To the city of Oneonta and Oneonta Public Transit for offering summer bus service between Wilber and Neahwa parks.
The service offers residents _ especially children and teens trying to beat the heat _ easier access to Briggs Pool and other park amenities. Trips for student and youth riders to the parks are just 50 cents, with return trips free. Adults pay full fare.
The buses run regularly throughout the day Mondays through Saturdays through Sept. 1.
Providing this service, as part of the existing University Bus Route, is an excellent use of OPT resources while the colleges are not in session. And posting signs designating each of the added stops is helpful for those who want to take advantage of public transportation, parks and pools.
To Worcester Town Judge William Fisher, for offering the dogs seized from Worcester kennel operator Frank Popolizio an opportunity to find caring families and homes.
Fisher stripped Popolizio of any ownership claim to the canines after he failed to pay the $84,120 bond owed to cover the expenses the Susquehanna SPCA incurred in caring for the animals.
With this ruling, the SPCA can now work with rescue organizations to line up adoptions for the dogs. Forty-five dogs were taken in the January raid of South Side Dogs, with eight puppies born among those canines confiscated since that time.
Our community and others have shown a keen interest in making sure these dogs _ allegedly neglected by Popolizio _ find good homes and better lives.
And the Susquehanna SPCA should be lauded for taking on the care of these animals, as well as should the rescue groups helping in the adoptions, including the Vizsla Club of Long Island, the German Short Hair Pointer Rescue of New England and the Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue of New England.
Jeers
To the motives of the residents objecting to the demolition of a carriage house on Maple Street in Oneonta. These residents told the city Zoning and Housing Board of Appeals that the building should not be razed because of the potential loss of an old _ if not historic _ building.
The building has not been deemed historically significant, and its owners seem to have little interest in seeking such a classification by historic home organizations. It also appears to be in a state of neglect by the owners _ the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority corporate organization.
The real issue here is not about the building's historic worth, but another attempt by residents to keep the space occupied by the house from turning into additional parking in the city.
The board should have seen the carriage house as an eyesore and potential security risk rather than a special old building. Let the sorority do what it wishes with the building as rightful owner of the property.
