FERRARA LOOKS TO MID-JULY

Railroad Avenue Hotel

Moves Toward Opening

Perry Ferrara, top photo, proprietor of the soon-to-open Railroad Inn on Cooperstown’s Railroad Avenue, shows off one of four two-story accommodations planned in the 22-room hotel.  After eight months of renovations, Ferrara, who also operates the Hardball Cafe and Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum, said he hopes to have the establishment open for business by mid-July.   In recent days, he recruited Bob Holt, veteran hotelier (most recently at Best Western in Hartwick Seminary) and Destination Marketing of Otsego County board member, as Railroad Inn manager.  A tour of the building today showed renovations on the verge of completion.  All the rooms have been sheet-rocked, and Ferrara said he expect them to be painted and doors installed by the middle of next week.  In some rooms, furniture was already being assembled.  And a roofed veranda is nearing completion on the north end.  (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)