Letter from Richard Blabey

Say No To Vinyl Banners on Poles

A pillar of Cooperstown’s economy is tourism. People come to visit our museums and experience what life was like in a less complicated past. Simply put, Cooperstown sells nostalgia.

To this end, the village is protected by its location in a Historic District. Our Zoning Law prevents high-rise construction. Our Historical Preservation and Architectural Review Board ensures that structures are compatible with the neighborhoods within which they are located.

Finally, the Sign Law protects our streetscapes and neighborhoods, key elements of Cooperstown’s unique historic and cultural heritage. Tourists visit, experience all of this, and plan to return.

I am concerned that vinyl banners hung from the utility poles will risk gumming up what we have worked hard to build over many decades, a finely tuned economic engine that enriches not just Cooperstown, but Otsego County as well.

Richard Blabey
Cooperstown