Oneonta Presses State on Missing $1M Damaschke Field Grant
By BRANDON RAUL RAMIREZ
SUNY Institute for Local News
ONEONTA
A long-delayed $1 million state grant for Damaschke Field, a $465,000.00 planning contract and the city’s preparations for the 2027 budget led discussion at the Oneonta Common Council meeting on Tuesday, September 15.
During the first public-comment period, resident William Shue asked the city to more fully document its efforts to recover a $1 million State and Municipal Facilities grant awarded in 2018 for improvements at Damaschke Field. The “SAM” grant is administered through the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, or DASNY.
After the historic grandstand was demolished in 2019, the council advanced $1 million from the city’s general fund in December 2023 to cover the project, with the expectation that the fund would be reimbursed when the state money arrived. That reimbursement remains outstanding.
Shue said city records from December 2023 state that the grant would not be honored, but do not identify who supplied that information or explain why the money would not be awarded. He said DASNY records confirm the award and the associated project, listed as SAM No. 14364, although the disbursement agreement remains unexecuted.
He urged the city to obtain DASNY’s complete project file, including correspondence and documents concerning the grant’s status, and proposed a phased recovery and accountability plan to establish a record of the city’s follow-up.
“One million dollars is too much money for a city of Oneonta’s size to simply write off,” Shue said.
Mayor Daniel Buttermann said the city is already pursuing the issue at the state level. He said his office is in active discussions with state Sen. Peter Oberacker, whose office is prioritizing the grant among older outstanding SAM awards. Buttermann said the grant remains active in the state pipeline and, based on the city’s current understanding, no immediate council action is required.
In other business, the council awarded Fisher Associates two planning contracts totaling no more than $465,000.00. The firm will update the city’s Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan under a contract capped at $135,000.00 and prepare a Brownfield Opportunity Area Plan under a contract capped at $330,000.00.
The city received seven proposals and interviewed three finalists. The $480,000.00 overall program is supported primarily by state Department of State grants, with $48,000.00 in local matching funds from the general fund balance. Public outreach is expected to begin shortly. The comprehensive plan is due by July 31, 2028, and the brownfield plan by September 30, 2028.
The council also approved a five-year agreement with FirstLight Fiber for cloud-based telephone and communications service at 11 municipal locations. The estimated monthly cost is $2,671.20, or $160,272.00 over five years. City documents project monthly savings of $448.52 and total savings of $26,911.20 compared with current spending.
Council members also rescinded the previous deputy purchasing agent designation and $1,000.00 stipend, then appointed Administrative Specialist Brittany Mykytyn Lobb to the role effective September 16 with a $2,500.00 annual stipend. The higher amount reflects expanded procurement, bidding, training and modernization duties, according to documents shared by the council.
During a 2027 budget workshop, members reviewed comparisons compiled from state comptroller data. They agreed that a 29-city comparison was too broad and asked staff to focus on roughly six to eight municipalities with more comparable structures, including Oneida, Norwich, Cortland, Glens Falls and Geneva.
Finance Director Virginia Lee also reviewed the tax roll. Of the city’s 3,563 parcels, 6.43 percent are fully tax-exempt, but those properties represent about 45 percent of total assessed value, largely because of colleges, hospitals and nonprofit institutions.
Lee said those institutions have an outsized effect on the local economy and city finances.
“If the colleges were not here…we would have to replace that assessment with over 2,000 average residential properties and over 800 average commercial [properties],” she said, pointing to the pandemic as an example of how institutional changes can affect city revenue.
The discussions carry implications for taxpayers, redevelopment and the city’s ability to recover money already advanced for Damaschke Field. Staff will continue work on the state grant and refine the peer-city analysis as the 2027 budget process moves forward. The Common Council’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, in City Hall.
This story was created by student reporters through the OnNY Community Media Lab, a program of SUNY Oneonta and the SUNY Institute for Local News.
