Dozens of Milford residents met in the sanctuary of the Milford United Methodist Church to talk about how they could help the people who were affected by Friday’s fire.
The fire, which started around 2 a.m. Friday, July 18, gutted four commercial and residential buildings at the corner of South Main and West Main streets, including the Milford Corner Store and Sybil’s Yarn Shop.
Milford Village Mayor Brian Pokorny said Friday’s fire displaced the individuals who were renting the apartments above Sybil’s Yarn Shop, and the homeowners, and also affected the 10 employees of the two businesses. He said the meeting was going to be about helping the people affected by the fires, not a discussion about the future of the block. “That is up to the property owners and the insurance companies,” he said. “Tonight’s not about Dollar General or Mirabito, so let’s try to stay focused.”
Milford Fire Chief Damon West and Otsego County Emergency Services Coordinator Victor Jones talked about the response to the fire. Jones said because of the complex nature of the fire, the state Office of Fire Prevention and Control was called in to determine the cause of the fire. He reported it was still under investigation, but was not deemed “criminal in nature.”
Shortly after the fire, residents posted on the Milford, NY — Community Directory Facebook page questions about how they could help the people who were affected by the fire. Cassandra Meeker and Bayla Richards, who are friends with the owners of the Milford Corner Store, have been coordinating efforts to help the victims.
Richards, who lives in the town, said when she saw the news about the fire, “I didn’t want to believe it.”
Richards coordinated with Milford Town Supervisor Casey Eckler, to have the town hall in Portlandville as a drop off for items on Saturdays. She said most of the families have gone to the town hall to pick up items they need.
Meeker, who lives on Center Street in the village, said when she realized so many families had lost their home, she was hurt and “I just wanted to be there to support the people who don’t have anything, to give them a little help and a little push. Community is everything.”
She said the response from the community has “been through the moon.” People have been purchasing items, especially clothing, on Amazon and shipping them to her house to help the victims; people have offered their garages for storage; trailers to pick up furniture.
Pokorny said the American Legion offered the Legion hall on West Main Street for storage of donated items. He handed the Legion’s key to Meeker, who would be available to open it when needed.
During the meeting Meeker handed an envelope with $780 in it to Pat Winsor, temporary village clerk, from a fundraiser the Otego and Milford Little League teams had during their game Monday, July 21 to help the victims of the fire.
Winsor and Denise Oliver facilitated the meeting and asked if there were any fundraisers planned. The owner of Black Whiskey Ink said he was going to donate half of the cost of tattoos and all of his tips Saturday. The Elm Inn owners said they were working on a fundraiser for the evening of Aug. 16. There will also be a fundraiser at Rigby Handcraft on Pioneer Street Aug. 16 for the owner of Sybil’s.
Information about these fundraisers and what people need will be posted at the village hall and at the Apple Food Store on state Route 28. School Superintendent Kristen Shearer and West said information could be posted on the digital signs in front of the school and fire department. Updates will also be posted on the Milford, NY — Community Directory Facebook page. A new Facebook page geared toward just helping people affected by the fire is being planned.
Stacie Haynes, executive director of the Susquehanna SPCA, said they have trapped seven cats from the area, so if someone is missing an indoor/outdoor cat, they should call her at the shelter. She also said they offer boarding of animals, so if someone is in need while they look for housing, they can contact the shelter.
After the meeting, Oliver took down the names and contact information of people who want to help.
People who want to send monetary donations can make checks out to the Milford United Methodist Church and put Milford Fire Fund on the memo line. Checks can be mailed to the church at P.O. Box 127, Milford, NY 13807.