to tourists

Much as I hate to, I have to agree with the merchants, paid parking is for the pits. Why should the villagers be allowed the same opportunity as the tourists when it comes to finding a space to park on Main Street? Ideally, the tourist should be allowed to park right in front of any store in which they wish to purchase a souvenir or get a bite to eat. All the villagers do is take up valuable space that can better serve the economy of Main Street.

If the Cooperstown residents wish to go to a bank, there are plenty of such institutions off the main drag on Pioneer Street, on Rt. 28 just out of town and soon to be on Chestnut Street. If they wish to use the post office, there is always Milford’s, down the road. Come on now, the shop keepers need to keep their coffers filled and charging tourists to park downtown will take money away from achieving that goal.

Besides, paid parking would inhibit the possibility of having the Running of the Bulls (my suggestion for bringing in additional tourists). If we had paid parking, people would get a parking sticker or pay for a parking ticket and then feel that they had a right to park anywhere at anytime. We need to clear the street for the bulls. My friend, the Duke of Eastlake, thinks it’s a great idea and said that he would help support this event, that is, if we provide him with a shovel.

Bob Lettis

Cooperstown

Johnson thanks voters

Thank you to everyone who supported my candidacy, and our effort for change in Otsego County government. We have a unique opportunity at hand to develop a real, meaningful agenda for Otsego County, focusing on:

Property tax relief and budget responsibility.

Tourism infrastructure investment programs.

Post-MOSA solid waste planning.

A complete and thorough examination of the effectiveness and efficiencies county government and ways to improve both.

Spearheading ecological efforts including the necessary repairs on Canadarago Lake.

Improve the economic climate to attract year-round businesses and better paying jobs.

Behind any successful candidacy there are many hard-working, dedicated people. I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to all of those who gave their time, their encouragement, displayed signs in their yards, and offered other resources in our effort to make things better in Otsego County.

I would also like to thank Nancy Iversen, for her years of dedicated service to our community. Ms. Iversen is truly an asset to Otsego County and the Town of Otsego, and her contributions will continue to be important to our future.

I look forward to the job ahead and encourage input from all points of view as we strive to maintain our quality of life and for a more effective and productive Otsego County government.

Jim Johnson

Fly Creek

Supports paid parking

We are very hopeful that Cooperstown’s proposed paid parking plan passes this month. The village has many infrastructure problems that need to be addressed ASAP, and these necessary projects are going to cost a huge amount of money. We don’t know anyone who lives in the village who wants taxes to be increased, but we’re sure that’s what will need to be done if another stream of revenue isn’t found.

Obviously paid parking is not the sole answer, but it certainly would help at least offset the cost. A lot of time, energy, and thoughtful consideration have gone into the current paid parking plan to minimize the impact on local residents, while getting some financial relief in the process. Where else can you invest $10 (the proposed cost of an annual parking pass) and have the potential to raise $200,000 to $600,000 in return?

Cooperstown’s current policy of charging to park out of town and use the trolley system, while offering free parking in town, goes against all logic. When we go on vacation, we are never surprised to have to pay a fee for parking in order to be in close proximity to the attraction we’re visiting. It’s what we expect, and we think it’s what most travelers expect. As for the local business owners who worry that paid parking on the streets will keep shoppers from area towns away, we find that unlikely. As most area residents know, it is nearly impossible to find parking in downtown Cooperstown during the peak summer months, when paid parking is proposed to be in place. Our guess is that most of them stay away until the busy summer months have passed, in which case parking would then be free. If they do venture into town in the peak of the season, we can’t imagine that a $2 per hour parking fee would keep area shoppers from coming.

Is the proposed parking plan perfect? Probably not, but no parking plan will ever be perfect (or make everyone happy). Is it a good start in the right direction? Absolutely! And the details are not written in stone, so if kinks are found during the first season, the details can be fine-tuned over time. However, if the parking proposal doesn’t get passed now but instead gets shuttled to be discussed until it is "perfect," we may never have paid parking (and we certainly won’t have it by next summer).

Let’s be proactive and pass the paid parking plan now.

Jeanne Dewey

and John Dewey

Cooperstown

Express parking concerns

A new law establishing paid parking in the Doubleday lot as well as on Main and Pioneer Streets will be up for a vote by Village Trustees at the Nov. 19 meeting of the Village Board of Trustees. Charging a fee in Doubleday seems to make obvious sense. But because paid parking in the Doubleday lot has been combined with paid parking _ either with the Pay and Display machines or an annual permit _ for street parking I must reject the whole plan for the following reasons:

Customers of Main Street businesses will be discouraged from patronizing our stores and restaurants due to the additional cost and time required to either purchase a permit or use the Pay and Display machines.

It appears likely that businesses could close as customers choose to go elsewhere leaving empty storefronts in their wake.

A nonrefundable cost exceeding $100,000 will be incurred by the village to purchase permit machines which will need maintenance and create, as yet, undetermined signage and administrative expenses without any guarantee as to their success.

Exploring ways to increase our income is a very worthy endeavor. However, making a law that results in damage to our business community as well as the quality of life we currently enjoy would speak poorly for the citizens of Cooperstown and its surrounding areas. This is serious business.

Please join me by voicing these concerns, and any others you may have, to our Trustees before it is too late. Please do it today.

Rick Hulse, Sr.

Cooperstown

Paid parking not needed

On Monday, Nov. 19, the Village of Cooperstown Board of Trustees is poised to vote to implement paid parking in the village. The proposal has undergone a number of changes since first being presented to the public. However, the main reason for introducing paid parking to Cooperstown, namely the raising of revenue, has not changed.

From the beginning, the concept of paid parking has not been presented as a means to improve the availability of parking, control the flow of traffic or enhance the ambiance of the Main Street business district. The one and only stated goal is revenue. Consequently, it is rather perplexing that no detailed explanation of any costs, other than the price of the pay and display machines, has been forthcoming. There has been no mention of the cost of installation or maintenance of the pay and display machines. Discussion of the cost of needed additional signs has been missing. The cost of what will surely be increased enforcement of parking regulations has not been considered. Attention has not been given to what will surely be an increase in personnel to cover the counting of quarters, rumored to be the only money which the machines will apparently accept, not to mention lugging said quarters to the bank. The question of the cost of the use of credit cards, the other method of payment which the machines supposedly will accept, has not been raised. Yet, in spite of the fact that none of these issues have been addressed, the message from the majority of the Board of Trustees seems to be that paid parking as they see it will be a boon to Cooperstown.

Beyond the costs associated with the proposed paid parking, little, if any attention has been given to the message that paid parking sends to visitors to the community as well as residents of the area. It seems quite clear, given the current proposal, that the intent of the paid parking is to get something for the village from visitors to the area. The fact that in doing so, there will also be something gotten from both residents of the village and residents of the surrounding areas appears to be of little consequence to those promoting paid parking. No one likes to feel they are being taken advantage of. Yet, to promote the village as a vacation spot and then greet the visitors with two dollar an hour paid parking, which may or, more likely, may not be available, seems somehow to be doing just that. The act of charging two dollars an hour would somehow seem more acceptable, if that parking were to be unlimited time-wise and in ample supply. However, parking in Cooperstown is quite limited as the length of permitted parking on Main and Pioneer Streets. Simply paying to park will not meet the needs of those wishing to visit the Hall of Fame as well as take in the shops and restaurants in the Main Street business district unless they manage to find a spot in the Doubleday Field parking lot.

Beyond the message being sent to visitors and residents alike to dig deep, there seems to have been little attention paid to the impact on businesses which will be affected by the paid parking. Visitors will no doubt continue to come to Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of Fame. But will they continue to stay, knowing that seemingly high priced parking is limited on Main and Pioneer Streets to two hours, after which time they will need to move their vehicles or face a parking fine on top of the paid parking? How many will make the decision to tour the Hall of Fame and then skedaddle out of town to dine and shop elsewhere? And how will this potential decline in the length of time visitors choose to stay in Cooperstown affect the local shops and restaurants? Quite frankly, it is difficult to see how the proposed paid parking will prove to be advantageous to local business.

And finally, it would seem that no thought has been given to whether or not the image of paid parking is one which this community wishes to present to the world. One of CooperstownĘs greatest attributes is its charm. It is a place that people enjoy visiting because it is not like every other place in the country. Cooperstown is Cooperstown. And there is much to be said for keeping it as such. It would seem quite possible that if the proposed paid parking is adopted, with its emphasis on raising funds without consideration for anything else, the potential of destroying that charm exists.

And, so often when a governmental entity undertakes a program that has a sole goal of raising money, the program is less than successful because the goal was inappropriate to the issue. There is little argument that parking in Cooperstown can be annoying. But to adopt a program that will force people to pay for that annoyance without any thought of improving the parking situation, defies reason.

Consequently, anyone who agrees that, at this time, paid parking is not what Cooperstown needs or wants, should plan to attend the Village Board meeting on Monday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the auditorium at the Cooperstown Central Middle/High School on Linden Avenue. Do not miss this opportunity to stand up and be counted among those people who want to keep the Cooperstown that is Cooperstown.

Catherine Lake Ellsworth

Cooperstown