Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek discussed recent updates in the ongoing housing crisis at the Oneonta Common Council meeting on Tuesday, August 15. The County Board of Representatives recently approved a measure expanding existing contracts between the Department of Social Services and Oneonta hotels to provide emergency shelter for unhoused people.…
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A line of local residents and visitors, young and old, stretched across the Main Street bridge in Oneonta as a thunderstorm threatened late in the afternoon of Saturday, August 12. The smiling, waving crowd was waiting for the clock to hit 4:20 p.m. and DOSHA, Oneonta’s first legal cannabis dispensary, to officially open. Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek, board and staff members of the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce, and military veterans mingled with employees and photographers before the ribbon-cutting ceremony.…
Letter from Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek Muller Plaza Plans Outlined in Video A vibrant downtown that attracts locals and visitors is our shared hope for Oneonta’s near and long-term future. To spur that along, we’ve made Muller Plaza our focus this summer. I’m happy to report that, despite rainouts and closures due to smoky skies, we are seeing an organic growth in use of the space. With an increasing interest from service organizations, businesses and entertainers, it’s likely that we’ll…
A lack of staffing is the cancer eating away at our economy. It’s reasonable to assume that few business owners and their core staff will be willing to endure the stress of working harder and longer to “cover” open positions indefinitely.…
What we’ve got here,” said the jail warden in “Cool Hand Luke,” “is failure to communicate.” According to Steve Wilson, Otsego County administrator, this comment aptly describes the present state of affairs resulting in the county’s issuance of the State of Emergency Declaration and Emergency Order No. 1 with regard to housing migrants in Otsego County.…
News Briefs: May 18, 2023 Mayor Drnek To Address Networking Group ONEONTA—Community Conversations, a networking forum for people interested in Oneonta’s past, present and future, will celebrate its tenth anniversary on Tuesday, May 23 at 8 a.m. at Green Earth Health Market. Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek will provide a special address recognizing the group, which meets informally on Tuesdays from 8-9 a.m. Green Earth is located at 4 Market Street, Oneonta. For more information or to join the conversation, call…
Catskill Symphony Orchestra ‘Le Cabaret’: Another One for the Books Żółtowski To Lead Final Concert in May; Buttermann is Guest Conductor By IAN KENYONONEONTA A triumph!” noted Catskill Symphony Orchestra Chair Sarah Patterson, when asked about the 2023 “Le Cabaret” fundraiser at SUNY Oneonta on March 25. The annual event, the second hosted following a pandemic pause in 2020, convened several hundred concertgoers in the Dewar Arena—transformed into a tasteful concert hall, embellished in the CSO’s purple and gold color…
From Screening to Streaming ‘A Roadhouse Coup’Released Worldwide By JOEL J. PLUEONEONTA After a year of research and development, followed by months of filming and editing, “A Roadhouse Coup,” the film, has begun making appearances on video on demand platforms. “It’s been an incredible undertaking and we were fortunate to have so many members of the community take part. It’s rewarding to see everyone’s hard work come to fruition and know that it is now making its way into the…
News from the Noteworthy Battle Plans Lately, I find myself thinking about those generations past and especially the one dubbed the “greatest.” How would they deal with this moment we’re in? I think it’s a safe bet that many would step up and pitch in to support the effort. That’s what much of a generation did in the 1940s. And I am betting on their descendants, in this 2022 version of Oneonta, doing that again. This time, it’s not the…
We’re All in This Together Grand plans and strategies. From the moment I rise ‘til I trundle off to bed, I’m generating notes, workflows, and timelines. There are people to call. Committees to fill. Problems to solve. Plans and strategies… they’re so important. Until they’re not. Last week, the tick-tock of my work-clock stopped. On Friday, I opted for a day away from City Hall. I wasn’t feeling well. But rest didn’t have its desired result and I grew increasingly…
