Mayor Race - Rebecca Stanton-Terk

By Matthew Avitabile

COBLESKILL — Cobleskill Mayor Rebecca Stanton-Terk is seeking a fourth term as mayor, pledging that if elected she would not seek another term in 2027.

“I would like to continue the work that I have started. I want to continue the expansion of Iorio Park, secure additional grants to upgrade water and sewer infrastructure, see to the sidewalk replacement plan initiated as well as paving,” the mayor said.

She also pledged to work on plans “to continue to find ways to be more efficient, providing additional tax relief without sacrificing services. We are expecting several new projects that I want to see to fruition.”

She cited several accomplishments in her campaign materials, including lowering village taxes by over 30%, changes in the sales tax revenue distribution county-wide, a restructuring of the village police force, and welcoming new businesses.

“I am proud of numerous successes. Some of them are a 30+% tax relief for our taxpayers, providing additional healthcare options, building a recreational complex to accommodate a diverse population, ensuring health and safety though a comprehensive infrastructure replacement plan and we have recently activated an initiative to engage the unhoused, mentally ill and addicted individuals that reside in our community and need our assistance,” she said.

The mayor promised to “continue the work that I have started,” stating that the position of mayor is “a complex one with many moving parts.” She stated that it it was “invaluable” to spend two years as a village trustee during the tenure of former Mayor Linda Holmes.

“That experience enabled me to hit the ground running and contributed to my accomplishments as Mayor thus far,” she said.

Stanton-Terk said that she has “proven to be a dedicated and effective executive officer providing steadfast vigilance for my constituents. It has been my pleasure to serve the community I love. There is more work to be done, and I would be honored to continue for another 2-year term.”

 

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Richmondville To Crack Down On Permit Violators

By Chris English

RICHMONDVILLE — Town of Richmondville Officials are looking to put a law in place that would allow the town to start fining residents building structures without the proper permits.

The issue came up at the Thursday, Oct. 9 Town Board meeting during Code Enforcement Officer Cliff Dorrough's report.

"People are doing without permits," he said.

Town Supervisor Jeffrey Haslun pointed out that the Town of Blenheim has had a law in place since early this year. Dorrough suggested Richmondville get a copy of Blenheim's law to use as a kind of model.

During the discussion it was mentioned that the maximum fine for a permit violator should probably be no more than $500, but Councilman Harry Rode said that might not be sufficient in all cases.

"If somebody builds a $100,000 house without a permit, I think the fine should be a lot more than $500," he said.

In other actions from the Oct. 9 meeting, Highway Superintendent Brian Manchester reported that Town of Montour workers came to pick up a used 2018 RS 3500 dump truck Mountour had purchased from Richmondville. He added that plows and sanders are being put on trucks in preparation for the winter. Schoharie County workers have started bringing in sanding material and will bring half this year and the other half in early 2026, Manchester said.

Haslun asked Manchester to get a cost figure on another new truck for the town and report about it at the December meeting. It's important to get in line for new trucks as early as possible since it's taking so long to have them manufactured and delivered, Haslun indicated.

He said Town Planning Board Chairman Bob Reed and PB members are getting information together as part of the process for developing regulations for short-term rentals in the Town. Schoharie County Planning and Community Development Services Director Shane Nickle will be helping with that process, Haslun added.

Richmondville recently received $23,357 as the town's third-quarter share of the county sales tax, he reported. Haslun continued that the county has put up the new 25 MPH speed limit signs on Court Street.

The Town Board scheduled a public hearing for 6 p.m. Nov. 6 on the 2026 preliminary budget, to be held at Town Hall, 104 Municipal Lane, just off Podpadic Road. The board would then vote that night after the public hearing on adopting the budget as final. There's a proposed property tax increase of just over 2.7 percent in the preliminary budget.

 

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Shad Point Housing Development Project to Begin Next Spring - To Have 76 residential Units

By Elizabeth Barr

COBLESKILL — The $600,000 grant for the Shad Point Housing Development was approved and now the over $5 million project is scheduled to begin soon. The Town of Cobleskill’s Planning Board has gone over the paperwork and are sending the information to Schoharie County for their recommendations. 

Alexander and Analiese Chacho represented Chacho & Sons Holdings LLC and Brandon Becker from Lamont Engineering presented the proposed property.  The proposal is to build a mix of residential units and storage units.  There will be single story 2 family houses, single family homes and 2 story 8 family apartments with a total of 76 units.  The majority of the parcel is residential R-2 and doesn’t require a variance. The B2 area isn’t going to be developed. All roads will be paved and built to town specs.  There is a plan for an emergency access road in addition to the main entrance road.  Mr. Chacho already owns the property attached on the Route 7 corridor.  A brief traffic impact review was done, which may allow up to a 12 second delay if the main entrance is at Shad Point Road. There will be screening of trees along the Southeastern part of the property.  The property will be connected to water and sewer and will have street lighting and paved roads.  Power will be extended to the site from existing power lines then it will be underground.   

The Planning Board had several questions about site management, methods for emergency access, timeline of the project, and when the construction will start.  Brandon Becker said they are hoping for at least 10 units to be completed by 2027.  The owners will be the site managers of the property.  The phased plan will take approximately 10 years to complete. 

The planning board opened up the discussion to the public. There were several concerned citizens from Shad Point Road who were questioning how many vehicles will be added daily?  Brandon answered approximately 400 more vehicles per day. A resident asked if this was section 8 housing? Brandon said it is not a HUD project and will be more like the Donat’s Brow development on Mineral Springs Road.  

Traffic was a significant concern from the residents. They asked about the access point off Route 7 and Shad Point Road.  Residents stated Shad Point Road currently does not meet the standards for the traffic it will have on it.  Concerns were addressed for peak level traffic. Brandon stated DOT are the people who make decisions on the intersections off Route 7 and the Town of Cobleskill will make the decision for Shad Point Road. Peter Nichols, planning board member said this is done through the Town preservation law.  The residents questioned why the developers don’t put the main road on Route 7 across from Shady Tree Lane instead of going up Shad Point Road.  They requested that Brandon and the owners look at your road cut and possibly somehow fix  the intersection on Shady Tree Lane? No decision was made as to the exact location of the main road and access road at this time. Brandon and Alex said they would look into the options. 

Brandon said they are trying to build additional funding to boost water pressure with a booster pump up Shad Point Road. This will provide more water pressure to current residents and for the project. No decisions were made by the planning board at this time and they will reconvene next month to discuss Schoharie County's recommendations and additional input by Lamont Engineering. 

 

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Sharon Springs Defeats Richfield Springs

RICHFIELD SPRINGS — Seventh-seed Sharon Springs defeated #5 Richfield Springs/Owen D. Young 4-1 in the consolation round of the TVL Boys Soccer Playoffs in Richfield Springs Saturday. Michael Cashman scored a goal and had an assist for Sharon Springs while Gavin Smith had one goal. David Rorick scored his first varsity goal for the Spartans. Chad VanArsdale and Elijah Lasky handed out one assist each.

Brayden Schultz fired in one goal for RS/ODY.

Thanks to Cycle Conley for the information.

 

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“Sharon Things - Local Happenings for Sharon Springs”

By Alexis Pencar

Hey Neighbors!

What a wet and chilly week we’ve had! Those couple days of sunshine were definitely appreciated! Expect highs in the 40s and lows in the 30s with a shift back into rain mid-week. 

Trunk or Treat returns to Sharon Springs Central School this Halloween night from 5-7 PM around the school driveway! Thanks to all those who will participate!

Celebrate the 3rd Annual Bison Island Harvest Fest at Bison Island Ranch this Saturday, October 25th from 10-4 PM! There will be live music, a car show, kid’s costume parade, pumpkin painting, beer & wine for purchase, games, and the Ranch Store will be open too! This is a free family-friendly event. Visit their FB page for more info!

The election is coming up quickly this Tuesday, November 4th, and has created quite the excitement in the Village of Sharon Springs. With no actual candidate for Mayor on the ballot, it is a write-in only race for the Mayor. Current write-in candidates are Deputy Village Mayor Paul Novko and Village resident Krystina Jacquot, who both hosted a Q&A session in the Community Building on Tuesday (10/14) with a positive turnout of about 20 residents.

There are also 2 Village Trustee positions available, and 1 vacancy, with only one candidate on the ballot: Will Kleffner, who currently serves on the Sharon Springs Zoning Board of Appeals. Since the other positions would be filled by write-ins, Ron Ketelsen has also come forward as a write-in candidate for Village Trustee. Please look out for the upcoming detailed article with interviews from candidates!

Don't forget the Election night Chicken BBQ at SSCS 11/4 from 4-6 PM, take out only. This fundraiser benefits the class of 2026! Get your presale tickets at SSCA by 10/24.

According to the I Love New York Foliage Report, Central New York is now at ‘past peak’ for leaf peeping this Fall. Get ready for the cold with morning frosts already happening. Don’t forget that damp leaves on the road can be just as slick as ice so drive cautiously this Fall.

The Village of Sharon Springs holds their Regular Board Meetings on the 3rd Thursday of each Month at 6:00 PM located at 129 Main St, Sharon Springs, NY 13459. The next meeting is scheduled for: Thursday, November 20th. The Village Mayor is Denise Kelly and the new Village Clerk is Hope Bayes. The Office Hours for Village of Sharon Springs are Monday & Wednesday 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, Thursday 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM. For more information please call (518) 284-2625.

The Town of Sharon holds their Regular Board Meetings on the 1st Wednesday of each Month at 6:30 PM located at 129 Main St, Sharon Springs, NY 13459. The next meeting is scheduled for: Wednesday, November 5th. The Town Supervisor is Sandra Manko and the Town Clerk is Melissa Olsen. The Office Hours for the Town of Sharon are Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM or by appointment. For more information please call (518) 284-3010.

Your local Sharon Springs Food Pantry is an excellent local resource for all! Located in the United Methodist Church on Route 20, across from SSCS (511 US Route 20, Sharon Springs, NY 13459). They are always in need of donations of food or even unopened personal care items! The pantry hours are Thursday 9:00 -10:30 AM & 5:00 - 6:30 PM. For more information please contact (518) 284-2687 or (518) 852-1193.

Sharon Springs Free Library News: Story Time is at 10:00 AM on Thursday mornings and includes a story, craft, and snack. The Library is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays from 3:00 - 8:00 PM, Mondays & Thursdays from 10:00 - 6:00 PM, Saturdays 10:00 -1:00 PM, and Sundays - Closed.  For more Library information please contact (518) 284-3126.

Worship Services

The Sharon Reformed Church (6858 State Route 10, Sharon Springs, NY 13459) offers weekly service at 10:30 am. Contact at (518) 234-2387 for more details.

The Sharon Springs United Methodist Church (511 State Route 20, Sharon Springs, NY, 13459) offers weekly service at 10:30 am. Contact at (518) 284-2200 for more details.

Grace Episcopal Church (24 Montgomery Street, Cherry Valley, NY 13320) offers weekly Holy Eucharist at 11:00 am. Contact at (315) 858-4016 for more details.

The St. Thomas The Apostle Catholic Church (24 Maple Avenue, Cherry Valley, NY 13320) offers weekly mass at 10:00 am. Reminder: confession is available 30 minutes before every mass. Contact at (607) 264-3779 for more details.

The Zion St. John’s Lutheran Church Seward (114 Mesick Ave, Cobleskill, NY 12043) offers weekly service on Sundays at 9:00 am. Contact at (518) 234-3222 for more details.

Cornerstone Baptist Church (7274 Route 10, Ames, NY 13317). Sunday Service is at 10:00 am. All are welcome. Contact (518) 673 3405 for more details.

Sharon Sr. Congregate Meal Site

Local residents are invited to enjoy good company and a noon-time meal year round (except holidays) at the Schoharie County OFA’s “Spa Ritz” Sr. Congregate Meal Site at the Firehouse at 137 Beechwood Rd. M-W-F. 8 oz of 1% milk is served with each meal. Orders for meals must be called into the OFA office at (518) 295-2001 before 2 p.m. for the following day. Effective January 1st the suggested donation for those 60 years old and older is $5.00 per meal. Under age 60? You’re welcome to participate for a fee of $7.50 per meal.

To share community news, upcoming events, business specials, adjusted hours, birthdays, anniversaries, or even an outstanding resident, please contact me directly at (772) 971-1410 or alexis.pencar@gmail.com. Have a great week! Thanks!

 

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Six New Manufactured Houses All Set For Some Schoharie County Families

By Chris English

SCHOHARIE COUNTY — Six New Manufactured Houses are ready for some low to moderate income families in Schoharie County, thanks to the efforts of the county, the Stamford-based Western Catskills Community Revitalization Council and others.

Antonia Besculides of Western Catskills (WCCRC) reported on the project at the Friday, Oct. 17 meeting of the Schoharie County Board of Supervisors. She said an $800,000 Community Development Block Grant was used to replace six dilapidated manufactured homes for families in Conesville, Jefferson and Gilboa.

The families were displaced for no more than three months and were able to stay with relatives or in a WCCRC rental unit during the replacement process.

Besculides added that activities undertaken with the grant were asbestos testing, radon testing, development of engineering plans, asbestos removal and monitoring, demolition and disposal of dilapidated units, pouring of insulated slab foundations, construction and delivery of single wide units, connection to utilities and electric replacement.

Besculides said Western Catskills was sub-recipient of the grant and she wrote the grant application.

"Everything was done top notch, I think we had the right partner," BOS Chairman Bill Federice said.

"It's the closest we've ever worked with their organization and they made the process easy," county Economic Development and Community Affairs Services Director Shane Nickle added.

In other news from the Oct. 17 meeting, Tanja Konwinski of the Waterfall Center for Bioregional Learning gave a presentation on Wildfire Awareness and Preparation in Schoharie County.

She said that wildfires are not a severe problem in the county but that fires elsewhere can have effects, like that smoke that comes down from Canadian wildfires. Schoharie County currently does not have a strong wildfire preparation plan, Konwinski added.

She noted that three tree species that make up 30 percent of Schoharie County forests _ Hemlock, Ash and Beech _ are in decline and there's no treatment.

"Dead trees do not immediately equate to fuel for fires," Konwinski said.

On another subject, at one point in the meeting county Supervisors again railed against state mandates and directives for going electric _ including with school buses _ that they consider burdensome and unrealistic.

Supervisor John Leavitt said an official with one county school district recently told him their electric bus spends more time on the back of a flatbed truck that on the job.

Fellow Supervisor Philip Skowfoe said electric buses are not powerful enough to handle the many steep roads in the county and would be prone to breakdowns, especially during the winter.

"They have lost perspective of how we live and what we're about out here," Skowfoe said of state officials.

"We have a governor who is so far out of touch with reality. She has no idea what she is doing," added BOS member Earl VanWormer III.

Supervisor Donald Airey stated "they are blinded by some political agenda. Both parties are guilty. It doesn't make it right."

 

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SSCS Clay Target Team Holding Strong

SSCS Clay Target Team takes the field with their coaches this past weekend on a gorgeous fall day.

By Alexis Pencar

SHARON SPRINGS — The Sharon Springs Central School Clay Target Team is holding strong with a great season this Fall and just one more shoot to go! They are the first Clay Target Team in Schoharie County and after a fantastic last Spring Season, they have since moved to the Class 1A Conference 12. 

Their new Class 1A Conference 12 (based on team size): Pioneer High School, Morristown Central High School, Livonia High School, and Monticello High School. There are 13 different conferences participating this season.

Sharon Springs Central School Clay Target Team’s 4th Competition shoot was held on Saturday, October 18th and the results are in:

Overall Team Standings:

#1 Pioneer High School with 3751.50

#2 Sharon Springs Central with 3337.00 

#3 Morristown Central High School with 2869.00

#4 Livonia High School with 2772.50

#5 Monticello High School with 1890.00

Top 100 Overall Average (out of 3,000+ in state): 

#47 Levi Knapp 22.88

Top 25 Males in the School Conference:

#4 Levi Knapp 22.88

#7 Leland Ryder 21.88

#13 Sean Shults 21.38

#13 Jackson Ryder 21.38

#15 Reed VanValkenburg 21.25

#17 Ryatt Tompson 21.13

#22 Hunter Bolster 20.50

Top 25 Females in School Conference:

#4 Ava Bissonette 18.75

#9 Alyssum Butler 14.25

Competition Highlight Breakdown: Another gorgeous fall day for the competition shoot on 10/18! There was a 3-way tie for top shooter with a score of 45/50 for Ryatt Tompson, Jackson Ryder, and Aaden Dennis. Aaden and Jackson were just 1 clay away from a perfect score on one of their rounds hitting 24/25 clays! Almost! Very close behind them with scores of 44/50 were Hunter Tansey, Sean Shults, and Leland Ryder! It was a successful day of shooting all around!!! Great job team!!

There is only ONE more weekend of this season left and it’s Halloween themed! The team is still holding steady at 2nd place in the league, with some shooters at the top and also placing in the top 100 of the state! Stop by and cheer on these hard working student athletes!

The FINAL competition shoot is scheduled for Saturday, 10/25 at 8:30 am located at Sprout Brook Rod and Gun Club at 1364 State Highway 163 Canajoharie NY.

Don’t forget: The 2025 Fall Meat Raffle is here! Together with Sprout Brook Rod and Gun Club the team is offering just $10.00 a ticket for a chance to ‘stuff your freezers for the fall’! The Grand Prize is valued at $770.00 worth of meat and a cooler! Contact the Team facebook page to purchase your lucky ticket or contact any of the team members OR club members! Tickets are on sale through the end of October, with the BIG drawing on November 8th during the end of season banquet!

Interested in finding out more about the team? Check them out on Facebook at SSCS Clay Target Team or even on Youtube @SSCSclaytaget. Any and all are welcome to support and cheer on this hard working team!

 

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Hoshino at SSJPB Meeting

By Alexis Pencar

SHARON SPRINGS — There’s been lots of talk and resident concerns leading up to the Sharon Springs Joint Planning Board Meeting that occurred on Wednesday, October 15th at 6:30 pm in the Sharon Library Community Room. This meeting was a hot topic and drew quite the crowd with the Hoshino Resorts New York LLC project on the agenda. 

Running this meeting was the Chairman of the Sharon Springs Joint Planning Board, Ray Parsons with other board members present including Ron Ketelsen as Secretary. Starting off with the rules, of brief comments of 3 minutes or less and that this was a way to “gather information from the public to aid the board on a decision on this project” and this was “not a debate” according to Parsons.  

This proposed Japanese hot spring inn or ‘onsen ryokan’ is by world-renowned and internationally established Hoshino Resorts, who just celebrated their 111th anniversary, making this their first North American project, stated on their website. The project is a large undertaking and intends to be ”open to resort guests and staff only, includes a shop, library, lounge, bar, multi-function space, all-day dining area, fine-dining restaurant, a spa including meditation baths and room for individual spa treatments, and 30 guest room units, each with its own outdoor onsen (heated mineral water) bath” according to Mary Beth Bianconi, a Partner with Delaware Engineering, the agency working with SSJPB.

At this meeting, Hoshino Team presented information with the foreword that they are “far from breaking ground” and that this “planning board process has been going on for over a year”. During the presentation there was a detailed survey of the property showing 57 acres in the Village of Sharon Springs and 7 acres that are in the Town of Sharon. The survey plan and map separates areas dependent upon use, stipulating maintaining “75% as open area” with the remaining 25% as the facility.

According to permission from Historic Preservation, Magnesia Spring and Temple is to be restored, with that area off Main Street as the initial public parking area or “drop off” with a funicular, or type of cable railway system for steep slopes that would take guests up to the actual spa site. In addition, there would be a private entrance for deliveries and ‘back of house’ activities. There is also permission to knock down the house within the Magnesia Temple lot.

The landscape plans and development are to keep the property as natural as possible with intention. There was discussion of ‘low light’ for outdoor lighting and that it would be “low key residential lighting” and that the architecture style of the buildings itself is meant to “blend” with the surroundings. 

It was added that the on-site restaurant with 30 seats would be available “just to the guests” with intention to provide a “farm to table experience” with products “purchased locally”, “meant to be a local experience as much as possible”.

Municipal water will be used from Main Street, with additions on Beechwood. The project would also use the Village water treatment and sewer systems as well. Initial concerns were addressed at the SSJPB meeting on September 17th, 2025, including disruption to Village-wide pressure and issues with Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentrations. These concerns “may require mineral water discharged from baths to be held on site and introduced into the sanitary sewer system over time to ensure proper dilution.” This request of mitigation would reduce the overall ‘work’ the Village Water Treatment system would have and help to “prevent upset” to the system. According to the Hoshino Team, there have since been “lots of dialog” with Delaware Engineering and edits to the plans that would address and remedy those issues before moving forward.

In connection with this meeting, on Oct 6th, 2025 the Hoshino Team, specifically attorney Libby Clark, as well as Village Attorney Michelle Kennedy (representing lead agency SSJPB) had a back and forth dialog at this County Planning Board Meeting, with overall agreement that Delaware Engineering is acting as the SSJPB's “expert on the project” and would continue to review impacts, with specific concerns on wastewater treatment.

Regarding the mineral waters and the whole reason for this white sulfur spa project, there have been “two mineral wells drilled about a year and a half ago” and that they (Hoshino) “are going to heat it (mineral water) then redistribute it from this ‘plant’ to each of the rooms”. There are reports that have been created for water pressures, water content, potential usage, etc., including a Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP) that takes into account “karst geology of the site and when implemented and will reduce or eliminate stormwater impacts”. In this meeting, there was a mention of these “caverns” and that they will soon perform radar scans to ensure there wouldn’t be any settling of the structures.

After an informative 20 minute presentation by Hoshino, the floor was opened up for the planned public hearing for residents to ask questions and voice concerns. Check out another extended feature next week outlining the public reaction and response.

Sharon Springs Joint Planning Board Meetings are the 3rd Wednesday of Every Month at 6:30 pm in the Library Community Room located at 129 Main Street, Sharon Springs, NY 13459. Look out for more updates and continued coverage on this evolving story. For more information or questions, please contact SSJPB at (518) 284-2682.

 

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Get to Know Your Hospital - Steve Kroll

By Matthew Avitabile

COBLESKILL — This week we spoke to Steve Kroll, Chair of the Board of Trustees of Cobleskill Regional Hospital. He is a retired healthcare executive who received a BA in Business Administration from the University at Buffalo and a MHA in Health Administration from Duke University. He is a lifelong New Yorker, living Upstate since 1996.

Kroll enjoys working with an “extraordinary group” of professionals and an “extraordinarily talented” group of trustees to provide quality healthcare to local residents.

He added that he's seen the “dramatic” change in rural health care over recent years. “It’s important for a hospital to be able to respond to the environment in which we are in and use our resources to ensure healthcare access for the community,” he said.

The trustee said that the board works hard to help meet the needs of residents of Schoharie County and surrounding communities.

This includes the creation of a primary care practice with the Bassett Healthcare Network on the hospital campus in recent years. The emergency department has also been expanded and renovated to “meet the needs of our community during emergencies.”

Last year, the hospital was named among the top 20 critical access hospitals in the country by the National Rural Health Association and Chartis Center for Rural Health. The hospital, along with Delhi’s O’Connor Hospital and Little Falls Hospital have the same critical access focus in the region. There are currently over 1,300 Critical Access Hospitals in the country. The award measured the quality of the care, patient satisfaction, and the financial sustainability of the hospital. Kroll said that the statistical analysis of the hospital was exceptional.

“It shows that our talented team of physicians, staff, and administrators have been successful in navigating a very complicated rural environment.”

Kroll said that the thing that is most special is the team of people at the hospital, which he says includes “incredible servants to our community”. These individuals offer a “healing environment” and give their all for people they know and those they never met. This includes a “tremendous group of people who keep the hospital facility running.”
In 2024, Cobleskill Regional Hospital was placed on Becker’s Hospital Review’s list of the cleanest hospitals in the U.S. with a five-star rating. “Everyone who works at the hospital takes such pride in what they do,” he said. “It makes you feel so good when the people, no matter what their job is in the hospital,  are all about the patients.” Whether it’s care, cleanliness, therapy, or preparing food, “every single discipline on our team,” he said.

Kroll said that the hospital is always looking to improve. He cited a nationwide shortage of healthcare providers. Candidates for nearly every healthcare job are currently in “short supply,” especially in rural communities. He said that the Bassett hospitals need to attract individuals to our region’s health care facilities. He said that this was especially the case for attracting people to Schoharie County. The hospital has a strategy to bring in qualified individuals to our community to allow people to “access care quickly and close to home.”

He added that the hospital building itself is getting older. While there was a “top to bottom” rebuild of the emergency department, there could be more upgrades coming in the future. In early 2026, the hospital plans to install a state-of-the-art CT Scanner.

“We are taking great care of an older hospital building in Schoharie County,” he said. The hope would be that eventually the building itself could be substantially renovated or even rebuilt. Larger patient rooms could be especially helpful, he said.

“The challenge for small rural hospitals is how do we pay for those things?” he said. 

“Our goal is to be more than just a hospital for emergencies,” said Kroll. He cited the primary care practice and how the primary care practitioners  can send patients in need of tests right across the street  to the hospital. Because of the hospital’s longstanding partnership with Bassett, it has many specialized services.

“We have so many specialty programs at the hospital,” he said. “You can come to us in an emergency, you can come to us if you need primary care, you can come to us for specialty care.”

This includes the ability to receive cancer treatment infusions locally. The trained oncology staff can provide chemotherapy, he said.

“Our goal is to offer as many services as possible close to home,” he said. This includes the knowledge that for many local and elderly residents, transportation is difficult.

“It’s not just what we do in Cobleskill, it’s our partnership with the larger Bassett Healthcare Network,” he said. This includes more than twenty School-Based Health Centers and the New York Center for Agriculture Medicine and Health (NYCAMH), which works improve health and safety in agriculture. 

“That’s the power of all of us being in one network,” he said.

 

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