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VOLUME 2 ISSUE1
JANUARY 6 - 12, 2017
The Official Newspaper
of the Village of Springville, NY Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools
Sprague Brook, Our Natural Escape
Alpine Race Season Upcoming Kicks Off at Events KB and BSC Springville
Around the first of February, people in Springville and the surrounding areas not only get cabin fever, but also the winter blahs. We seem to forget how beautiful winter can be. Thankfully, we are close to a natural escape—Sprague Brook Park. The Erie Parks and Recreation web site says there is, “No more enchanting location than this to fish, hike, camp, picnic or explore.” For many of the Springville area residents, Sprague Brook is a natural escape. Not that Springville is a huge concrete jungle, but it is a place that has a lot of traffic and restrictions on a variety of winter and summer activities. Sprague Brook is a place that offers a
peaceful place to unwind and in the winter months, a place to have fun and enjoy the natural beauty of the season. When it was formed as a county park in 1964, Erie County used State and Federal grant monies to buy over 2,200 acres from various farms on
Foote Road. The vast majority of the park is in the Town of Concord, with 86 acres in the Town of Sardinia that was bought in 1965 for $1,500. In recent years, the Nature Sanctuary Society of Western New York has also purchased a See Sprague Brook page 8
Sidewalk Plowing Addressed by Village Board
By Jennifer Weber
Mayor William Krebs addressed resident concerns over the plowing of the sidewalks at the Village Board Meeting held on Jan. 3. The first priority in a snow event is for the Department of Public Works to keep the streets open, starting with the emergency routes and moving along to the side streets. The sidewalks are plowed after
everything else. “When we get a foot of snow in 24 hours…it takes a week and a half to clean everything” stated Krebs. “It just takes time... we need residents and store owners to understand that this is a partnership and they need to clear the snow and ice from their sidewalks.” The Village code states that the owner of the property must maintain their sidewalks.
The Village of Springville does plow sidewalks, but this practice does not relieve the home and business owners of the responsibility to make sure the sidewalks are clear and free of hazards. “When we have three feet of snow in three days our schools did not close, we didn’t issue a state of emergency, we didn’t put out any travel bans; we stayed open,” said Krebs. “There aren’t many other villages in Erie County that can stay open and we did it because of our DPW crew, but also because of the partnership we have with our residents.” In other news, Krebs swore in the 2017 Springville Fire Department officers: Chief Dave Klenk, First Assistant Dennis Dains, Second Assistant Jim Siminski, Third Assistant Marc Gentner, Fourth Assistant Cheryl Gentner, Captain Paul See Village Board page 3
Roundball Rumble for Roswell Jan. 11 By Alicia Dziak
Basketball! Local celebrities! SGI teachers! It’s all part of the Roundball Rumble for Roswell on Wednesday, Jan.11. This game was originally set in December, but had to be rescheduled due to weather. The game is the brainchild of the students in SGI high school’s sports and entertainment marketing class, a halfyear elective course, made up of 10th,
Jan. 11
See Rumble for Roswell page 4
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Area
By Caitlin Croft
By Derek M. Otto
On New Year’s Eve, HoliMont Ski Area in Ellicottville hosted the first U16 Open Giant Slalom of the season in Western New York. Both Kissing Bridge (KB) and Buffalo Ski Club (BSC) had great results considering the athletes had only a few weeks on snow. Ski racing runs deep in Glenwood and Colden, and many do not realize its immense history. This is something we will dive into deeper in the future, but for now we focus on our most See Alpine Race Season page 5
A LOOK BACK: January White Sales at Smith and Klinck
January National Learn a Snowsport Month January 6-8 Everything Buffalo Weekend Kissing Bridge January 11 Roundball for Roswell SGI High School January 19 Discover NY Ski Day By Derek M. Otto
Smith and Klinck advertising that they are quitting their business at 39 East Main Street in 1958. After Smith and Klinck retired this section of the Union Block Building became part of Simon’s Clothing store’s children’s department. Later it was a series of cafes and now is home to Echoes Through Time Civil War museum.
January has been known as the month of White Sales for many years. In 1878, Wanamaker’s Department Store in Philadelphia began the custom by using the slow postChristmas time in January to discount linens and beddings. In the northeast, let’s face it— we spend more time indoors and it’s a great time to change the sheets. In those days most sheets were white, so the sales period would be called “White Sales.” Today, White Sales include most linens and bedding, but also general household items. See A Look Back page 3
$12 KB Lift Tickets Jan. 19
Huge Deals for Discover NY Ski Day
Ready to embrace winter and all it has to offer in WNY? There’s no better way to enjoy the snow than to head to one of the nearby ski areas, where fresh powder is your bestie. But...if you want to enjoy skiing or riding even more, how about doing it for a hugely discounted price? Celebrating four years of popularity, the I SKI NY “Discover NY Ski Day” will return on Jan. 19, offering skiers and riders the chance to enjoy ski areas across New York State for as little as $12 per lift ticket. Learn to ski or ride packages are available as part of the event, starting at $25 at participating ski areas. This day celebrates all things New York skiing and snowboarding and lets you enjoy deals that you can’t miss. If you or
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