Island Dispatch, 2003-08-01

              Island DISPATCH 22 59 The Good Old Days Page 3 State Final Bound Page 13 The Farmer's Almanac predicts: Sunny Warm Is it right? Check the weather onpg2 Founded 1944•Complete Community Coverage 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 Lois Gibbs returns to mark 25th anniversary of Love Canal by Terry Duffy July 31 marked the revisiting of a very significant period, both in Western New York as well United States environmental history, as area residents, joined by local, state and national political officials and environmentalists welcomed Lois Gibbs back to Western New York to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Love Canal catastrophe in Niagara Falls. As Buffalo-Niagara residents remember all too well, 25 years ago, those living in the 99th Street neighborhood bordering the Love Canal, which had been plagued by years of accumulated and unmonitored health and environmental abuses dating from decades of past haphazard industrial dumping activities, had shockingly discovered that their homes were sitting next to 20,000 tons of toxic chemicals.That discovery, spearheaded by Gibbs, a local housewife-turned activist who went on to form the Love Canal Homeowners Association, developed into what eventually became a three-year struggle on the state and federal level to address and remediate the Countless health concerns facing residents in that Falls neighborhood. Answering the cries of residents and the demands of local offir cials, state-approved evacuation orders, the first of its kind anywhere in the country, were put into place leading to the eventual relocation of 900 Love Canal householdshouseholds bordering the canal. First Superfund Project Under then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter together jwith former New York Gov. Hugh Carey, who with Gibbs was instrumental in exposing the crisis on a national, and global scale, Superfund legislation-the first of its type anywhere in this country—was enacted in the U.S. Congress, and signed into law. The actions led to a governmentsponsored clean-up of the entire Love Canal neighborhood in Niagara Falls, a project which would eventually take years and cost in excess of $50 million in government funding. Families were relocated, houses were declared unsafe, torn down or boarded up. A 'Grand Old' time at the Rod and Gun Club "Grand Old Island Days," a celebration of the town's agricultural heritage, took to the Grand Island Rod and Gun Club thjs past weekend. The two-day event featured an array of festivities and delicious offerings, including crafts, a flea market, motorcycle cruises, a motor sports display courtesy of Bob Weaver Motor Sports, hamburgers, hot dogs, Chivetta's barbecue chicken, and refreshing aduit beverages. Of course, the weekend was not complete without the intriguing garden and antique tractor pulls. Tractors of both varieties, including the three pictured above, were on-hand for the pulls as well as display purposes. Look inside of today's Dispatch for the "Grand Oid Island Days" collage, (photo by Fred Claus) Swanick secures funding for Grand Island instructional soccer program Legislator Charles M. Swanick (R-Tonawanda/Grand Island) presented last Sunday the Grand Island Under Six Soccer Program with $1,000 in county funding at Sidway School field, 2451 Baseline Road. "The players learn the soccer skills through a variety of skill stations that incorporate the basic tools they will need to play soccer in the future," Swanick said. The program is all instruction for participants who rotate between a series of stations practicing soccer basics to help better prepare them for future competition. "Our hope is that the children develop an appreciation for soccer," said Instructional Division Coordinator Rom Figler, "They learn the meanings of important concepts like teamwork and sportsmanship and that soccer is meant to be fun." Figler said the county funding helps the program to purchase more equipment for the players to use and practice the sport they are getting instruction on. "This gives the children a sense of community," said Figler. "These kids are the future of Grand Island soccer. Without the proper equipment to go along with instruction, they are unable to get the real feel for the sport." Swanick believes that the children ultimate benefit from the soccer program. "By giving these children this Legislator Charles M. Swanick, officials of the Grand Island Under Six Soccer Program and youth participants gather for a photo at the Sidway Soccer Field following Swanick's $1,000 donation to the program. continued on page 20 «sr continued on page 20 __p At a Glance Friday All-Island Reunion Holiday Inn Grand Island, 100 Whitehaven Rd., 6 p.m. Tickets available at the door For more information visit www.gialumni.org ________! National Night Out, An Event to Promote Community Wellness Grand Island Town Hall, • 2255 Baseline Rd., 6to 8 p.m. This event includes free child DNA I.D. Kits featuring your child's photo and fingerprint Gard The Erie County DMV Full Service Auto Bureau Mobile Unit is. now on GI each Wednesday at GI Town Hall, town clerk's office, 1Q a.m. to 3 p.m. _rf»_?i_p«___*j ____WTf "#_.__»# DacHfic " i h___iif if"""1iii»—___■—i AIR CQNDiTIONING SPECIAL NOW! mmsmm mßa99ilf CfO #• 09 Ut» • lltvflPHffSal 's__T^^T-______J #_ew lfer* State Home Performance _________§§_§ '___________________-______t With ENERGY STAR is helping homeownersl WJJ&Vmk _?«__-_ _P*l _■___*____!__. __3 __?_•__.____>_.__. _Mi_«__Mi * A"* CONDITIONIN6 * AIR SEALIN©* APPLIANCES* VENTILATION * __j_|_E_i____i tUfMMa %m tt» -?_-* "TB _■ OF _S- _j_»Ttff€-*_fg ~*___________________________ST w"WRuf * insulation * lighting * furnace * window * fflßMHlMllfflß *_?S00 & under ads F#?__F__: 1 f?!__?_EE__gl' PITTV. f'lI'!^'^l^^ •*■■*■•■*•■ »_•■•»■■___■___ lOMßAciiw II 11* 1 **J 11 "T*!*!.•___! 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