05/17/2026
Five Reasons to VOTE YES ✔️ on May 19th for Proposition 2 to allow Flanagan Field to be sold to Greater Opportunities for Broome and Chenango, Inc. for Norwich City School District Residents:
1. Supported by the Chenango County 2050 Vision Plan: While we were working on the Chenango County 2050 Vision Plan, we focused a lot of time and effort on community input. We completed surveys, stakeholder meetings, public outreach meetings, and an open house. Survey results showed, overwhelmingly, that over 75% of respondents felt that affordable/workforce housing is undersupplied in Chenango County. (See graphic below.)
2. Provides stable housing for those with limited income: At least 26% of households in Chenango County are considered “low income” based on 60% of the Area Median Income (AMI), and it is likely higher depending on family size. What does that look like? It could be a single retiree living on Social Security retirement making less than $37,200 per year. It could be a parent with a child working as a Pharmacy Clerk making $17/per hour or less than $42,480 per year, a parent with two children working as a Claims Support Representative making less than $45,760 per year ($22/hr). These are working individuals. Community members. Low-income housing isn’t about “others”; it’s about us. (See graphics below)
3. Supportive housing is well-managed: Greater Opportunities will have staff on site for case management, community referrals, building management, and maintenance, creating stability for those living at the apartments and not detracting from the neighborhood it is located in. Greater Opportunities is engrained in this community; their offices are nearby, on West Main Street in Norwich, and have been huge advocates for keeping people in their homes through First Time Homebuyer Programs, Manufactured Housing Replacement Programs, and Housing Rehabilitation Programs. Want to know more about the work Greater Opportunities does in our community? Visit their website: https://www.greaterops.org/
4. A $9 million investment in our community: Whether you agree with the process or not, NYS and the Federal Government utilize taxpayer dollars to create grant programs tied to specific types of projects and outcomes in communities. Organizations like Greater Opportunities, and offices like ours, work hard to try and bring as much of those dollars back to our communities. Voting “No” means sending $9 million back to the State and Federal government to reallocate it somewhere else, likely not in Chenango County.
5. Supports area businesses: Every effort will be made to utilize local contractors. If the renovation of the Red Mill Facilities in New Berlin is any indication, almost every contractor, electrician, HVAC and engineering firm was from or adjacent to Chenango County. Those dollars will reverberate in the community, providing greater benefits.
