Island Dispatch, 2002-04-26

              Island DISPATCH Founded 1944•CompleteCommunity Coverage Track Team Takes Victory Page 12 57 Years As the Voice of Grand Island Award Winning Newspapers The Official Newspaper of the Town of Grand Island and the Grand Island School District Bus Bash In Mess Hall Page 8 The Farmer's Almanac IMVclii (s: Showers i • • Phone: (716) 773-7676 • Fax: (716) 773-7190 • K-Mail: NFl'N'ewsO'clmail.com Vol. 58 No. 9 April 26,2002 20 Pages 85? Ambitious overhaul signals better days ahead for Falls Airport by Terry Duffy Come this fall, Buffalo-Niagara residents will begin seeing the fruits of an ambitious $8.5 million runway and taxi way improvement project at the Niagara Falls International Airport, unveiled on Monday by US Rep. John J. LaFalce, representatives of the US Air Force, the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority and ihe New York State Department of Transportation. "Truly, this is going to be one of the finest runways in the United States of America and will enable us to take the very largest of aircraft," said LaFalce, who was accompanied at the presentation by Luiz F. Kahl, chairman of the NFTA, base officials and NFTA trustees. A joint effort of the US Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration, state DOT and NFTA, the project will see NFTA undertaking a significant rehabilitation of the main east-west runway 10L-28R at a cost of $3.4 million. Improvements call for extending the main runway to more than 10,000 feet, restoring the structural integrity of the runway by means of rubberizing its concrete base, repaying and sealing of the existing pavement, along with work on pavement grooving, drainage, pavement markings and" restora-! tion. At the same time NFTA will coordinate a $1.1 rehabilitation project of the airport's Taxiway D, with work expected to involve a four-inch asphalt overlay, drainage, and lighting from Taxiway C to Runway 28R. The work will complete the renovations of Taxiway D in its entirety. Sept. 17 Target NFTA officials note that the main runway at the Falls airport will be closed from June 17 to Sept. 17 for the improvement work. Its impact is expected to be minimal on overall operations, including military, as the airport's two other runways will remain open during this time. When finished, the improvements will greatly "enhance the overall attractiveness of the airport, which already boasts the third longest landing strip in the country. In fact as it stands, the Falls airport can already handle the landing of a multitude of large aircraft, including the Space Shuttle, for which it is on a national list of alternative landing sites. The projects will augment this capability even moreso, opening Niagara Falls to an even wider assortment of military, governmental and civilian activities, officials said. Baby Joe a knockout at Huth Road School Lasl F >iclay, students a! Hu:h Road Elomenta'y School c-npyed a visit tiom ioca' heavyweight boxoi Baby Joo Most Over the past few months Mcs". a Tonawanda native, has hpcin visiting schools across Western fsiew V(..rK ana talkmij to students about setting iioals and trio importance nf staying in school Recently, Mesi s cousin Aren Snanor. a third-yiader at Huth. with tho help ol her teacher Mr. ESanks. asked the undefeated noxei to talk at l-luih. Dunny h;s visit Wesi told tho students to aim high follow rules clon't cnoat. slay focused, and stick to your goals. Ho also cioscr:bfid what it takos to bo a champ in tho eveiyriay sense. Alter his speech, -.\hich undoubtedly -japtured the students attention, Mcs' answered numerous yursilions including his boxing career. Tbe 28-yctirold. who was victorious m his rr-ost recent fight, is scheduled lo box again June /:n Myrtio Boarli Trio fijnt will ho nationally tolovis<xl on ESPN. Beyond his next fiyhi. Mesi hoped to contend 'or tr.e heavyweight litis aiter seven or eight more wins. Pictured wih Mt-si is Shanor (photo by I \z Ziibauer) Board of education approves $36 million budget, Fields Announces his retirement by Jon Sandino The Grand Island Board of Education on Monday approved a $36 million budget for the 2002-03 school year, however, the approval was overshadowed by Grand Island School District Superintendent Dr. Paul Fields' decision to retire and pursue interests at the college level. Fields, who was hired as the district's superintendent in 1992, said during the meeting he had "mixed feelings" about his retirement. Fields was not the only person in attendance with mixed feelings. When it came time for the board members to make a motion to accept the resignation, the room became silent. After Fields, the board members and attendees shared a laugh over the silence - a sign that everyone was reluctant to let Fields go - a motion was made, and the board members accepted the resignation "with regret." It followed with a standing ovation for Fields. During his 10 years of service, Fields managed to help the school district grow in and outside of the classroom. Here are a few of Fields' many accomplishments: • The amount of computers in the district have climbed from 20-40 in 1992, to currently 600. • The school district and the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce launched the "Shadow Day" program. • In 1997, the GIFTS program was born. • The graduating class of 2001 received the largest number of regents diplomas in the entire history of the high school. "It's been a terrific 10' years for the school district," said Board President Richard McCowan. "You've accomplished a lot and we've (the board) accomplished a lot." Fields will officially retire on June 30. Board members said they will begin to look for at least a temporary replacement. 2002-03 School Budget The aforementioned $36 million budget will increase by slightly over $1" million, or 2.93 percent over the current spending limit. Over the past few months, Fields and his staff anticipated they were not going to receive an abundance of financial support, meaning they had to look at the budget from a conservative point of view. "I'm going to do the best I can to come up with a budget that's going to be on the inflation arena, and what we're allowed through inflation," Fields said in an April interview with the Dispatch. continued on page 2 S3P continued on page 20 PSr1 Week at a Glance Friday. Saturday & Sunday St. Stephen Parish Players Present 'Tom Sawyer' St. Stephen School, 2080 Baseline Rd. Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets call 773-6982 Tuesday Home Bureau II Meeting Island Presbyterian Church, 1822 Huth Rd., 10 a.m. Wednesday Grand Island Art Society Meeting. Grand Island High School Cafeteria, 1100 Ransom Rd., 7 p.m. New officers will be elected and student portfolios will be reviewed for scholarship Always Something Happening, Always Something New May 1 -lOth Mather's Day Basket Drawing - With receipts totaling SIO or more receive an entry to win one of the many beautiful baskets - Compliments of Summit Park Mall