Island Dispatch, 1997-05-23

              Island DISPATCH  May 23,1997 Vol. 54 • No. 05 SHOWCASE"! FAMILY RESTAURANTS 2352 Grand Island Blvd. • DINE IN TAKE OUT • NEW MENU • NEW HOURS OPEN EVERY DAY 7A.M.-MIDNIGHT 773-32111 Official Newspaper for the Town of Grand Island & the Grand Island School District  (716) 773-7676 650 24 Pages _■!:«% years "As the voice of Grand feland"~| nfp Little League begins by Christopher Caile Last Saturday morning at 9 a.m. the baseball diamond behind the library at Veterans Park was ringed with young little league players and their parents for the official opening of the 1997 Little League season. First games were scheduled for 10 a.m. Dressed in their uniforms the kids were full of smiles and enthusiasm despite the cool, damp, overcast clouds. They moved around, shifting their weight trying to keep warm while their parents kept order during speeches and presentations. In the league there are 45 teams with nearly 700 children between 5 and 18 who will play over 500 games this season. John Black, President of the Little League was master of ceremonies. Also attending was the Little League's Board of Directors, volunteers and local officials including Supervisor James Pax and Council members Jim Sharpe and Mary Cooke. After an initial parade through the Park to the baseball diamond, Deanna Drabek sang the Star Spangled Banner followed by a blessing by Rev. James Lang of Trinity United Methodist Church. Black introduced the Board of Directors and local officials. Pax, a former Little League coach, and college player, said that "In Little League everyone wins, even though some teams score more funs." David Vergari then lead the other players in the Little League Pledge. Black then read from plaques awarded in memory of former Island residents. Michael Steckelberg, 12, was given the Corporal Robert Luther award given to a player who shows utmost desire and dedication to do his best. Tim Mcßae, 8, and Rick Marlin, 9, were given Potter Awards awarded to pee wee players recommended for the desire, dedication, good sportsmanship and enjoyment of the game to its fullest. Jason Raepple, 13, was given the Haller Award for outstanding talent. Former refreshment stand volunteer Judy Raeplle was given a dozen roses for her work in heading the refreshment stand. In just over a year the originally constructed shell had been turned into a fully operational facility. The stand had been donated to the Little League built with proceeds from the Veterans Park Gold Classic. LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS AND PARENTS LISTEN TO OPENING CEREMONIES- It may have been overcast and cold but the weather didn't dampen the enthusiasm of these young players Saturday morning at the opening of the 1997 Little League Season at Veterans park, (by Christopher Caile) Lexo seeks Town Supervisor slot John Lexo has accepted the endorsement of the Grand Island and Erie County Independence Party for the position of Town Supervisor. Mr. Lexo believes "vigilance is the price of liberty, and citizen participation is the price of responsible representative democracy." In his encounters with the current administration, he has found that "the political system no longer addresses the issues and seems designed to avoid solving problems." One of his goals as Supervisor would be to actively pursue state, county and federal funding for town projects. These would include improvements to our sewer system to correct long-standing problems* development of a business district through the implementation of a Town Center Plan, as well as other projects that have been neglected for lack of funding. "I would take a proactive approach and aggressively seek grant monies available to Grand Island. Other communities are reaping the benefits, and we are just picking up the tab." As a small business owner and lifelong resident of Grand Island, Lexo is sympathetic to the challenges facing our business community as well as appreciative of the small town atmosphere he has enjoyed. "We need to preserve and protect that atmosphere by implementing our Comprehensive Master Plan. It is Uiere to guarantee our green space while providing a realistic and quality plan for growth." John Lexo is the owner of Bore-It Inc. (25 years), which specializes in horizontal boring, tunneling and pipe installation. His years as a business owner have taught him the importance of organization, preparedness, open-mindedness and the use of basic common sense. "In business you have to identify problems, diagnose causes and determine corrective measures. Town government is no different. Our community needs a leader with those abilities in order to hold down our ever increasing taxes, protect our services and to curb the rampant spending within the Town Hall." Lexo is a member of the Engineering Society of Western State rejects speed zones and new bridges by Christopher Caile In the town meeting Monday night Supervisor James Pax noted that letters the town had received reconfirmed that the town had been turned down on two separate requests relating to roads and bridges. A letter from David Comerford, Erie County Deputy Commissioner of Highways contained the town's request for a speed zone study on roads in front of Island schools. The letter said that such speed zones are set by the State and that Uie State had denied the request for the locations. About a year ago the town asked the County to go to the State for speed zone studies around Island schools such as Sidway, Huth, Kaegebein, the High School and St. Steven's. The request was based on a recommendation of the Traffic Safety Advisory Board which in May of 1994 recommended that the roads in front of these schools be posted with 25 MPH signs, wiUi inclusion of applicable hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.. The State Department of Transportation had responded to the Town's request in a March 12 letter that said, "A review of these sites has shown they fail to meet the criteria for school speed zones." The criteria listed for speed zones appear in the New York State manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devises which under Engineering considerations list four criteria: (1) The zone contains a marked cross walk. (2) the crosswalk is supervised. (3) the school has one or more grades below grade ten. (4) there is no nearby traffic control signal, pedestrian overpass or underpass, or bridge suitable for pedestrian use. "We just didn't meet the criteria for speed zones," said Councilman Dick Crawford. "They have a set of criteria. But on Grand Island most students are bussed and do not walk and thus we have a different and special set of needs. Several weeks ago the Traffic Safety Board met and we decided to take a proactive Continued on page 5 Continued on page 4