The July 13 folding of the Caring Neighbors Program will be a loss to the community and Otsego County _ one not easily fixed.

The Catholic Charities of Delaware and Otsego Counties program that pairs volunteers with seniors and people with disabilities for a variety of services only operates in Otsego; Delaware has its own program through a county agency.

The most-clear loss we see is in the versatility and encompassing nature of the program. It’s not just for seniors; it’s not just for some disabilities. It helps anyone with needs and does so while using volunteers to keep expenses down.

It remains in doubt whether the actions of Caring Neighbors can be replaced in Otsego County, even with the combined efforts of multiple agencies.

We wonder what could be done to revive this program, what avenues of private or public funding have not been explored.

We also wonder if the $50,000 annual cost could be reduced by an amount that would help the budget while being adequate compensation.

Looking to neighboring counties, what does Delaware do with its program that can be adopted in Otsego?

What are the solutions? While some volunteers are likely to carry on their work for a time, that won’t bring in new workers.

We urge Catholic Charities to coordinate any possible volunteer recruiting with Otsego County agencies with the hope of sustaining some presence for those in need.

BOCES contract negotiations must continue

The relationship between union and management at both area

BOCES is marked by what is not there _ a contract. At the Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego Board of Cooperative Educational Services, that absence spans two years, while the Otsego Northern Catskills BOCES has been a year without a deal.

Disagreements of this sort are not uncommon and sometimes cannot be avoided without one side taking a bad deal for itself.

Still, it seemed a bit odd lately when all sides expressed high morale despite admitting no agreements were imminent.

It’s one thing to keep the faith during negotiations, and it’s likely no one would admit morale problems were they do exist.

However, we hope that no one in either dispute is becoming complacent with the absence of a contract.

That’s not a desirable outcome for the community, parents and students or union and management. Indeed, in the coming months, we hope to hear news of more meetings, mediators brought in when necessary and concrete progress, if not actual contracts.

If all sides try as hard as possible to reach a deal, then those who rely on BOCES in the area will benefit, even if it takes time for the respective parties to sign on the dotted line.