County Appears To Retreat
On Richfield Homeless Site
Koutnik Sees No Action ‘For Long Time, If At All’
By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
COOPERSTOWN – County Rep. Gary Koutnik, who chairs the committee that is seeking homes for the homeless 
in Otsego County, was quick to reassure Richfield Springs neighbors this morning that former Mielnicki’s Restaurant on Lake Street won’t be part of county plans any time soon.
“We will not be taking any action on it for a long time, if at all,” said Koutnik, D-Oneonta, who chairs the county board’s Human Services Committee.
He spoke after Lake Street neighbor Barbara Wahl Shypski, accompanied by a half dozen other residents, told county reps meeting in the County Office Building, “We have some grave concerns.”
The 14-room project, proposed by James Bent of Mayfield, Fulton County, who operates rooming houses in Canajoharie and St. Johnsville, would be rented out to Dreams Park families during the summer, then converted to homeless housing the rest of the year.
Mrs. Shypski said the project would be a burdened to the local emergency squad and fire department, and that there are no local police to respond if trouble arises. The village is patrolled by the county Sheriff’s Department road patrols, which have to cover 1,000 miles a night, she said.
“It would be a great safety issue,” she said.
County Rep. Keith McCarty, R-East Springfield, who represents Richfield Springs, said the village is already “in stress” because, due to low rents, the county Social Services Department is already sending welfare families there.
“To save us $15 to $20 a night in rent – I don’t think the village deserves that,” McCarty said. He pointed out there are three bars and a liquor store within a few blocks of 155 Lake St., where the lodging is proposed.
In 2014, a state Comptroller’s Office audit found Otsego County was spending more on homeless housing than four surrounding counties, and directed it to look for less-expensive alternatives. Last September, the county contracted with the Crossroads Inn in Otego, guaranteeing its proprietors $35 a night on its 13 rooms, a $20 per room savings.
The arrangement was working satisfactorily, Koutnik reported back in the fall, and said his committee would seek to expand the program.
Meanwhile, Bent had been proposing a hotel in the former Mielnicki’s, and adjustments in his concept brought 250 protesting neighbors to a Zoning Board of Appeals hearing at Richfield Springs High School last Thursday. The ZBA may act Thursday, Feb. 9, on Bent’s application and objections filed by Mrs. Shypski.
Departing the meeting today, she said she was satisfied with what she heard from Koutnik. Added another neighbor, Dave Lynch, “Keith did his job – we appreciated that.”
The Otsego County Board is aware that they need to look at this very seriously. Our young people as well as all the residents in this village shouldn’t have to live in fear of their safety. Our village has started turning around. New businesses hopefully will consider coming into Richfield Springs. This will bring prosperity & life back into our village. Our county representative, Keith McCarty , said it all today. ” This little village is not equipped to handle this kind of project”.
I grew up in Richfield Springs and on my last visit, in 2015, I was saddened to see how the village and the surrounding county had lost it’s luster. But…in all fairness, why are homeless people seen as dangerous or a safety issue? There are many reasons people are homeless and, yes, mental illness and substance abuse are two big ones. There are, however, other things that occur in life that cause people to lose their homes, jobs, families etc. It would seem that a thorough vetting process to determine who would stay in such a facility instead of simply dumping people in just to get them off the streets would be one responsibility of whomever oversees such a shelter. I know we can’t always depend upon agencies to live up to their responsibilities and “money talks” but to say that all homeless men and women post a safety hazard is really sad.