Oneonta building to get fresh look with mural

By Jake Palmateer
Staff Writer - The Daily Star

ONEONTA — A proposed mural celebrating the Oneonta Farmers’ Market has passed muster with the city zoning board.

The board voted unanimously Monday night to allow painting over a faded Coca-Cola advertisement on the side of 75 Main St.

Kevin Hodne, director of the Center for Agriculture and Entrepreneurship, which operates the Farmers’ Market, said the mural will brighten up the cityscape and help promote the market. The site where the mural will be painted is visible when crossing the Main Street bridge over the railroad tracks.

"It’s a great location," Hodne said. "That’s the gateway to Oneonta."

The design by East Meredith resident Cindy Dunne includes the words, "Oneonta Farmers’ Market, Fresh Local Food, Main Street," as well as a landscape of hills and farm-related graphics.

"She combines sort of a retro look, simplicity and a little bit of fun," Hodne said.

Dunne, a graphics designer by trade, has done work for area farmers before, but this is her first mural.

"It has a retro look, which I though was appropriate for the city, since it’s an old city," Dunne said. "It’s colorful, but in a sort of muted, old-fashioned kind of way."

A New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets grant secured last year, along with funding and donations from local businesses, will pay for the mural on the two-story brick building at the corner of Main and Fairview streets.

The cost of the mural, including the painting and Dunne’s design services, is about $2,500, Hodne said

The project has been given a go-ahead from the state Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Office. Its approval was needed because the building is located in a historic area.

The mural is scheduled to be painted this spring by Oneonta resident Cynthia Marsh.

Dunne said the Coca-Cola advertisement has almost faded away.

"It’s barely there, and no one wants to restore it," Dunne said.

The owner of 75 Main St., James Kenny, has also said he would like to see the Coca-Cola advertisement replaced with something more appealing.

Besides his art studio, Studio 2029, Kenny’s building houses a tattoo shop and apartments.

The Farmers’ Market is expected to begin May 21 at the plaza in front of the Clarion Hotel on Main Street.