2014 Silver ADDY Award Winner
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 10
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THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE AND THE TOWNS OF ELLICOTTVILLE, GREAT VALLEY AND MANSFIELD, NEW YORK
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MAY 16 - 22, 2014
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Salamanca, Springville and Surrounding Communities
Calendar of Events
Night Lights Flips Switch at Nannen Arboretum Light Installations, Kids Activities, Artists, Music and More
May 15- 16 Night Lights at Nannen Arboretum
By Eva Potter
A new and exciting event is about to shine the light on Ellicottville like never before as Night Lights at the Nannen Arboretum flips the switch this week. Night Lights craze has developed loyal followers all over western New York and on May 15, it’s Ellicottville’s turn to experience this visually stunning event. Several thousand visitors are expected to visit Nannen Arboretum over the next three weekends during the Night Lights display running May 15–17, May 22–25, and May 29–31. The event takes place from 7:30–10 p.m. each evening. Doug Sitler, of SitlerHQ LLC, has been putting on Night Lights shows for a few years now, and he and his crew have worked hard to shed new light on Nannen Arboretum with thousands of colorful lights and soothing sounds. Sitler and his crew have been working about two weeks to set up the show and have used more than a half mile of power cables and lights, predominantly LED, to create the display. “We’ll have about 75 lighting fixtures, which all have color-changing elements to them, like ones you’d see in the theater or for a band,” explained Sitler. Additional lighting transitions visitors from scene to scene on the roughly ¼-mile trail. Some displays will even be interactive. The result is a combination of magical illumination, nature, relaxing music, live performances, and artists creating artwork live, resulting in a truly one-of-a-kind experience.
May 17-18 Routes to Art Tamarack Lodge May 17 - 18 Allegany State Park Geobash, 2014 May 20 ECS Budget Vote and Board of Education Election May 22-25 Night Lights at Nannen Arboretum May 23 Holliday Valley Mountain Coaster Spring Opening May 30 - June 1 Geobash Allegany State Park
© 2014 Keystone Designers Inc.
May 30 - June 1 16th Annual Gowanda Hollywood Happenings May 30 - June 1 Allegany Nature Pilgrimage June 6-8 Cycling Weekend Holiday Valley June 6-8 Springville Dairy Fest June 7 Relay for Life Ellicottville Central School June 14 Mudslide Obstacle Trail Run Holiday Valley July 4-6 Summer Music Festival Ellicottville & Holiday Valley
See Nannen Night Lights page 6
Village Budget Absorbs Hit the Road on Routes Year One of East Tank Costs to Art Weekend Work on Pedestrian Street Ramps Begins Soon Visit Artists’ Studios & Hubs for Inspiring Experience offer, including many Ellicottville area artists. This year, the self-guided driving tour includes 42 artists from across the region and truly offers something for everyone, whether visitors plan to spend the full weekend traveling the back roads or just an hour dropping in on a few select artists. Artwork will be available for purchase in a range of price points and many accept debit/credit cards. The RTA open studio event features artists located across the county, many showing in their own homes and studios, and others organized in community hubs. Locations are situated in easy driving loops to improve access and allow By Heather Carroll visitors to explore as many artists as possible. Visitors from near and far are preparing to hit Tour attendees will find artists grouped in and the road on May 17 and 18 for the seventh annual around the Cattaraugus and East Otto area, the Routes to Art (RTA) open studio tour to explore the hidden talents that Cattaraugus County has to See Routes to Art Weekend page 3
By Jann Wiswall
The Village of Ellicottville’s board has decided to absorb the first year’s payment on the East Tank project into its 2015-16 budget. The only other feasible and legal option was to add a fee onto Village water bills. Mayor Charlie Coolidge
By Jann Wiswall
The room was packed for the Tuesday, May 13 meeting of the Village Planning Board as board members reviewed plans for several building
projects in the village. Chief among those projects was Phase 1 of the 16 Martha Street development (formerly the American Locker site), which has been in the works for many months. The owners are constructing a seasonal apartment complex consisting of one building with 10 apartments and a second building with four, two-story townhomes/duplexes. Public hearings were held on the special use permit and the site plan review. Two residents who live within sight of the development attended the public hearing and brought up two issues that were quickly resolved. One resident felt that the landscape plan for the site did not adequately provide visual or sound protection for neighbors. He suggested that, in addition to planned maple trees, evergreen trees should be planted for better visual screening in winter. See Village Planning Board page 8
and the board agreed that the 2015-16 village budget could absorb the $15,000 East Tank payment, at least for the coming fiscal year. Going forward, the board agreed to look at the impact of the costs annually. Coolidge reminded the See Village Budget page 2
Relay for Life Teams Stepping Up to Stomp Out Cancer By Jann Wiswall
Village OKs Plans for 16 Martha St.
Balloons Sign Design Rejected, New Realtor at Ellicottville Square
started out the meeting with good news on the tax revenue front. He reported that sales tax revenues were much higher than projected and property assessments are up in the village by $1 million, due primarily to new construction. As a result of this positive economic news, Coolidge
With only three weeks to go until the annual Ellicottville Relay for Life event takes place on June 7, teams are gearing up for some advanced fundraising activities in their efforts to support the work of the American Cancer Society. BOCES 10K This Friday, May 16, the
“Mariposa” team is holding its third annual BOCES 10K run/walk. Some 75 juniors and seniors in the BOCES criminal justice, medical assisting and early childhood education classes will be walking/ running from the Ellicottville Central School all the way to the BOCES Ellicottville See Relay for Life Teams page 4
Public Hearing on ECS Budget Draws Few Budget and School Board Vote Scheduled May 20 By Jann Wiswall Only five school district residents attended the public hearing on the Ellicottville Central Schools 2014-15 budget on Tuesday, May 13. But, those who did, heard
a thorough presentation by Superintendent Mark Ward describing how the board developed the budget, what was cut this year, a summary of new spending, an analysis of budget trends and the impact
of the proposed tax increase to support the school and the first year of expense related to the school renovation project. Most of Ward’s presentation was a recap of the contents of the May ECS school newsletter, See ECS Budget Hearing page 3