Island Dispatch, 1997-05-30

              Island DISPATCH "As the voice of Grand Island" May 30,1997 650 20 Pages ~TriCLEANERS (282-2381 ) FREE Pick-up & Delivery $20 OFF CLEANING With Customer Sign-Up WEEKLY OR Bl- WEEKLY ROUTE SERVICE Official Newspaper for the Town of Grand Island & the Grand Island School District  (716) 773-7676 Vole 54 •No. 06 Jaws of Life needed in crash by Christopher Caile Just after 6 p.m. Thursday the corner of Grand Island Boulevard and Whitehaven Road was the scene of another in a series of accidents that have lately plagued the comer. Cheektowaga resident Suzanne M. Oppel had been driving north on the Boulevard in a late model silver Oldsmobile, when she turned left to head west on Whithaven Road. Sheriff deputy in charge at the scene, Paul Hejna, said that he had not yet determined die cause of lite accident Mike Madia of East River Drive who had been driving a Green Jeep Cherokee south on the Boulevard said, when the light turned green he was proceeding into the intersection when he hit the Oldsmobile that had turned in front of him. Other occupants of his car were his wife, Sharon, young daughter, Carli, and young son, Jake. The Jeep sustained front end damage. Oppel's vehicle suffered front end and passenger side damage. She was trapped inside and Grand Island Fire- Rescue team members had to use the "Jaws of Life" to cut through a portion of the passenger side door to extract her. She was immobilized on a stretcher and transported by ambulance to a local hospital with a possible concussion and neck injuries. Mike Madia suffered knee and wrist injuries but was mobile. Sharon Madia received head, wrist and elbow injuries and was placed on a stretcher. Both were taken to a local hospital by ambulance. Their son and daughter were uninjured. They were released to Madia's brother. Responding to the accident was tiie Grand Island Fire Department and Fire-Rescue vehicle, as well as the Erie County Sheriff's Department. The accident tied up traffic at the intersection for over 45 minutes. JAWS OF LIFE EXTRACT SMASH VICTIM- Grand Island Firemen used the "Jaws of Life" to cut away the door of a silver Oldsmobile to extract the driver early Thursday evening. The car had just collided with a Green Jeep Cherokee. (Christopher Caile) REMEMBER OUR WAR HEROES—Memorial Day welcomed hundreds of Grand Island residents to celebrate the lives of the men who gave their live in defense of their country. Ken Maurer, of /_nerican Legion Post # 1346, read off the names in memory of the Islanders who gave their lives, after each name was read, a yellow rose was palced at the base of the Memorium in DeGlopper Park. In World War 11, honored were Charles N DeGlopper, William D. Gillen, Howard W. Salton, George E. Smith, Eugene F. Dinsmore, Francis King Goodchild Charles A. Smith and William L. Rhode. In The Vietnam War, Joseph L. Huillier, Joseph Muench, Richard b' Trotter, Robert B. Luther and Philip C. Taylor. The VFW Color Guard, Grand Island High School Band and the Grand Island Fire Company led a processional from Town Hall to DeGlopper Park. Invocation was led by Mike Rogan, Chaplin of VFW Post # 9249. The guest speaker for the event was the Honorable Francis B. Pritchard Retired Lieutenant Colonel. Presentation of the Wreath was done by Mike Rogan and Earl DeGlopper. Taps played during die ceremony. The VFW Color Guard American Legion presented the raising of the flag. The event wrapped up with "The Star Spangled Banner," which was done by The Grand Island High School Band and Directed by Marty Allen. New sewer proposal could speed development by Christopher Caile Wednesday afternoon Town Engineer John Phillips outlined a revised Sewer District No. 5 plan to three Island land developers invited to a special meeting in town hall to discuss revisions. In attendance was Supervisor James Pax and the town board. But board members had not been briefed on the subject, and one member, Councilman Jim Sharpe, had not even been notified of the meeting. "I learned about it from reading about the meeting in the Dispatch," he said. Councilwoman Mary Cooke, however, said, "The meeting was just a Special Districts Meeting, and was handled just like any other type of meeting. Meetings are posted and we sent information about this meeting to the media." The three developers invited to the meeting were Dick Brox, the Hillock's, Sue and Randon and John Simon. The inability to get town approval for sewage hookups or construction of sewers along Grand Island Boulevard has limited developers as well as new businesses seeking to build on the Boulevard. When the District was formed in 1987 to serve Burger King a letter from the town to property owners stated "You will have an opportunity to have public sewer servicing your property." But now ten years later additional sewer lines along the Boulevard remain unbuilt. In introducing the new plan Phillips noted that most of die sewer considerations in the past as to access and phasing of Continued on page 5