Common Council

Jul. 6—The Oneonta Common Council met Tuesday, July 5, and discussed the Hometown Fourth celebration and Downtown revitalization.

Members of the Hill City Celebrations committee thanked the city employees for of the work they did leading up to the celebration and during the celebration.

"Thank you," Doug Brenner said. "This year was dedicated to my folks. It was during my dad's tenure that this started and it's nice to know it's still being done." Ashley Parker, who has taken over the duties of Carol Mandigo, said she has lived in Oneonta for two years and said the July 4th event was "amazing. It was a safe, fun time for all."

Oneonta Police Chief Christopher Witzenburg said the event went "extremely well. There were no calls for service. There was one incident of a missing child, but the child was found within minutes. I think the fire department only handed out Band-aids."

The OPD estimated 10,000 people attended the festival.

"It was by far the best Fourth of July in terms of exiting," Witzenburg said. "It took us 20 minutes to clear the park."

Council Member Len Carson, R-Fifth Ward, thanked the committee for organizing the event and Ben Gunther for the "many different events he sponsors."

Mayor Mark Drnek echoed Carson's comments and said he looks forward to the next festival, First Night.

Downtown revitalization was also a topic of discussion during the petitioners part of the meeting. Sophie Richardson, who owns a business, and is a resident and landlord Downtown said she would like the council to think about small, individual business owners when they discuss revitalization efforts. She talked about the presentation Elise Johnson-Schmidt gave to the council last week about the revitalization efforts in Corning and about a conference call with Saratoga developers.

She said Oneonta is not like Saratoga, which has horse racing, or Corning, which has a huge business as cornerstones of the economy. She said Oneonta's biggest asset is its friendly business owners.

At the end of the meeting, Drnek said more research needed to be done about whether a business improvement district would be beneficial to the city. He also said the Economic Development Committee will discuss it further. During the meeting, the council breezed through the consent agenda, only pulling out two items for discussion. Council Member Luke Murphy, D-First Ward, pulled the approval of the June 29, 2022 minutes because he was absent from the meeting and abstained from the vote.

Murphy also pulled a resolution that would allow council members who couldn't attend in person to attend via videoconference. Murphy thanked City Attorney David Merzig and City Clerk Kerriann Harrington for their work in crafting the legislation.

Merzig said the resolution, which was "still a work in progress" would allow council members who had health care or child care needs to attend meetings remotely. "It's not for those who simply don't feel like attending the meeting," he said. "As long as the core quorum is meeting in person and residents can come participate, the meeting can be held."

The council also voted to apply for:

—A $500,000 New York Main Street Program to assist 47 Chestnut Street, LLC with building stabilization work at the Oneonta Theater.

—A $300,000 Brownfield Opportunity Areas Program through the state.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.