Backyards in Cooperstown, and around Otsego County, were winter wonderlands this morning – the second day of spring! (Jim Kevlin/AllOTSEGO.com)
By LIBBY CUDMORE • Special to www.AllOTSEGO.com
The overnight snowstorm that continues today has caused a dozen accidents and brought down trees and wires across the county, reports Rob O’Brien, Otsego County 911 director.
“The roads are in very poor condition,” he said. “And we’re dealing with trees and wires down everywhere due to the weight of the snow.”
In Oneonta, city police have begun ticketing cars parked on streets, and reminds drivers if cars must be towed, owners must pay the cost.
In Cooperstown, Village DPW Superintendent Mitch Hotaling declared a snow emergency that began at 10 a.m. and continue until noon Saturday. Parking is prohibited on village streets, and is available in the Doubleday Field Parking Lot.
Milford Mayor Brian Pokorny has also declared a snow emergency in that village through noon tomorrow.
PITTSFIELD – Sixty-six people in the Pittsfield/New Lisbon area are without power due do high winds that continue through 7 p.m.today, according to Rob O’Brien, Otsego County 911 director.
SCHENEVUS – At least one state trooper was injured in an altercation that took place near the Schenevus exit on I-88, according to Officer Aga Dembinska, Troop C public relations.
However, by late evening Dembinska lacked any further details.
COOPERSTOWN – Drivers stayed off the road last night as a sudden snowstorm hit the county, resulting in only seven minor motor vehicle accidents, reported Rob O’Brien, Otsego County 911 director.
“Nothing stands out as out of the ordinary,” he said. “Seems like vehicles off the road due to poor road conditions is all.”
COOPERSTOWN – County 911 Director Rob O’Brien today filed a complaint with the state Public Service Commission after “large pockets” of Frontier Communications’ landline telephone customers have been without service, some for weeks.
Because there is no cell-phone service in parts of the Gilbertsville-Morris-New Lisbon corridor, many customers would be unable to communicate in case of fire or other emergency. Frontier, which also serves Unadilla, has 2,753 customers in Otsego County, but it was unclear how many had been affected.
“Some of these folks are talking about no telephone service for almost the entire month of December,” said O’Brien. “It’s mindboggling to me that this would go on in the year 12019 – People can’t count on reliable telephone service.
