Drnek: Foundation Firm,
This Year We Build

Editor’s Note: Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek was a panelist at the recent Otsego County Chamber of Commerce “State of the State” Breakfast. The following is his address.

Good morning, everyone.
I want to thank the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, and especially Sean Lewis, Katrina Van Zandt, and Karen Laing, for putting this presentation together.

I feel confident saying that the folks on this panel are immersed in the service of our constituents…And though every day we deal with new challenges and opportunities—sometimes quite successfully—people we serve don’t always know (like we do) the progress being made. Or the obstacles overcome.

So, thank you to the Otsego County Chamber.

And thank you, too, to Dr. Alberto Cardelle and SUNY Oneonta for hosting us. Oneonta has never known partners to match what our colleges have become in these past several months. Under Dr. Cardelle’s leadership, Oneonta’s newly dubbed State University is already lighting the way to a better future for the city and the region.

A shout out, too, to Hartwick President Darren Reisberg. I cannot overstate the importance of his arrival in Oneonta and my appreciation of his support, and that of Hartwick College.

I want to acknowledge Assemblyman Brian Miller, Assemblyman Chris Tague and Senator Peter Oberacker. Great to see you today.

Your commitment to Oneonta, Cooperstown, and our county—and your advocacy for the address of our needs—puts us in a stronger position for success than so many other regions of the state. And we need your advocacy. So, thank you for that.

Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, my friend and fellow movie star…I know that a highlight of this next year will be my continued collaboration with you on efforts like the Cooperstown Corridor.

Otsego County Administrator Steve Wilson and County Treasurer Allen Ruffles. Professionals. It is a comfort to know you are working with professionals. Trust me…Our county is being well served.

And although he’s not a member of this panel, I also want to acknowledge the City of Oneonta’s City Administrator, Greg Mattice. The City of Oneonta government hums with competence, despite shortages of staff and revenue. All credit is due to Greg Mattice and his management of the city staff for that.

And I guess that’s where I want to start.

This first year of my term has been one of partnerships being developed, and foundations for action being built. And, arguably, the most important partnership we’ve built is that of the City of Oneonta mayor and its city administrator. The failures of that strategy for shared governance in Oneonta have been well documented, with three managers exiting their positions in the past decade. But I am proud to tell you that the city is being well cared for, and it can have confidence that we have figured this thing out. I am profoundly lucky, and—frankly—we’re getting so much more done, because I have been able to concentrate on the “big picture” with confidence that the city is being run effectively and efficiently. I can’t imagine that we’d be seeing the same level of success if we had any other form of city government.

As I said, my first year has been dedicated to foundation building. This is how we will build the infrastructure to tackle the significant challenges we face as a city and a region. It’s our city government, service organizations, and anchor-institutions working together, in sync, and with shared purpose and goals. We are lucky to have such an attuned leadership.

And how timely is it that our two colleges are so willing to offer themselves as resources and partners in the future of Oneonta, and in the area? We are in a unique moment, and I believe that we’ve been blessed with the tools and the talents to build a new model of a city. It’s been foundation building…and the rebar in the cement, the guarantee of strength in the long-term. It’s the dozens upon dozens of community members who have answered my call and stepped up to join “ad hoc” committees to solve our big problems—one proposal at a time.

We see the elephant in the room. It has nowhere to hide, but its days are numbered. The cliché is that you eat an elephant one bite at a time, but the more folks you invite to dinner, the faster to the finish. If you approach the menu with the focus of piranhas, and the teeth, folks will wonder, “What happened to the elephant?” And, you can see the meal in progress…Elephant dining in real time.

We’ve launched a website that provides the tools to ensure that ALL our community volunteers benefit from the work their neighbors are doing. Every work group’s progress, strategies, and the resources they’ve collected are in a shareable, public-facing website, All4 Oneonta.com. And we have a LOT of work groups.

Our Housing Commission is tackling arguably the most important issue we have—one that, unless we solve it, risks undermining every other effort. But it has an army of Oneontans’ sleeves rolled up, proposals in the planning, working on unique but related challenges like shared and vacation rentals, infrastructure utilization, neighborhood improvement, affordable housing, senior housing, refugee resettlement, and smart growth.

We also have ad hoc committees that are focused on parking strategies; the creation of not one, but two, performance stages; deer herd management; reimagining our skate park; enticing visitors and increasing foot traffic; [business] recruitment and retention; and welcoming and engaging new residents. In addition, we’ve added to our standing committees, with a focus on Community Wellness and Economic Development.

Foundation building. That was the first year. This year, you’re going to begin to see evidence of the efforts.

This winter, the Lofts on Dietz (the Artist Lofts) will offer more than five dozen units of affordable and market-rate housing, and Springbrook’s Ford on Main will follow with another couple of dozen later in 2023. And I can report that there’s genuine interest in development being expressed for some long-empty buildings in the city. (But, that’s all I can tell you about that.)

Our Planning and Development Department has already played a significant role making possible the rehabilitation and eventual reopening of our beloved Oneonta Theatre. The re-imagination of Market Street will begin soon with the demolition and (fingers-crossed) development of 27 Market Street for a multi-story building with first-floor engagement and upper-floor residences. The garage and transit hub will follow shortly thereafter. And then, with our continued perseverance, and some luck, we will develop Market Street as an entertainment destination that becomes a feeder to our Main Street retail and dining.

Both colleges have committed to a visual presence in downtown so, for the first time, our college town will be recognizable and marketable as a college town.

And in 2025, pending Council’s approval of the final configuration, we’ll be constructing a roundabout at the corner of Main Street and Lettis Highway; a safe and welcoming new entrance to our downtown. Working with the Town of Oneonta and the DOT, we’ll be reimagining Lettis and Les Foster highways as a tree lined, pedestrian-friendly boulevard, connecting Southside and Main Street in an inviting way that’s appropriate to the expectations of a welcoming city.

We have hurdles to overcome, to be sure. The city is underfunded, and short staffed. And with a tax base of less than 50 percent, we will need to determine new revenue streams—in a hurry. The thousand people we’re targeting won’t be coming here without a significant effort on all our parts. But they will come. I am sure of that. We have wonderful assets to entice them with, but we also have a diminishing capacity to maintain them, let alone expand upon them.

Another issue… Homeless and otherwise-challenged individuals from here, and from other places, are increasingly attracted to downtown (and Southside), and they need better options. I am in continuing conversations in that regard. But, I can tell you this with certainty. We have the partners and we have the vision. So, we will solve this issue, too.
We’ve poured the foundation. This year…we begin building.

Thank you for your time.

And to the Chamber, thank you again for the opportunity.