New Home For Bona Baseball Players

[Friar]

As some of you may have read in the OTH a baseball player's father is purchasing a former nursing home on a quite, residential street in Olean for members of the baseball players to reside. The neighbors are fearful that there quiet street will turn into a rowdy street due to their new neighbors. They feel the former nursing home will be turned into a "frathouse."

The university says it can't do anything about their student/athletes moving into this type of home. The man who purchased the former nursing home said he to would feel uncomfortable if this type of home was located on his street. One has to ask the question, given the PR disasters that have occurred with Bona sports teams recently wouldn't the university want to make it a rule that all student/athletes live on campus?

I am sure Coach Sudbrook runs a tight ship but the entire athletic programs needs to be run under a tighter set of rules or maybe a higher set of standards to improve university image. SBU has a nightmare dealing with off campus housing students in Allegany.

Lets see what you have to say>

Friar, peace and out!

[bonnievet]

Sudbrook is a great coach and runs a tight ship but this is an disaster waiting to happen. 364 days of the year it will be peaceful and uneventful but just one wild day or night will give the athletic department, the baseball team and the school a major headache. Kids will be kids and someone will make a mistake. Super bad idea. Could this father buying the home and renting the rooms to the players end up being some sort of NCAA problem. The players will pay their way I am sure but someone will find something that is an extra perk for the players that violates something. If I were a player, I would love it but something bad will happen.

[wgt]

I totally agree bonnievet...... All it takes is one visit to the house by the police in response to a neighbor’s call due to excessive noise (no doubt that will occur). Typically the student/visitor opens the door lets the police in, they see beer/alcohol being consumed or in cups & cite those for underage drinking (most of Bona students) & arrest those renting the house/room for serving minors. Those arrested are fingerprinted & charged with a misdemeanor. The potential for this scenario is great. Add to that the greater need for cars to get back & forth to campus & again the increased potential for DWI. Real bad idea!
I know that the tennis team had to reside on campus & thought the same for the basketball team. I know several current baseball players living off campus but in different houses in Allegany & not all concentrated at one house.
I would hope that this Bona dad will see the peril in his decision & back away from his plan. I suggest that he visit Allegany Court house Tuesday nights during the academic year to see first hand what I have described. Re-think it Bona dad!!

[Wolfpackfan]

There is no doubt that if the team does move there, the uptight neighbors will have the police on their speed dial. I am sure that the baseball team can be a good neighbor, but just one incident (double parking, empty beer cans) will result in trouble for all.

[FriendsofAN44]

The "uptight" neighbors, as you refer to them, are just trying to maintain the sanctity of their quiet dead-end street. And it probably won't be the baseball players that will cause a problem, but there will come a time when there will be a party at this house, and there will be students other than baseball players there, and something will happen.

It can't be avoided - kids will have parties. And when they do, they always get out of hand. Just ask the people that reside on Cranberry Road and Castle Drive in Allegany.

There are 25-30 kids that live in 6 apartments there, and when they have a party, it isn't just a 'few' kids, it's usually 200-300. The next day you will find empty plastic cups and cans and bottles strewn all over the yard and street and a trail of them back up Cranberry Road leading to campus.

They haul the furniture out of the apartments and set it up on the front lawn; the music plays all night and is turned up to about '9' on the dial; there are empty kegs that sit in the yard for days after; there are currently two large traffic cones that were 'obtained' from somewhere that were thrown up into the branches of the tree in the front yard; there has been vandalism to houses and the curbside mailboxes along Cranberry Road that occurs when these kids leave the party and walk back to campus; one resident even witnessed a group attempting to tackle a curbside mailbox as if it were a football tackling dummy. And for those that choose to drive back to campus, they don't bother to use the roads - no - they take a shortcut across the old Castle Inn golf course, tearing up the grass and driving between the Castle Cinema and the Motel.

There is no such thing as a 'small' party, and while the baseball players may for the most part be responsible individuals (except for the foul-mouthed one that berated a neighbor while checking out the house) there will be others that will attend a party here that will get out of hand because they know "I can do what I want because the baseball players will get all the blame !"

And the 'uptight' neighbors as you call them won't need the police on speed-dial - there are several that are residents of the street - including a current Olean patrolman, a retired Chief of Police of Olean, and a retired NYS Trooper, not to mention a prominent lawyer, and a reporter for the Times Herald.

The residents are well represented, kind of like a 'family' if you get my drift - an enforcer, a consigliere, two 'underbosses', and a very close friend of the Godfather of Allegany.

This is not a good idea, and let me ask you this - what happens to the house after the kid of the father that wants to buy it graduates in two years ? Is this dad going to maintain the house after his kid is gone, I doubt it. He lives in Maryland and the kid will be long gone for a job in greener pastures.

If I were a resident of this street, I would get together with my neighbors, form a conglomerate, and purchase this house first. Put a little money into it, convert it to several senior citizen apartments, and rent them out to local senior citizens. It wouldn't take much to convert it, it was already a viable nursing home before the owners lost their license.

I think it would be an excellent investment for the residents of 26th. street, and would turn a tidy profit for them.

[Bona799]

Fox, you are right. This may be the worst idea that I have heard in a long time. It would seem to me that Solan, Ron Z can stop this. They cannot stop the father from buying the property, which I also agree with you that when his son graduates in two years what is going to happen then. The schools administration should be able to say something like, if you are receiving a scholarship from the athletic department then you have to live on campus. I have seen enough bad headline in the Buff News and USA Today during the last three years and we don't need anymore because of some party goes bad and some young lady claims that something happened to her at the party. Just look at the headlines we received with Crowley and Young. They will never get their reputations back. Once that first headline hits the first paper, he goes everywhere.

[Bona799]

Sorry, the last line of my previous post should be "it goes everywhere." So much for typing class in high school.

[1bat0balls]

Everyone makes a good point. I wonder what the City of Olean could do to prevent the players from moving in. Do they really want 26th street to resemble every other college neighborhood. The baseball players may be testing the waters and if a house goes up for sale on the street, who would buy it except a slum lord that would rent it out to other college students. Driving out even more of the residents that have made that neighborhood their home for so many years. I have been down that street and it looks like the residents really work hard to keep up their homes. It will be a shame if the Bona Baseball team invades that street or any other in Olean. Keep them on campus!

[MIKE MACALUSO]

with the above mentioned problems on cranberry road, i am surprised that ang, dan and joe questa havent shown up in force to apply the proverbial hammer !! they could round up the pleakis boys, jim casini and bob butinski if they need reinforcements

[PABrownIndian]

A few comments on the above:

1. I do not think there should be a rule at all that student-athletes must live on campus. Many coaches encourage it, but I think it should be up to the individual coach. The baseball players have lived off campus for many years, several of them living the Caddy Shack the past few years, and the "baseball house" before that.

2. Definitely a disaster waiting to happen, though, not going to disagree with that.

3. If the 'uptight' neighbors want to keep a quiet community, then I agree, they should buy the property. Many Allegany citizens complain about the Bonas students, but without them, they would not have the business that they do. Not all Bonas students are the ones form tackling the mailboxes, small minority there.

[FroMunga]

There are already houses in Olean that are rented by college students. Are they having wild parties every night? What makes these residents think that students will suddenly flock to their street to party? Is 26th St. now an exclusive gated community? This attitude sends a great message to the students that they aren't welcome in Olean.

The nursing home people are concerned about the potential noise? Can somebody tell me how many hours a day Tops is open? Don't the delivery trucks at Tops make noise?

I find it hard to believe that 200-300 students are going to flock to S. 26th street for a party. First of all that is too far away from campus for that many people. It's a lot easier to party hop and go to the bars when there are more parties and bars in the immediate area. Therefore the parties will continue to be held in Allegany.

Even so, with the big stink the residents have made, it would be real easy to recognize when and if a party is taking place.

Why is it that most of you on this board have asked that people give members of the basketball team a second chance when they get into trouble but now you are unwilling to give other students a first chance.

Also, has anyone asked how many parties the neighbor who was berated has had in the past year? If the residents are worried about a party or two, then as your source for the truth, I must say that this person shouldn't be so quick to cast judgement.

[sbu79]

Although my perception, Fro, is that your posts are usually have the sole purpose to incite emotional reactions among the faithful (and maybe this one fits that bill as well), I have to admit I agree with what you had to say on this topic.

[FroMunga]

I don't try to stir the pot, I just express what I believe and/or know what is true. Others don't always agree with me, and I can accept that, but most of the time people disagree with out of principal rather than my message. One day they will see the light.

[1bat0balls]

It sounds like a good idea for the residents of South 26th Street to purchase the propety but lets be realistic.
How many people are going to split the $200,000 purchase price of that building with their neighbors. I wouldn't split the cost of a moblie home with my family let alone my neighbors. Why would the residents of 26th street ever consider that? Who has that kind of money anyway? Maybe PABrownIndian could buy it and write politicaly incorrect slang all over the walls! They're the Bonnies for a reason!

[BonaWolf]

This is an easy one......invite the neighbors to all the parties. They sound a little uptight.