The following are our choices for the top stories of 2002.

Bassett Healthcare unveiled a $52 million facilities master plan in January that will reshape patient care and see the hospital through the coming decades.

Bassett president and CEO Dr. William Streck said during a presentation to the village planning board that the plan will renovate and upgrade to the hospital's 32 year-old structure.

One of the key components of the project will be the expansion of the inpatient care facility that includes adding a fifth floor. The proposed additional floor will house a new 12- to 14-bed intensive care unit, a 22-bed progressive car unit , dialysis and respiratory care services. The plan also calls for a 20 percent reduction in the number of patient beds.

The master plan takes into account changing standards in healthcare and the natural deterioration of the facility due to age.

According to a letter to the planning board from Bassett Healthcare Vice-President Joe Middleton, when that facility was opened in 1970, the current design standard required only 256 square feet per patient bed. Today, that has climbed to 450 square feet.

The same holds true for operating rooms which have grown from 1,400 square feet 30 years ago to 2,700 square feet, almost twice as much.

While the inpatient facility grows in size, its capacity - measured in patient beds - will shrink.

According to Middleton, part of the preliminary design process included a market assessment which showed it would be possible to reduce the bed capacity from 188 to 148 to reduce space requirements.

Following the creation of the intensive care unit on the new fifth floor, the master plan calls for the renovation of the remainder of the inpatient facility. Through the next four years, each patient care area will be upgraded.

Existing space will be converted to private rooms to enhance clinical care by providing physical isolation for patients who require this environment and ensuring privacy when necessary.

Construction of the first phase of the plan is underway.

A developer announced plans for a $50 million wind park that would place as many as 50 wind turbines on Cherry Valley hilltops and generate enough electricity to power 37,000 homes.

The turbines would be clearly visible on the landscape and may put many resident's environmental views to the test as they try and balance the clean, renewable source of power with the project's impact on its surroundings.

Erich Bachmeyer and Daniel Albano, of Global Winds Harvest, Inc., a Cambridge, Mass., based company, attended a meeting of the Cherry Valley town board in April to again talk about the plan and the following week returned for a sketch plan meeting with the town planning board in anticipation of submitting a site plan review for the project in the summer.

Representatives of the company had been in the Cherry Valley area for more than a year assessing the wind and talking to land owners whose property is located where the turbines would be sited.

"There are many obstacles in developing a wind park," said Bachmeyer, who explained they have been collecting data on winds in the area and that the data came back favorable.

The wind park the company envisioned for Cherry Valley would be located on two sites. One is on East Hill five miles east of the village. The second is along a ridge two miles west of the village off County Route 54 in the vicinity of Irish Hollow Road, south of the Cherry Valley-Springfield school in an area known locally as "the cape."

Each site would have approximately half of the 40 to 50 turbines planned for the park. The sketch plan submitted to the planning board Tuesday night calls for a total of 43 turbines..

The towers are going to be between 235 and 270 feet high and have blades that are 130 feet in length. The turbines operate at approximately 12 to 19 revolutions per minutes and can survive a 150 mile an hour wind, Bachmeyer said. The towers are anchored on 50 by 50 foot concrete bases.

Opposition to the plan was vocal with citizens worried about the impact of wind turbines on landscape and property values.

By the time the site plan was submitted to the planning board, the project had been scaled back by half with the east hill site being eliminated.

Following submission of the site plan, the planning boar gave the developer a list of additional information that was needed, but they have not returned. This fall, Bachmeyer said the company is still putting together the remaining details of the plan and is attempting to sell the electricity that will be generated by the turbines.

First draft of GEIS released

It turns out that what may limit the Cooperstown area's capacity for growth more than any other factor is communication.

After months of exhaustive research into the current environmental conditions ranging from geology to land use trends that fill the almost 250-page Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Capacities of the Cooperstown Region, consultant Nan Stolzenberg said during a press conference marking the document's release Tuesday morning, that the biggest challenge facing this region doesn't come from environmental factors, but from communication and people being able to understand different points of view and locations.

"I think a lot can be solved when there is an acknowledgment of the issues and a frank discussion of what it means for the area," she said.

The ability of residents and municipalities to communicate effectively with their neighbors is an issue in lots and lots of places, not just the Cooperstown region, Stolzenberg said.

"With a sense of willingness and good intentions, people have the ability to come together and solve these things," Stolzenberg said.

But the region is highly vulnerable to environmental impact and current regulatory and growth trends may allow changes in the area that residents would find hard to swallow, according to the executive summary of the GEIS released in May.

"There has been little coordinated planning for the future that would serve to protect the unique resources of the area," Stolzenberg wrote in the summary which also states that there is a desire among residents and businesses to continue the growth and prosperity of the region.

In an effort to balance future development and environment, area municipalities must implement planning, non-regulatory, regulatory and incentive programs. According to the GEIS, one way to do that is through a regional comprehensive plan that establishes a regional vision of the future and contains the provisions for reaching that goal.

Stolzenberg "highly recommends" putting together a regional comprehensive plan. There are models of other regions where municipalities work together on planning issues and each takes into account the impact on its neighbors and does so without a formal, overriding document like a comprehensive master plan.

Last month the final draft of the GEIS was released with comments garnered during a public hearing on the first draft and the responses from Stolzenberg and her staff.

Copies of the GEIS may be reviewed in local libraries.

Trustees enact tourist accommodation moratorium

In October, the village planning board recommended that the board of trustees enact a six-month moratorium on new tourist accommodations or the expansion of existing ones.

"We have been working on revisions to the zoning law for years and we are nearing completion," said planning board chairman Paul Kuhn Wednesday morning.

According to Kuhn, the moratorium would allow the board of trustees to complete work on the zoning law and study the issues surrounding tourist accommodations in more depth.

In recent years, many people have voiced the concern that the growing number of tourist accommodations is have a negative affect on residential neighborhoods. Former Mayor Wendell Tripp often cautioned about the impact they were having on neighborhoods and loss of affordable housing in the village as apartment were converted to tourist accommodations.

Kuhn said, however, that tourist accommodations have both negative and positive affects.

"It's my belief that they can be positive," he said, pointing to the fact that B&B owners take good care of their property.

The GEIS which was released in the early summer stated that much of the village's infrastructure is being pushed to the maximum and that it is a warning signal that should be heeded, he said.

Kuhn also said that the board believes it has seen an increase in the number of tourist accommodations, but no one really knows for sure how many are operating in the village. One thing which should be done during the moratorium, he said, is to get a better handle on the how many there are. "All we have is a sense that here is an increase.

"Tourist accommodations are healthy for Cooperstown when they are in the right amount.," he said.

The trustees, he said, need to study the issues surrounding tourist accommodations and the impacts they have on the village. If there are issues to address they can do so, but instituting the moratorium doesn't necessarily mean the trustees would seek tighter controls on their numbers or operation.

During a recent public hearing, residents expressed concerns that the quality of life in the village had been diminished, particularly by tourist accommodations catering to the week-long stays of Dreams Park visitors.

The planning board earlier this month concluded that the approximately 60 tourist accommodations was not too many for the village, but that the 16 applications for new ones received in the last two years represented an "alarming number."

The moratorium continues into the coming year.

Zebra mussels found in Canadarago Lake

RICHFIELD - Biological Field Station divers confirmed in late July that there is a breeding population of zebra mussels in Canadarago Lake which opened the door of the Susquehanna River basin to the native of the Black Sea region which has caused economic and environmental harm where it has gained a foothold.

The discovery also means the zebra mussel, which already infests many of the state's waters, is closer than ever and increases the chances it will be accidentally introduced to Otsego Lake - most likely by recreational boaters traveling between the local lakes.

"This non-native, invasive species could inflict considerable economic and environmental harm unless contained," said Tom Horvath, an internationally known zebra mussel expert, who joined the staff at SUNY Oneonta's Biological Field Station on Otsego Lake last year.

"I think this bodes ill," said Biological Field Station Director Dr. Willard Harman, "because with zebra mussels four miles away we have to be ever more vigilant. I think there needs to be immediate action taken. I hope we will be pro-active."

Zebra mussels can be carried to a downstream body of water and infest it, added Horvath. The Susquehanna River, which has been free of this destructive exotic, is connected to Canadarago Lake by Oaks Creek. "Now, zebra mussels have direct access along the river which passes through Binghamton, N.Y. and both Wilkes Barre and Harrisburg, Pa., and into Maryland," he said.

Horvath said that almost two weeks ago a lakeside resident of Canadarago Lake called the field station to report what they believed to be a zebra mussel. Horvath verified it was a zebra mussel, but found no more.

Not only does the zebra mussel threaten the Susquehanna, it also gives rise to "extreme concern" about Otsego Lake which has been free of the troublesome exotic.

"This means the threat is at our doorstep," said Otsego Lake Watershed Manager Win McIntyre. "We're pretty worried. We haven't any means of protecting the lake."

One of the biggest economic impacts zebra mussels have is to clog pipes such as water intakes. Not only is the water intake of the Village of Cooperstown at risk, but so are the estimated 100 plus homes that draw their water directly from the lake. The cost of cleaning intakes could be considerable. An estimated $5 billion annually is spent on control and removal of zebra mussels in the Great Lakes region.

There is no specific estimate of the potential cost to the village and lakeside residents, but according to Horvath, small municipalities can typically spend as much as $20,000 annually "just to live with the zebra mussel."

The village board responded quickly to the threat and set up a boat washing station with financial assistance from the newly formed Otsego Lake Association which provided the power washing machinery. This fall, the board approved a plan that will be put in place for the next summer that will require boaters to pay a launch fee at both of the villages two launch sites. The launch fee includes a free boat washing which boaters will be strongly recommended to take advantage of before putting their craft in the water.

The fees are not expected to cover the cost of the program and village taxpayers may have to come up with as much as $40,000 to cover the shortfall.

Otsego Lake Association formed

SPRINGFIELD - At almost the same time the zebra mussel was found in Canadarago lake, a group of property owners around Otsego lake came together to form the Otsego Lake Association.

The association provides a unified voice for residents, and particularly property owners, concerned about the welfare of the lake.

The new group immediately called for action by local officials to prevent the zebra mussel from being introduced into the lake.

New association president Robert Einreinhofer during a meeting of the group that keeping exotics out of the lake is "now a top priority for the organization."

The Association was formed during a gathering of more than 80 people, who primarily are property owners around Otsego Lake.

According to a statement released by Einreinhofer and Dan Rosen, a spokesperson for the organization, the group seeks to implement the 1998 Otsego Lake Management Plan in a more timely fashion.

The plan was adopted in 1998 by the four municipalities bordering the lake - the towns of Middlefield, Otsego and Springfield and the village of Cooperstown.

The goals of the plan include ensuring the quality of drinking water for the village of Cooperstown and other private residences, preserve the lake's natural beauty and viability as a tourist attraction, protect the fishery, ensure safety of recreational users of the lake and preserve the lake as a recreational facility.

It was clear, Einreinhofer said, that involvement with local government bodies regarding all management plan goals would be an ongoing activity of the association.

Rosen, who has been a volunteer at the Biological Field station for more than a decade, sand that in addition to the recent discovery of the zebra mussels in neighboring Canadarago Lake, the lake property owners were also concerned about the 200-foot no-wake zone and its enforcement.

Otsego County Conservation Association director Teresa Winchester, who is also a member of the Otsego County Water Quality Coordinating Committee, was instrumental in setting up meetings that lead to the formation of the association.

The association has continued to work on the zebra mussel threat and provided a power washer for the village to use at its boat washing facility last fall. The group purchased a second machine in the hope the town of Springfield would set up a washing station at its launch site, but were turned down by local officials.

Hartwick to upgrade water system

HARTWICK - The Hartwick Board of Water Commissioners voted in early December to move forward with a $1.6 million upgrade to its more than 100-year-old system.

The town board, which also acts as the board of water of commissioners, had held two public information meetings about the project to explain the project and solicit comment from residents of the water district.

Town supervisor Carol Neidzialkowski said during the first meeting that over the years plans to improve the system have lost momentum, but that the town board had decided to again look into the possibility of doing a big project.

In the December board meeting she commented that "this is the farthest we've ever gotten with the water system. It's not a decision any of us took lightly."

The improvements to the system include a new well, 150,000 gallon storage reservoir, 8-inch water mains, replacement of service lines when necessary, rehabilitation of the creamery well building, an emergency generator and for the first time, meters to recorded each customer's usage.

Funding would come from a mix of federal and state loans and grants. The bulk of the money will be a $1.37 million, no-interest loan from the New York Sate Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund.

The U.S. Department of Agricutlure Rural Development Agency will provide a $116,000 grant and $100,000 loan at 4.5 percent interest.

The water district currently has no debt and repaying the loans would add $200 a year to all water customers bills. The cost of the proposed plan would bring the annual cost to residential customers to approximately $369, including the debt service.

Customers are now paying $150 for water.

Niedzialkowski said much of the coming year would be taken up securing funds and soliciting bids for the project. There is a chance the project could begin next fall, but most of the work will be done in summer of 2004.

Hall of Fame begins $10 million renovation

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum has started work in March on what has become a three-year, $10 million renovation of the institution.

The museum will put into play many of the things staff members have learned in assembling the exhibits for their America as Baseball touring exhibition which just opened at the Museum of Natural History in New York, said Hall of Fame President Dale Petroskey.

"I think our curatorial team has learned a lot in putting together the exhibition. We're thinking about things in a new way," he said.

Hall of Fame spokesperson Jeff Idelson said the scope of the project has changed from what it was originally three years ago to include the renovation of much of the museum.

Idelson said there are four components to the project: to create a safe environment for visitors; provide a smoother traffic flow through the museum's galleries; better manage and control the climate for the artifacts and to provide a greater presence of interactive technology for visitors.

While some of the specific details remain to be worked out, the project will result in an increase of exhibit space, but not through increasing the size of the building. "Basically we are going to better utilize space we have to provide a more seamless entry from one exhibit to another," Idelson said, adding that it could mean a hallway or two would disappear.

Petroskey added that currently there is no real flow to the story line and that will be changed so visitors can make sure they saw everything in the museum. "We're going to make it flow better," he said.

The content of museum exhibits will also be expanded through interactive technology.

"The interactive component will augment and compliment the museum's exhibits," Idelson explained. "We have a plethora of information that couldn't be used in the space we have. Interactive technology will allow us to tell a deeper story."

And the Hall has learned, Petroskey said, that interactive doesn't necessarily have to mean high-tech. He pointed to an example from the Baseball as America exhibition in which baseball bats from Hall of Famers are tethered, but can be picked up and handled by visitors so they can get a feel for the bats and the differences between them.

The new approaches to creating exhibits have started with the touring exhibition, but may wind their way to Cooperstown as well. "I see some of these things finding their way into exhibits in Cooperstown, Petroskey said, but added that the institution will never give way to batting cages and pitching machines. "We're never going to be gimmicky with interactive technology," he said.

The main entrance to museum will see alterations to address climate control issues created when the outside atmosphere enters the building along with visitors. Idelson said the concept is to create an airlock of sorts that would halt the flow of outside air into the museum.

The project includes improvements to some of the museum's environmental and fire safety systems, such as sprinklers and fire alarms.

Funding for the project will come from two state grants totaling approximately $2.5 million. The remainder will be private foundations, Idelson said.

CCS keeps Redskins name

The board of education charted a course straight down the middle of the road in regard to the school's use of the team name Redskins or the Indian Hunter logo.

"We decline either to order the discontinuation of the Redskins name and Indian Hunter logo or to endorse that name and logo," stated a response penned by the board's public relations committee and adopted by the board earlier this month.

Since August, the public relations committee had been reviewing a report received from an ad hoc committee formed by the board of education to review the use of the team name, logo and mascot.

The committee was formed in response to a letter from the state commissioner of education, Richard Mills, who asked that schools stop using Native American nicknames, symbols and mascots.

Terry Bliss chaired the ad hoc committee and in March said that community support is overwhelmingly on the side of maintaining the Redskins tradition and the group planned to recommend the continued use of the name.

But in August when the report went to the board of education, the committee had softened its stance and Bliss opted not to make a firm recommendation. The committee was not charged with making a recommendation, which is why they didn't do so, he said.

"There appears to be little incentive to change the name at this time," Bliss said. "Since it seems to be not much of an issue, we don't see the merit in making it one."

The board, in its response to the committee's report, said that there are two policies in place which it believes address the issue.

One forbids discrimination and harassment on racial and ethnic grounds and the other promotes the use of shared decision making throughout the district.

While not taking a firm stance on the Redskins name, the board advocated continued discussion of the subject if anyone cares to.

"We would therefore encourage continued conversation at the appropriate levels and with the appropriate organizations regarding team name and logo," the statement said.

The board, as always, is interested in hearing form groups and individuals about anything that pertains to the district, McPhail said. It is not the board's intention to create a formal approach to the issue, but to keep it more informal.

The board, she said has already put all the formal structures in place to address the issue as requested by the education commissioner.

In its review of the team name and logo, the board was stymied to some extent, by the lack of a clear message from the community, McPhail said.

Street reconstruction plan begins

The $1.8 million reconstruction of Main Street started a multi-year effort to improve some of the village's most troublesome streets

A year ago, while adopting the budget for the coming year, the board agreed to take a look at formulating a prioritized list of streets that need repair and embark on a program to fix them.

The village had tentatively planned to begin street reconstruction this year and had targeted five sections of roadway. The job is not as simple as rebuilding the streets, but also takes into account recommended repairs and upgrades to sewer and water lines buried under the road surface.

"Main Street is rotten to the core," said former mayor Wendell Tripp.

The board discussed starting the streets project elsewhere in the village, but decided to stick with Main Street which was originally targeted for the starting point.

Tripp said the village wanted to avoid borrowing and that the tax rate had not gone up in 10 years, but added "I think most residents would rather have a modest increase in taxes rather than wait and have a big increase."

The $1.8 million project may be funded through the use of some or all of the money in a streets improvement reserve fund and from a budgetary surplus which is now close to $850,000. Some of the cost could also be borne by the general fund budget for next year.

Work on the sewer and water lines would be paid for through rates charged users rather than property taxes. Costs attributed for streets are almost $1,280,000; for sewer and water the cost if expected to be $360,000.

"We can look good by holding taxes steady and building the surplus," Tripp said, "but you don't want to put things off and cause a real calamity down the road."

In August, the board of trustees adopted a new, albeit more expensive, approach to the Main Street reconstruction project that will turn what could have become a business district nightmare into just a bad dream.

The new plan worked out by village officials, their engineer and contractor Frank Kane, whose company was awarded the $688,000 contract.

Kane described the original 75-day timetable as a "high pressure schedule" and said he thought the job would go better if it was done block-by-block instead of tearing up the entire length of the street at one time.

"We batted things around and want to make things the best we can for businesses and tourists," said Project Manager Jim Heiser, of Lamont Engineering, who added that 75 days was "ambitious."

Heiser said that by going block-by-block they would "not be getting the whole village tied up." The new approach to the project would put off milling the street until spring and allow the contractor to focus on specific sections of the street as the work progresses from River Street to Pine Blvd.

In the spring, the contractor will return for approximately three weeks to mill the old asphalt and repave the entire street.

The new plan, which was approved by the trustees will add approximately $40,000 to the cost of the project.