THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE AND THE TOWNS OF ELLICOTTVILLE, GREAT VALLEY AND MANSFIELD,
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 28
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www.EllicottvilleTimes.com
SEPTEMBER 20 - 26, 2013
Rock ‘n Roll Weekend
Brings Classic Cars, Great Tunes and Dance Moves By Jann Wiswall
© 2013 KEYSTONE DESIGNERS
Ellicottville’s annual Rock ‘N Roll Weekend and Car Show has been a hit with locals and out-of-towners alike for many years, and this year’s line-up of bands and cars promises to be the best one yet. Sponsored and organized by the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, the dance-party weekend officially kicks off on Friday, Sept. 20 with Lil’ Ronnie and the Grand Dukes at Balloons Restaurant and Nightclub beginning at 7 p.m. and Live & Kickin’ at The Gin Mill at 9 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 21, the streets will be filled with the sounds of former Chubby Checker tour guitarist Davey Zee on Monroe Street at the main outdoor stage from 1-4 p.m. Zee’s classic-rock party band, Mid Life Crisis, features Zee as lead vocalist and guitarist, Tom Young on lead guitar, Dr. Jay Werder on bass and Jon White on drums. The band plays a little bit of everybody from the ‘50s, 6’0s and ‘70s — from the Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Petty, Steve Miller and the Doors, to the Commodores, Johnny Cash, Collective Soul and even a little Elvis. Get those vocal chords ready to sing along, because chances are you’ll know the lyrics. Then, keep your dancin’ shoes on for a night of more great bands at Ellicottville’s best watering holes. The Washington, D.C.area trio, The Andy Poxon Band, will start the evening off at Balloons at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., the band West sets the See Rock’n Roll Weekend page 7
Get Ready to Hit the Alpaca Adventure Trail
Town Board Debates Expansion, Special Events Police Coverage
Regional Farms Open Doors for National Alpaca Farm Days Sept. 28–29
By Eva Potter
It happens every year the last weekend in September, but this year National Alpaca Farm Days will incorporate a new local twist — the Alpaca Adventure Trail. The Ellicottville Times
has created a fun way to experience many of the region’s alpaca farms all in one easy weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 28–29. Most farms are open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. both days, but it’s smart to check with individual farms before arriving. Hit the Alpaca Adventure Trail The Alpaca Adventure Trail will delight visitors young and old as you follow the map (see page 8) on a discovery adventure to some of the coolest places around. Visit each farm and meet the softest animals you’ve ever touched. It’s a great way to spend a day outdoors with your entire family. Alpacas are very tame and gentle animals, each with a personality all its own, that often become an extended member of the family. See Alpaca Trail page 9
ECS Starts School Year Off Right By Jann Wiswall
The new school year is off to a busy start at Ellicottville Central Schools, where enrollment is up to 620 students from pre-K to grade 12 (compared to 610 last year), there are three Kindergarten classes for the first time in many years and there are 19 new middle/high school students. These and other facts and figures were presented to the Board of Education during its September 17 meeting. The board also learned that 29 students from the ECS District go to other schools by choice (usually because of proximity to those schools), while 136 students who live outside the District See ECS Board page 13
By Jann Wiswall
Jefferson St. Cemetery Plaque Unveiling Nov. 14 The Town of Ellicottville’s Board meeting on Wednesday, September 18, began with a presentation from Gail Carucci, project manager for the Jefferson Street Cemetery Restoration and Preservation Committee. Carucci announced that on Thursday, November 14 at 1:30 p.m. there will be a formal unveiling of a new plaque at the cemetery, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. State Senator Cathy Young and State Assemblyman
Joe Giglio will be in attendance, as will Nicole Watkins, the Western New York ambassador for the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, which provided a grant to fund the plaque. A reception will follow at the Ellicottville Town Center. Carucci said she and the entire committee are grateful for the support the Town of Ellicottville has provided for their work over the past several years and she hoped that the board would continue to support efforts to complete the restoration of the Jefferson Street Cemetery and to potentially begin work on restoring the Niles Cemetery. Following Carucci’s presentation, Town Supervisor John Burrell reported that new phone and internet system upgrades are underway at both the Village/Town Hall and the Town Center to ensure secure
communication for the courts. The Village/Town Hall is now equipped with WiFi, he added. In addition, Burrell said that two sets of double doors that were preserved from the old Holiday Valley lodge by John Northrup and donated to the Town have been installed in the auditorium at the Town Center. Department Reports Police officer Don Auge could not attend Wednesday’s meeting, but Burrell asked the board to consider using the space on the first floor of the Village/Town Hall being vacated in October by the assessor’s office for some new computer equipment and files for the Police Department. The plan is for the new Town Assessor, Harry Weissman, to share space in the DPW building with See Ellicottville Town Board page 6
Mansfi eld Drafts Budget Tax Rate Remains Unchanged By Jann Wiswall
The Mansfield Town Board was guided through a lineby-line review of a draft 2014 budget prepared by Supervisor Bob Keis at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 16, 2013. Board members were pleased with the draft and with the fact that the town will not increase its tax rate of $4.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value. During the review, which
compared the 2014 proposed budget to the 2012 actual and 2013 budgets, Keis noted that 2012 and 2013 were unusual budget years due to the fire that destroyed the Town Highway Garage in October 2012. Insurance payments, purchases of replacement equipment and the costs of rebuilding the new garage skewed many budget figures in both budgets. Keis assured the board that
those expenses and revenues were carefully accounted for and will be resolved by the end of 2013 when the final insurance settlement should be completed. The 2014 proposed budget for the general fund is $340,453, compared to $403,647 in 2012 (due to insurance recoveries) and $308,950 in 2013. The difference over 2013 See Mansfield Town Board page 10