that, much as I like the popcorn, the purchase of a book trumps going to the movies just about any day.
In the first place, it’s cheaper.
Oh, yes it is. The movie experience is, more often than not, shared by at least two people, right? So: two tickets right off the bat. Then, as already alluded to, the popcorn (enough for two) which will cause thirst that will need to be slaked (two sodas, at least) and it’s rare that one doesn’t throw in a box of Milk Duds or Junior Mints for good measure. You do the math. And compare that to a standard $24.95 for a hot brand new novel.
See what I mean?
Not only the cost, but by the end of two hours the movie is a thing of the past, whereas a book will last hours and hours, days, sometimes (if you’re lucky) weeks.
And you can always reread the book anytime the fancy strikes you.
The movie? Well, if you want to shell out all that cash again (and you know you won’t be able to resist the lure of the concession stand), not to mention driving and parking and driving home… Or wait for the DVD…
Yes, but where to get a good book?
There is the Book Nook, as well as Augur’s, on Main Street in Cooperstown. Their selection is, if not enormous, excellent. The jury is out for now on whether the Borders in Oneonta, along with half the outlets of the chain, will soon close down in favor of online retail as reported in the press.
So the opening of a hot brand new independent bookstore on Main Street, Oneonta is excellent news for the true bibliophile. Even if you loathe reading, I guarantee that a visit to The Green Toad will make you consider reconsidering.
This store is a gem. In a smartly renovated interior, the books gleam and entice. A cursory glance impresses. A more detailed study blows you away. My acid test is to see if a bookshop carries my all-time favorite book, “The Power of One” by Bryce Courtenay. I didn’t find it at the Green Toad, so I made an inquiry. They had just sold it minutes before (which explained the space on the shelf where it had been), so their test result was 100% PLUS.
Not only is every known category included in the inventory (literature, non-fiction, arts, biography, history, faith and spirituality, parenting, photography, travel, languages, reference, humor, and tons of treasures for children, etc. etc., etc.), but in each section the selection is broad, comprehensive, original, and full of wondrous surprises.
There is a huge, beautiful new book on Mozart that I know I would be hard-pressed to find in one of the monster chain stores. (Just in case anyone is wondering what I’d like for Christmas.)
The Green Toad is OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK. On Saturday mornings at 10, there is an hour of storytelling for young people. There are plans afoot for an after-school literacy program starting in January.
Oh, and you can curl up with your purchase right away by passing through the archway into the Latte Lounge until closing time. Unlike superstores across the country that offer the same sorts of amenities, this combination has the virtue of being personal, intimate, and hospitable.
The economic news got you down, and your end-of-year giving list still wide open? The Green Toad will bail you out of your quandaries and gaps in a trice. With Wall Street crashing around us, I can think of no better investment than a good old-fashioned book, one thing that remains eminently affordable.

Sam’s column on the arts in Otsego and Delaware counties appears weekly.

Labels: 12-12-08, Art Beat, City of the Hills, Sam Goodyear

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Walk-In Clinic Expands Hours After Five Years

By LAURA COX

Joan E. Bachorik, M.D. is going on her fifth year of providing a special service to the Oneonta population, only moreso.
After working as a practitioner in internal medicine and oncology in Oneonta for 20 years, Bachorik opened her own private practice in November 2004 at 37 Dietz St. in the same building as the Planned Parenthood.
As you walk down to the basement office, the sign outside her door reads Dr. Joan Bachorik, Internal Medicine and Oncology, but what she provides is more than just medicine, she provides access to health care for individuals over the age of 18 without an appointment and at a reasonably affordable cost.
For someone who does not have health insurance, or has the bare minimum of coverage, access to healthcare can be a frustrating endeavor, resulting in long waits in emergency rooms. Bachorik has made the effort to keep her operation costs low, her office is not fancy and she has cut out the frills of having a full nursing staff. The office includes just a couple exam rooms and a waiting room where patients check in. By operating like this, she can provide the community with healthcare for a $40 flat fee office visit.
“This gives anyone with or without insurance access to medical service for acute needs,” said Bachorik.
Patients who have insurance or Medicare can be treated in Bachorik’s office. Medicare patients and patients with insurance will receive a receipt they can then submit to their insurance company for reimbursement, as the office does no insurance billing.
The appeal of the walk-in clinic with just a flat fee has drawn patients from outside Oneonta, including Richmondville, Afton, Unadilla and more. Bachorik reports having served a few thousand patients since opening the clinic for a variety of reasons from the common cold, to office physicals, infections, parasites, psychiatric problems and more. Many patients have returned to Bachorik a second or third time, feeling confident in her practice.
When specific tests are needed, Bachorik can order the tests through A.O. Fox Hospital or Bassett Healthcare as preferred by the patient. When patients come in with psychiatric needs, Bachorik tends to their immediate needs and helps to open up referral lines for care by a psychiatrist – she says there is a need for more psychiatric care in the Oneonta area as many of her patients have nowhere else to go.
As of Dec. 1, Bachorik’s office has extended hours due to demand to include Mondays noon-3 p.m. in addition to the regular Tuesday and Thursday morning hours 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Labels: 12-12-08, Dr. Joan, Hometown Briefs

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Look What’s Happening In Downtown Oneonta. And More Is En Route

It’s likely most, if not all, of the 125 people listening to Hartwick prof Tom Travisano’s reading from “Words In Air” the other evening at The Green Toad must have thought to themselves at some point: This is the place to be.
A warm and welcoming atmosphere. An enthusiastic and curious crowd. A stimulating topic. What’s not to like?
David Hayes – and others, no doubt – had hurried over from the UCCCA’s “Aficionados” opening at the Ford Avenue gallery, where Linda Clemow’s tapestries went on display. En route to Travisano’s reading, many passed the scaffolding rising on Market Street: The Foothills Performance Arts Center’s auditorium, due for completion next summer.
Around the corner is the cinema the Friends of Oneonta Theater is seeking to transform back into its original splendor. The Orpheus Theater is thriving. The laid-back Latte Lounge is anything but; always busy.
Common Ground, a funky eatery that is thriving in other university towns, is being installed at the corner of Main and Chestnut. The Greater Oneonta Historical Society’s new headquarters is becoming a magnet for many.
While no one’s looking, downtown Oneonta’s becoming a happening place.
•
As it happens, some people have been looking.
“What I love about the community’s art scene is that it’s very organic, very funky,” said Kathleen Frascatore, Upper Catskill Community Council on the Arts – let’s call it Arts Oneonta! – executive director. “There’s a lot of talent, and the arts scene has evolved out of people’s own skill sets. I think downtown should evolve out of that.”
A couple of years ago, Frascatore was at the briefing NYSHA hosted at The Farmers’ Museum on its OpinionWorks survey of tourism in northern Otsego County – it discovered Cooperstown-area tourists are more affluent and older than the norm, like what they find and want to come back.
Southern Otsego would benefit from the same, she concluded, and began nudging Rob Robinson at the Otsego County Chamber and Otsego County tourism’s Deb Taylor in that direction.
So in January, OpinionWorks’ Steve Raabe (he and his wife spent five years B&B-ing in Cooperstown before moving back to Baltimore in 2006) will be launching a similar survey for the Oneonta area.
Raabe expects to have results ready to release by “late winter,” identifying what attracts day-trippers from Binghamton, Albany and Syracuse to Oneonta, and what attracts folks from longer distances to the City of the Hills.
In effect, it will be the raw material of an action plan to take the development of Oneonta’s downtown – and the Southside, and the West End, and northern Delaware County – to the next level. It also should line up data with the Cooperstown survey, to show which joint marketing efforts might draw visitors up and down the whole Route 28 corridor.
•
At the chamber, Rob Robinson said, “Right now, the basic slogan everywhere is ‘a quaint, historic downtown.’ Every town you drive through has a ‘quaint, historic downtown’.”
Oneonta, he continued, has so much more: A burgeoning arts community, two esteemed colleges, sports – the Soccer Hall of Fame, Cooperstown All-Star Village, the Oneonta Tigers. If these can be melded together … the sky’s the limit.
Said Raabe, “This is an effort that is noteworthy. It’s not often a small community invests in figuring out how to grow its economy.” (Fox and Bassett are also helping pay the bill.)
Arts Oneonta!’s Frascatore said, “In a creative community, when you’re faced with challenges. That’s when the best work gets done.”
And how. We’re on our way.

Labels: 12-12-08, Editorial, Hometown Views

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Letters to the Editor

After-School Efforts Need Your Support

To the Editor:
The Otsego Northern Catskills (ONC) Board of Cooperative Educational Services’ (BOCES) Creating Rural Opportunities Partnership (CROP) is a consortium of 16 school districts and nine community partners providing after-school and summer academic enrichment and youth development programs for students.
In the 2007-08 school year, the program employed more than 140 staff members and served more than 2,000 children from more than 1,000 families across Otsego, Delaware and Schoharie counties through two grants funded by the 21st Century Community Learning Centers section of No Child Left Behind.
As some readers may be aware, the fate of ONC BOCES and CROP rests with state Education Commissioner Richard P. Mills, who is considering a possible dissolution and merger of ONC BOCES school districts into surrounding BOCES.
As readers may also be aware, the Rockefeller Institute of Government recently released study results and recommended that ONC BOCES be retained as currently structured. However, the final decision rests with the commissioner.
At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16, at Foothills Performing Arts Center, there will be a public hearing allowing your voice to be heard on this issue.
A merger of this sort could have detrimental effects on the CROP program, because ONC BOCES is the local agency charged with the management of the multi-million dollar grant which funds the CROP program’s daily activities.
Without a fiscal and programmatic manager, the funding for these critical after school programs may be in peril.
Margaret Aguiar, our local CROP Site Coordinator at Riverside Elementary School, is energizing all our parent supporters, so please join us at 7-9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 16 in support of ONC BOCES and your CROP program!
KRIS KASCHAK
ONC BOCES
Oneonta

Keep It Up!

To the Editor:
Just a note to let you know how much I enjoy reading your Hometown Oneonta paper. Each week it seems to be filled with wonderful articles and great pictures.
This is a very positive and up-lifting paper and I know many that are enjoying it. Keep up the good work.
ANNE MORIARTY
Oneonta

Farmers Donate 3.5 Million Lbs. Of Excess Food

When Central New York farmers traveled to Albany Tuesday, Dec. 9, for the state Farm Bureau’s annual meeting, they brought enough food with them to push donations to the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York over the 3.5 million-pound mark.
By year’s end, donations are expected to exceed 3.7 million pounds, according to the Farm Bureau.
The Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers and the Food Bank Association administers “Harvest for All,” the statewide donation program that provide excess farm products to 10 “Feeding America” food banks around the state.

Dylan, Syracuse Basketball Make Winter Bearable

To the Editor:
Thanks to Evan Jagels for his review of Bob Dylan and his band Nov. 19 at SUNY Oneonta. I agree that the band played some of his best songs in a more modern way. 
Having heard him five times now over the years, I thought this was the best I’ve heard, but I have one correction.  Although he is a gifted, multi-talented, instrumentalist. Larry Campbell left Dylan’s band after eight years in 2005. 
The current guitarists are Stu Kimball and Denny Freeman. The bios of band members are generally available on the artists’ web sites. 
Larry and his wife, the vocalist/guitarist Theresa Williams, are now members of Phil Lesh and Friends and The Levon Helm Band and can be heard in intimate performances at Levon’s studio in Woodstock on a regular basis.
 By the way, their Woodstock neighbor, keyboard virtuoso, and former Levon Helm Band member Bruce Katz, will be bringing his band to the Otesaga Concert Series on Jan. 15.
Bruce also plays with the Gregg Allman Band and with the Alexis P. Suter Band, with whom we heard him last year at The Otesaga.
Thanks to all who are helping to bring this outstanding music to our area and to Evan for writing about it. Between the music and Syracuse basketball, I might actually make it through another upstate winter.
MARK LAVINE
Cooperstown

Labels: 12-12-08, Hometown Views, Letters to the Editor, Opinion

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Hometown History

125 Years Ago

Home & Vicinity – John Slattery, brakeman; thumb off; coupling; Saturday. Five hundred and forty cars of freight were sent east from Oneonta last Saturday. There are 19 persons holding the stock of the Wilber National Bank, as appearing from the tax book. Wanted at the Herald office, a strong, intelligent and willing-to-work boy to learn the printer’s trade – one not brought up in the village preferred. The amount chargeable to the Town of Oneonta for the support of its poor at the county house is $670.87. That of the Town of Otsego is $837.63. The price of the Herald is but three cents a week. Yet there are those who cannot afford to take a local paper.
December 1883

100 Years Ago

A recent issue of the Los Angeles, California Daily Times prints a picture of the $50,000 hot salt water bath house which A.E. Huntington is about to build at Redondo Beach. Work upon this building, which will be the largest bath house of its kind in the world, will begin within 30 days and will be completed June 1st. The last regular meeting of trustees of the village of Oneonta (the last ever) will be held next Tuesday evening in the trustees’ rooms in the municipal building. Accounts against the village should be presented at this meeting in order that they may be acted upon and payment made before the corporation affairs are turned over to the city authorities. If you have a bill against the Village of Oneonta, get it in.
December 1908

80 Years Ago

The regular Oneonta Kiwanis club meeting held last week at Hotel Oneonta was addressed by George E. Bates, of Albany, assistant to the vice-president of the D&H, on the subject of “Community Interest in Steam Railroads.” He called attention to the fact that the railroads are now compelled to compete not only with the bus lines but with the family car. The bus lines escape taxation yet the railroads pay taxes. Corporations have their own trucks for hauling freight. This also cuts into service formerly performed by the railroad. The railroads pay toward the highway construction and maintenance and their competitors use the highways, thereby reducing the earnings of the railroads. Bates contended it is high time that fair play be shown the railroads.
December 1928

60 Years Ago

“In selecting a Christmas toy for that infant of yours, don’t buy one smaller than his two closed fists,” Russell Stapleton, American Red Cross safety services chair advises. Also, Stapleton strongly urges that toys for infants be made of one piece, with no removable parts, and colored with paints not having a poisonous base. Children in the two-year old group like toys with motion. “Five-year-olds are great imitators,” Stapleton says. “Suitable for them are toys similar to articles used by mother and dad. This age group also likes vehicles to ride. However, a vehicle too large for a child to handle can be dangerous.” If your child is upwards of 10 years old, he can play with almost any toy, provided he receives proper instruction in its use,” Stapleton notes.
December 1948

40 Years Ago

In an effort to understand the life of a hermit a Hartwick College senior history major recently removed himself from civilization and spent two and a half days in the Otsego County woods. Donald White, who lives in the suburbs of New York City, embarked upon this plan to supplement a course in religion. His first surprise was how difficult it was to locate a place that could be used legally for his purpose. “Students joke how Oneonta is situated in a wilderness, many miles from anything. Yet, all the land owned in the area is private, posted and barb wired. Other lands are supposedly public – for example parks – but the public who desire to camp out are not always allowed there,” White said. White finally selected the Otego Creek area where it passes through Hartwick, New York some 15 miles north of Oneonta. Preparing his own food, bunking in a sleeping bag, reading, hiking, observing and thinking, White recorded his impressions and received an A+ for the paper he prepared.
December 1968

20 Years Ago

The Oneonta Peace Network plans its final vigil this coming Saturday to demonstrate opposition to U.S. support for the Contras in Nicaragua. According to Richard Siegfried, a member of the group and a theater arts professor at SUNY Oneonta, the group which has been holding weekly vigils for almost four years, will now focus its efforts on raising funds to help rebuild the small Central American country. Through an affiliation with Quest for Peace, a national organization, the Oneonta Peace Network seeks to raise at least $1,000 in community donations to help Nicaraguans, Siegfried explained.
December 1988

10 Years Ago

Oneonta City police arrested two State University College at Oneonta students on felony charges last week after responding to a fight at 140 Main Street. Another 22-year-old SUCO student was admitted to A.O. Fox Hospital after he sustained injuries to his left eye from being hit with a beer bottle. Police responding to the scene reported that a door at the building was broken and several holes were punched in a wall.
December 1998

Resources for Hometown History have been provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.

Labels: 12-12-08, Columns, Hometown History

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Hometown People

Laura Cox/HOMETOWN ONEONTA
The Oneonta High School Spanish Club raised $150 to send a llama to Bolivia through Heifer International. The money was raised by a bake sale and a “Day of Dead” lollipop sale. First row, from left, are Amanda Malewski, Sienna Glavin, Karsen Shultz, Francie Ortiz, Whitsun Koutnik, Mena Haile, Kali Murphy, Ashley Delello and Taylor Foreman. Second row, from left, Jacob Joseph, Sean Murphy, Nick Falco, Danielle Pennington, Becka Wagner, Iris Bercovitz, Emily Shea and Bryanna Brewer. Third row, from left, Aaron Foreman, Keith Toombs, Eric Deemer, Isaiah Fleming, Jesse Wolf-Gould, Cody Primmer, Daniel Broe, Austin Loos, Mary Helen Griesenbeck, Joyce Tiapo, Katlyn Jennings and adviser Phyllis Orlowski. Not shown: Amanda Blake.

Hampshire House Gingerbread Champs

Residents of Hampshire House entered this year’s Downtown Oneonta Gingerbread house contest with a replica of Downtown Oneonta in 1908. The entry came in third place in its category and the average age of the makers is 87. Seated: Mary Downs and Eileen Damon. Standing: Elaine Harrington, Rose Gibson and Arleen Odell.

College Basketball: Zach Harlem of Oneonta is a member of the men’s basketball team at Wells College in Aurora. Wells is a NCAA Division III member and joined the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) in Fall 2007.

Labels: 12-12-08, Hometown People

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You Can Help County Rotarians Fight Dreaded Polio Worldwide

By LAURA COX

‘Iron lung.”
Even today, the phrase is unsettling.
But until the mid-20th century, it was terrifying, tied as it was to a terrifying disease, polio, which could leave the thousands of Americans who contracted it annual paralyzed for life.
Some polio sufferers, unable to breathe, were put on an iron lung – “a non-invasive negative-pressure ventilator” – during the worst phase, until a sufferer could breath independently again, usually two weeks, if they survived.
“I remember how horrible it was,” remembers Madolyn Palmer of Oneonta, whose cousin, Charles Haskins, a Hartwick College student, contracted the disease in the early 1950s on a trip to West Point with a local choral group.
Admitted to Fox Hospital, he was transerred two days later to Albany, where the iron lung was located. He died in 1952 at age 23, just too late for Jonas Salk’s vaccine that began the disease’s eradication in the U.S. Ten years later, Albert Sabin’s vaccine, administered in a sugar cube, completed the job.
Today, most Americans under 50 have only a vague concept of the horror that was polio, but it still exists today in four regions of Africa, Asia and the Middle East -- in Nigeria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. This Christmas, you can help take the final steps to eradicate it by donating to PolioPlus, a campaign being spearheaded by Otsego County Rotary clubs.
Rotary International’s has been working with the World Health Organization and UNICEF toward the worldwide eradication of polio since 1985. To date, Rotary has contributed $633 million and countless volunteer hours to vaccinate more than two billion children in 122 counties.
In November 2007, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded a $100 million challenge grant – it is matching Rotary International dollar for dollar in a final push to eradicate polio worldwide.
As part of the challenge, each local Rotary club – there are 32,000 worldwide – has been asked to raise $1,000 per year for the next three years, and each of the Rotary districts has been asked to raise an additional $5,000 to $10,000.
“Polio has been 99 percent eliminated and Rotary is working to take it one last step,” said Tom Rathbone, SUNY Oneonta vice president of facilities, a Milford Rotarian and a member of Rotary District 7170’s polio eradication committee.
As of July of this year there were only 748 known cases of polio worldwide, said Rathbone, but for each individual who shows symptoms of this disease there are thought to be 20 carriers.
The local clubs are taking various steps to meet their commitments:
• In Oneonta and Milford, Rotarians empty their pockets of change at weekly meetings.
• In Cooperstown, club volunteers have folded 1,000 origami cranes and are selling them Saturdays at the Cooperstown Farmers Market to raise the club’s share.
A polio immunization costs 60 cents and so each $1 donation can immunize about two people, not to mention prevent those people from being infected and spreading the disease to their family, friends, and schoolmates.

Here’s How You Might Contribute

You can play a role in the eradication of polio.
To make a charitable donation to the PolioPlus challenge, write your check to “The Rotary Foundation,” with “PolioPlus Challenge” in the memo section, and send it check to: Jim High, 145 County Hwy 31, Cooperstown, NY 13326. As a community let’s make a difference in the lives of others this holiday season.
For information about polio and the PolioPlus initiative, or to make your donation online, visit the Rotary International website:
http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/Polio/
Or contact your local Rotary polio chairman. For Cooperstown, call Jim High at 547-9825. For Milford, call Tom Rathbone at 286-9415. For Oneonta, call Sam Koury at 432-0352.

Labels: 12-12-08, Front Page, Polio, Rotary

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:36 PM 0 comments

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Festival of Trees, A Magical Night

Anita Briggs/HOMETOWN ONEONTA

Donna Decker’s Fokine Ballet School performs “The Nutcracker,” adding to the magical atmosphere the Festival of Trees created in the National Soccer Hall of Fame on Friday, Dec. 5, the launch of the weeklong festival. The trees will be on display through Saturday, Dec. 13.

Labels: 12-12-08, Festival of The Trees, Front Page

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:30 PM 0 comments

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Hartwick Renames Gym In Nick Lambros’ Honor

Legendary Oneonta Native
Led Hawks To Final Four

By CHRIS McSWIGGIN

For years the gym in Binder Athletic Center on the campus of Hartwick College was just plain “ Binder.”
As of Feb. 21, it may be just plain “Lambros” after it is renamed in honor of Oneonta native Nick Lambros, the Hawks legendary basketball coach.
Lambros, whom many consider the best all-around athlete the city has ever produced, was interviewed from Florida where he was visiting his daughter after the news surfaced in the past few days.
Before he was even admitted to Hartwick in the 1950s, he remembered, “ I used to sneak into the gym to play with the guys.”
Lambros, who graduated from Hartwick in 1959, coached both varsity and junior varsity basketball teams at Oneonta High before coming back to his alma mater in 1977 when Roy Chipman left to coach Lafayette, and later Pittsburgh.
He had a fast start: His first season yielded a 22-4 record.
And he was off: During his storied 21-year Hartwick coaching career, Lambros led the men’s basketball team to 353 wins.
This impressive run included seven 20-win seasons, seven NCAA appearances – reaching the Final Four in 1988 – and seven berths in the ECAC Post Season Tournament.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches and other organizations, including the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, named him Coach of the Year.
“My biggest game as a head coach was probably when we beat Trenton State to go on to the Final Four in 1988,” said Lambros, “We had a lot of big games but I would have to say that was the most memorable.”
Lambros, who also coached golf, tennis and baseball , was inducted into the state Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, and was the first inductee into the Hartwick College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.
The arena will be dedicated during halftime of Hartwick’s game vs. newly acquired Empire 8 rival Stevens Tech.
“I am not a humbled person very often,” says Lambros, “but I am humbled about this. It is a great honor and an awesome feeling”.
But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve the honor, judging from what others said.
“Nick has been, in every way, an ambassador for Hartwick College, using his winning attitude, enthusiasm, and love of Hartwick to recruit and lead some of the College’s greatest athletes,” said Tim McGraw, a 1988 Hartwick alum, who played on Coach Lambros’ Final Four squad.
“Years after his retirement, former students remember Nick with admiration and respect,” said McGraw, the college’s all-time scorer. “His dedication to Hartwick – his legacy – has been a continued source of inspiration for Hartwick athletes and students.”
On the day of the dedication, the women's team will tip off against Stevens at 2 p.m., to be followed by the men's game at 4 p.m. After the action on the court, the Wick Athletic Association will host a donor reception, and a tribute dinner and roast in Lambros' honor.
Coach Lambros still helps out the men’s basketball teams today, and his presence on the sideline is much appreciated. Hartwick men’s basketball, over its history, sports a 974-720 record, with 353 of those wins coming under the Lambros regime.
Hartwick made the decision to christen Lambros Arena in honor of a man who has left an indelible mark on the facility, the College, and his native Oneonta.
If you can not make the Feb. 21, game, it will be broadcast live on WRHO 89.7 FM, Hartwick College’s radio station.

Labels: 12-12-08, Front Page, Hartwick College, Nick Lambros

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:24 PM 0 comments

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Walnut Historic District Residents Fear Rental Housing Ruining Neighborhood

By LAURA COX

Neighbors of the Walnut Street Historic District first became concerned last summer, when a pile of 2x4s and tools appeared outside a newly purchased property at 7 Walnut St. this summer and they saw no building permit in the window.
They alerted the city’s Code Enforcement Office, and the work was halted.
Next, neighbors received letters from the new owner, Robert Martella, who rents the house to Hartwick
College students, announcing his application to the city’s Zoning & Housing Board of Appeals for a variance to convert the third floor into a single-family apartment.
On Sept. 8, a handful of the neighbors appeared at the ZBA meeting to voice concerns. A motion was made to deny the permit and it was seconded, but it failed to pass. However, the commissioners did ask for more information about when work that was supposed to be completed before Martella bought the property was actually done.
“This is a beautiful, historical home,” wrote Martella in a letter read at that meeting by his son, Dan. “I want to keep it this way. To ease some of the financial burden, I’m using it as a rental for students … By finishing the attic, I’m hoping that if these college students entertain, they will do so in the attic, keeping the integrity of the downstairs intact.
“Eventually,” Martella wrote, “this will be a second home for me.”
On Nov. 24, the ZBA issued Martella a variance to finished the third story for the specified entertainment purposes, not sleeping quarters. The decision caused the neighbors to appeal to Common Council Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Five of those neighbors – Andrea Pontius, Joyce Gelbsman, Georgia Basdekis, Kay Stuligross and Grace Smith – gathered the other day to expand on their concerns.
“I am concerned about safety,” said Basdekis, who faxed in her dissatisfaction from Greece when the variance was first sought in August. “If there is a fire in 7 Walnut, my house is right next door and will go down just as fast as they do. And if they have parties in the attic there is no exit, just one staircase, it is an accident waiting to happen.”
The meeting took place against a context of recent events:
• 35-40 single-family homes in the city were converted to rentals in 2008 alone, Building Inspector Pat Rudolph advised Common Council at its Tuesday, Dec. 2, meeing.
• Mayor John S. Nader has proposed a moratorium on certificates of substantial compliance until the city’s recently complete Comprehensive Master Plan, which calls for control of such conversions, to be implemented.
• The Greater Oneonta Historical Society, responding to the prospective razing of D&H Shop #7, one of the last vestiges of the city’s days as a railroading center, renewed its call for a Historic Preservation Committee.
Other concerns voiced by the group focused on the number of homes being converted to student rentals, city code enforcement, neighborhood quality of life, and the preservation of the Walnut Street Historic District.
“There are up to 150 people there every Friday night,” said Pontius, a Hartwick College tennis coach. “Cars line the streets blocking driveways. At 2 or 3 in the morning, people are fighting on our lawns and we have to call the police. I am not used to picking up the phone to call the police in our neighborhood.”
“Our problem is not with the students,” she continued. “I make my living because of students, we have other homes on our street rented by students and I enjoy having them here. Our problem is with absentee landlords who are not here to see what is going on in their properties.”
The residents also say they have reason to believe there are more than three unrelated individuals residing at 7 Walnut– city code allows for only three.
Basdekis confronted the students renting the house to voice her complaints early in the semester: “I told them I wanted to speak with the people who lived there. Four individuals gave me their names and a fifth stood by and watched.”
At the last ZBA meeting, Martella’s attorney stated there were six individuals living in the house.
“We want to know why the code is not being enforced,” said Smith.
Smith also has concerns about the city helping to maintain the integrity of the historic district, the character of the neighborhood, the property values and the quality of life.
“I walked down the street recently and took a count of how many homes were rental properties or multi-family homes now. It is close to 50 percent in the historic district,” said Smith. “We have become fodder for business; it’s not any different than living next to a dance hall or bar and saloon some nights. Are we willing to turn out neighborhoods into businesses?”
Fourth Ward Alderman Michael Lynch Jr. represents the Walnut Street district and grew up not far from it. He describes the center city neighborhood as “mixed use,” where there are college students, families, retirees, churches, schools, and businesses.
“Nobody wants to change it, but there have been a large number of single-family homes converted into rentals. Center Street School is critical to the Fourthk Ward and we need to keep families in the neighborhoods surrounding it.”
In regards to the mayor’s proposed moratorium, Lynch said he is concerned the city is not enforcing the current code and wants to know how City Hall would do any better under the moratorium.
But he said, “I’d like to see us roll up our sleeves and get some zoning laws that make sense. The comprehensive plan was passed a year and a half ago and the city hasn’t done anything with it, and I am concerned that the fox is already in the hen house, that we are reacting instead of being proactive.
As for 7 Walnut, Lynch said – given remarks by Martella’s lawyer – there is “reasonable cause” to believe it is “over-occupied” as defined by the zoning law.
“The city need to reinspect the property,” he said, and he’s asked for that to happen in a Tuesday, Dec. 9, letter to the mayor, the Code Enforcement Office and his fellow aldermen.
When contacted, the mayor said the purpose of the moratorium is to get a handle on the zoning code, and he believes this is an effective way to do so.
“I hope the council will move on this expeditiously,” said Nader, adding he planned to meet with City Attorney David Murzig and representatives of the city Code Enforcement officials to map out the next steps.

Labels: 12-12-08, Front Page, Walnut Street

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 4:17 PM 0 comments

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City of the Hills

Mark English, with daughter Emily, 8. English was recognized at Sunday the 7th’s December Candidate Recognition Ceremony at SUNY Oneonta. English, a mass communications major, completed the requirement for a degree he began pursuing in 1987, when he started work at the local college.

HONOREES: Elena’s Sweet Indulgence founder Elena Doyle was to received the Executive Service Corps Morgan-McReynolds Award for Small Business Wednesday, Dec. 10, amidst the Festival of Trees at the National Soccer Hall of Fame; the West Kortright Centre was to receive the Rasmussen Award for Non-Profit Organizations. For photos, see www.hometownoneonta.biz, and a full report in next week’s paper.

Labels: 12-12-08, Front Page

posted by The Freeman's Journal @ 1:33 PM 0 comments

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