Trustees Discuss Chronicle Update, Parks

By SARAH ROBERTS
COOPERSTOWN

On Monday, May 19, the Cooperstown Board of Trustees discussed, among other matters, the desire of Cooperstown Central School alumnus Kristian Connolly to update “The History of Cooperstown,” currently a compilation of four histories of Cooperstown written by four different authors at four different periods—James Fenimore Cooper (1838), Samuel M. Shaw (1886), Walter R. Littell (1929) and Harold H Hollis (1976.)

It has been approximately 50 years since the last edition of the work, and Connolly seeks to create an additional compendium of local history with the support of Village Historian Will Walker, The Clark Foundation, the Village of Cooperstown, the Towns of Otsego and Middlefield, and Otsego County, among others.

“For nearly all of the time period covered by the proposed update to the history of the village, I have called Cooperstown my hometown,” Connolly said in a letter to the Board of Trustees. “This work will require time, effort and dedication. Going through 50 years of recent local history, mostly via local newspapers, websites, and direct communication with individuals, and compiling notable events in the history of Cooperstown is something I not only have the strong desire to do, but also have the time to do meticulously and accurately.

“I seek the support and endorsement of the Village of Cooperstown’s Board of Trustees as I look to begin work on the next 50-year update,” Connolly wrote. “The aim of the fifth edition would be to follow the lead set by Hollis, with the updated section covering the time period of 1976-2025, published in the second half of 2026 to coincide with an American anniversary”—the Semiquincentennial, or 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776.
After brief discussion, trustees readily agreed to support Connolly’s efforts.

Additional matters covered at the meeting included a proposed change in Local Law #6 of 2025 to ban overnight parking in the parallel parking spaces along Linden Avenue in Blue Lot in the village.

The issue, according to Deputy Mayor Cindy Falk, is that “certain oversized vehicles” cause confusion and a lack of parking, as well as hindering snow removal and street sweeping.

The Public Safety Committee reported nine arrests in the village in the last month. In addition, there were 17 traffic and 50 parking tickets. There was also an incident of vandalism of a portable toilet at Badger Park, a death investigation that was found to be a natural death, and a landlord-tenant dispute that “has been ongoing.”

According to the Public Safety Committee meeting minutes, Cooperstown Police Chief Frank Cavalieri has stated that the Police Department is looking into camera systems for the village. He and Officer Jess Lanza have attended Red Dot Optics Training, which qualifies them to instruct other officers in the use of the aiming aids, in hopes of achieving more accurate and faster shots with less risk to bystanders.

Falk protested the efficacy of traditional speedbumps in the village, stating that they are not recommended as effective traffic management devices in New York State. The alternative of speed “humps,” in which an entire crosswalk is elevated, was briefly discussed as a possible alternative, but the need for snow removal proved problematic.

The village’s trolley system will soon be up and running again, and thus the concern over insurance for the vehicles was raised. Otsego County owns the trolleys, but the village provides liability insurance. Trolley season will officially start on Saturday, June 14 and all-day tickets are $2.50.

The price for the all-day trolley tickets over Induction Weekend has been set at $5.00 per rider from Friday, July 25 to Monday, July 27.

The village has been working with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation to redirect the funding originally intended for a viewing platform at Lakefront Park to a project at Fairy Spring Park. The village will focus on ADA access and the park’s entrance road. Cooperstown Friends of the Parks will be shifting its focus to a floating dock and improvements, including bathrooms, at the caretaker’s building at Fairy Spring Park, since these cannot be covered by grants received by the village.

The trustees then entered executive session.

Regarding the proposed dog park on Linden Avenue, Falk said in an e-mail on Tuesday, June 10, “Nothing new on the dog park except that the village attorney sent letters to the owners of the properties that the village has easements on off of Linden Avenue about the potential use.”

Breakfast with the Board will be held on Monday, June 23 from 8-9 a.m., and the regular Board of Trustees meeting will be held that evening at 6 p.m. Village Board meetings are livestreamed and can be viewed in their entirety at www.cooperstownny.org.