Published: June 12, 2008 09:00 am         

Letters for June 12, 2008

All should help protect lake

The Otsego Lake Association commends and thanks the New York State Department of Transportation, Oneonta Office for their stewardship of Otsego Lake in the past year. All along NYS Route 80 adjacent to the Lake, roadwork and ditching have been undertaken in a manner to limit the downhill flow of sediments, silt, and mud into Otsego Lake. Specifically, DOT has used hydro seeding and rip-rap to hold down disturbed soils and to line ditches.

Route 80 ditches flow directly into the Lake. These ditches now not only facilitate the flow of traffic, but also serve to keep shallow Otsego Lake waters free of trout egg smothering and weed encouraging silt. Unfortunately, members report that mud continues to flow into Otsego Lake from upland portions of the Village of Cooperstown, and the Towns of Otsego, Middlefield, and Springfield. This, in part, negates the positive effects of the DOT actions.

We encourage the municipal highway departments to emulate DOT’s practices and to use rip-rap and the Otsego County Soil & Water Conservation District hydro seeder.

Respectfully submitted,

Paul H. Lord

President

Otsego Lake Association

Thanks to all volunteers

The Village of Cooperstown’s newest playground has been installed in Badger Park thanks to many volunteers who performed a variety of jobs to help make this dream a reality.

They will all be duly recognized. However there is a group who worked behind the scenes and so were not visible on the days of the installation. They are the people who supplied the food and drinks to keep the volunteer workers energized and hydrated in the 90 degree weather.

Rich McCaffery and I volunteered to spearhead this project and there were many willing donors. Terry Andrews, manager of the Great American, graciously donated a variety of subs for lunch, Martha Clarvoe donated apples, Annmarie Leinhart donated watermelon and cookies and the following all baked a fantastic variety of cookies and brownies that were “out there” for non-stop snacking by the workers both days: Charlene Vrooman, Stephanie Bauer, Dianne Kull, MayBritt Joyce, Kathy Clancy, Jeanne Dewey, Neil Weiller, Phyllis Orlowski, Alicia Chase, Sally Trosset, and Susan Longhi. Rich donated the morning coffee and donuts and more of the lunch food and I donated the bottled water and paper goods.

It is fitting that all be recognized for their contributions.

Thanks to each and every one.

Grace Kull Cooperstown

Park help was impressive

Even 90 degree heat couldn’t deter an intrepid group of Cooperstown volunteers from building a Village playground at Badger Park this past weekend.

For two sweltering days, residents and representatives from Friends of the Parks and the Parks Board drilled, lifted, raked and transported tons of stone and mountains of wood chips to create a needed addition to the Cooperstown’s park scene. It was truly community in action, and a wonderful event to be a part of. To those hardy souls who put their sweat and muscle into the playground, the Village owes thanks. As for me, my back still hurts!

Jeff Katz

Chair, Parks Board

Moratorium: yes or no?

A Comprehensive Plan allows the citizens of the Springfield community to determine and control the shape of our community in the future.

The Planning Board and Town Board supported the idea and the Town Board voted to fund the development of a plan.

A Comprehensive Plan Committee was established that includes a wide representation of the community.

The committee has been diligently working on this plan for over a year. We have equitably gathered the community’s opinions through wellattended working group meetings and a mailed public survey that had a tremendous response.

Through the workshops and survey, the people have voiced their vision of the future of Springfield and have given their opinions about how we will shape our community and control development to achieve that vision.

The Plan is based on and formed from community input — not the input of individuals or the committee.

A temporary Moratorium on large developments will provide the committee enough time to finish the Comprehensive Plan document which lays out the vision and directions that you the citizens have collectively described to the committee. The large scale projects currently being proposed may or may not fit the communities’ wishes and vision of Springfield. We do not know.

It seems prudent to finalize the Plan first and then review the big projects after that.

The proposed Moratorium will allow the Committee to finish its task, to gather information and measure public opinions and present a collective vision of Springfield and how we will get there.

The alternative, no moratorium, will allow outside interests to shape our community by preemptively developing large areas of our town. The time, effort, and money spent gathering your opinions about what you want for the future of the town and how you want to reach that vision will have been wasted.

David Staley

Planning board member Co-chair of the Comprehensive Plan Committee

Host families needed

Summer is just around the corner, but there is still time to register to become a Fresh Air host family during summer 2008! The Fresh Air Fund is looking for host families in the Otsego County area to open their homes and hearts and to share the everyday joys of summertime with a Fresh Air child. From swimming in a pool, to afternoon bike rides, to exploring the endless night sky, Fresh Air children never forget their experiences.

Moreover, Fresh Air children aren’t the only benefactors. The bonds between host families and their Fresh Air children often last a lifetime. Our volunteers demonstrate their commitment to helping New York City children by building and continuing the Fresh Air tradition in the community. With time left to sign up, why shouldn’t you be a part of it?

The Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit agency, has provided free summer vacations to more than 1.7 million New York City children since 1877. For more information on how you can become a host family this summer, please call Helen Regenbogen at (607) 639- 4265 or the Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367-0003, or visit www.freshair.org. Helen Regenbogen Fresh Air Fund Chair Bainbridge