Whether it was for rehabilitating or refurbishing — or perhaps both — buildings were in the news in our region during October 1989.
One such re-purposing was in the works, as The Daily Star of Oct. 3 reported, “Oneonta developers Peter Clark and David Wilber, plan to transform a former freight house on Market Street into office condominiums.
“The 200-foot by 40-foot-wide building, at the corner of Gas Avenue, could house five businesses on the first story and additional offices or apartments on the second floor, said Clark.”
Wilber and Clark needed to get a zoning change for the project since the building was in a warehouse district. It was granted and in time, work began. The building eventually became all apartments, as seen today.
Another re-purposing took place, with a dateline of Stamford, and reported in The Star’s Oct. 6 edition as, “A primary care clinic opened at what used to be the Stamford Community Hospital emergency room. It is the 17th such clinic of Basset Hospital in the region.
“The new clinic, under Dr. Joel Gaidemak, will be renovated later this year to create the needed examination rooms and patient waiting areas. It will be called the Riverside Health Center at Stamford.
“Last month, Community Hospital closed its acute care services and emergency room, and is in the process of converting to full skilled nursing, or nursing home, status.” Eventually this became today’s Robinson Terrace Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
Another organization was in the market for a home, and as Star readers of Oct. 23 learned, “The Oneonta Community Christian School may soon reach a five-year-old goal of having its own building, according to Administrator John Dabulewicz.
“Last May, the school bought 17 acres of land on county Route 48 in the town of Oneonta, Dabulewicz said. The school, now entering its fourth year of teaching from a biblical viewpoint, operates out of a house on Maple Street and in the Main Street Baptist Church.”
The school, established in 1986, began because pastors and parents were concerned about the difference between what was taught in the home and church and what was taught in public schools, Dabulewicz said.
At some point the OCCS was located at 158 River St., and in more recent years moved to the former Otego Elementary School and renamed the Otsego Christian Academy.
In Sidney, some major renovations were underway on an apartment complex on Sherwood Heights. As The Star of Oct. 6 reported, “While not as large a scale as the failed First Track refurbishing, current work on Bird Avenue apartments is being called the most comprehensive since the units were built during World War II.
“The village of Sidney expects work to start next week on Bird Avenue and Johnston Circle, the area targeted by the $161,000 Small Cities grant awarded by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development in 1986.”
Lastly, there was a building expansion in the news. Returning to Oneonta, The Star reported on Oct. 19, “After four years of planning, an addition to Oneonta’s YMCA is now underway.
“Over 600 people and businesses contributed a total of about $1,596,000 for the $1.7 million project.
“The new addition was designed in honor of the memory of Mildred C. Wright, wife of W. Clyde Wright, a former YMCA director.
“YMCA board president Joseph Bernier said the project, which includes a new pool, came about after the YMCA surveyed members, who said they wanted more free swimming time. Women did not want to alternate with men in the fitness center, as they do now. Members also wanted more equipment, such as weight lifting machine sand bike machines.
“A new instructional pool will provide about 40 percent more swimming time and a multipurpose room will allow more space for aerobics and more playing time for women’s basketball.”
This weekend, we’ll look further into the aforementioned name of Bird in Sidney, in 1899.