Letter from Wayne Mellor Otsego Board of Reps Made Right Decision Sustainable Otsego fully supports the Otsego County Board of Representatives’ unanimous vote to oppose three propositions in the proposed 2024 state budget, which would change Real Property Tax Law 575-b, part N. The first local, utility-scale, solar project was proposed for the Town of Laurens in 2019. In response, Sustainable Otsego’s position was that our communities and Otsego County need to benefit from the loss of our land to…
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Letter from Ted Potrikus Mixed Messages Threaten Article IX Last week’s editorial, “Saving Article IX,” appropriately cautions New Yorkers to defend home rule and guard against efforts that would erode our right to govern our localities as we see fit.…
Letter from Chip Northrup Short-term Rentals Should Be Limited There are short-term rental permits at 25 single-family houses in the Village of Cooperstown. Some were grandfathered when the village began issuing such permits in 2018. Some are exemplary applications of the ordinance—the owners are renting a garage apartment or other auxiliary dwelling unit that might otherwise go unused. Where the short-term rental is incidental to the family’s use and occupancy of the property. Where the building is not turned into…
A Letter from the LVW of the Cooperstown Area Don’t Forget:Village Election Is March 21 Cooperstown Village elections will be held on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. Two candidates are vying for a three-year term on the Village Board of Trustees: George Fasenelli and Joseph R. Membrino.…
Letter from Cynthia and Bill Goertemoeller FoxCare Fitness Closing Questioned The recent surprise announcement of the closure of FoxCare Fitness comes as a real shock to many! Hundreds of clients, including hospital staff, use this state-of-the-art facility daily to help maintain healthy bodies and spirits. As in other aspects of society, COVID played havoc with the program, which was closed for over a year. When it opened, the extended mask policy kept some people away. However, we saw no real…
Editorial Daylight Saving: Time and Time Again Among the myriad annoying swirls of disaffection, rage, frustration and division in this country, the years-long massive popular and political debate over abolishing daylight saving, or abolishing standard, times—and then adopting either as standard—should be a mere minor tremor. But this particular time war, which was in fact first developed by the Germans in World War I (and abolished right after it) has been raging across the country, as well as across Europe…
Otsego County EMSReaches Crossroads Part II: Recent Reports By TED MEBUSTOTSEGO COUNTY The New York State Emergency Medical Services Council’s “2023 EMS Agenda for Future,” released last month, inspected challenges involved in supplying EMS delivery by creating topic-specific subgroups to study agencies, education, government, support, operations, hospitals and staffing. The Center for Public Safety Management’s recent “EMS Services Delivery Report” did the same by analyzing data from the computer-aided dispatch system at Otsego County’ Emergency 911 center. Among the many…
Bassett Chief Looks to Future Jeff Joyner Leaving, Changes on Horizon By DARLA M. YOUNGSCOOPERSTOWN February rumors of a “big shakeup” on the horizon for Bassett Healthcare Network appeared to have been realized last week when information surfaced indicating that Jeff Joyner, senior vice president and chief hospital executive of A.O. Fox Hospital, would be leaving and some clinics would be closed. Bassett President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Tommy Ibrahim addressed these reports on Tuesday, March 6 at his…
Lake Street Permit Denied The Cooperstown Zoning Board of Appeals has voted this evening, following a robust public comment period, to deny the application for a four-bedroom, short-term rental at 40 Lake Street. Details to follow.…
Town of Otsego Considers Real EstateTax Exemption for Volunteers By CASPAR EWIGFLY CREEK At its monthly meeting on February 8, the Town Council of the Town of Otsego considered what to do with a newly enacted state law that permits each local taxing authority to pass a law granting a 10 percent real estate tax exemption for active volunteer firemen and ambulance workers. Fire Chief Chris Voulo of the Fly Creek Volunteer Fire Company spoke out in favor of having…
