"We have a whole generation missing from Oneonta," writes Teresa DeSantis, of West Oneonta, to the Daily Star. "Many of our community leaders are in their late 50s, 60s and 70s...Where are the 20-to-50-year-olds?" She expresses a need to re-create Oneonta, "before it's too late," using modern tools for the development of sustainable business models, building and supporting everything from "innovative retail, gourmet food and custom service industries, to creative manufacturing, high-tech and knowledge-based businesses."
Oneonta World of Learning (OWL) discovered similar trends during preparatory studies: school enrollments are down and the population under five is declining. OWL will be first and foremost a community resource, not a tourist destination, so these figures have limited the scope of this project. Yet Oneonta is far from dead! I don't know about you, but I'm here for the long haul. And I've chosen to invest my time in a resource that will build the community today and shape the generations to come.
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