Frank Russo,executive director of the Oneonta YMCA, voices concern over the proposed Lofts of Dietz, which he fears would take away parking on nights and weekends, their busiest times. (Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
By JENNIFER HILL • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
Bob Brzozowski reminded everyone that before the Dietz Street parking lots, there were houses in that space.
ONEONTA – Before there was parking on Dietz Street, there used to be homes.
“I spent a lot of time looking at maps of old Oneonta,” said Bob Brzozowski, executive director, Greater Oneonta Historical Society. “I think we forget that space used to be houses and buildings.”
The City of Oneonta Planning Commission held a public hearing this evening on the proposed Lofts on Dietz, which will include low-cost living and studio spaces for artists, drawing comments from supporters and detractors alike.
“I offer my enthusiastic support,” SUNY Oneonta President Barbara Jean Morris wrote in a letter read by City Clerk Nancy Powell. “Creation of the Dietz Street Lofts would help alleviate the shortage of middle income in the city to which so many young college professionals have been subject.”
Focusing on drug courts and addiction treatment, rather than immediately resorting to incarceration is they key to tackling the opioid addiction epidemic, Congressman Antonio Delgado said in a press conference thas morning.
“The more we can get away from incarceration and toward treatment, the better,” he said.
Though he did not offer specifics, Delgado has been meeting with organizations ranging from hospitals’ medical treatments of the addiction to community groups giving moral and psychological support to recovering addicts and their families as part of his in-county workweek.
ONEONTA – Luke Murphy, an education coordinator at Hanford Mills Museum in East Merideth who lives on Main Street, Oneonta, confirmed a few minutes ago he is running a write-in campaign for the First Ward seat on Common Council.
Murphy said he decided to run on learning that the incumbent, Michele Frazier, a realtor, is planning to move to Delhi. Even though her name will be on the Nov. 5 ballot, she will be unable to serve, he said. Reached by phone earlier in the day, Frazier did not share those plans; a follow-up call was not returned this evening.
FASHION SHOW – 7 p.m. Enjoy show featuring fashion from recycled clothes and music performed on instruments made from recycled materials. Presented by The Gar(B)age Band Drummers, The Revival of Apparel Club. Ballroom, Hunt Union, SUNY Oneonta.
Dylan Robinson, 15, right, was in Otsego County Court this afternoon on charges that he murdered his father, Kenneth Robinson, 53, during a burglary at his home in Worcester. At left is Alexander Borgreen, 16, also accused in the crime. (Libby Cudmore/AllOTSEGO.com)
Also accused in the murder and burglary, first degree, were Alexander Borgreen, 16, and Anais Soto, 15.
All three are Oneonta High School students.
“The facts established that Robinson, Borgreen and Soto were in the residence at the time of the shooting,” District Attorney John Muehl told County Judge John Lambert. “They all had weapons. It doesn’t matter that some of them didn’t pull the trigger; they’re just as guilty.”
Oneonta Police Department Det. Sgt. Branden Collison, OPD Records Management Clerk Lisa Prush, and Parks and Recreation Laborer Justin Hill won the City’s Employees of the Quarter awards for “going above and beyond the call of duty in serving the public.” Mayor Gary Herzig praised Prush’s competency in record management at OPD, which he said contributed to the department’s recent prestigious reaccreditation by the state, making OPD one of only eight cities its size to receive the prestigious accreditation statewide. Hill, he said, stepped up when his supervisor went on sick leave and worked hard to maintain and beautify the city’s parks. And Collison quickly straightened out a filing error that might have cost a man his teaching job, prompting the man’s mother to write a letter thanking him and calling Collison “a compassionate and honorable man.” (Jennifer Hill/AllOTSEGO.com)
COOPERSTOWN – Pete Henrici, retired Cooperstown Central Latin teacher and president of Baseball Nostalgia, has received the 2019 Fetterman Award, for service to youth.
The Clark Foundation and Clark Sports Center, which has presented the award annually since 1993, has scheduled a luncheon in Henrici’s honor for this coming Monday at The Otesaga.
Unatego Central School District closed Otego Elementary in 2017, and consolidated the lower grades in Unadilla Elementary.
OTEGO – Three new plans for the former Otego Elementary School building, including one from the Oneonta Christian Academy, will be presented to the Unatego Central school board at a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28.
The entire board will hear the presentations, ask questions, and then make a decision at a Nov. 4 meeting on which proposal to accept.
Fr. Kenneth Hunter welcomes viewers to the opening night of the Philo Vance film series at GOHS with a showing of “The Green Murder Case” from 1921. The film features William Powell (of ‘The Thin Man’ fame) during a turning point in his career, as Philo Vance. The film was also the first detective movie to feature audio dialogue as pictures moved away from the silent film era. Paul Jensen, right, a retired professor, was on hand to give a little background on Powell’s career before the start of the film. After reading an article in a Hometown Oneonta article about the local house owned by S.S. Van Dine, the creator of Philo Vance, Fr. Hunter felt inspired to create the film series to introduce more locals to this famous local author. The next film will be Tuesday, Oct 22, followed by third Oct 29.(Ian Austin/AllOTSEGO.com)
PORTLANDVILLE – Virginia Winsor Martindale of Portlandville, 93, peacefully passed on Oct. 11, 2019, at Fox Nursing Home with loving family at her side.
Virginia was born on Oct. 16, 1925, in Oneonta, and was the daughter of Genevieve Deane Winsor and Gilbert Daniel Winsor.
She spent her childhood on the Winsor homestead in Portlandville, established in the mid-1800s.
CELEBRATION – 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Celebrate 150th birthday of Cardiff Giant. Pay $0.50 to see the giant, enjoy a GIANT cake, hear the stories of the hoax, enjoy a performance of the show, party like its 1869. The Farmers’ Museum, Cooperstown. 607-547-1450 or visit www.farmersmuseum.org/stec_event/birthday/0
COOPERSTOWN – Barbara J. Rankin, 74, who worked for Icelandair for 27 years, passed away peacefully Saturday morning, October 12, 2019, at their home on Brooklyn Avenue in Cooperstown.
Born July 1, 1945, in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., Barbara was the only child of the Rev. Robert J. and Margaret (née Marohn) Koch. Her father and maternal and paternal grandfathers were Lutheran ministers, so it was only natural that Barbara was raised in the Lutheran faith and traditions.
UPSTATE STORIES – 1:30 p.m. Local radio host Chuck D’Imperio will be sharing stories from best selling book “A Taste of Upstate New York,” which features 40 food favorites from across the upstate. Free, public welcome. St. James Manor, 9 St. James Place, Oneonta. 607-436-9974 or visit www.stjamesmanor.com
WORCESTER – Melvin R. Force, 84, who moved here from New Jersey, joined Corning in Oneonta and became active in Worcester’s community life, passed away at home on Oct. 13, 2019.
He was born Sept. 21, 1935 in High Bridge, N.J., the son of Edgar and Elsie (Young) Force.
MILFORD – Arthur C. Strong, 91, of Milford, passed away early Friday morning, Oct. 11, 2019, at his home in the Town of Westford.
He was born May 21, 1928, at Parshall Hospital in Oneonta, a son of Milo and Florence (Wood) Strong.
Art attended kindergarten at the Bugbee School in Oneonta, then the Middlefield School No. 2 in Westville, and graduated from Milford Central School with the Class of 1946.
