Island Dispatch, 2003-10-24

              Island DISPATCH It's Humiuuge! Page 20 The Farmer's Almanac predicts: Showers Cooler h i: ri'jhi.' Cl'ifK lllr \:,ti'!nr mi p-.- 2 — Founded 1944•Complete Community Coverage 58 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 BLC Marks 100 Years Page 9 Phone: <716) 773-7676 • Fa\: (716) 773-7190 • E-Mail: Nl PNeus(« clmail.com j a^aaaajaaaaaaMa<a»»a«a«a«a«aaaaaaa»aaßßß»»aaaaaaaaMaaaa*aaaaßaaaaaaa^^^^^^^i^^^^^.M — * ■" ■ Vol. 59 No. 34 October 24, 2003 32 Pages FREE Beaver Island State Park eyes return to better days with new clubhouse by Lisa Ariganello More than a decade after the Beaver Island Casino burned down, resi-j. dents]: o f; Grand Island and Western N c w York will soon see a new club •• house at (he same location open its doors to the public. "The clubhouse is going to be a very welcoming addition to the park, not only for Grand Island residents, but for visitors as well." said Councilman Richard Crawford Jr. "The casino, of course, has been sadly missed by the Slate Park sys- tern and Grand Island., but the new clubhouse will present itself as a wonderful addition to Beaver Island Park." According to the site plan, the building will house several concession stands as well as a seating area on the 1 9,000 squarefoot lower level. The upper level will boast a 6.000--squarefootefoot banquet hall, which will be > operated ■ by an outside prop r i - etor. Amenities located in the basement of the facility will feature public rest rooms, changing rooms, lifeguard and first aid sta-, tions, and offices fori the State Park Police, j l while two I new outdo or pa\ili(ni» ■ bordering riie (.iuh- hi ■use. as vie 11 a.-, new accommodations ijiiaik-is loi visitors round up the icvitah/ation oi ihe uiea. 'These improve- mcnis rtii! restore the popular and historic casino to an alicady spectacular park where children play and learn, .families picnic, gol! and boat, angles fish and Inkers tra\ ei.se she scenic Niagara River shoreline trails," Gov. George Pataki said in an earlier press release. "With each investment in our natural and historic attractions, we are helping to ensure the Niagara region remains an international tourist destination, attracting visitors and providing jobs and economic development opportunities for residents well into the future." With the new clubhouse expected to attract more than 200,000 additional visitors to the State Park in the upcoming years, park officials estimate that the annual park attendance could return to the levels when the original casino building was in operation. Up to the early 19905. Beaver Island State Park ranked as one of the popular beaches in the Buffalo area as more than 100.000 visitors visited the beach each the year The crowds often abated irjlhc jams on the Smith Bridge as cars attempted to gel on ihe Island. Inside the park, the Beaver Island Casino, which wj> constructed in 19.55. served a.s its central point, housing various ofiiecs and functions throughout the years. fill' 11 fri 11 ■ r —r" "■'-'*•"■- "■■' ■'■•"" ■ ■ — . , i A Grand island landmark for decades, the original Beaver island Casino complex was gutted by fire back in 1992, and the site stood idle for years as state Parks officials worked with consultants and the community in designing a new complex. Construction on the exterior of new multi-million dollar Beaver Island clubhouse is now complete, and work continues on the inside of the complex. )u, Public hearings find no opposition to new Fuccillo autopark by Lisa Ariganello Residents and visitors of Grand Island may soon be passing by a "huuuuuge" autopark mall along side of the Fucciilo Chevrolet dealership on Alvin Road. Three public hearings in favor of the hew Fucciilo autopark were presented prior to the town board meeting on Monday, Oct. 20. And the hearings sailed by smoothly as no one offered any opposition to the proposal.Arnold Soeder, an attorney from (he firm Lewis & Lewis spoke on behalf of Shawn Rowlands and Scott Fox to apply for rezoning of the 89-acre parcel of land. In the Grand Island master plan, which at this writing is yet to be adopted, the land is zoned as R-l (Rural). Rowlands and Fox are requesting for the lot to be rezoned to B-2 (Business). The adjacent property has been zoned 'business' for a number of years. Since Fucciilo moved onto Alvin Road, employment at the dealership has increased to 75 personnel. The Fucciilo group anticipates at least two more dealerships on the-89-acre parcel, that would employ at least 60 more employees at each of the new dealerships. The estimated additional revenue would be $2 million from each dealership. The current dealership is located on approximately 23 acres of land and generates a substantial amount of sales tax for both Grand Island as well as New York state -in excess of $3 million since the dealership has opened. The proposed operation prefers the term 'autopark' instead of 'automall' because the generic automall consists of paved driveways and parking lots. The Fucciilo plan would envision separate dealerships spaced out while keeping the existing landscaping on site. Their intentions are to continue additional work within the community to meet the needs of the expansion of the town of Grand Island. The town board approved a motion to refer the proposal to the planning board for further fine-tuningTown Board News and Notes As part of its regular meeting, the board unanimously voted: •To approve a special use permit for Lee and Joie Celano of 2341 Falls Link to keep up to three equine animals on their property •To approve a special use permit for Paul lanni of 828 East River Road to allow the keeping of three equine riding horses on site •To approve a special use permit for David Wunsch of 3072 Stony Point Road to allow the keeping of two horses on site •To approve a special use permit for Susan Fadel of 2773 Love Rd. to keep three equine animals on her property Moving on, board members addressed the following agenda items from the Planning Board: continued on page 32fiS= continued on page 32 us* At a Glance. | f Saturday I i GI Alumni Association j j Homecoming Mixer 1 I Master's Field j Ipm. reception, 2 p.m. game j j- Cash mixer at BA's Saloon follows 1 " Wednesday j I Halloween at McDonald's j , Fust annual party for children | • 5 to 7 p.m. | f For more information call 773-3138 J 1 For a complete listing of area events, J j visit NFP's Web site at j www.wnypapers.com j See Your Local Weat • inSCT™™!^^ »»>«• bvm* mmmrmmmm. mm«•«•*•*CT A__/- \ £mMm, '< New York State Home Performance  mmmmmVlfSmmyßi smm V***MimmwWm* »— . LI x :Bll»»i mth EH^iGYSTAR is helping homeowners! ' kMPtSSS I X St I rOreCaSI Iff fUOdV S rSmOeW mMIIS" * AIR CONDITIONING * AIR SEALING * APPLIANCES * VENTILATION * mmWrtiA X »l»j-"««.-. IJMJfr j * INSULATION *LIGHTING« FURNACE»WINDOW * ■MJMM Lewiston • Porter • Town of Niagara • Wheatfield • Grand Island . If JfWl^'M'll ;|. Seren Pay forotaa»Petaifed fteport ■ Daily 4yerages ft Record* and mew.. f m4S [||l^nil'Tn"JMr»if&fMsM """"""'■' '" " " "" ' mm™iii-11—im.iiiiii ii»miii>iin.iwi.w.w.i«iiiiiiii ■ .iiii.i..wimlMii munii»ii.miwinrfcuii—w.ii 'i m, n—miiiiiiiiiiiini.iiniiiiniiiii-iin ■..■mil in . , , i. ...■,.J