Lara Murray-Sterzel, Editor-In-Chief
Oneonta Mayor Mark Drnek is on a mission. A mission to revitalize Oneonta through its youth, activity, and community. The mayor is trying to bring people together through organizations and ideas in hopes of getting Oneonta back to a place it hasn’t been in a long time.
This month, the mayor uploaded a video titled “A Market Street Neighborhood” where he told the story of Oneonta’s history. In 1975, Oneonta was hit with the Urban Renewal which tore down a third of the city’s buildings and displaced 2,000 community members. Since then, Oneonta’s population hasn’t been the same. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, downtown shops and restaurants were at the risk of going out of business. To prevent this, the mayor brought community members together and formed the Eight Ward, who volunteered and aided outdoor activities working with the struggling businesses. It was through this formation Oneonta saved the downtown businesses and even stabilized their economy. By witnessing people coming together, the mayor thinks of what more they can accomplish.
The mayor took to overseeing the Oneonta Renaissance, a city-funded organization focused on creating a community filled with arts, vibrance, and exciting events. Through downtown activities, families have taken an interest in what Oneonta has planned next. The mayor has also included Oneonta’s youth in his mission through the City of Oneonta Town-Gown Task Force and even through politics. “We have two, one from Hartwick and one from SUNY who are co-chairing the Task Force. I’m trying to get everyone registered to vote in Oneonta. They’re doing a great job on Hartwick campus,” said the mayor. “They actually have a polling place that’s gonna open up because they’ve got enough people registered to vote in Oneonta. Which is great!” Two Hartwick students are on commission at Oneonta’s City Commissions, something the mayor values. He knows Oneonta needs new thinking and by putting its youth in government allows them to be heard and collaborate on ideas to shape the community.
But most importantly the mayor is working toward affordable housing in Oneonta. “What I’m trying to do is create a whole neighborhood of affordable housing, so that if you’re making $16-17 an hour you can afford to live here in a nice apartment on Market Street,” said the mayor. In his video, the mayor disclosed that the New York State Homes and Community Renewal wants to help and rebuild what Oneonta lost in 1975. The housing is said to have thirty-five apartments, parking, easy access to town, and through Rehabilitation Support Services the benefit of mental health services. But not everyone wants this project to go through. The mayor mentions in his video there’s a lot of NIMBYism which makes the argument that it could lead to economic stagnation. The mayor has expressed concerns about this argument misinforming and scaring the community about the project.
The mayor is working hard to keep his plans in motion and his message out. The Daily Star published a column The Young and Restless by the mayor about motivating the student population to stay, emphasizing the importance of things they look for in a community, and to get actively involved. The time is now, Oneonta! The future of this community is in your hands. The time to make something special happen is now!
Enjoyed reading this article as an alumnus and former editor of the State Times (when it was published twice a week). A nicely written article!
I am compelled to comment for a few reasons. First, I returned to the community almost 10 years ago…where I have business friends in town and am indeed fortunate to know a number of people locally through the dog park, including the mayor. Oneonta became an important part of my history…from the inspirational teachers and lifelong friends that made me who I am.
Back then, way past the period of urban renewal, Oneonta did manage to thrive. Business was strong with a large student population visiting downtown businesses even with the development of the Southside Mall. There was concern then for the freestanding Breezes and local stores like J&B subs, the thriving movie theaters (there were two in downtown, one on each side of Main Street). There were also dozens of bars…and during some holidays, like Halloween, students came from all around to pub crawl. That influx had its headaches…and gave local law enforcement a run for its money, but it also fed the business model.
I would argue that what really harmed the local economy was the change in drinking age and the local leadership and businesses didn’t quite know how to adapt.
There are no doubt other factors, but they lead to what I understand to be the mayor’s vision: how do we get more residents (consumers) and ideally, invite alumni from both SUNY Oneonta and Hartwick to come back…in retirement, for vacation homes in and around the city or to work. It’s a great vision and one I support… but if you want to accomplish that, it all comes down to what plagues the whole country: affordable housing.
Affordable housing to me, is not just a rehabilitation center, which I will get to in a minute. Affordable housing means a place where an average middle class couple or family can afford to buy a 2 bedroom CONDO…which they own and care for. Right now, there are no reasons for people to come to town to buy and invest in their own future. I am talking about permanent residences a family can buy. It is possible…Saratoga Springs, while different in many ways, developed what was largely a pit in downtown in the 70’s to a booming community built around its history. It faced the building of large malls just outside its town. It transformed its community, building dozens of buildings for families…I am kicking myself for not buying a condo/coop there when you could get one for $200,000…those places are now $500,000 at least. And there is room for student rentals and family homes/condos.
But there are no family homes here(I am strictly talking about smaller apartments condos/ townhouses that don’t require the upkeep some of our historic homes require…not everyone has the skill or time to maintain that type of home). Unless the town builds SAFE family apartments that can be purchased, we will continue to be a transient community. So it’s about affordable housing for the right kind of consumer…ones that want to own, have safe streets, good schools and healthcare. These are the elements
But what of the rehabilitation center? It is difficult for any community to have a facility that in theory is the “right thing to do.”And I don’t disagree. However without the type of non-rental housing I am talking about above, this could be a burden on the business community. It’s all about the perception: perception of value and the perception of safety. You need both to be there to draw in permanent residents.
Oneonta has a rich history on top of its cute downtown buildings and fiercely loyal business owners. That may be interesting to explore another time, but the community was full of innovations like the hydroelectric power plant used to fuel the town and railroad. Ahead of its time in many ways. We need to give people a reason to want to be here all year round.
I love this community..I will always shop here, eat at the restaurants and support local businesses. But the next part of the puzzle here has got to be bringing in more permanent residents downtown that will feed the local economy with scale.
Looking forward to a response and dialogue, because there is a lot more to this story.