City must address air quality

July 12, 2009 04:00 am

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{"Body Text Edit"/}Concerns have been raised by firefighter Michael Mancini and police Lt. Dennis Nayor about air quality in the Oneonta Public Safety Building. The officials conveyed their points to the Board of Public Safety on June 16.

Nayor said that he suspected bad air quality was giving him sinus infections, and displayed a blackened air filter that he had installed in his office for two weeks. Mancini cited leaks in the roof and problems with the heating and air-conditioning systems. Officials including Police Chief Joseph Redmond and Fire Chief Robert Barnes indicated that the 30-year-old structure is aging.

The poor state of a city building, especially one that is relatively young in comparison to other buildings on Main Street, is troubling.

Also disturbing is the fact that this is a building that is manned 24/7. That workers may be subjected to bad air quality is reprehensible. The people in the building are called upon to respond to emergencies, and it's important that everything possible is done to make them as healthy and alert as possible.

We urge the Common Council to take air samples and address what may be a serious problem as soon as possible.

{"Headline24"/}Fair time a fun time locally

{"Body Text Edit"/}Fair season is under way, and we hope that local residents will make an effort to attend one or more of the festivities this summer.

Fairs are a family-friendly and usually relatively inexpensive way to have fun while supporting the efforts of community residents, whether it be observing agricultural displays and demonstrations, appreciating handiwork and projects or buying goods.

Attendance at these events is even more crucial during these tough economic times, as funding cuts in the 2009-10 state budget decreased the amount of money available to pay for prizes and ribbons. There has been concern that this will lower enthusiasm to participate in fair offerings.

Despite this hardship, some fairs are striving to make it easier for residents to attend. The Afton Fair has cut the admission fee for those ages 18 and older by more than half, according to Dennis Fletcher, the fair's president, indicating that there are also ride discounts on the midway each day. The village board also waived its vending fees to help with expenses.

Though just about everybody's wallet has been hit these days, supporting the local economy while not having to travel far and experiencing quality entertainment seems like a worthy investment.