... To the many longtime local public servants who are retiring in the next couple of weeks.
Among them are Oneonta Fire Chief Robert Barnes, Oneonta Community Development Director and Engineering Administrator Joseph Bernier and Sidney Supervisor Joe Maddalone.
Barnes, who will leave office Friday, had a 36-year career in public safety, serving 18 years as Oneonta's fire chief.
Barnes began his career as an Otsego County corrections officer in 1973 and became a sheriff's deputy two years later.
In 1981, he became the county's emergency services director. Barnes joined the Oneonta Fire Department in 1990 as an assistant chief. He was appointed chief a year later.
Bernier was hired in May 1975 as the community development director. He became the city's engineering administrator in 1990, overseeing much of the brick and mortar aspects of government.
During his nearly 35 years in city government, Bernier helped Oneonta get more than $30 million in grant funding, much of which went to improve the city's downtown.
Maddalone has spent the past 12 years representing the largest town by population in Delaware County.
He has chaired the Public Safety Committee since 1998 and dealt with the construction of the county's new Public Safety complex.
We thank those men, and the many other public servants who have given so many years to the Heartland of New York, for all they have done.
We wish them well in retirement.
o ... To members of the Oneonta region chapter of The Compassionate Friends, a national support organization for families grieving the death of a child, for holding its annual candle-lighting event on Dec. 13. The program included candle lighting, poems, readings, music and fellowship.
The holiday season is difficult for those who have lost a loved one. It is often especially hard on those who have lost a child.
We're glad to see the Compassionate Friends continue this tradition, offering solace for those who need it.
o ... To recent graduates of the Oneonta Job Corps Academy, who were honored in a ceremony earlier this month.
Of the 111 students who qualified in a number of fields, 18 attended the ceremony held at the Job Corps' recreation center on Dec. 11. Several hundred friends, family and staff also attended.
Besides learning a vocation, many Job Corps students also help out in the area, building Habitat for Humanity homes, taking part in cleanup days and many other volunteer efforts.
We applaud the graduates for their achievements and many for helping make the community better.
