BRIEFING IN SCHENEVUS

Questions Greet,

Applause Affirms

Mathes Appearance

75 Attendees Provided Details

Of Hunt For Distribution Center

By JIM KEVLIN • Special to www.allotsego.com

SCHENEVUS – “Welcome,” an audience member called out when Otsego Now CEO Sandy Mathes finished introducing the concept of a 250- to 600-job distribution center to a community whose commercial base dropped from 57 businesses to a handful in the last half-century.

Even with 90 minutes of sometimes probing questions that followed from the 75 citizens at the AMVETS this evening, the audience broke into applause when the presentation and Q&A came to an end.

“We will be as aggressive as we can to maximize the local benefits,” Mathes pledged at several points.

But he also referred to the uncertainty and strategic nature of what lies ahead for 600-resident Schenevus and the Town of Maryland (total population 1,897) over the next couple of years.

“It’s like making a sports team,” he said.  “You’ve got to make the cut.”