Commission OKs church, businesses
The city Planning Commission approved a church on River Street, a laundromat on Chestnut Street and a restaurant on Main Street at its monthly meeting Wednesday.
The self-service laundromat in the Oneonta Plaza at 76 Chestnut St. and a hot-dog restaurant at 182 Main St. were approved unanimously.
A couple from Missouri who recently moved to the area are proposing to convert a former grocery store at 148 River St. into an independent church and residence.
Their plan prompted some concern, mostly about traffic, from about a half-dozen residents, Planning Commission Chairman Rob Robinson said after the meeting.
The site plan from Kaler and Laura Carpenter was approved by a 5-2 vote with commissioners David Zummo and Jean Ostrowski voting against it, Robinson said.
Seward set for meeting today
Sen. James L. Seward, R-Oneonta, has scheduled a fall "town-hall" style meeting in Sherburne at 7 p.m. today. At the meeting, Seward will visit with constituents, discuss current state issues and take questions. The meeting will be at the fire department at 15 W. State St.
For the first hour, Seward and area residents will discuss state issues. Later, Seward will be available to speak one-on-one with participants.
Bridge to be inspected
The state Department of Transportation announced that a bridge inspection will be performed on the Brooker Hollow Road Bridge over the Delaware and Hudson Railroad in the town of Worcester beginning at 9:30 a.m. today.
Officials said alternating lane closures will be in effect during the inspection, with flaggers to guide traffic. Work is expected to be completed by 4 p.m., weather permitting.
The bridge, which spans a Canadian Pacific Railway track, was deemed unsafe by the DOT in 2005. A settlement with Canadian Pacific Railway brokered by Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, will split the repair costs between the state and the railway.
Eagle talk set at Hartwick
Todd Katzner will discuss his research on the ecology and conservation of eagles in the former Soviet Union at 7 p.m. today in Room 202 of Johnstone Science Center on the Hartwick College campus in Oneonta. His talk is titled "Non-invasive demography of threatened and endangered vultures and eagles." The presentation is free and open to the public.
Katzner, director of conservation and field research at National Aviary in Pittsburgh, and adjunct assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Pittsburgh, focuses his research on "the interactions among animals, people, the environment we share and human social structures."
Since 1997, he has conducted research on the ecology and conservation of eagles at a nature reserve in north-central Kazakhstan.
Doctor will speak on health care
At 7 p.m. today, Dr. Andrew Coates of Physicians for a National Health Program will speak about health care reform at United Ministries in Delhi.
Presenters said Coates will discuss health care reform proposals before Congress and will take questions from those in attendance.
According to its website, phnp.org, "Physicians for a
National Health Program is a single-issue organization advocating a universal, comprehensive single-payer national health program. PNHP has more than 17,000 members and chapters across the United States."
Coates is assistant professor of medicine and psychiatry at Albany Medical College
and practices medicine in Albany.
He served as chief resident of medicine at M.I. Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown.
The presentation is open to the public. United Ministries is on Courthouse Square, behind Delaware National Bank.
