Island Dispatch, 1997-06-13

              Island DISPATCH  .. k4years ajj As me voice of grand Island"  KW3K2 2352 Grand Island Blvd. Fri & Sat • 7 p.m. - midnight 20$ wings $ 4.75 pitchers of beer Take-Out Available k 775-3211 1 eial Newspaper for 'he Town of Grand Island & the Grand island School District June 13,1997 24 Pages 650 Vol. 54•N0. 08 (716) 773-7676 Governor, officials discuss Beaver Island revamp by Bert Brochey The Niagara River made a perfect backdrop tor Monday's news conference at Beaver Island State Park where Gov. George Pataki and State Parks Commissioner, Bernadette Castro, announced that the Beaver Island Casino will be rebuilt by Inn Vest Lodging Services at a cost of nearly $5 million. The State will enter into a public-private partnership with the Buffalo based company who will rebuild the parks casino which burnt down in 1992. The governor said that the agreement with Inn Vest has been five years in the making. "For too long our tourism and recreation has been ignored, NYS tourism is second only to agriculture as the state's top business. It is time to quit thinking of our state's tourism industry in terms of what it once was, instead of thinking of what it is now," stressed the governor. Pataki also pointed out that Beaver Island Park has lost nearly a half-million visitors since the parks' casino burnt down. During the casino's last year of operation, park attendance was more than 750,000. By 1995, attendance dropped to 250,000. Inn Vest President and CEO Dennis Murphy said the company plans to rebuild the casino with an architectural design that closely matches the former casino. The new building will include banquet and conference facilities along with an estimated HO guest rooms. Murphy said that the Beaver Island Marina will also be upgraded and improved to support an anticipated increase in marine tourism. Murphy also praised Parks Commissioner FUTURE PLANS—Assemblyman Sam Hoyt (L), Gov. George Pataki, Sen. Mary Lou Rath and Parks Commissioner Bernadette Castro look over the artist's drawings of the new $5 million Beaver Island Casino at the conclusion of Monday's mid-day news conference which was held at the site of the old casino which was destroyed by a fire in 1992. (by Bert Brochey) RIBBON CUTTING—The '97 Celebration of Homes Show was kicked off with a ribbon cutting ceremony by Supervisor James Pax. Pictured from left is builder Austin Giambra, Mike Metzgar of the Juvenile Diabetes Association, builder and Grand Island Builders President Ron Grimm, Supervisor Pax, Rick Lent, Gary Lentoch of M & T Bank, Show Chairman Jack Hanna, builders John Stickl and George Doermer and Robert Minkiewicz of 84 Lumber.  School budget, buses pass; Del Signore, incumbents elected By a two-to-one majority, the 1997-98 school budget passed, .954 to 482, at Wednesday's school district vote. Richard McCowan garnered the most candidate votes, 1095, for his third term as trustee, followed by Frank Del Signore, 1042, in his first bid for a board seat. There was a one-vote difference between incumbents Tony Brindisi (947) and Myrna Blair (946), which means that he captured a three-year term, while she will complete the year remaining in Frank Cannata's term. Blair had been elected last year to fill out the remaining oneyear term caused by Michael Rayhill's resignation. Newcomer Dan Quider garnered 741 votes. With 1469 Islanders voting Wednesday, including 27 by absentee ballot, the tally on the purchase of replacement and new buses was 884 to 538. LFC Continued on page 4