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 In the News This Week -- Jan. 26, 2007 |
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 Mayor Launches Fund Drive To Restore Historic Treasure By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN As promised, the evening featured bubbly, jazz by the Native Sons Trio and scrumptious desserts, but Mayor Carol B. Waller’s $500 check added even more effervescence to the “huzzahs!” Saying she and husband Bill determined “we should put our money where our mouth is,” the mayor told 200 people at the Monday, Jan. 22, reception to launch the Village of Cooperstown Bicentennial, that the check would be the first contribution to “a new group, the 22 Main Street Renovation Committee. This group will work to help raise funds to save this building.” She named Veronica “Ronnie” Seaver, wife of the late Bob “The Badger” Seaver, a longtime revered columnist for The Freeman’s Journal, as chairman of the effort, and encouraged interested citizens to get involved. The Neoclassical building, designed by famed architect Ernest Flagg, who also did the 47-story Singer building in Manhattan and Boldt Castle in the St. Lawrence River, was commissioned by Elizabeth Scriven Clark in 1898 as a YMCA. Robert Sterling Clark gave it to the village in 1932, and it now houses village offices, the library and the Cooperstown Art Association. The Bicentennial kickoff was in the building’s second-floor ballroom. The building’s deterioration – the porch and Scamozzi columns were recently fortified – has been the topic of frequent concern in recent years. Crawford & Stearns, the preservation architects, did a “condition report” in 2004 and estimated repairs would cost $250,000; however, when bids were sought only to replace the roof, the only one received was for $650,000. It was rejected, Waller said. In addition to the $500, the mayor said state Rep. Bill Magee, D-Nelson, has obtained $15,000 to help redo the former fancy entrance on the Fair Street side. Another $50,000 state grant – obtained to build public restrooms on Main Street before the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum opened its own public facilities – will also be rolled over into this new project. In his invocation, the Rev. Samuel Abbott, Christ Episcopal Church rector, observed 200 years, to the Almighty, is “a blink of an eye. But to us, eight generations have come and five have gone.” State Sen. Jim Seward, R-Milford, the featured speaker, was kept in Albany by the legislative session, but a rousing speech – complete with toasts from July 4, 1807, printed in the old Otesgo Herald – by Gretchen Sorin, director of the Cooperstown Graduate School in Museum Studies, disappointed no one. She asked the crowd to imagine the fledgling village of 200 years ago: Thomas Jefferson was president. Lewis & Clark had just returned from their celebrated explorations. Slavery was still legal in New York State. Gaslights had just been installed in London. Aaron Burr was on trial for the duel that killed Alexander Hamilton. And Robert Fulton’s steamboat Clermont had raced from New York City to Albany in 32 hours. Lake Street was First Street; Main, Second; Church, Third and Elk, Fourth. Pioneer was West Street; River was Water Street. Only Fair Street’s name survives. The courthouse was where Augur’s is today, and the Red Lion Tavern was across Pioneer on the corner. That year, Maj. Joseph Tunnicliff’s house burned down; among the items destroyed was a lamented cache of hard cider. Since anti-Federalists were in control in Albany, the village was originally named Otsego to spite Judge William Cooper, the community’s founder, much to the satisfaction of one of his arch-rivals, Herald publisher Elihu Phinney. However, Cooper’s allies were elected to all offices, and they refused to carry out any municipal responsibilities until the name was changed to Cooperstown, which didn’t happen until 1812. The first law, in 1816, banned pigs from running in alleys; the fine, $2.50. Another banned baseball around today’s flagpole, no doubt to protect precious glass, a luxury in those days; the fine, $1. Gretchen said later that Village Trustee Grace Kull, Bicentennial Committee chairman, called her three days before the launch with the news that Seward wouldn’t make it, setting off a whirlwind weekend of research. With the help of Wayne Wright and Tom Heitz at the NYSHA library, Sorin pored over old editions of the Herald and an early map of Cooperstown to recapture the village of 1807. She was up until midnight the night before. Two-hundred years ago, the Fourth of July toasts went on at considerable length in the Herald, but Sorin culled three, which were punctuated with resounding “huzzahs!” by the assemblage. First, “For the United States of America. May the tooth of time never be able to corrode the date of our independence from the tablets of Freemen. Huzzah!” Second, “For the people of Otsego County. For our ancestors who travelled the trackless ocean; may their names be engraved on our hearts forever. Huzzah! Huzzah!” Third, “For the mayor of the Village of Cooperstown. Her” – Gretchen adjusted the original, she said, to reflect Waller’s tenure – “virtue shall live while our memories last. Her merits shall be known to posterity. Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah!” Kull then made it official with a toast of her own, ending with the hope “that future generations follow the traditions of the past so that Cooperstown will always be this beautiful, unique village that we all love.” The next official Bicentennial Committee event comes on April 3, when a postal first-day cover will be issued on the actual 200th anniversary. On April 21, also in the ballroom, the CGP students will unveiled an exhibit of Cooperstown’s history. A weeklong celebration, including a parade, is due to begin Sept. 8. However, the committee invited entities throughout town to organized related events, and the next Friends of the Library/Freeman’s Journal monthly Bicentennial lecture will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8, at 22 Main, where Heitz will lead a dramatic presentation based on Susan B. Anthony’s visit to the village in 1855.   Dean Bullis Brings Networking Skills By JIM KEVLIN COOPERSTOWN John Bullis talks like a Mister Fix-It. And like successful Misters Fix-It, he doesn’t try to do it all himself, and he deflects any credit due to those who helped him. “It was timing,” is a typical phrase he uses to describe his role in a particular success, whether in guiding Herkimer County Community College’s biggest-ever endowment drive to its $2 million goal, or aligning Little Falls Hospital with Bassett Healthcare to keep it from being shuttered. “I was in the right place at the right time,” you’ll hear him say as well. On March 1, he will become Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce executive director, succeeding Polly Renckens, a Mrs. Fix-It in her own right. “He’s going to be a huge success with the community,” predicted Renckens, who will retire Feb. 28 after almost a decade at the helm. Bullis, 58, is HCCC’s retired dean of institutional advancement, and it was a quick retirement: He only left the job on Dec. 29. With flashing eyes, shaved pate and trimmed goatee, he exudes the vitality of an Adirondack guide, which he used to be. He also used to be a Navy man, director of a residential substance-abuse treatment center in Ithaca, and he still is an avid bicyclist, golfer, motorcyclist and poet – published poet, yet. He has a married daughter who lives in California, and his wife Jane is HCCC academic dean. The couple live in Fairfield. Bullis was born in Ilion, across the Mohawk from Herkimer. His father was a career-long draftsman at Remington Arms. He was the second oldest of five siblings – he had two brothers and two sisters; one sister was older. He graduated from Ilion High School and, “undisciplined, immature,” he joined the Navy, which soon corrected those flaws. Regardless, he “didn’t have many prospects” when he returned home after four years. The community college idea was a new one – HCCC had only been operating for three years – and it was tailor-made for Bullis. Through English professor Owen McNamara, he became intrigued with the potential of language; through biology professor Bob Dorrance, he discovered the pleasures of research. He wrote for the school paper. And at McNamara’s urging, he began writing poetry. Through such books at Paul Ehrlich’s “The Population Bomb” – it popularized the concept that population growth is exponential, not linear – he discovered the excitement of ideas. From HCCC, he went on to a bachelor’s at SUNY Cortland and a master’s at SUNY Oneonta, focused on counseling. Before too long, however, the call came from HCCC President Bill McLaughlin, who was looking for an assistant. John jumped, thinking he could shift into teaching in a year or two, but that never happened. When asked about his tenure at HCCC, people – like Vince Casale, director of development and son of Cooperstown’s Tony Casale – talk about the endowment drive, but Bullis sees his time at HCCC as part of a continuum. He said he’s as proud of success in attracting international students, and in the millions of dollars in student housing. Casale said Bullis has been both his boss and his friend, and called him a straight-shooter: “You always know where you stand.” In addition to his HCCC duties, Bullis was a Middleville Free Library trustee when that board discovered that, with the approval of the electorate, one point on the school-district tax rolls can be assessed for libraries. He and three other trustees mounted a successful referendum campaign, and the tiny library’s tiny budget – $8,000 – jumped to $35,000 overnight. Among other accomplishments his friends point to – and Bullis downplays – was the preservation of Little Falls Hospital while he was board chairman. Jonathan I. Lawrence, hospital CEO, said Bullis’ “leadership and dedication were determining factors” in the hospital’s survival. Little Falls, like many community hospitals, was squeezed by state efforts in the 1990s to reduce costs, and many went out of business. The Little Falls board was able to get itself redesignated as a “critical access hospital” and, in partnership with Bassett Healthcare, continues operating, even though the number of beds was cut from 100 to 25. Riverwood’s Rick Gibbon, Cooperstown Chamber board president, said Bassett’s praise for Bullis’ role helped convince the search committee he’s the right guy. “I think he has the ability to network with all elements of the community he needs to network with,” added Gibbon, who served on the search committee with Rich McCaffrey, chairman, NYSHA’s Steve Elliot, the SSPCA’s Jane Duel, and Mark Kingsley, chamber VP and proprietor of The Inn at Cooperstown. Bullis said he has a process that’s worked in unglueing sticky issues, which he called “active listening,” a throwback to his counseling days. By listening, you “understand what people’s problems are.” You then take “the emotional issues” out of the discussion and focus methodically on problem-solving. “Once the game plan is set,” he said, “I work like a dog to run the play.” Gibbon recalled that, when Polly Renckens took over, she had been helping out the break-away Cooperstown Merchants Association, which disbanded when she demonstrated the chamber could be as sensitive to retailers as it had traditionally been to the lodging industry. In recent years, the chamber board has revived its committee structure – strategic planning, marketing, government relations and events among them – and Bullis’ role, in part, will be to help them succeed. In turn, Gibbon said, the committee structure will provide Bullis support and resources. For his part, Bullis said “I consider myself to be” – not necessarily wealthy or famous, but – “a very fortunate person,” and the Cooperstown opportunity, a continuation of that.  Brooklyn Avenue Folks Rejoice at Detour’s End By CHAD WELCH COOPERSTOWN After months of detouring, drilling and pounding, vehicular traffic is flowing again over the Susquehanna Avenue bridge, although it will be closed again for final paving in the spring. Optimistic estimates had predicted the bridge might open in late November, but a few setbacks – rainy weather and high water levels – slowed progress. The barriers were removed Tuesday, Jan. 23. “Setting the H-piles – the below- ground support for the entire framework above ground – also caused delays,” said Ron Tiderencel, Otsego County highway superintendent. “We found it was necessary to drive the piles much deeper than anticipated.” While the entire project is not finished, Tiderencel said the span is fully operational and the support structure is complete. Two lanes, 18-feet wide in all, will ease traffic flow around the village and simplify plowing. Despite complaints by Brooklyn Avenue neighbors to village trustees, Tiderencel said there was no pressure to open the bridge on any specific date; it just made a lot of things easier, especially now that normal winter weather has started to set in. Brooklyn Avenue was the most direct route for village folks driving to the Clark Sports Center or Bowerstown. “The temporary road surface is a four-grade dirt-and-gravel mix,” he said. “For the next few months, it will be like driving on a dirt road.” With current temperatures, cold patch or other pavement materials wouldn’t hold, and would eventually deteriorate to a rougher surface, he said. If the rain continues, the road surface will be muddy which will require slower speeds, but won’t present any safety concerns. Tiderencel expects to finish the project in late March or early April, when the bridge will be closed for 6-8 weeks. Aesthetically, the bridge will be restored to its original appearance except for the addition of a second sidewalk on the Walnut Street side, intended to make the walk safer for school children traveling to and from the Clark Sports Center. Here’s what’s left to do: the final paving; concrete work including both sidewalks; and the rebuilding of the stone-faced parapets that protect pedestrians from traffic on both sides of the bridge. Veterans McCaffrey, Cox Among Those Let Go COOPERSTOWN Turmoil has paid a rare visit to the Otsego County Cooperative Extension Service on Lake Street in recent days. Two of the most visible extension agents, Rich McCaffrey, who has led 4-H and other youth efforts for 33 years, and David Cox, who handled agriculture development and horticulture for six years, on Friday, Jan. 19, were told their jobs were eliminated; their computers put off limits, and they were told to clean out their personal effects and leave the building by 4:30. The locksmith was standing by to change the locks, said McCaffrey, who decried “the lack of human respect” in the way he was pushed out of “the career I loved” without an inkling of what was in the works. He called it “a covert process.” Board members outside the executive committee approved the five-year strategic plan the evening before, unaware which staff members would be laid off. Another board of directors meeting was planned for Thursday evening, Jan. 25, but Douglas G. Geertgens of Milford, the board vice president, said only routine matters were on the agenda, although the topic of the layoffs would probably arise. Richard “Dinnie” Sloman, brought in as executive director last July from a similar position in Schoharie County, said decision was financial. He said two staff-support positions were also cut, and the two agents’ assistants are staying on for the time being, as they may qualify for one of three newly created positions now being filled. Most of the 15-member local extension board was surprised when it was asked to approve the restructuring. Only the executive committee – President Sharon Scofield, Schenevus; Geertgens; Don Marsh, Otego, and Dorothy Rathbun, Schenevus – plus Sloman were involved in developing the plan. Nonetheless, Sloman said, all the 10 directors present voted unanimously for the plan that included the layoffs. Two members of the executive committee who were absent supported the measure, he said, but he didn’t know where three other absent members stood. Asked if he expected negative feedback, he said “yes,” then added, “I think that anytime you have a significant impact, you can expect some people to be for it and some people to be against it.” Geertgen said he received two calls, both expressing understanding with the board’s goals. Christine Amos, Oneonta, who retired from the board as personnel committee chair in December – Geertgens replaced her – said she had no inkling of what was in the works during her tenure and was shocked when she heard about it. “I’m deeply disturbed,” she said. She resigned from the personnel committee in protest. Amos said she was particularly disturbed by the impersonal way the terminations occurred, saying, “I thought we were beyond that sort of thing.” Since the issues were financial, not personal, she said, a better way would have been “an open discussion with the full board” over a period of time before coming to a conclusion, not the abrupt manner in which the departures occurred. For his part, Sloman said the separations followed the procedure specified in Cornell Cooperative Extension’s personnel policies and had been reviewed at headquarters in Ithaca and by legal counsel. County Rep. Nancy Iversen, D-Otsego, who represents the county board on the cooperative extension board, called what happened “a reorganization.” “It was not a personnel issue,” she said. “It was a restructuring to be more effective in meeting community needs.” Sloman said the four positions will be replaced by three “community educator” positions: for youth development, for fruits and vegetables, and for dairy and livestock. One or both of the assistants staying on for now may fill one of those new roles, he said. According to Sloman, the financial issues that prompted the shakeup go back five or six years, when the county cut $50,000 from its $200,000 annual allocation to cooperative extension. A $50,000 state “ACT for Youth” grant – “Assets Coming Together For Youth” – covered the shortfall, but the grant ran out last summer. The local extension service’s total budget is $850,000, he said. The restructuring, Sloman said, “makes it possible to react more quickly and nimbly to issues that arise.” “In the long run,” he said, “it will make us more attractive and effective for everyone to fund and to work for.” The role of cooperative extension – “education and information transfer” – will remain the same, he said. Looking ahead, he continued, ethanol production and Governor Spitzer’s Pride in New York farmers’ markets – also supported by Patrick Hooker of Richfield Springs, the acting ag commissioner – will undoubtedly be part of that mix. Prior to his time as executive director of the Schoharie extension in Cobleskill, Sloman was executive director of the Catskill Forest Association. He lives in Oneonta. He was brought in to replace Jan Cohen; Don Drake had served as interim director. In his role at extension, McCaffrey said he dealt regularly with 300 volunteers, and another 250 program-specific volunteers who would move in and out of the mix. Since the news started circulating, he said he’s receive 30 or so phone calls a day and a similar number of e-mails expressing shock and support. While heartened by that, McCaffrey said he was “devastated and hurt” by what’s happened. He’s been warned one of the stages of grieving is anger, but added, “I’m going to work very hard not to get to that stage.”  By BREN MIOSEK COOPERSTOWN Fed up and bored with the monotony of a mid-afternoon winter weekend, 4-year-old Mikeeli Hanson of Cooperstown slipped into her jacket, hat and mittens and set out with the rest of her family in search of the Cooperstown Winter Carnival’s Medallion, hidden somewhere on village property. “We’d been cooped up all weekend long and we were starting to get a little antsy,” said Eric Hanson, who teaches fourth grade at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton. “My wife, Jen, mentioned reading something about a treasure hunt in Cooperstown and we decided, what the heck, let’s give it a shot.” After studying the first three clues printed in The Freeman’s Journal Jan. 12 edition, the Hansons headed out in search of hidden treasure. “Our first guess was the statue at Lakefront Park because of the reference to dogs,” said Eric. “But then we decided that would have been way too obvious.” Frustrated with their fruitless efforts at Lakefront, the Hansons ventured over to the Indian burial ground at Main Street and Estle Avenue. “We decided to check the burial grounds because the clues had something to do with dogs and we knew that a lot of people walk their dogs there,” said Hanson. Again, the Hansons found nothing. Emptyhanded and ready to abandon their treasure-hunting dreams, the Hansons gave it one last shot. “We started concentrating on the ‘with the dog days of winter engulfing our town’ clue,” said Eric. “I asked Mikeeli where she likes to go when it gets hot in the summer and she said Three-Mile. At that point we decided to check out Fairy Spring and Three-Mile Point Park. We were going to go straight to Fairy Spring, but Mikeeli insisted we check Three-Mile first.” Focused on finding the medallion and ready to turn over every stone in order to find it, the Hanson spilled out of their car at Three-Mile and searched high and low for almost 45 minutes. “We checked under the docks, all along the water, in the pavilion and every inch of the beach with no success,” said Hanson. “We were nearing the end of our search when my wife suggested that Mikeeli check out a stump at the top of a small slope.” Mikeeli, with the help of her mother, scrambled up the slope and began to dig through a snow-filled hollowed out stump. Jen’s hands brushed away leaves and freshly fallen snow to reveal a small black bag. “At first I was afraid of what might be in the bag,” said Jen. “But I stuck my hand in anyway.” “I would have skipped right over that bag,” admitted Eric. Shocked, surprised and bewildered, Jen pulled the medallion from the plastic bag for the rest of her family to see. As for the $500 prize money, Hanson said he plans on paying a few bills, but a portion of it will be spent on something fun for the family.  Bicentennial Baby Named Cooperstown
By BREN MIOSEK COOPERSTOWN Inspired, perhaps, by Glimmerglass’ glimmer, its history- rich museums and art galleries, its quaint little quiet streets, Jim and Cory Na, Seattle, WA, decided to name their first-born child “Cooperstown.” At 12:36 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 18, Cooperstown Charles Na entered the world weighing 5 pounds, 8 ounces, and measuring 17.5-inches long. “My wife surprised me with a trip to Cooperstown back in 2005 ... I remember having a great time,” said Na, an administrator with the Seattle Mariners. “...We both fell in love with the name Cooper and decided to put it at the top of our baby list.” Cooper or Jacob, they decided. When word got around work Jim and Cory were expecting, general manager Bill Bavasi chimed in: If Cooper, why not Cooperstown? “At first, Bill thought it would be a great promotional idea,” said Jim. “He wasn’t that far off. We were in the middle of a unsuccessful season and morale around the office was down. He figured this would at least give everybody something else to talk about.” The good-humored ribbing continued through the pregnancy, but the Nas didn’t make their final decision until the end. “Bill and I were going back and fourth on the phone while Cory was in labor,” said Jim. “He kept suggesting that we name our child Cooperstown. Cory and I finally decided that it wasn’t like people would call him Cooperstown. “That’s just too long,” he continued, “but we figured it was safe to name him Cooperstown, because that way people will just call him Coop, or Cooper. It’s not like its his fault. People will think we’re nuts, not him.” | Jan. 04, 2008 | Local Honor Roll | Pages From The Paper | july 6th 2007 | Hall of Fame Friday | Hall of Fame Saturday | Hall of Fame Sunday | Hall of Fame Monday | July282006 Archive | Aug042006 Archive | Aug112006 Archive | Aug182006 Archive | Sept012006 Archive | Sept082006 Archive | Sept152006 Archive | Sept222006 Archive | Sept292006 Archive | Oct062006 Archive | Oct132006 Archive | Oct202006 Archive | Oct272006 Archive | Nov032006 Archive | Nov172006 Archive | Nov242006 Archive | Dec012006 Archive | Dec082006 Archive | Dec152006 Archive | Dec222006 Archive | Dec292006 Archive | Jan052007 Archive | Jan192007 Archive | Jan262007 Archive | February092007 Archive | February162007 Archive | February232007 Archive | March162007 Archive | March232007 Archive | March302007 Archive | March302007 Archive | April132007 News Archive | Chris Gentile | Obituary | April272007 Archive | May112007 Archive | May112007 Archive | May252007 Archive | June 22, 2007 | July 13 2007 | Sept05 2007 | Sept 7th 2007 | Aug 31st 2007 | Local Law Parking | October 26, 2007 | Nov. 2 2007 | Nov. 16, 2007 | Glimmerglass Oct 5,2007 | Nov 16., 2007 | November 30 2007 | Nov. 30, 2007 | Dec. 07, 2007 | Dec. 14, 2007 | Dec. 21, 2007 | Dec. 28, 2007 | Jan. 11, 2008 | Jan. 18, 2008 | Jan. 25, 2008 | Feb 1, 2008 | Feb. 8, 2008 | Feb. 22, 2008 | GlimmerGlass Feb. 15, 2008 | Sports Feb. 15, 2008 | Feb.28, 2008 | March 7, 2008 | March 14, 2008 | GlimmerGlass March 14, 2008 | March 21, 2008 | March 28, 2008 | April 4, 2008 | April 11, 2008 | April 18, 2008 | April 25, 2008 | May 9, 2008 | May 2, 2008 | May 23, 2008 | | Our Services | Contact Us | Great Links | Return Home | Classified Ads | News Archive | Cooperstown Homes | Calendar -Best Bets | Letters to the Editor | |
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