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Scrapping the project would be ill advised—both from the standpoint of precedence and the abandonment of the clear public benefit in having a dock. The village is building the dock for the anonymous person in the wheel chair, for the unknown child with a fishing pole, the boater dropping off a passenger, the anxious bride and her wedding photographer.…
In summary, our view shed is unparalleled, with plentiful bench seating for all in a lovely, natural setting. The construction of a viewing deck with lights, railings, trash receptacles, etc. detracts from a setting that must be preserved and maintained as it is.…
Accessibility to the edge of the lake is as simple as good design of existing structures. First, ensure that the path is truly accessible. Today, accessibility is possible on many surfaces that would be considerably less expensive than a platform that requires footings dug into the lakebed. The garden at the Cornell Cooperative Extension on Lake Street has an accessible surface of gravel that was poured into grids that hold the gravel firmly enough to allow people with wheelchairs and…
Many people wrote letters and conversed with village trustees to share their concern. Many people showed up to the March 25 village meeting. Once the conversation was raised openly, it became quite clear that most people in the village were as surprised as I was that this public works project was happening and most were not in favor of it for a variety of reasons.…
I was not in favor of this project when I sat on the NY Forward Planning Committee and was pleased that it was not funded through those efforts. Seeing this project happen so soon, funded through other means, is a shock to all of us on Pioneer Street.…
When Iron String Press received the first e-mail from a concerned citizen who said they knew nothing about the Village of Cooperstown’s plans to install a cantilevered viewing platform at the terminus of Pioneer Street, we were surprised. It was not news to us, because we had covered the village’s NY Forward $4.5 million grant process from beginning to end, and the viewing platform was one of a number of projects being considered for funding.…
Having lived at 20 Pioneer Street for over 24 years, we have never encountered a proposal that jeopardizes our way of life environmentally, economically, and in terms of community health—more than this one.…
Regarding the complaints made by the neighbors: You live next to a very popular public park—with picnic tables, trash receptacles, park benches, an award-winning landscape buffer by the lake, walkways, a bandstand, all with a spectacular public view of a gorgeous lake.…
According to Cooperstown Mayor Ellen Tillapaugh, the project—some eight years in the making—was conceptualized as a result of public input, including the village’s 2018 Parks Survey and numerous public charrettes for the 2016 Comprehensive Plan, which emphasized the need for greater ADA-compliant accessibility and access to Otsego Lake via Lakefront Park for non-boaters, including a walking/fishing pier.…
I am writing about the impending Lakefront Viewing Platform slated to be built out over the water at the end of Pioneer Street that is now out to bid. Some of us on the block have only just found out about this project moving forward through contractors bidding on it. While I am not in favor of this project in this location, my letter today is about the failure of the village to inform anyone who will be directly impacted by…