VOLUME 2 ISSUE 50
FREE
THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE AND THE TOWNS OF ELLICOTTVILLE, GREAT VALLEY AND MANSFIELD, NEW YORK
www.EllicottvilleTimes.com facebook/theEllicottvilleTimes
FEBRUARY 21 - 27, 2014
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Salamanca, Springville and Surrounding Communities While Ellicottville is known for its amazing ski resorts, small-town charm, eclectic shopping, expert ski shops, dining variety and pulsating nightlife, this little town is also quietly known for its deeprooted sense of community, philanthropic generosity and willingness to help anyone who needs it. Year-round fundraising events take place on the slopes and around town. Coming up this weekend on Saturday, Feb. 22, the annual Penguin Paddle is the only fundraiser for Holiday Valley’s Bill Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program (LASP). The program offers lessons to people with virtually all physical and cognitive disabilities. (More about LASP on page 7.) The day is filled with penguin-style belly sledding down the bottom of Yodeler sporting a black plastic garbage bag, a delicious cookout, fabulous auction items, music and guaranteed laughs. (See page 7 for complete schedule.) Skiers and non-skiers alike are invited to join the Ken Brown 700 Club Fundraising Party held outside at noon near Yodeler Lodge at Holiday Valley on Saturday, March 1. This memorial club is dedicated to helping others as Brown so often did. Started by Brown, who one year was looking for 10 skiers who turned 70 that year to get together and have a good time, this annual fundraiser provides charitable support to local groups. Those age 70 or over can join for $50, and those under can become associate members for $25. A $7 donation gets you full access to the large buffet prepared by The Depot restaurant (owned by Brown’s son and daughter-in-law). The afternoon includes a 50-50 drawing and a live auction with great merchandise. On Thursday, March 6, head to HoliMont for Ski Day for United Way. One price gets participants a lift ticket for a great day of fantastic skiing
Calendar of Events
Paddling Penguins, Hoses and Pancake-Flipping Patrollers
Generosity Abounds
February 22 Penguin Paddle Holiday Valley February 28 Telestock Telemark Festival Holiday Valley March 1 Ken Brown 700 Club Fundraiser Holiday Valley March 4-5 BOCES Winter Carnival Holiday Valley Tubing Park March 6 Ski Day for United Way HoliMont March 7 Tele-Fest HoliMont March 7 Celtic Thunder Fundraiser Ellicottville Town Center March 8-9 Mardi Gras & Winter Carnival Ellicottville • Holiday Valley March 13-16 Freestyle B East Coast Championships Holiday Valley March 14 Quarterpipe Contest Holiday Valley March 22 Pond Skimming Party Holiday Valley
Coming up this weekend on Saturday, Feb. 22, the annual Penguin Paddle is the only fundraiser for Holiday Valley’s Bill Lounsbury Adaptive Ski Program.
© 2014 Keystone Designers Inc.
By Eva Potter
See complete schedule page 7
See Generosity page 3
Mar 23 Northwind Super G Holiday Valley April 11-13 Enchanted Mountain Music Festival Holiday Valley June 6-8 Cycling Weekend Holiday Valley
Ellicottville Starts 2014 with Surplus Head to State Championships ECS Bowler and Skiers
Basketball Preps for Sectionals by Todd Palmatier
After an exciting season of competition, ECS Eagles winter sports have come to an end and playoffs and states begin.
Shelby Toth and Joran Lyford of ECS head to state championships
Bowling Champion Senior standout Courtney Scanlon competed at state qualifiers for bowling last week and took home one of the six individual spots to compete in the state athletic girls bowling championships in Long Island for Section 6. The championships begin Saturday, March 1 in West Babylon, Long Island. Scanlon threw a 534 series in the morning set and came back in the afternoon to bowl a 578 series, clinching the sixth and final spot on the team. “I’m excited about going to states and glad to be representing Ellicottville Eagles and Section 6,” said Scanlon. Scanlon has competed at sectionals for six years and is a four-time, 1st Team keggler in Division 3. She carried a 179 average for her senior year. See ECS State Championships page 9
Road Maintenance Differs by Budget: A Look at Two Towns By Jann Wiswall
As the impact of winter’s cold and snow on the roads begins to appear in the form of potholes that seem to reproduce faster than rabbits, highway departments in every municipality in the region
are gearing up for their busiest roadway repair seasons. All municipalities have to deal with many of the same issues related to the vagaries of weather and the geology of the region that requires specialized maintenance strategies. But all things are not equal from one town to the next when it comes to funding, and a quick comparison of Mansfield and Ellicottville illustrates the difficulties faced by underfunded versus well-funded departments. Everyone knows that Ellicottville is a relatively wealthy town in the region thanks to its robust tourism economy and higher-thanaverage property assessments. Ellicottville’s 2014 budget for maintaining its 46 miles of roads — including employees and benefits, See Road Maintenance page 8
By Jann Wiswall
Town of Ellicottville Supervisor John Burrell always starts board meetings with a bit of good news. At this month’s meeting, held Feb. 19, Burrell announced that fourth quarter 2013 sales tax revenues totaled $356,000, which is $356,000 more than anticipated for the year. The town had already received its entire estimated
revenue at the end of the third quarter. That money will go into the town’s surplus fund. Burrell also reported that major progress has been made on renovations of the new Town Center building. Rehabilitation of both the men’s and women’s restrooms is nearly complete and the new flooring in the auditorium is scheduled to be installed soon
in preparation for a Rotary Club of Ellicottville event on March 7. In addition, Burrell hired a contractor to take a good look at the building’s heating system, which, while old, is in reasonably good condition. The system was cleaned, repaired and inspected, and the contractor will provide See Ellicottville Surplus, page 3
IDA Sets Public Hearings for Three Area Projects By Jann Wiswall
St. Bonaventure University, MJ Painting and Four Mile Brewing Company all had projects before the board of the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency/Capital Resource Corporation at its meeting on Feb. 13. The board approved resolutions to hold public hearings on all three of the projects and authorized preliminary
State Environmental Quality Reviews (SEQR) for each. The public hearings on the MJ Painting and Four Mile Brewing Company projects have been set for Wednesday, March 5 at 9 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., respectively in Conference Room 119 at the City of Olean Municipal building at 101 E. State St. The hearing for the St. Bonaventure project had not yet been scheduled at press
time. SBU St. Bonaventure University (SBU) in Allegany, N.Y., has applied to the CCCRC for its help obtaining tax-exempt bonds for a $10 million renovation and maintenance project on campus. This project includes rehabilitation of two, circa 1954, freshman residence halls — Devereux See IDA Public Hearings page 8
SWAN Battles Senior Hunger One Hour Makes a Difference By Jann Wiswall
Hunger among senior citizens in the U.S. is a significant problem. A report prepared for the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger concluded that the number of American seniors threatened by hunger increased by 88 percent between 2001 and 2011. Today, nearly one
in six American seniors — or some 8.8 million individuals — is threatened by hunger. For its part, the Cattaraugus County Department of Aging’s Senior Wellness and Nutrition (SWAN) program is working in many ways to ensure that area seniors have the nutrition and support they need. Its range of services
include nutrition education and counseling, home delivered meals, congregate meals and health promotion. The best known of these programs is Meals on Wheels. In 2013, the Cattaraugus County program delivered 117,773 meals to nearly See Senior Hunger page 8