Village Board Discusses Grants, Linden Ave. Dog Park Proposal

By SARAH ROBERTS
COOPERSTOWN

The April meeting of the Village of Cooperstown Board of Trustees opened with a number of public comments regarding the future and status of a dog park proposed just outside village limits. Five community members spoke, all of whom presented positive rationales for the project. As of the time of the meeting, 132 local residents had signed a petition in favor of the dog park.

“We, the undersigned Cooperstown area residents and supporters of a pet-friendly Cooperstown,” reads the petition, “respectfully request the establishment of a dedicated dog park on Linden Avenue.

“Cooperstown is home to many dog owners, yet we currently lack a designated area where dogs can safely play off-leash. A dog park on Linden Avenue would provide much-needed recreational space for dogs and their owners, improve community health, strengthen neighborhood ties, and reduce off-leash conflicts in public spaces…

“We believe that by utilizing a portion of the land on Linden Avenue where Cooperstown has a permanent easement for recreational use, Cooperstown can create a low-cost, high impact community asset that meets the needs of pet owners and improves public space for everyone,” the petition concludes.

Additional statements given regarding the potential benefits of such a park include the importance of “third places”—a term generally meaning a place other than home and work or school, where people can engage in a public space recreationally—a boost in human interactions for the owners of the dogs, and the park as a potential asset to attract new faces to a growing community.

One speaker was so passionate about what he feels are the positive impacts of the dog park that he finished his comment to village trustees by stating: “This is the thing that got me off the couch and to come talk to you.”

There were no dissenting opinions among those making public comments at the meeting. However, on social media some community members have expressed concerns about aggressive and unfriendly furry patrons, the spread of disease either canine-to-canine or canine-to-human, ugliness and dog feces, and the lack of usefulness of the space for non-pet owners.

Other matters addressed in the meeting by the Board of Trustees included a review of village police action—with 57 calls and five arrests in the last month—as well as a warning about the “bad” understaffing. The topic of cameras in the village was also reintroduced in passing.

Concerns over the quickly fading street lines were discussed, and it was recognized that alternatives that would not require regular painting or upkeep seem prohibitively expensive.

“We can continue to explore [the options],” Deputy Mayor Cindy Falk said on the matter.

During the meeting, it was announced that NY Forward grant monies in the amount of $2,260,000.00 have thus far been awarded to the village toward five municipal projects. These are:

• Improve the pedestrian environment in Pioneer Alley by repaving the surface with macadam and brick and adding lighting.
• Transform Hoffman Lane by improving ped-estrian design and developing Hoffman Lane as a gateway to Lakefront Park.
• Install sidewalks and crosswalks to facilitate connectivity between Main Street, the Trolley Lot and Glen Avenue.
• Design and implement improvements to Fowler Way to enhance safe pedestrian and vehicular circulation, improve ADA access, and enhance the gateway to Doubleday Field from Chestnut Street.
• Install new way-finding signage along upper Main Street in order to draw pedestrians to points of interest between the Trolley Lot and lower Main Street.

Additional NY Forward grant monies will support two private projects:

• Develop 13 new residential units in a mix of apartments and townhomes in the Willow Brook/Railroad Avenue district, including the integration of an historic structure on the site.
• Rehabilitate a significant historic structure, 53 Pioneer Street, for year-round use as a community art space and artist studio.

A $300,000.00 NY Forward Small Project Fund is being overseen by the Mohawk Valley Economic Development District according to Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh. Those monies are earmarked for “facade restoration, small building improvements, and public art and business assistance.”

The board meeting wrapped up with a short discussion on transitioning the village website to a .gov domain rather than its current .org domain.

In addition, both water and sewage treatment plants are currently operating normally, officials reported, but discussion was held about whether or not these would be affected by changes in water levels over the summer and additional usage as visitor traffic increases in the coming months.