What the Heck Was Going On in Downtown Oneonta?

A listener recently sent me this old photograph of downtown Oneonta.

What a mess!

Does anybody know what was going on here?  Clearly Main Street was undergoing an overhaul.  I wonder what kind of a ruckus the Main Street merchants put up during this hectic time?

Any ideas on the date of this photo?  A clue might be the Greyhound Bus station in the picture.