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Friday, March 9, 2007March 9 2007 By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN Before Woodside Hall was on the market for $1.3 million, before it was a rest home, President Martin Van Buren roamed its grounds, families of judges and politicians lived there, and financiers and statesmen viewed Otsego Lake from its pillared veranda. Mark and Sherrie Kingsley want to recapture that atmosphere in The Inn at Woodside Mansion, a 22-room high-end hotel, but to do so must get a variance or zone change from the Village of Cooperstown that would allow the hospitality business to move east across the Susquehanna River for the first time. As a first step, the village Planning Board has scheduled a public-input session for 5:30 HOTEL/From Page 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at village hall, 22 Main. “It’s a big place,” Kingsley, who has owned and operated The Inn at Cooperstown on Chestnut Street since 2003, told the planning board Tuesday, Feb. 27. The 14,000-square-foot building, which operated as a rest home from 1965 until last summer, has a commercial kitchen and elevator, allowing it to be more easily converted into a hotel. The property, however, located in a neighborhood of large homes on sizeable lots, is zoned R-1A, where the most stringent regulations apply. It might require a zone change – to zone R-1 – and even then a special permit would be needed for the plans to go forward. A neighbor, Laura Kilty, who lives with husband and their children just south of Woodside on Estli Avenue, told the planning board, “There’s no big hurry here. It hasn’t been on the market that long. It’s not outrageous that it would sell as a one-family house.” Board members said they have confidence the Kingsleys would run an operation that would have minimum impact on the neighborhood, and Kilty echoed that sentiment. “But what if you sell it?” asked Charles Hill, a board member. Would 31 Cooperstown Dreams Park families be lodging there five summers from now? Kilty echoed that sentiment in a subsequent interview: “Mark is a very nice guy and a good innkeeper. He would do a good job. The problem we have is it would open an Pandora’s box. It would be the first tourist accommodation on the east side of the river.” An ophthalmologist at Bassett Healthcare, Kilty and her husband, Bruce Kramer, also a Bassett physician, bought their property 15 years ago and never had any issues with the rest home; in fact, Kilty said, her mother-in-law lived there for a period. But, she added, “changing from R-1A is not in our best interest, clearly.” The Kingsleys said half of the hotel rooms – a dozen or so – would be suites, which are not available in The Inn at Cooperstown, and the suites would include high-end amenities like spa-like bathrooms. Room rates would range from $250 or so in the “shoulder season” and as high as $475 in the summer. The mansion was in private hands since its construction by Judge Samuel B. Morehouse in 1829 – on the purported site of a wigwam – until 1960, when state Sen. Walter Watson Stokes died and left the property to the Episcopal diocese. Ida Wilcox of Cherry Valley bought it in 1965 as a rest home, and George Degraca bought it in 1980 and continued the use until last summer, when tenants were advised they must vacate. In August, the property was sold to Michael Mercier, a Rochester businessman, who put it back on the market almost immediately. The stone mansion is in the Greek revival style, but has a rare example of Egyptian revival architecture in its front gate. “In 1836, Judge Morehouse suffered reverses of fortune, and when he had sold Woodside to Samuel W. Beall, took up his residence in a modest cottage in the village,” Ralph Birdsall wrote in his “History of Cooperstown.” “It was said of Judge Morehouse that, during this period, in walking about the village streets, he was careful never to raise his eyes toward Woodside, and, if occasion brought him in the vicinity of his old home, he passed it with averted face. “After a few years he was able, to his great joy, to buy Woodside back again, and he continued residence there until his death in 1849.” It was during the Beall years, in 1839, when Van Buren visited and, wandering into the gardens with a companion, was unable to find his way back to the house. In 1856 Mrs. Morehouse sold Woodside to the Hon. Joseph L. White, a New York City lawyer involved in the Nicaragua Canal; he was assassinated during a Central American visit, and the home was bought by John F. Scott, who sold it to Walter C. Stokes of New York City in 1895. His son, Walter Watson, served in the state Senate from 1933 to 1952. “If the owner can’t sell it,” Kingsley told the planning board to everyone’s dismay, “he may petition the village to tear it down.”  Cherry Valley’s Victoria Talbot Pressly in ‘The Departed’ Orbit By JIM KEVLIN CHERRY VALLEY Fans of Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio thrilled when the envelope was opened Sunday, Feb. 25, and the news was announced: “The Departed” took the Oscar for Best Picture of 2006. But in her Middlefield home with hubby Nick and their three small children, Victoria Talbot Pressly was thrilled all the more. And why not? It represented publicist Pressly’s biggest score to date: She is agent for Sallie Toussaint, girlfriend to Jack Nicholson’s gangster in the thriller. It’s about one cop turning away from a sterling boyhood to cast his lot with the Mob. And it’s about another cop with a Mob upbringing trying to bring the gangsters to justice. Another thrill is in store: for Otsego County fans of the glamorous Sallie Toussaint, whose stardom now seems assured. Since signing with Victoria, the Miss USA World 1997 has bought a getaway home in Salt Springville, that tiny four corners just over the Springfield-Minden town line in southern Montgomery County. It’s just a short drive from downtown Cherry Valley. (If you missed “The Departed,” you may nonetheless recognize Sallie from the Colgate tooth-paste ads, or the Bacardi ads. Most recently, she’s been promoting Verizon.) Though it’s been only a few days since Oscar Night, Sallie, a native Jamaican, has already been approached by Spike Lee about “a project,” as yet unspecified. And Playboy magazine has flown her back to her native island for a “celebrity shoot” – in such shoots, the model can bare less than all – for a $250,000 fee. “That’s it for her,” said Pressly. “She’s a big star now.” It’s something of a long story about how Victoria rose from a Westchester County girlhood and Our Lady of Victory, a Catholic girls’ high school in Dobbs Ferry. About how she went from ownership of a modeling agency in Soho to married life in Cherry Valley – the family recently moved to Middlefield so Kurt, 8, Amanda, 7, and later, Joseph, 3, can go to Cooperstown schools. About how Victoria went from a size 6 to a size 16, then back to a size 6 so she could wiggle into Sallie’s frilly black dress for the Oct. 6 premiere of “The Departed” at The Zeigfield Theater in Manhattan, where she corralled stars and controlled papparazzi, all the while pushing her client into the limelight. Like a lot of things in Victoria’s life, it began with a phone ringing. With kids screaming in background, she answered and it was Aster Luu, a fashion photographer and longtime friend: Warner Brothers was promoting “The Departed,” Martin Scorcese’s new movie, but wasn’t particularly focused on promoting Sallie. The actress needed someone to get her some ink. The first thing Victoria did was call Sharra Dade, Warner’s publicist, to assure her she would clear all publicity in advance; no surprises. Then she invited Sallie – a one-time UConn journalism student who became Miss Connecticut before winning her international beauty crown – to Cherry Valley for the weekend so they could get to know each other. (While here, the two ladies worked out at the Clark Sports Center together; Jim Jordan was their trainer.) Before long, Sallie was being written up in the Daily News and New York Post, and had a sizeable photo spread in Stepping Out magazine. It turns out that Scorcese and Nicholson were very much taken with the Jamaican beauty, and wrote a “really, really erotic” scene into the script. Victoria christened the scene “The Jack Attack” and before too long the Post was speculating about it – and about Victoria’s client. The phone rings again. Again, the kids are screaming in the background. It’s Graham King, “The Departed” producer, and he’s screaming too: “How dare you?” “In Hollywood,” said Victoria in an interview the other day at Cornerstone Realty, Cooperstown, where realtors Pat and Tara Wingate, pals of her, let her use a desk, “you’re nobody until everybody wants you dead.” Victoria tells him everything was cleared with Sharra, and Graham hangs up. Five minutes later, the phone rings again and it’s Sharra, who pretends nothing’s up. Just calling to make sure Victoria’s OK. Fast-forward to Oct. 6. It’s 1 p.m. Victoria drives out of Cherry Valley in a hurry. She’s due to appear with Sallie at 5 p.m. for a taping on “The Extra,” the TV entertainment show. Curlers in her hair, she’s stopped while speeding through New York City; learning what’s up, the officer lets her go. Sallie ends up taping the show alone, while Victoria changes at her client’s health club. Sharra shows up in a long limo and, thinking Victoria is adept in working a New York City “press line,” asks her to take it on. “I’d done press lines before,” said Victoria, “but for, like, Miller Brewing.” And she was rusty: “I hadn’t worn heels in 10 years.” It works like this: “There’s a big long red carpet. Celebrities walk down it and do an hour of interviews.” Victoria pushes Matt Damon out of the way and injects Sallie into the middle of the action. An hour later, Victoria and Sallie are sitting in the front row next to Scorcese. To the right is Mick Jagger. In back, Mark Wahlberg. To the left, Nicholson and DeCaprio. The movie is “very violent,” but Sallie’s “Jack Attack” scene is too strong even in that milieu; Warner Brothers has cut it down to a couple of seconds, (although Victoria believes the full scene may appear uncut DVD version.) Then Scorcese’s “after party.” There’s Jon Voight. And Billy Joel. And Lauren Bacall. Well, it’s back to earth and Otesgo County – how she and Nick got here 10 years ago is a fun story, too, and what they’ve done since. But, another time. Meanwhile, Victoria’s career, never dormant – check her Web site, allabouthype.com – is entering a new phase. At least for now, she’s down in New York three days a week working with a new, for-now-unspecified client. “Yesterday,” she said, “I booked Sallie with two magazines” – Complex and The Source. Google them. Next, a reality TV show. Maybe shot in Cherry Valley. Maybe as soon as this summer.  State Ag Chief From Richfield Springs Is Praised, Confirmed ALBANY Son Mitch was there, daughter Erika, and wife Karen Huxtable, all familiar faces. So was his mom, Trudy Hooker of Nelson, Madison County. Various state senators – including state Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, another familiar face – sat around the conference table, and Patrick Hooker, chief lobbyist for the state Farm Bureau since 1990, knew them all. Yet this was different. There was standing-room-only in the small conference room on the eighth floor of the modern Legislative Office Building, across State Street from Henry Hobson Richardson’s 1899 state Capitol, and the crowd of men in suits and women in business garb were backed up into the hall. This was no lobbying effort. It was a confirmation hearing, and Hooker, Governor Spitzer’s nominee for state agriculture and markets commissioner, was being questioned Tuesday, Feb. 17, by the state Senate Agricultural Committee on what he might do. The committee endorsed his nomination that morning. That afternoon, the state Senate Finance Committee did the same. And by day’s end Hooker, the highest ranking agriculturalist from the Richfield Springs area since Norman Jay Colman was U.S. secretary of agricultural in Grover Cleveland’s administration, had been confirmed by the Senate. The job is his. “As someone with a farm,” said Seward after the vote, “he knows firsthand the challenges faced by those in agriculture and by virtue of his experience he is equipped to provide insights and suggest solutions to those very challenges. Commissioner Hooker will be accessible and will work with diligence to serve the agriculture community.” Of Hooker’s appearance that day, the most content-intensive was with the ag committee: Asked about the low price of milk, Hooker said, rather than attempt a state solution, he would concentrate on getting help for dairy farmers in the 2007 Farm Bill Reauthorization at the federal level. “We have to have the passion to get into the process,” he said. “Then we have to be dispassionate. We’re going to hurt people if we don’t do it right.” Asked for assurances he would support “line items” that benefit maple producers, apple producers and other agricultural niches, he said: “In this case, I would welcome the challenges of a sound and transparent system.” He said he would expect the niches to do well on their own merits. On the changing face of agriculture, he noted turf farms and wineries are replacing produce on Long Island and it should be recognized that tasting rooms are becoming “the functional equivalent of a farm stand.” Ag policy must adapt, he said. State Sen. Kenneth P. LaValle, R-Port Jefferson, advised Hooker of a farmland-preservation fight under way in his District One: Farmers who have sold development rights to the state are now building expansive greenhouses, “violating the spirit of the development rights law,” the senator said. State Sen. David J. Valesky, D-Oneida, noted an expansion of the bottle bill would have “more of an effect on your department then on EnCon.” And Hooker said “there’s too much trash out there” and the expansion would help, even though it would present challenges to his inspectors, who must ensure the hygenic state of all food-vending establishments. He expressed support for expanding the Pride of New York Program, connecting upstate growers with new farmers’ markets in New York City, eliminating the need for a wholesalers. Early in the session, he told the panel converting corn to ethanol has had “a great start,” but more needs to be done with “cellulitic ethanol” from switch grass and willows. (Seward said such innovation will give farmers “another cash crop.” Before his years as the Farm Bureau’s Public Policy Division director, Hooker was rural affairs adviser to state Assembly Minority Leader C.D. “Rapp” Rappleyea, then director of the state Senate Agriculture Committee, chaired by Sen. John “Randy” Kuhl, R-Hammondsport. Growing up working on a neighbor’s dairy farm in rural Madison County, Hooker was active in the Junior Holstein Club, as well as the Cazenovia Aggies Chapter of the FFA, serving as State FFA President in 1979. Hooker graduated from Morrisville State College and Cornell University, where he studied agriculture. Encompassing 25 percent of the landscape and generating $3.6 billion for the economy last year, agriculture is considered the state’s largest industry. It has 7.5 million acres of farmland with 35,000 farms. As Hooker told the Senate ag committee, “This is going to be fun.” County’s Democrats Ponder Impeachment COOPERSTOWN Impeachment resolutions have been introduced in state legislatures in New Jersey, New Mexico, Washington State and Vermont. Towns around the country – including Plattsburgh, on Lake Champlain – have done similarly. New York State’s Green Party wants George W. Bush impeached. And now, the Otsego County Democratic Committee may start beating the drum. The first step came last Monday night, Feb. 26, in the county Board of Representatives’ chambers on upper Main Street, when Leon Kalmus of Oneonta, the retired surveyor and former county representative, asked the Democratic county committee to pass a resolution calling for the ouster of the Republican president and Vice President Dick Cheney. According to people who were there, no one objected to the idea, but there were tactical concerns: With the county board’s budget problems – the representatives thought they were passing a 2.5 percent tax increase which turned out to be 25 percent – incumbent county legislators present were concerned Kalmus’ resolution might backfire at the polls in November. Instead, the committee formed a subcommittee – Kalmus, Adrian Kuzminski of Fly Creek (a one-time Green Party candidate for secretary of state) and Joe Brill of Oneonta – to polish Kalmus’ initial draft and report back at the next meeting, Thursday, March 22, for a vote by the full committee. “Up until recently, I was unaware of the very many violations of our laws and international law (by this administration),” said Kalmus in an interview. “When I became aware of it, I became alarmed: A lot of damage is being done to the people of the U.S. – you and me.” Kalmus estimated there were two dozen people at the committee meeting, of which “three or four” voted against the idea of forming a subcommittee. “The objection was based,” he said, “on the possiblity that our action in this matter could reflect on the candidacies of Democrats in the upcoming local elections; county board, but also town board members and whatever. “I don’t agree with that. I don’t think that is an overriding issue locally.” By CHAD WELCH COOPERSTOWN A lifelong passion for art and literature has brought former Cooperstown students, brothers Daniel and Marc Connor, together in another bond: a collaboration of contemporary talents that is the literary magazine, Lilies and Cannonballs Review. Published in their new home, New York City, the independent magazine, LCR, just released its 5th issue, an accomplishment that will be the focus of a launch party featuring contributing artists in a Chelsea gallery later in March. LCR has already received acclaim for the successful blend of poetry, prose, drawings and paintings within its pages, and with each issue it gains more popularity among circles of artists, critics and readers. Started by Dan in 2004, the goal of the Lilies and Cannonballs Review has been to “celebrate true independent and creative thought, and to reconcile social consciousness and the artistic world.” LCR accepts submissions from established, well respected artists and novices alike, and Dan believes this fusion is vital for his vision to “maintain balance and discover new talent, while offering a variety of styles and a harmony of forms.” “Lilies and Cannonballs creates a space for the synthesis of contrary elements: aesthetically driven and socially conscious literature and art; traditional and experimental forms; crazy man conservative and bleeding liberal views,” he adds on the LCR website. It is enjoyed by readers for its bold, forward-looking style and for the quality of art, poetry, fiction and translations that can be found in each issue. Following their days at Cooperstown Central, both Dan and Marc went on to very distinguished academic and artistic careers. Dan left Cooperstown after the ninth grade to attend St. James School in Hagerstown, Maryland. “After Marc graduated,” Dan said, “I wanted to leave Cooperstown too.” He graduated from St. James in 1991, and went on to Fordham University in the Bronx. He spent two years at Fordham, left for a year to study Spanish and Hispanic studies at the University of Barcelona, and returned to Fordham where he graduated in 1995 with a dual major in Spanish and English. After undergraduate studies, Dan earned his master’s in Hispanic literature from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Throughout high school and college, he wrote for school newspapers and on- campus literary magazines. Even before leaving Cooperstown, Dan recalled that he “wrote a few stories about Hall of Fame weekend as a contributing writer for The Freeman’s Journal.” His experience with print and literature was furthered by a position with the Loyola Press in Chicago, where he worked before returning to New York City to get married in 2001. Marc graduated from Cooperstown in 1988, earned a degree in fine arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a master’s in fine arts from Yale University. He also studied at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland. During his days at CCS, Marc flourished as a gifted student artist, and some of his work still remains on display in the hallways there today. Marc now works in New York as a scenic/faux finish painter. He exhibits occasionally in Chelsea, painting and drawing both personally and professionally all the time. Marc is the Art Consultant for LCR and is responsible for all of the cover art. Dan says of his brother, “Marc brings a wealth of talent to the table, through his own work and insights, and also through the amazing connections he has formed with other highly respected artists who now contribute to the magazine.” Producing a socially committed literary publication has been a dream of Dan’s for many years, and with Marc’s assistance and artistic expertise, he has assembled an entertaining and thought evoking energy that challenges and excites readers. It is, in essence, an evolution of the efforts and enthusiasm of two brothers, and it continues to surprise them with possibilities as it matures in style and substance. To emphasize his aspirations for Lilies and Cannonballs, Dan quotes a poem written by Vicente Huidobro, a poem he translated that inspired the publication’s name: “Take a lily and a cannonball, mix them together; there you have my soul.” This bizarre yet simple recipe is in fact the ingredients that make up the magazine’s composition: an eloquence of words; a marriage of opposite symbols, tones and art forms; and the beautiful product that results when those elements are thrown together. Lilies and Cannonballs Review is available at select newsstands and independent bookstores nationwide. By BREN MIOSEK COOPERSTOWN With the fading of February and the arrival of March, weekends at The Farmers Museum just became a whole lot sweeter. Beginning on Sunday, March 4, The Farmers’ Museum will kick off its end-of winter celebration with the first of four sugaring off weekends with pancake breakfasts, horse-drawn wagon rides and trips through Todd’s General Store. After enjoying a delicious pancake breakfast featuring Otsego County maple syrup, visitors can observe a variety of maple-sugaring techniques, ranging from traditional to more modern methods from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Through hands-on demonstrations, The Farmers’ Museum will present the time-honored traditions of the sugaring process through the ages. Visitors will learn about the origins of maple syrup and sugar production in the region as well as observe Native American and mid-19th century techniques. Guests touring the museum can fashion a wooden spile, try out wooden yokes for collecting sap, and indulge in “jack wax,” a treat made by pouring hot maple syrup over snow. Throughout the day, children’s activities will take place in the Filer’s Corners Schoolhouse along with demonstrations on maple cream and candy making in the Main Barn. The Blacksmith’s Shop and The Empire State Carousel will also be open. COOPERSTOWN The Village Library in Cooperstown will hold special programs for children Saturdays in March. Family Story Time Saturdays will feature stories, crafts and fun especially for families with children 3-7. These free programs, sponsored by the Friends of the Village Library, begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Children’s Room. On March 3, families are invited to see the changes made to the Children’s Room, hear stories and do puzzles. The room has been reorganized and now features a comfortable leather seating, a picture book reading area, and a chapter book reading area. On March 10, Kerstin Green, nursery school teacher and mom of five, will tell stories about Animals in Winter. On March 17, Cooperstown Elementary School teacher Lisa Lippitt will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with stories and hands-on fun. On March 31, the Wildlife Learning Company will read a story about a young falcon’s first flight, and bring along some real raptors. There will be no program on March 24 because of the PTO’s Crayon Carnival being held that day at the Middle/High School. This is the second year of the Family Story Time Saturdays. New this year is a special program for children 8-12. On March 10 at 12:30, Kristin Sullivan will show a slide presentation and talk about her 14,000 mile bike ride from Alaska to Argentina. A former Peace Corp volunteer, Kristin made this incredible trip to raise awareness for the environment. This program is co-sponsored with the Healthy Planet Kids club at Cooperstown Elementary School. It will be held in the Village Board Room, downstairs from the library. These free programs support the Parents as Reading Partners Program at Cooperstown Elementary School, which encourages parents and children to read together at least 15 minutes a day. The Friends of the Village Library also sponsors two evening series for adults. The Bicentennial Lecture Series, sponsored with the Freeman’s Journal, is held on the second Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. in the Village Board Room. March 8 will feature Dr. John Davis on “Why Bassett Healthcare is Here.” The Last Thursdays at the Library series features speakers on a variety of topics at 7 p.m. on the last Thursday of the month, also in the Village Board Room. The next talk, on March 29, features Professor ETA Davidson talking about her personal interviews with leading American authors, including William Styron, Ernest Hemingway and Norman Mailer. For more information, or to help plan additional programs, contact Peg Odell, program co-chair, Friends of the Village Library, 544-1123, or email FriendsofCoopLibrary@yahoo.com. CHERRY VALLEY The public hearing for the Town of Cherry Valley Comprehensive Plan, scheduled for Monday, Feb. 26 has been rescheduled for for Monday, March 12 . Due to the severity of the Valentine’s Day storm, the Comprehensive Planning Committee was unable to produce a printed draft of the document in time for the public distribution 10 days before the public hearing as required. The draft document has since been printed and is available for viewing at the Cherry Valley Library, Post Office, Gates Cole Insurance and is posted at district7otsego.com and at cherryvalleyny.us The public hearing has been moved to the Cherry Valley Old School Cafe, and is slated to begin at 7 p.m. By BREN MIOSEK COOPERSTOWN In what has become a regular monthly assembly, the Citizens To Preserve The Historic Lower Toddsville Bridge meet with member of the county Public Works Committee – county Reps. Keith McCarty, Hugh Henderson and Donald Lindberg – to discuss the fate of a Whipple truss bridge spanning Oaks Creek between Hartwick and Otsego. “It needs new decking and a railing and that’s about it,” said Marcie Birch a spokes person for the group. “We asking the county to sign off on a letter that we drafted that would allow us to apply for a grant that would provide the appropriate funds to save the bridge. We have to start applying for the grant now before we run out of time.” County representatives, however, were hesitant to get involved. “We don’t want to get locked into something long term, or have to worry about paying for repairs later on.” said representative Hugh Henderson. “The last thing the county needs is another bridge to maintain.” According to a engineering study conducted by Dr. Francis Griggs, the Toddsville Bridge is in considerably good shape despite being battered and beaten by one of the worst floods in Otsego County history. “According to Dr. Griggs, the Toddsville Bridge is structurally sound,” said Birch. Dr. Griggs is credited with already restoring 15 bridges scattered throughout the U.S. and he believes that the Toddsville bridge could be preserved. Birch went on to explain that the repairs needed are minimal and that total rehabilitation costs come in at well under $200,000. “If we can get outside contractors to come in and do the job, it’s going to cost about $150,000. “If volunteer laborers get involved the total cost would drop to about $30,000,” said Birch. “We sent a letter to the Otsego County lawyer. From what we’ve seen so far, signing off on that letter is at the bottom of his list of things to do.” After viewing Dr. Griggs engineering report, members of the public works committee questioned weight limitations and supervision. “I reviewed the engineering report and one of the things that concerned me was that I didn’t see any mention of load and weight limit, capacity, or supervision,” stated McCarty. Birch said that while the bridge doesn’t host large crowds for events like the annual General Clinton Canoe Regatta down the Susquehanna River, the bridge committee would look into establishing guidelines for supervision, capacity and weight limits. Board reps later agreed that they’d like to see a commitment from both the towns of Hartwick and Otsego before they’d be willing to get involved. “You would think from that we were trying to raise the Empire State Building,” said Birch. “All we want to do is preserve the bridge. Right now, it seems like everybody’s waiting for somebody else to do something first.” In the end, the concerned Citizens for the Historic Lower Toddsville Bridge agreed to meet with the Public Works Committee one month from Monday. “We only have six months to do all this, said Toddsville resident Jean Finch. “Now we’ve lost a month.” Our dilemma is that we need to raise the money soon,” said Birch. The problem faced by the Citizens To Preserve The Historic Lower Toddsville Bridge is that Otsego County still owns the actual bridge. Any grant application would have to involve their support. That support, however, has not yet been levied. According to the Iron Bridge Association of America, the Toddsville Bridge – built between 1864 and 1871 – is one of only 75 remaining in the United States. CHERRY VALLEY A Community Advisory Council, convened by the Cherry Valley-Springfield Board of Education, has evaluated input from stakeholder groups and is recommending a capital improvement project to improve safety and security, perform necessary maintenance and repairs, to increase energy efficiency to lower costs, enhance facilities to provide educational excellence, as well as to reconfigure office space to increase operational efficiency. “Several systems of our infrastructure are nearing the end of a 20-year life expectancy,” said Nick Savin to a small audience that gathered in a class room at CV-S on Tuesday, Feb. 27. In addition to enhancing CV-S’s infrastructure, the Community Advisory Council addressed the idea of improving outside security as well. The project, if approved by the voters on Tuesday, March 13, has total cost of $7.78 million. With a state building aid ration of 98 percent, and with an estimated 95 percent of the project funded by state aid, the estimated budget impact of the project will be $53,107 per year. With anticipated energy savings of $30,000 per year, the estimated local tax impact will be $23,107 per year, which would require a tax increase of 0.54 percent. According to the CV-S website, the impact of a 0.54 percent tax increase on taxpayers in the District can be estimated by considering this example: A taxpayer owning property with a full market value of $150,000 who is eligible for basic STAR exemption could anticipate a tax increase of $7.74 to fund the project. The polls will be open noon-8 p.m. in Tuesday, March 13.
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