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VOLUME 1 ISSUE 10
OCTOBER 7 - 13, 2016
The Official Newspaper
of the Village of Springville, NY Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools
Local Haunts
By Ashlee O akley
By Jennifer Weber
it home, leaving his young daughter at the home alone indefinitely. Some Springville residents have noted a little girl spotted standing in the widow’s peak of the house and roaming around, certainly awaiting the return of her beloved father. It is said that if there is anyone living in the house, she becomes displeased, and will
make herself known—turning off appliances, disembodied laughter, doors slamming, and you can sometimes hear a person run up the spiral staircase. Western House, Springville: Everyone in town knows the old Western House, but do you know the haunted history See Local Haunts page 8
New President Hopes to Revive Kissing Bridge By Dave Dahl
As he prepares for the upcoming season, Rich Fanelli brings a lifetime of ski resort experience to the top post at Kissing Bridge. Now overseeing the ski area, where he started his career at age15, Fanelli hopes to draw more skiers and snowboarders with a series of enhancements. Entering his 28th season at Kissing Bridge, the new president believes his experience will aide him as he leads the business during uncertain financial times. Following three consecutive “bad” winters, Fanelli plans to inject energy into the place where he began his career working in the ski shop. A 1985 Orchard Park High School graduate, Fanelli attended Erie Community College and Buffalo State College, where he majored in international business. He left the college in 1987 to work for Vail Associates in Colorado.
High School Parking Addressed
That experience cemented his interest in the ski business. “It just really was a defining point in my experience with the ski industry where I decided to stick around and get more involved,” he said. At Vail, he worked on the trail crew and in snowmaking. He also served as a concierge in the lodge and learned about public relations.
The Village of Springville Board of Trustees opened its Monday, Oct. 3 meeting with a series of public hearings amending on local laws. Local law 2016-5, Chapter 200- Zoning Section 200-84 (G)(2) was amended to state that zoning laws posting signs on lawns “shall not be set back more than 10 feet from the property or street line and shall be displayed for a period not less than 10 days immediately preceding the public hearing date or adjourning date.” Local law 2016-6, Chapter 77 regarding unsafe buildings, modified the chapter to state that legal proceedings on
whether a structure should be demolished in the interest that public safety would first come before the Village court instead of the NY State Supreme Court. “Other villages do it this way and it expedites the process dealing with distressed projects,” said Mayor Krebs. See Village Board page 8
A LOOK BACK:
Main Street 1945
By Derek M.O tt o
See Kissing Bridge page 7
Traveling to the Fall Festival in Ellicottville? Sixty years ago, you would have traveled through the village of Springville to go south to Ellicottville. This photo is the corner of Pearl and Main Streets
Springville Area Oct. 8-9 Fall Festival Ellicottville
© 2016 Ellicottville Times / Keystone Designers e Inc.
Looking for a chilling local ghost story this Halloween season? Look no further… and perhaps you needn’t look any further than your own backyard. Here are some legends worth telling, with settings in the Springville area. Victorian Homes of Main Street, Springville: It has been rumored that some of the beautiful, striking Victorian houses on the main drag of Springville are indeed haunted. In one such legend, a house belonged to a veteran of the Civil War, “Mr. Meyers.” After the war, in 1880, Meyers had the house built for himself and his daughter. Meyers eventually left town to meet with colleagues Gettysburg, PA- only to meet an uncertain end, as he never did make the meeting, nor did he make
Village Board Upcoming Amends Local Laws Events
in Springville, NY, circa 1945. The mobile gas station was the first of many in the village. The house next door was torn down in the 1950s to build an Atlantic gas station. Note the street signs say Junction of Routes 219 and
Oct. 22 A Night at the Derby Fundraiser for SYI Oct. 22 BCH Boo Bash Oct. 27 Concord Public Library Pumpkin Party Nov. 12 2016 Wine Tasting and Silent Auction for SGCE Nov. 24 Gobble for Groceries Nov. 25-26 A Very Merry Main Street 240. Route 219 once passed through our Main Street between Buffalo Street and Elk. It followed up Elk Street to Cattaraugus Street and then over the Blue Bridge (sort of the way Route 240 follows today). Where would you stop and shop when there was no WalMart on that route? Main
See A Look Back page 7
Ribbon Cutting for Pop Warner Rail Trail By Jennifer Weber
The Springville Area community, several officials from Erie County and representatives from the Erie Cattaraugus Rail Trail came out to support the “Pop Warner” Rails Trail Grand Opening Ceremony on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2016. The Springville “Pop Warner” Rail Trail is a 1.8-mile trail along the discontinued Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad rightof-way, which runs from Orchard Park to the Town of Ashford and is the first section of the trail to be Pop Warner Hall of Fame Inductees page developed and
A Record-Breaking Night for the Griffs By T. J. Oakley
Last Friday, a great hallmark of the beginning of autumn, Varsity football homecoming night, played out like a scripted Hollywood movie. After a festive team-spirited day of school, the kids of Springville Griffith Institute gathered, along with parents and other members of the community, for the much-loved homecoming parade. Smiles gleaned from the promising faces of our
See Griffs Football page 5
open for public use. Springville Mayor Bill Krebs welcomed the crowd announcing that the Village of Springville has been patiently been working since 2009 to transform this abandoned 19th century corridor into a multiuse trail for village residents. “The trail fits into our comprehensive plan and to all our smart grown initiatives
to make Springville a more sustainable and better place to live.” said Mayor Krebs. “We believe that someday this trail will link the Niagara greenway 25 to 35 miles to the north to Allegany State Park and Springville will be the trail head right in the center of it all.” See Rail Trail page 3
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