Thanks, Cooperstown, For Memories ....a $35 Souvenir of Doubleday Lot

To the Editor:
Cooperstown already has figured out how to recoup lost revenue from the cancellation of the annual Hall of Fame Game.
For my recent 60th birthday, my wife and daughters treated us all to a weekend at the American Hotel in Sharon Springs (most enjoyable) and a trip to the Hall of Fame, which I had not been to in 50 years.
The day that we visited, June 7, was just a beautiful, warm, summer day.
After we parked the car, I did notice signs that said there was a two-hour limit and made a mental note that I probably would have to move the car.
The Hall of Fame was just a fabulous, nostalgic experience for me, finally seeing the plaques of my boyhood idols, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra and Whitey Ford.
After leaving the Hall of Fame, we stopped for snacks and soft drinks and for the obligatory search for the ultimate T-shirt at the souvenir stores.
Upon arriving at our car, as you probably can guess, there was my welcome from the village of Cooperstown: A $35 parking ticket. Was I guilty? Yes!
It was a 15-minute walk to and from my car, so, therefore, you only have one-and-a-half hours to enjoy the Hall of Fame and its surroundings.
Is everyone supposed to play musical
chairs every two hours with their cars? Is this as stringently enforced in January as it appears to be in June?
I just don’t understand ... but the Village of Cooperstown does.

BARRY G. BERMAN
Fairport

Keep All of Brookwood Garden Open To Public

To the Editor:
I am writing this letter in protest of the proposed sale of the Cook Estate, the property legally connected to Brookwood Garden.
As a resident and artist who has spent many wonderful hours painting at that site, I am dismayed to see that a deal has been formulated, with little public attention, to divide this property and allow a private home to be built on it.
According to those who knew Bob Cook, it was not his intention for the property to be divided or privately owned.
It has been stated that there is no funding to repair or maintain the property; however, public records indicate that the Cook Foundation has money available that is not being utilized for that purpose.
I cannot help but wonder why the Otsego Land Trust, Otsego 2000 and the OCCA have not been interested in restoring the historic home, to be used for their offices/headquarters.
In addition to bringing in revenue, it would be in keeping with their mission statements and goals of preserving the beauty and integrity of the Lake and its surrounds.
The Cook Estate is one of the last remaining areas on the west side of Otsego Lake open to the public, and it is unconscionable for it to be closed to public enjoyment.
It would be nice to see Brookwood Garden advertised more broadly, have a larger roadside sign and have different areas of the Cook Estate developed for the public to enjoy.
Even if it is not feasible to restore the main building, the grounds should remain open and accessible. An occasionally mown lawn and a few picnic tables would go far in creating an atmosphere that welcomes people to enjoy the beautiful views of Otsego Lake under the shade of towering trees.
The public needs to be made aware of the intentions of a few to affect forever this magnificent historical property.

MARY NOLAN
Fly Creek

CCS Elementary Just Great

To the Editor:
My youngest child just graduated from Cooperstown Elementary school, and I want to take a moment to thank the wonderful teachers and staff who have given so much of themselves to my children.
I have spent many hours inside the school as a volunteer, and have always felt that my children were in great hands.
The staff functions as a close knit group with the very capable leadership of Teresa Gorman. Their focus is on the child as a complete person - not just on teaching reading and math, but on teaching music and art and the behaviors that signify character (all of which serve to strenghten their reading and math skills!)
The physical education teachers, Connie Herzig and Bud Lippitt, are outstanding role models for the kids. They teach so many skills needed in life – including the crucial skill of letting yourself make a mistake, and how to move ahead afterwards.
When they bring the school year to its close with Field Day each June, one sees a marvelous celebration of all that has been accomplished throughout the year.
I always find myself wishing that the entire community had young children in school just so they could see the power of this school in action!

MAUREEN SEIGEL MICEK
Cooperstown

Trouble Is On The Way: Gas Drilling

To the Editor,
By now I expect most of us are aware of the fortunes some may make from gas drilling in our area. But unfortunately less is know of the likely impact on our region.
I have attended two informational meetings, one in Walton and the other in Liberty. I have seen some limited, rather scanty reporting on the negative impact of gas drilling in local press but nothing like I heard at these meetings. Let’s just say for those who think this is a great boon to our region you are in for a big surprise.
Imagine a 10-fold increase in traffic – I’m talking about trucks carrying 50 tons of equipment on back roads and bridges.
Dr. Robert J. Pammer, Jr., Ph.D., commissioner, Sullivan County Division of Planning & Environmental Management, Monticello, reported at the Monticello meeting that it costs $100,000 per mile to improve roads.
Trucks will carry loads of 85,000 to 100,000 pounds (50 tons) on Type One roads – that is dirt back roads. Expect 83 percent damage to roads, he says!
He suggests make road assessment
a prerequisite before issuing permits. Local municipalities have power over local roads. So a moratorium seems possible on road impact.
Oil and gas companies are exempt from zoning regulation – they can drill in any zone.
A well pad may be 1.2 acres and up to 20 acres in size and close to your house. You may have to live with this for up to 30 years as the extraction processes continues. There will be a decrease in property values.
This is an “industrial activity.”
They will come back and back till all the gas is gone - up to 10 times per well. Release of radioactive materials is likely and will be concentrated in workers over time.
It takes 800,000 to 4 million gallons of water to drill a well. (One million gallons of water is equivalent to one football field, 30 feet deep).
What happens to waste water?
There are 7-15 hazardous materials in this water after use. It could be tested but usually is not.
It may be hauled away to hazardous waste sites in Pennsylvania in large trucks. Maybe it will be injected back into the ground. Impurities are vented/flared releasing nitrogen and methane.
According to those who have experienced gas drilling the water holding ponds always leak.
In Colorado and Wyoming, where speakers at the meetings I attended came from, there was an increase in drugs and crime. This was also reported in the July 15 New Yorker:
“Letter From Wyoming: How natural gas has changed the way of life in Sublette County.”
The article reports on “…the depression and lawlessness that come with mineral wealth. A recent report by Ralph Boynton shows the Sublette (Wyoming) crime rate rising by 30 percent from 2004 to 2005; air quality and the quality of life have also been affected.
“With the arrival, since 2000, of nearly 3,000 roughnecks, off-rig boredom has increased and this helps explain some of exploding crime rate. Fueling all this is the growing use of methamphetamines-primarily crystal meth, the roughneck’s drug of choice.”
Family violence increased along with prostitution. No surprises here!
In Wyoming, over the next 10 years, 51,000 gas well will have been drilled, 17,000 miles of new roads installed and 1.4 trillion gallons of water used in drilling (enough for 16 million people or all Wyoming residents for 30 years).
We don’t really know how many drills will be installed in this region - the number is unknown. Proposed drilling sites are secret – it is impossible to get this information. Gas output relies on self-reporting by companies. Gas drilling creates haves and have-nots.
Compressor stations are very noisy – as loud as a jet engine for the duration of drilling. Peggy Utesch, member, Western Colorado Congress and the Grand Valley Citizens’ Alliance
reported at the meetings that the vibrations from the drilling vibrated her water tank off its foundations and shook the walls of her home non stop for weeks and 100 semis shone their headlights into her home daily.
Drilling mud pits holding millions of gallons of wastewater from drilling always leaks and contains noxious chemicals that may leak into aquifers. Expect expensive legal fees to fight breech of contract by gas companies (who have very deep pockets).
“If their lips are moving then they’re lying,” was how people who experienced drilling out west described it.
Their advice is to get your own consultants to create bio-impact statements and check your wells and water before drilling because the state will not do it so landowners need to.
Gas is of great financial benefit for the state but not for landowners with no lease and even if you don’t sign a lease its possible, because of horizontal drilling, for gas to be taken from underneath your land.
The Texas Supreme Court is currently considering a case of gas drilling, called the Garza case and the possibility that the practice of fracking as it is now practiced infringes on the rights of neighbors.
Passage of specific legislation seems necessary to protect the land. The town of Highland in Sullivan County voted unanimously to approve a six-month moratorium on new oil and natural gas extraction on June 24.
This seems a sensible approach to all areas impacted by gas drillers – to give people time to fully comprehend the impact of this industrial technology in our pristine rural areas.
By the way the Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate flood run- off and flash flooding and pond overflow of polluted water is likely. Local government is responsible for storm water run-off.
The kinds and types of accidents we can expect from this industry will be completely different to those currently experienced by local EMS personnel - chemical spills for instance. Are we equipped and ready for this?
The advice from people in Wyoming and Colorado who have experienced gas drilling: “Get out front of this thing and shape it. You need to list what is important to you.”
• Develop a Community Development Plan.

• Seek industry best practice to protect community.

• Identify community values and create core interests.

• Form work groups and meet bi-weekly.

• Meet with gas companies - community and companies working together.

Note: These are not legally binding documents because the gas companies refuse to sign such agreements. They are “gentleman’s agreements.” Good luck!

ANDREW LESLIE PHILLIPS
Hancock Permaculture Center
www.permaculturedesignsolutions.com

Labels: Letters to the Editor