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VOLUME 5 ISSUE 40
The Official Newspaper
SEPTEMBER 23 - 29, 2016
of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville, Ellicottville Central Schools and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
www.EllicottvilleTimes.com facebook/theEllicottvilleTimes
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, East Otto, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Beyond
Celebrate Alpaca Farm Days!
By Alicia Dziak
Ever wonder about the rising popularity of alpacas? In addition to being adorable, these animals produce super soft fleece, ideal for turning into everything from gloves to sweaters. During the national Alpaca Farm Days, farm owners from all over the area welcome visitors to explore their farms and learn about these unique creatures. Visitors are invited to feel the alpaca fleece, tour the farm, experience live demonstrations, learn about raising and breeding alpacas, shop for alpaca products and enjoy a fun day at the farm for the whole family! Check out Sugartown Alpacas (www.sugartownfarms.com), at 6277 Sugartown Road in Ellicottville, and their selection of socks, hats, gloves, scarves, blankets, teddy bears and more. A Slice of Heavean Alpacas, (www.asliceofheavenalpacas. com), at 11144 Pope Road in Randolph, has grown to include 32 alpacas. Their Simply Natural Alpaca Gift Shop inludes hats, sweaters, scraves, stuffed animals and more. Mager Mountain Alpacas (www.magermountainalpacas. com), at 69 Mountain View Drive in Little Valley, will be open Friday 10 a.m to 4 p.m., with a special weekend open house Saturday and Sunday, from10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The open house will feature Pronking Peruvians 4H club showing off their alpaca handling skills on the obstacle course and selling hand-made felted ornaments, bird nesting balls and refreshments. Also, Taylar Made Treats will be selling her famous cup cakes. Lori Krug of Idyllbrook Alpaca Farm will also be giving spinning demonstrations. Cozy Cabin Alpaca Farm, at 9254 Route 353 in Gowanda, has a new baby alpaca (called a cria) as well as a gift shop that
Fri • Freddie & Friends• 9pm Sat • Mo Porter• 9pm Sun • The Hick Ups • 6:30pm Wed • Wagner & Winston • 8pm Thursday • Freddie & Friends • 8pm 20 Washington St • 699-2530
Fri • Black Widow 7pm Sat • Joseph Micahel Mahfoud • 6pm Sat Patio • Ryan Melquist & Friends • 10pm 20 Monroe St • 699-4162
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Upcoming Events
See Alpacas page 7
Arboretum Walk Sept. 25
If you’ve never visited Ellicottville’s Nannen Arborteum, or even if you’re a regular who’s looking for another excuse to go and learn more, now’s your chance. On Sunday, Sept. 25, stop by for a free guided walk through this hidden gem. To help kick off the season, the walk is a chance for visitors to explore and learn about the arboretum, with volunteers on hand to answer questions and share interesting facts. The developer of the Arboretum, John Ploetz, enjoyed unique trees and made sure to showcase them at the Nannen Arboretum, which is now home to some species visitors won’t see anywhere else in the area. Guests will enjoy walking through the crab apple and evergreen collections, where they can learn about the different varieties of trees. Next, visitors will head to the Carolyn Lowe See Arboretum page 10
Sept. 14-Oct. 15 Night Lights Griffis Sculpture Park Sept. 24-25 National Alpaca Farm Days Sept. 24 National Public Lands Day Allegany State Park Sept. 25 A Walk in the Arboretum
Ellicottville Distillery Set to Open Next Week By Alicia Dziak
Soon you won’t have to travel to the city to check out a distillery. The Ellicottville Distillery is opening later this month, and will combine local flavor with unique new products for your enjoyment (if you’re 21 and over)! The Elicottville Distillery is a joint endeavor between three partners: Bryan Scharf, who Left to right: Bryan Scharf, Kathleen Moriarty and Charlie Bares
See Distillery page 8
Ellicottville Town Board Awards Water Station Contract By Dave Dahl
A company has been chosen to rebuild a 35-year-old water booster pump station in the Town of Ellicottville. Town Board members unanimously selected STC Construction of Springville on Wednesday night to work on Booster Station No. 1 on
Holiday Valley Road. The company submitted the lowest of four bids at $142,400. “We were all happy with the bids that came in,” said Mark Alianello, town engineer. Officials expect the project to be finished by June 30. Board members also
awarded a contract to Nussbaumer & Clarke Engineers and Surveyors to design specifications for a heating, ventilation and air conditioning project in the Town and Village Hall. The town will pay the Buffalo-based firm $8,950 to See Town Board page 10
Mansfield Board Overrides Tax Cap, Proposing 7.8 Percent Increase By Jann Wiswall
Photo Ellicottville Sports Boosters
See ECS Sports page 4
The Mansfield board passed a resolution to override the NY State tax levy limit, which gives the town the ability, if it chooses, to propose a 2017 budget that exceeds the state’s recommended 2 percent tax cap. While this has been referred to as a 2 percent cap, after
adjusting for the Consumer Price Index, it is in reality a 0.68 percent cap in the 2017 fiscal year, according to State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. The board passed the largely administrative action following a public hearing on the matter. There were no comments from the public. The roll call vote
to pass the resolution was 4-1; board member Greg Meyer voted “nay.” The board also passed a local resolution put forth by the Cattaraugus County that qualifies certain incomequalified senior citizens for partial property tax exemptions. That resolution also passed by See Mansfield Board page 6