Advertisement. Advertise with us

Bike Trails To Candy Store,

Open House Covers Gamut

Brenda Korthauer, wife of City Manager George Korthauer, posts a suggestion on the wall of the CANO gallery at the Wilber Mansion during the Open House for the Comprehensive Plan. “We’ve done this before,” she said. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
Mayor Gary Herzig and Council member Russ Southard, Sixth Ward, discuss Short-Term Rentals, one of the hotly debated topics at the Open House.

ONEONTA – Bike trails, a candy shop, blade signs and more winter recreation were all suggestions made during the Comprehensive Plan committee’s open house in the CANO galleries at the Wilber Mansion earlier this evening.

“To build a good community, we need input from everyone,” said Ethan Gaddy, an Elan Planning community planner. “This sort of forum works because it’s a non-threatening way to make your voice heard without having to stand up in a meeting or fill out a form online.”

Visitors were asked to fill out Post-It Notes, mark on charts and fill out comment forms, all anonymously, to answer how they felt about certain ideas – short-term housing, new businesses the city should bring in, opportunity areas, pros and cons within the city and other suggestions.

“Foothills underutilized! B-Side! Music!” read one note.

Another noted that one of Oneonta’s strengths was “Youthful energy fostered by the college community.”

There was even a place for kids to write in crayon what they wanted to see downtown: “Candy Store”

“We should have interactive, public art,” said Dr. Nancy Kleniewski, SUNY Oneonta president, who served on the DRI Committee. “Something kids can play on. There were lots of votes for murals too.”

Short-term housing drew plenty of debate. “I don’t want to live next door to a motel,” wrote one. Below it, another note read “Yes, with appropriate enforcement.” On one note, someone wrote, “No!” and below it, someone else added “Yes!”

“These are the real people of Oneonta,” said Al Rubin, owner of A&D Taxi. “We need to figure out how to get people here and keep them, but it’s not going to happen overnight. It’s a process.”

He praised Oneonta’s walkability and pedestrian-friendly streets, but said that a small percentage of tax-payers were on the hook for the city’s tax liability and that affordable housing was a problem.

But Second Ward Council member Michele Frazier, a real estate agent, said that she’s seeing a trend in home-buying that the city should consider. “I’ve sold a lot of homes to people who bring their jobs with them,” she said. “They want good schools and places where their kids can play, and we should market towards that.”

Gaddy will compile the feedback and, with the Comprehensive Plan Committee, will continue to develop the Comprehensive Plan with focus groups, a Facebook page and a website to continue soliciting feedback and comments. The Committee will bring a vision statement and preliminary recommendations to another public information session this summer.

“Now the work really starts,” said Mayor Gary Herzig. “We have to take hundreds of ideas, compile them to make a meaningful action plan and distill them into goals.”

Posted

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Articles

SCOLINOS: It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide

COLUMN VIEW FROM THE GAME It’s All We Need To Know: Home Plate 17 Inches Wide Editor’s Note:  Tim Mead, incoming Baseball Hall of Fame president, cited John Scolinos, baseball coach at his alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona, as a lifelong inspiration, particularly Scolinos’ famous speech “17 Inches.” Chris Sperry, who published sperrybaseballlife.com, heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville, and wrote this reminiscence in 1916 in his “Baseball Thoughts” column. By CHRIS SPERRY • from www.sperrybaseballlife.com In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching…

Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told

CLICK HERE FOR MEMO TO SCHOOLS Sports Can Resume, Superintendents Told COOPERSTOWN – In a memo released Friday evening, county Public Health Director Heidi Bond advised local school superintendents that sports can resume as early as Monday. “Effective Feb. 1, participants in higher-risk sports may participate in individual or distanced group training and organized no/low-contact group training,” Bond wrote, “…including competitions and tournaments, if permitted by local health authorities.”…

Piper Seamon Scores 1,000th point

1,000 THANKS! Piper Seamon 5th CCS Girl To Hit High Mark The Cooperstown Central student section erupts as Piper Seamon scores her 1,000th career point in the Hawkeyes’ 57-39 win over Waterville at home last evening. Seamon becomes the fifth girl and only the 14th player in school history overall to score 1,000 points.  Inset at right, Pipershares a hug with teammate Meagan Schuermann after the game was stopped to acknowledge her achievement. Seamon will play basketball next year at Hamilton College. (Cheryl Clough/AllOTSEGO.com)  …

Putting the Community Back Into the Newspaper

Now through March 30, new annual subscribers to “The Freeman’s Journal” and AllOtsego.com (or subscribers who have lapsed for two or more years) have an opportunity to help their choice of one of four Otsego County charitable organizations.

$5.00 of your subscription will be donated to the nonprofit of your choice:

Cooperstown Farmers’ Market, Cooperstown Food Pantry, Greater Oneonta Historical Society or Super Heroes Humane Society.