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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 3
The Official Newspaper
FREE
of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
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JANUARY 16 - 22, 2015
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, East Otto, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Beyond
Calendar of Events
How Do You Play In the Snow?
January National Learn a Snowsport Month
By Jann Wiswall
© 2014 Keystone Designers Inc.
There’s no place like Ellicottville when the world is covered in snow. U.S. and Canadian skiers and boarders flock to Holiday Valley and HoliMont, of course, to enjoy their days on the slopes, build their skills, perfect their moves, join racing teams and feed their adrenaline needs. Cross country skiers come for the hundreds of miles of groomed, semi-groomed or un-groomed trails all over the area. Think the Art Roscoe XC Trail at Allegany State Park and Holiday Valley’s variety of trails. Snowtube lovers come for the thrill of whipping down the lanes of the Holiday Valley Tubing Park on their bums or tums. Snowshoers and hikers arrive all season long to make their own tracks in the area’s many state forests, or to enjoy the “art-in-nature” experience of Griffis Sculpture Park. Of course, there’s lots of fun stuff to do that requires very little gear. How about building snow forts or snow families or snow dinosaurs, or having a snowball throwing contest, or going sledding? Or, you could do what “Buddy” (Will Ferrell) suggested in “Elf,” one of the great Christmas movies of all time: “First we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can and then we’ll snuggle.” Have fun out there!
Ellicottville Central School District residents are being asked to vote Jan. 21 on whether or not to approve a new $925,000 capital project, which is separate from the major construction project that is currently under way. The bulk of the new project will cover replacement of 50,000 square feet of roof over the elementary wing and in the high school wing above part of the new construction. In addition, this secondary capital project
January 24 Harley-Day Valley February 6-7 AMSOIL Snocross at Seneca Allegany Casino February 12-13 Your Turn Women’s Ski Clinic at Holiday Valley
February 21 Penguin Paddle at Holiday Valley February 27 Telestock Day at Holiday Valley February 28 Play It Forward Vertical Challenge at Holiday Valley March 5 Ski Day for United Way at HoliMont March 14-15 Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival March 28 Holiday Valley’s Pond Skimming
would cover the cost of two projects that were cut from the larger capital project for budget reasons. The first would cover construction of a new vestibule at the south entrance of the school. The new vestibule would provide energy efficiency, shelter for students waiting for rides and an added level of safety and security for the building. The second project would fund the state-ofthe-art sound system originally planned for the new multi-purpose room. During the budget prioritization process for the first capital project, the sound system was scaled back. According to ECS Superintendent Mark Ward, the cost to STAR-eligible taxpayers would be about $3 per year for 16 years on a home assessed at $100,000. The vote will take place in the Elementary School foyer on Wednesday, Jan. 21, from 1-8 p.m.
Village Board Reviews Occupancy Cert. Process Trash Service Bids to be Requested
By Jann Wiswall
The Ellicottville Village Board met on Monday, Jan. 12 for its first meeting of 2015 and was able to cross one ongoing issue off its list: completion of the new water mains and lines serving homes along
See Village Board page 11
By Eva Potter
There’s something exciting about a good winter snowstorm that produces postcard-perfect landscapes and smooth slopes waiting for fresh tracks. But, winter snowstorms can also be quite dangerous in ways you may not realize. Pre-storm preparation, active storm safety and post-storm smarts are essential to gliding through the snow blasts expected in Ellicottville this winter. An Ounce of Prevention You know it’s going to snow — it happens every year. And every year, whether we look forward to it or dread it, we don’t believe it’s coming until
By Jann Wiswall
See Stone Soup page 3
good” and thanked the village public works crew for their hard work. In other public works business, DPW Chief Harold Morton reported that one plow will be going in for repairs this
Tips for Winter Storm Safety
Jan. 31 Event Features Free Concert The Ellicottville Food Pantry is holding a “stone soup” dinner and concert on Saturday, Jan. 31 beginning at 5:30 p.m. to raise funds to support its essential programs and services. The dinner is inspired by a circa 1700s, widely adapted story about some hungry travelers who arrive in a small town with nothing but a cooking pot. The villagers are unwilling to share their food, so the travelers go to a stream, fill the pot with water, place a large stone in it and put it on a fire to boil. They tell the curious villagers they are making delicious stone soup, but it could use some garnish to improve the flavor. The villagers don’t mind sharing a few carrots and potatoes and seasonings and more, which they add one by
Madison Street and other areas in the municipal water district. Resident Jack Rogan, who has attended numerous board meetings over the past year to track the project’s progress, reported that so far, the water coming into his home is “pretty
Make Plans and Prepare
Stone Soup Dinner to Support EVL Food Pantry
Brian Naber’s “Garden Face” will be raffled at the dinner.
January 20-22 2015 FIS NorAm Cup at Holiday Valley
February 13 Ellicottville Rotary Ski Day
School Vote on New Capital Project Jan. 21 Rendering of new school vestibule
January 17-18 Greater Olean Outdoor & Recreation Show
See Winter Safety page 3
Great Valley Reorganizes for 2015
By Mary Fox
A public hearing was held during the Great Valley Town Board meeting on Monday, Jan. 12 to allow comment on Local Law 1-2015 which states: “Upon failure of a
private water/sewer system, residents must tie into the public sewer/water system, if it exists, immediately and at the owner’s expense.” With no one present to comment, the law was passed
as proposed. The regular meeting served as the board’s reorganizational meeting, and 2015 elected officers and appointments See Great Valley Board page 11