City to remove Wilber Park basketball court

Oct. 7—The basketball hoops and nets in Oneonta's Wilber Park will be coming down.

Members of the Oneonta Common Council discussed the basketball court at Wilber Park after residents living near the park presented a petition asking for its removal during an Oct. 4 council meeting.

Robin and Jose Medina presented the petition, signed by 61 residents, at the beginning of the meeting. Robin said there is a lot of noise that comes from the court. She said she realizes "the nature of the game is yelling and shouting," but many people also play loud music while playing.

She said she and her husband usually have to tell people to lower the volume on their music "four to five times per week."

Jose played a video taken from their back porch showing the council how loud the music was one day. Robin said they have been told to call the police if it gets too noisy, but she dislikes doing that as young people are having fun.

Near the end of the meeting, council members discussed the petition and solutions.

Mark Davies, D-Second Ward, who represents the residents living near Wilber Park, said he has "gotten the most calls about this issue."

He said it was a "great idea to have more basketball courts" in the city. "It's a great idea, but it's the wrong place."

Davies proposed removing the rims and backboards and creating a family area there instead and move the basketball courts to the upper part of Wilber Park or to Neahwa Park.

Kaytee Lipari-Shue, D-Fourth Ward, who chairs the Parks & Recreation Committee, said the committee had talked about the issue and proposed lowering the hoops so it was more conducive to kids playing instead of adults.

David Rissberger, D-Third Ward, suggested taking out the hoops and instead make it a family play area and include elements like tetherball, four square and hopscotch.

Len Carson, R-Fifth Ward, asked Lipari-Shue where the basketball court could be moved in Wilber Park. Lipari-Shue said the court could be moved to another tennis court near the pool or near the other basketball court in the upper park. She said the committee didn't want to move the court because of the costs associated with moving it. "We already spent the money to put the court where it is," she said.

Mayor Mark Drnek said, "There seems to be a consensus to pull down the backboards as a short-term action."

He asked the council to come up with some options for the next meeting.

During the meeting, the council heard from Health Officer Diane Georgeson about the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the virus is still around and there is a high level in the city's wastewater. "It's definitely still here," she said. "I just recovered, myself."

She said the Food and Drug Administration recently approved new boosters for Moderna and Pfizer which are now available. She also encouraged council members to get their flu vaccine.

The council approved a resolution to apply for a $12 million Restore NY grant to tear down the building at 27 Market Street and build a new building in its place. Community Development Director Judy Pangman said the project would be funded by the grant and the private developer of the site, Chip Klugo.

She said in an email, the project will include "the demolition of the former Ford Sales building and the reconstruction of a new 54,367 square-foot multi-use building at 27 Market Street. The first floor will have retail space and the second through fifth floors will have 36 units of market rate housing."

She said the total cost is estimated to be approximately $16 million. Klugo will provide the $4 million match. "If the grant is awarded, it will replace the current Restore NY grant that the city was awarded for the demolition," she said. "We would have to return it."

The council also approved revisions to the city code for fraternities and sororities and approved allowing members to attend council meetings virtually under extraordinary circumstances.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.