Residents spoke out against a proposed subdivision on Browdy Mountain Monday night during a public hearing conducted by the Town of Otsego planning board.
Developer Bill Miller wants to subdivide an eleven-acre hillside parcel on the west side of Otsego Lake into three parcels ranging from 3.31 to 4.2 acres _ enough to meet the town’s three-acre minimum. Miller is the developer who built the large log condominiums along the lake in the town of Springfield.
Some neighboring property owners questioned Miller’s ability to subdivide the property because of deed restrictions placed on other parcels that, like his, were part of the same original property. The board and Miller’s attorney believe Miller’s piece did not have the same restriction that was placed on the other parcels when they were subdivided from the original.
Beth Westfall, an attorney representing some of the neighbors questioned the determination of no restrictions on the deed.
The idea there is no restriction is ``a very dangerous leap of faith,’’ she said.
She also urged the planning board to consider that as a Type I project it is more likely to have an adverse impact and asked the board to give it special attention.
Veronica Seaver, who owns property nearby said she remembers when there were no homes there.
``I don’t like the idea of any houses,’’ she commented.
Marilyn Bradshaw told the board the decision they make is extremely important.
More homes on Browdy Mountain will change the character of the lake and could potentially increase the amount of run-off.
She also spoke of tree cutting that has already been done and that it will destroy the scenic beauty of the lake and increase run-off.
If the board approves the subdivision, it will encourage more and more development, she said.
Carol Akin, another nearby neighbor, said the lake is at a critical point and approving the subdivision could do more damage to the lake.
``The best protection would be a decision not build anymore on hillsides around the lake,’’ she said.
``There is too much land developed already. Development will not slow unless you slow it. Your decision will impact all residents around the lake.’’
Following the public hearing, the planning board began the State Environmental Quality Review of the subdivision proposal, but did not complete it. The board is still waiting to receive an opinion from the State Office of Historic Preservation before finishing the review.
The property is in the GlimmerglassHistoric District.
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Residents unhappy with subdivision plan
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Mother shares daughter’s Olympic journey with students
FORMER COOPERSTOWN RESIDENT SARAH GROFF, CENTER, will represent the United States in the women’s triathlon at the 2012 London Olympic Games in August. She is seen with Laura Bennett, left, who qualified last weekend in San Diego, and Gwen Jorgensen, who qualified in August.
Just because her three children are an Olympian, a doctor and a novelist, doesn’t mean Jeannine Groff considers herself a Tiger Mom. “Honestly, we’re just blessed,” said the Cooperstown resident and former science teacher at Cherry Valley- Springfield and Owen D. Young schools. “We’ve been very lucky.”
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U.S. News ranks MCS higher than most area schools
Milford Central School has been awarded silver medal status by U.S. News World Report. The district was ranked 116th within New York, which put the school ahead of most other area districts. Edmeston and Gilbertsville- Mount Upton also got silver medal recognition ranked at No. 207 and No. 232 respectively. Laurens, Worcester, Morris and Schenevus achieved bronze medal status.
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CCS junior focuses on softball
In winter, when Cooperstown’s girls basketball team was having success, fans saw center Nicole Cring making baskets and swatting away opponent’s shots. What they didn’t see was Cring getting up at 5 or 6 a.m. to work on her softball game. They didn’t see Cring going to Hartwick three or four days a week to work with her pitching coach, sometimes before school, sometimes after basketball practice.
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CCS quiz team members take on faculty
Faculty outsmarted members of the Cooperstown quiz team during a live showdown Sunday. Three matches were held in the Sterling Auditorium to raise money so members of the high school team can compete nationally in Washington, D.C. Students are scheduled to depart on Thursday, May 31, and return on Sunday, June 3, at a time that will depend on how far they make it in the tournament. The fundraiser brought out about 45 people and raised just over $300.
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Wounded Warrior softball team to play at Doubleday Field
The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team will take on Cooperstown law enforcers and firefighters at Doubleday Field on Sunday. An opening ceremony will be held at noon, followed by the game at 1 p.m. Tickets are available at various venues, but will also be sold at the gate, according to organizers.
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Heegan selected to lead Otsego Chamber
Barbara Ann Heegan, who has promoted living in Oneonta for five years, is expanding her professional role to promote business in Otsego County. The Otsego County Chamber, a private business organization, recently named Heegan as its executive director.
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Village lawsuit settled
Lawyers for former police officer Jennifer Gilbert and the insurance company representing the village of Cooperstown reached an agreement May 15 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit.
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Cooperstown squad marks EMS Week
Members of the Cooperstown Emergency Squad are marking Emergency Medical Services Week this year from May 20-26. This annual national event, sponsored by the American College of Emergency Physicians, serves to promote and recognize local EMS agencies in their communities.
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Club seeks award nominees
The Cooperstown Rotary Club will be presenting the 2012 Christopher J. Warrell Community Service Award at their Annual Dinner on June 26, according to a media release from the Rotary Club. Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike are encouraged to submit nominations for this award, which honors the late Chris Warrell, who exemplified “Service Above Self,” according to a media release.
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Iroquois Festival is this weekend
On Memorial Day weekend, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 26 and 27, the first Iroquois Cultural Festival takes place on the lakefront lawn of the Fenimore Art Museum in Cooperstown, according to a media release from the museum.
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Heritage Plants go on sale
Memorial Day Weekend marks the start of the gardening season for many central New York residents and for more than 16 years, they have relied on the Heritage Plant Sale at The Farmers’ Museum for hardy, distinctive plants, according to a media release from the museum.
Continued ... - Friday, May 18, 2012
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Caregivers and care partners play key role in getting well
According to a man who has provided support to two significant others battling cancer, there is a difference between a caregiver and a care partner. Jim Atwell, of Fly Creek, said a care partner, in some ways, shares in having the illness because that person is there for moral support, encouragement and coming up with solutions. There are no breaks, he said. A care partner is typically someone closely connected to the one needing care, he added.
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Bassett hijacks parking lots
Bassett Heathcare is trying to usurp the two village parking lots on East Lake Road near the entrance to Fairy Springs Park and has put up signs that say the lots are for Bassett Healthcare staff parking only.
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Local school budgets pass
Schools that stayed within the 2 percent tax limit seemed to get voter support. That was the case for Cooperstown Central School, Milford Central School and Cherry Valley-Springfield Central school. CCS’ proposed budget of $16,772,080 passed with a vote of 401 to 114.
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DA: C’town bullying charges adjourned
Non-criminal harassment charges lodged against five Cooperstown High School football players in connection with the alleged bullying of a teammate are being adjourned in contemplation of dismissal, Otsego County District Attorney John Muehl said.
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CCS fifth-graders finish science projects
Cooperstown fifth-graders have been hard at work learning about what scientists go through when working on a new idea. As part of a science inquiry unit, students were asked to come up with their own question of interest that could be tested.
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Award winners announced
The village of Cooperstown Historic Preservation and Architectural Review Board announced its 2010-11 Preservation Awards in a brief ceremony last week.
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Seminar focuses on pet vaccinations
Do we vaccinate our pets too much? That was the question posed Saturday at a seminar organized by the Healthy Dog Project, which is based in Cooperstown, and held at the Fenimore Art Museum.
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Cherry Valley Artworks prepares for busy season
The air inside the old Judd Foundry building at 44 Main St. is a bit cool. But who needs to spend money on heating an old building, when money for the arts is in such short supply and your mission is to produce exciting exhibits and public events that each year draw throngs of people to this wind-swept northern Otsego County village?
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’Tis the season for gardening
Next Wednesday will be a day for gardening in Cooperstown. It is the date of the annual Spring Festival at the elementary school’s Kid Garden and the start of a new initiative to involve the whole family in gardening called Growing Community. Students at all levels of the elementary school have been busy this spring starting seedlings, Kid Garden Coordinator Kristen Griger said this week.
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