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VOLUME 2 ISSUE 25
JUNE 23 - 29, 2017
Your Hometown Newspaper & The Official Newspaper of the Springville-Griffith Institute Central Schools
School’s Out for Summer!
Another Veteran Added to Village Honor Roll
By Alicia Dziak
It’s summer vacation! If you’re a kid, it’s time for staying up late and filling the days with outdoor activities. If you’re a parent, it’s time to get planning! Have no fear—there’s loads of great summertime fun right at your fingertips. Start out at one of WNY’s great parks. Sprague Brook is close to everyone living in Springville and offers hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, tennis courts and open spaces for lots of fun lawn games. On hot days, the creek is a great place to cool off. Pack a picnic lunch and make a day of it, or reserve your spot at the campgrounds to extend your stay. Call (716) 858-8355 for reservations.
By Derek M. Otto
New York state parks offer everything you look for in an outdoor experience. If you like waterfalls and gorges, check out Letchworth State Park, which also boasts cabins and camp sites, weekly programming, scenic
trails, shady picnic areas and opportunities for whitewater rafting. Allegany State Park offers hundreds of camp sites, cabins and full service cottages, miles of hiking and biking trails,
See Summer Break page 5
Poloncarz Addresses Road Concerns, Outlines New Economic Plan
By Elizabeth Riggs
The hazardous, deteriorated road conditions were the main topic of question, and for some, outrage, last week at a town hall meeting held by Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz at the Sprague Brook Casino in Glenwood. In the town hall portion of the meeting, local business owners
and residents all questioned Poloncarz as to how tax dollars were being spent, and why the road conditions on 240, Springville-Boston Road, and Glenwood-East Concord Road have remained so bad for so long. Last week, a portion of Springville Boston Road was repaved, but the milling
and resurfacing of Route 240, from Springville to East Concord will not take place until 2019 due to budget. It’s these roadways on which local business owners raised concerns, and gave specific examples of motorists driving on the shoulders in order to avoid the potholes, some even saying that customers told them they couldn’t shop at their stores due to road conditions. “It’s always a money issue. We have at least 24,000 lane miles of road in Erie County,” said Poloncarz, who explained that roads are ranked according to deterioration and then repaired accordingly. “It was a terrible winter for roads. The winter just destroyed them.” Additional questions from
See Town Hall Meeting page 6
SGI Hodgson Russ Collaboration Award
Posing after presentation of the Hodgson Russ Excellence in Collaboration Honor Award are, from left: Andrew J. Freedman, Esq., representing Hodgson Russ; Springville GI School Board members Elizabeth Casey; Jennifer Sullivan, Vice President; Allison Duwe, President; former student Molly Stabell; social studies teacher and club advisor Andrew Beiter; Middle School principal Shanda DuClon, and ECASB President David Lowrey.
EMERLING
Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram
Springville Griffith Institute students, along with teacher Andrew Beiter, were recipients of a Hodgson Russ Excellence in Collaboration Honor Award at the recent Erie County Association of School Boards annual award celebration. Mr. Beiter is the volunteer coordinator of Springville’s Students for Human Rights Club. The Club, open to middle
The regular meeting of the village of Springville Board met on Monday, June 19. During public comment, Bill O’Brien, Third Vice Commander of the American Legion Post 431, told the board that a Korean War veteran had not been listed on the Korean War Memorial in Shuttleworth Park. Ensign Baker David G. Baker was killed when his fighter jet crashed near Jacksonville, FL. Baker grew up in Concord and attended the lower grades
at Griffith Institute. He was the first Western New Yorker accepted as a cadet at the Navy Air Base in Niagara Falls. O’Brien , Larry Balog and Roy Barley will pay for the cost of adding the name to the current memorial in the park. This is the seventh veteran to be added to the memorial in the town. Earlier this spring, O’Brien discovered six World War II Era veterans that had been killed and not recognized for their ultimate sacrifice. The See Village Board page 2
A LOOK BACK: Smith & Smith
Upcoming Events June 23 David Ebert SCA June 23-25 Chaffee-Sardinia Fire Co. Carnival June 24-25 New York State Free Fishing Weekend June 26 Boys & Girls Club of Springville Annual Golf Classic Tournament June 27 Dirt Devil Series Trail Races Sprague Brook June 28 Campus Series Mountain Bike Races Sprague Brook
The Circling Wave set up on Franklin Street about 1915. If you look closely, most of the houses behind the ride are still standing. By Derek M. Otto
The annual Dairy Festival has come and gone already and now we are ready for the fun that summer brings. The Chaffee-Sardinia Firemen Carnival is coming this weekend—the last of the local firemen’s carnivals. It is neat to see that today, a local company, American Amusements,
provides the teen and kiddie rides for these events. Coincidentally, the first Springville firemen’s and American Legion carnivals were held on the same spot that this year’s Dairy Fest was held. Before the high school was built in 1950, the football and baseball diamonds were in
July 8 SCENe Garden Walk July 28 Springville Stampede SGI High School
See A Look Back page 7
New York Free Fishing Days June 24-25
During Free Fishing Days/ Weekends, anyone can fish the fresh or marine waters of New York State and no fishing license or recreational marine fishing registry is required! (All other freshwater and saltwater fishing regulations still apply.) With more than 7,500 lakes and ponds and 70,000 miles of rivers and streams, there are plenty of places to try freshwater fishing in New York. Some places to try it out are as follows: Choose from ponds and lakes like Alma Pond, Allen Lake, Bear Lake, Case Lake, Cassadaga Lake, Cuba Lake,
Findley Lake, Harwood Lake, Lake Flavia, Lime Lake, New Albion Lake, Quaker Lake, Red House Lake, Rushford Lake and Silver Lake.
Hit the streams and check out stocked Cattaraugus Creek, Cayuga Creek, E. Br. Cazenovia Creek, Eighteen Mile Creek, Ellicott Creek,
T-shirts • Mugs • Hats • Hoodies • Water Bottles • Gift Certificates
See Award page 4
Congratulations Graduates
See Free Fishing page 3
Best wishes on your future endeavors See What Makes Us Better
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