Island Dispatch, 1998-01-16

              Island DISPATCH jMBV —^mmSw Monday I Nite Madness LARGE CHEESE PIZZA 4-95 J TT *tvx Official Newspaper for the Town of Grand Island & the Grand Island School District January 16,1998 20 Pages (716) 773-7676 650 Vol. 54 'No. 39 Isle doctor continues hunger strike protest Island resident Dr. Amarjit Virk is on a hunger strike. It is his personal protest -against last Thurday's announcemnt that Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center plans to transfer all its medical, surgical and maternity services to Lewiston's Mount St. Mary's Hospital. Dr. Virk, chief anesthesiologist at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, said his hospital would be left to be "little more than a nursing home." Saturday he attended an emergency meeting of 65 physicians on the medical staff. They were unanimously opposed to the plan. They also asked him to abandon his fast but he said he wouldn't, "not yet." Thursday he planned to attend a meeting of the merger planning board composed of officials from both hospitals board. He wants to see the facts and figures. Virk says he is not against the merger, just the way it will take place. "Someone had to take a stand," he said. His protest is a way to give something back to the community. "That is the real meaning of life." He points out that he has no financial incentive in his opposition. He actually would have more patients with incomes in Lewiston than in Niagara Falls where more patients are either non-paying or are on Medicare. Virk models his protest after Mahatma Gandi, the Hindu Indian martyr who used non-violence protests as a tool to effect Change within India. Since last Thursday he has swallowed only water. So far be has lost 13 pounds and admits to getting weak. Last Thursday health system officials announced that within nine months all in-patient services would be moved from Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center to Mount St. Mary's. Memorial would retain only emergency room services, an expanded nursing home, mental health and drug and alcohol related services. <-, EAT HAPPENED TO THE SPRING-LIKE WEATHER? - scene on East River Road Thursday made you wonder where the ght and warmth of last week went, (by Christopher Caile) First Baby of the New Year Congratulations to the Capizzi family, winners of our First Baby of the New Year competition! Dominique Angelina Capizzi, one of the most recent additions to the Grand Island community, was born at 4:06 a.m. at Sisters Hospital on January 1, 1998, weighing 7 lbs., 14 oz. She is the second daughter to Gina and Russell, Jr. Capizzi, and sister to five year old Julianna Christina, who proudly holds a sleepy Dominique for a picture at their home on Sherree Drive. Julianna is looking forward to helping her mom with the newest Capizzi family member. Russell is an operator with BFI and Gina is an employee at Ingram Micro in Williamsville, working in Customer Service. She plans to return to work sometime in February. Grandparents Russell and Phyllis Capizzi and great grandmother Mary are Island residents, and grandparents Lawrence and Nancy LaPaglia reside in Williamsville. Fujisawa re-zoning meeting planned There will be a public meeting on re-zoning of property for Fujisawa USA held at 8 p.m. Tuesday Jan. 20 at the town board meeting in Grand Island Town Hall. The public is invited to attend. Island Holiday Inn sold News is expected this week on the impending sale of the Grand Island Holiday Inn and two other Niagara Falls hotels to Servico, Inc., one of the nation's largest hotel owners and operators in the U.S. Principals in the sale said they can't talk about the subject but they will have a statement Friday. Negotiations have been going on for some time after the Niagara Falls Industrial Development Agency, who had issued bonds on two of the properties, had given their OK. Currently all three hotels are operated by Rado-Mat Holdings U.S. Inc. The company is owned by the Matovic family with members who live both in Canada and the U.S. Servico, which is headquartered in West Palm Beach, is negotiating to buy the Grand Island Holiday Inn outright. Other hotels in the deal are the Niagara Falls Clarion Inn, formerly the Radisson Hotel on Old Falls Street and the Holiday Inn at the Falls located on Buffalo Avenue. They are currently leased through the Niagara County Industrial Development Agency. According to John Simon, Executive Director of the Niagara Falls IDA, Servico would pay off the bonds held by the IDA on the Buffalo Avenue Holiday Inn. The Clarion lease would be transferred. Servico is a publicly owned company with 71 hotels in both the U.S. and Canada. Last year it expanded its operations by purchasing 12 new hotels. Chamber seeks Citizen of the Year nominations Grand Island residents who have made our community a better place to live will be honored as 1998 Citizens of the Year. The honor, sponsored by the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, will be presented at the 32nd annual awards banquet to be held early this spring. Publicly acknowledging those who have benefitted the community serves as a reminder of how much Grand Island residents have to offer. "It's one of the things that makes Grand Island special," noted Skip Mazenauer of the Dispatch. The awards, established in 1965, have honored individuals in a variety of categories including business, government, retail, industry, education, community service, performing arts, civic, senior citizen, recreation, religion, and service to youth. To nominate an Island resident, send a letter to Nick Pelosi, c/o the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce, 1980 Whitehaven Rd., Grand Island, NY 14072. TO BE SOLD - The Grand Island Holiday Inn is expected to be sold this week, (by Christopher Caile) Page 14 & 15 wwiwmlffii'i' i j.j'iii.' in