Island Dispatch, 2001-02-09

              Island DISPATCH mg Victors page 14 Weather Man page 18 Handwriters page 25 The Official Newspaper of the Town of Grand Island and the Grand Island School District 56 Years As the Voice of Grand Island Award Winning Newspapers * - Founded 1944 • Complete Community Coverage FEBRUARY 9.2001 32 plus 4 pg Bridge V01.56 No. 41 (716)773-7676 Town approves rezoning for new Fuccillo dealership by Christopher Marquis The Grand Island Town Board on Monday approved the rezoning of a part of Alvin Road for commercial purposes, bringing the new Fuccillo Chevrolet dealership - as envisioned on the cover of the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce Telephone Directory - one step closer to reality. According to Supervisor Peter McMahon, the main issues that had to be addressed with rezoning were the elimination of about 1.7 acres of wetlands because of construction, and the potential damage to Alvin Road as trucks shipped material to and from the site. At the beginning of the meeting, Robert Scalione, an attorney for Fuccillo, asked for support of the rezoning. He cited parts of an agreement negotiated between Fuccillo and the town regarding use of the roadway for construction of the building. Scalione said that Fuccillo would respect the five ton weight restriction on Alvin. Until weight limits are raised to accommodate bigger CLOSER TO COMPLETION - The rezoning of 2000 Alvin Road for the new Fuccillo dealership was approved on Monday. Here is a computer image of what the new dealership is expected to look like when completed. Taking a look at Island history HOTEL OF YESTERYEAR -The beautiful McComb Hotel on West River Road was built before the turn of the century. See page 12 for the latest on the Historical Preservation effort. Look on the back page for additional photographs and articles from Grand Island's past. Islanders rally in support of refugees photos and words by Heath Part 1 Western New York has a long and heralded history of helping those less fortunate, most notably, the famous underground railroad routes that passed through this area allowing slaves from the south to realize freedom in Canada. So it should come as no surprise that Grand Island is again involved in aiding refugees. I would like to take a moment to dispel any misconception. Webster defines refuge as shelter or protection from danger, trouble, etc. Now, a refugee is a person who flees for refuge or safety, esp. to a foreign country , as in time of war. What Mr. W does not mention is that refugees do not want to leave their country: they would much rather stay in their homeland and attempt to improve the current situation. However, they  are forced to flee, most often as a result of political upheaval that has resulted in persecution and the threat of death. There are currently over 13 million refugees in Africa alone. Of Seated: John Harbison, Lynn Aladeen, Robert Roggie. Standing: Ted Bates, Dr. Paul Price. Jack Hugili and David Ziehm Giambra to speak at Citizen of the Year Banquet Erie County Executive Joel Giambra will be the guest speaker at the 35th Annual Citizen of the Year Award Banquet to be held Thursday, April 5, at the Holiday Inn Grand Island. He will join News 4 Anchor Jacquie Walker in an evening dedicated to honoring businesses and individuals whose contributions have made Grand Island a better place to live, work and play. The annual event is hosted by the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by many local businesses. Sponsors to date include: Holiday Inn Grand Island, Fuccillo Chevrolet Inc., HSBC, Fujisawa Healthcare Inc., Super continued on page 2 continued on page 23 continued on page 23 JIL; JL >T3H/M%_ THE *»OWER OF & (fiß) ww^^wwmvmMmM wm"wm __m ___g_mwmggmuM_ ™* *<>**«»*« oi we****** * tE«Hitoi,a<-v  "The Keys To Your Satisfaction." P^^^P^^^^^^^^^^^^^S^_S|^SJw^liS . . r.^^M^.-J-"" . . . 4130 Sheridan Dr. Williamsville, NY 14221 Your Advertising Message can be Placed Here!