Island Dispatch, 2003-09-19

              Island DISPATCH The Official Newspaper of the Town of Grand Island and the Grand Island School District 20 Pages September 19, 2003 57 Years As the Voice of Grand Island Award Winning Newspapers The Farmer's Almanac predicts: Sunny & Warm Is it right? Check the weather on pg 2 A Ist For GI Females Page 12 'Ist Day' For Former Educators Page 9 Founded 1944 • Complete Community Coverage Ph0ne:(716)773-7676 • Fax:(716)773-7190 • E-Mail: NFPNews@clmail.com Vol. 59 No. 2*> 85* Buffalo Launch Club marks 100 years 26th annual Antique and Classic Boat Show an enjoyable experience by Terry Duffy With glamorous late summer weather the order of the day, Saturday, Sept. 6 proved a very enjoyable experience to the hundreds of on-lookers who lined the shores of the Upper Niagara River as well as those gathered at the Buffalo Launch Club on Grand Island for the holding of the 26th annual Antique and Classic Boat Show and Race Boat Reunion. A special event this year—one of many the Launch CliirT" is" doing to commemorate its 100--year anniversafy-the show, presented in part by the Niagara Frontier Antique and Classic Boats, and the Antique and Classic Boat Society Inc. proved a joy to view, whether from on board or by shore. Dubbed "Shuffle Off to Buffalo," this happening, the largest show ever held by the Niagara Frontier Chapter of the Antique and Classic Boat Society, was just that, as it featured well over 100 antique, classic and racing boats on display as well as in competition, with participants coming from at least 15 states as well as Canada and other countries. In fact the boat carrying the distinction of having the longest distance to the Buffalo area was "Fussy," a 1968 Winton owned by Terry Moran which came all the way from Australia. Yes, this show sure carries interest among boating aficionados on a global scale. Antique Gems And talk about some beauties. Throughout the day, visitors had the opportunity to view, and even board and j ride such restored antique gems as Gar Woods, Centurys, Chris Crafts, Lymans, and Thompson classic run-1 abouts--to name "a few. 1 Among the many classics, the show saw a return of the of the truly impressive Heldena 11, an authentically j restored luxury racing boat owned by Matt Fairbrass. J Other racers seen both at dockside and on the river included a Century 21 racing gyroplane; two-seater Jersey j Skiff models such as the JS-25, JS-88, JS-712; a two-seater G-48; a Hydro | Plane 50-N; old "F Service" run-arounds |as a Sleeper M-2 and Too Much M-12, and much more. : Dockside, an assortment of wonderful', antique woodies were found, with eye-; catching names to match the beauty of the boats. These included such dazzlers i las "Bubbly," "Tinker Toy," "Wilma C," j and impressive two-seater models as ] plit.li> In Brian t.arnuw photo Bruin Gorman photo courtesy of j www.wnyboaters.com j Bridge Commission eyes upgrades to Queenston-Lewiston Bridge by Ralph Schwarz After more than 40 years in service, the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge will see three major upgrades throughout 2006 to improve passenger as well as track traffic between Canada and the United States. In a media briefing held on Sept. 8 at the Queenston Heights _ . _**: Restaurant, the Niagara Falls Bridge, Commissioni presented* an outlook on how u\ 4 improve the efficiency as well as the traf- fie flow of the world's longest hingeless steel-arch bridge. "The bridge is going to be the site of some pretty dramatic changes over the next couple of years," said Thomas Garlock, general manager oftheNFßC. These changes will include a reconfiguration on the deck of the 1,600-foot-long bridge to accommodate a fifth lane; a truck express lane on Highway 405, which connects the bridge with the Queen Elizabeth Way; a widened traffic approach on the Lewiston side; reconfigured plazas on the both sides of the bridge; technical and physical security enhancements; and new or renovated buildings on the Canadian and American side. "Over the next seven years, the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission is going to invest more than $100 million in its facilities and more than $10 million into repairs and upgrades to the facilities and offices," Garlock said, pointing out that these numbers also account for ongoing improvements on the Rainbow Bridge and Whirlpool Rapids Bridge. * Approximately $22 million of the costs for the improvements on the Queenston-Lewiston Bridge will be covered by the province of Ontario and the federal government of Canada, while the NFBC will contribute another $15 million, Garlock said. Fifth Lane To Increase Traffic Flow With over one million trucks and over 3.5 million cars using the Queenston-Lewiston crossing oer year, the four-lane bridge ranks fourth busiest in com- mercial traffic and sixth busiest in pas- senger traffic. According to studies commissioned by the NFBC, these numbers will double in the next 20 years, thus making it a priority to improve the bridge to accommodate the increased traffic volume. The addition of a fifth lane on the deck of the bridge will help to improve mobility and service between the two countries, said Jack Thompson, a transportation consultant to the NFBC. "The provision of a fifth lane continued on page 131 continued on page 20 Sf |p_»___*S_<B«S__SS_¥<s-^ Weekend at a Glance! I Friday j _ Cub Scout Pack 425 I Open House 1 St. Martin-in-the-Fields Church, j 2587 Baseline Road, 7to 9 p.m. S For more information call 628-2239 j Cub Scout Pack 510 I Registration Meeting | Hum Road School Cafeteria J 7:30 p.m. I For more information call 990-2251 I Sunday | Crop Walk 2003 j Beaver Island Park, Shelter 2A I 12:30 p.m. registration -1 p.m. start 1 For more information call 773-7208 fFor a complete listing of area events, L visit NFP's Web site at www.wnypapers.com ■ • ~,,„___-,_^1,,,-,,_~1,,M - :~--~--...-.-~--_~---._-_--^^ " -li^.fi'Ki^-'M.itiiiirirt^y-Vi_H|_lY<iii =g_^iiaiii'->Y-lmi'-^Ti_;*}V-Y-IBBBiiBBW WjhffmWFWvN Find out everything you need to know about „ , Mew York State Home Performance B________R_B ___P*P4#4WPP#__l~ _■• i- _.. *-■_~ _.. Calendar jF/>'i mmENEmvsmPishelpinghomßawtmrsi EEJEZga mw i'. 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