By JIM AUSTIN
Editor

Six months ago the Preservation of League of New York State honored the Glimmerglass Historic District with one of its annual statewide preservation awards. Now, the district and region surroundign it have been named to the league's annual Seven to Save list of endangered historic places.

The league announced the list of seven of the state's most endangered historic properties in a series of press conferences across the state Tuesday.

Demolition, neglect, poor planning and unchecked development are among the threats to these seven valued historic places in danger of disappearing, according to the league.

"These irreplaceable sites represent links to our past, and if they are not appreciated now, they will be lost to future generations," said Scott Heyl, president of the Preservation League of New York State. "These seven sites reflect larger issues of endangered place all over the state. Through listing them, we hope that these sites will be saved and that other communities will take action to protect their heritage before one of their treasured places becomes one of the state's most endangered."

The Glimmerlgass region, which includes the 15,000-acre historic district, is threatened by the growing impact of tourism in the form of sprawl development, the league said in a statement released last week. "Beginning in 1994, Cooperstown, with its international reputation as the home of baseball, has been a magnet for large-scale development related to sports tourism. The types of projects include youth baseball camps, motels, amusement parks, strip malls, and other sprawl-type development which cater to the tourist. The cumulative effect of these projects is destroying the rural and historic character of the Glimmerglass Region. Farm fields now grow parking lots and hamlets face increased demands on aging or non-existent infrastructure."

Martha Frey, executive director of Otsego 2000 and the spokesperson for the Glimmerglass Coalition, which spearheaded placement of the Glimmerglass Historic District on the state and national register of historic places, nominated the region for inclusion on the list. She is quoted on the league's website saying "already a section of New York State Route 28 south of Cooperstown has been significantly altered with suburban-type development. In parts of the region, roads, water and sewer facilities, and other service are strained to meet local needs."

"The question facing the Glimmerglass Region is not whether there will be tourismit has been in place for decades," said Heyl. "Rather, the issues are what form tourism-related development will take and how best to integrate its economic benefits without diminishing the region's outstanding beauty and historic significance."

An historic site, or in this case a region, finds its way onto the list by meeting a number of criteria, according to Emily Curtis, the director of communication for the league.

First, it must be of historic or architectural significance, it may or may not be on the state register of historic places and its existence must be "seriously threatened."

"Also, we look at whether the league's involvement will have an affect in alleviating the threat," she said. "If our involvement would benefit the property."

The league also looks at issues that may also be representative of those be faced in other communities across the state so that not just the listed property benefits, but serves as a role model for preservation effort, she said.

Now that the region has been listed, the Preservation League offers assistance with preservation through technical support, legal aid and advocacy.

Assistance can take many forms and it varies according to the needs of the property, said Curtis, who added that the league commits to helping any way they can to create solutions and help implement plans. In the past they have helped with local advocacy, made public presentations, written letters of support and found or provided sources of funding.

Because the region is not a single property, but spread out over many towns and villages, it might be "more challenging" for the league, Curtis said. "We work with Otsego 2000, which is a good and strong partner, but we need to have many partners represented," she said.

Heyl said one answer to the threats facing the region is to integrate planning efforts across municipal boundaries. "In a state where 'home rule' is strong, it is often challenging to get two neighboring communities to work together. Yet the actions of one affect the other," he said.

"Although some inter-municipal work has occurred, including a Generic Environmental Impact Statement among three municipalities, more efforts are needed if the region is to take hold of its destiny," the website quotes Frey. "There are plans for the expansion or development of three baseball camps, a motel, and a 200-unit baseball-related housing facility on the table right now."

Frey said she nominated the area in the hope that more people would come to see that good planning can usher in development while preserving vistas and quality of life.

"I think there has to be a balance between economic development and preservation," she said. "We have to take stock of our assets, preserve what needs to be preserved and try to attract the kinds of industry the area really needs."

Those industries would operate year-round and pay a living wage, she said.

Robert Poulson, who chaired the Glimmerglass Coalition during its effort to place the Glimmerglass Historic District on the state and national register said Tuesday he was pleased a statewide organization like the Preservation League has recognized the threat to this important historic district.

"No sooner did we get the district on the state and national registers and we were inundated with large-scale development proposals that threaten the historic character of the district," he said.

"By including the Glimmerglass Region in this year's Seven to Save program, the Preservation League is promoting cooperative economic development and land use planning that can guide development, protect the area's remarkable assets, and benefit the region as a whole," Heyl said. A goal of the Preservation League is to work with all stakeholders toward a sustainable economic development strategy that is diverse and respects the region's rural character and rich heritage."