Oberacker bills
to help Oneonta schools,
dedicate part of Route 51
to a fallen solider,
pass state Senate
STAFF REPORT • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
State Sen. Peter Oberacker, R/C-Schenevus, announced Tuesday, June 8, that the state Senate has approval of a pair of bills he sponsors to assist the Oneonta City School District and honor an Army medic from the town of Butternuts, who lost his life in the Vietnam War.
Senate bill 396 corrects a clerical error and will assist the Oneonta City School District by preserving $400,000 in state transportation aid due to the school district.
“This is the first bill I introduced as a state senator and it embodies one of my main priorities – to assist our local schools and municipalities when they are in need,” Oberacker said in a media release. “Without this piece of legislation, the Oneonta City School District would be facing a $400,000 hit on their budget that would be devastating for the school, local taxpayers, and most importantly our students.”
Oberacker’s legislation would correct an oversight in the application process for the district’s transportation aid for the 2019-2020 school year, when the district did not file its application for transportation aid to the state education department in a timely fashion.
“The Oneonta City School District has a strong track record when it comes to contractual submissions and required paperwork. This inadvertent oversight involving one item should not lead to an overwhelming penalty that would significantly harm student programming and services,” Oberacker said.
Companion legislation has been introduced by Assemblyman John Salka,
The second bill would rename a portion of state Route 51 in the town of Butternuts in honor of SP-4 Richard Walton, Jr. , an Army Specialist-4.
Walton served valiantly during the Vietnam War and was killed in action Feb. 6, 1970, when a rescue helicopter he was a passenger in crashed. Walton served as a medic and was 19-years old at the time of his death.
“Every man and woman who wears a United States military uniform sacrifices for our nation and our way of life, some, like Army Specialist Walton, make the ultimate sacrifice. SP-4 Walton served to help others – ‘carrying a needle instead of a gun,’ as he put it. It is my humble honor to help keep his memory alive and ensure that others know what Richard Walton Jr. meant to his hometown of Gilbertsville and his country,” Oberacker said in the media release.
The special highway designation was requested by the town of Butternuts.
Companion legislation introduced by Assemblyman Joseph Angelino was also adopted Tuesday and the bill will next be sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for final approval.