Island Dispatch, 2003-11-07

              Island  DISPATCH  Vol.59 No. 36 Noitfinhcr 7. 2003 24 l'aj»cs ojs --•'- „ ; Slil iPigriS Junior Vikings Squad Takes First 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 Phone: (716) 773-7676 • 1 ;i\: <716) 773-7190 • K-Mail: Ml'NeMsfr'clnuiil.com , TP||e'P: New Chamber of Commerce Youth Ambassadors The Farmer's Almanac predicts: Colder Is i: rixht; Uh-lL liw vvutlicr on pg 2 Founded 1944 • Complete Community Coverage Grand Island elections too close to call by Amanda Glowish and Lisa Ariganello The race for the Grand Island Town Board is proving to be extremely close, bringing victory to the Republicans. As of press time, all 15 of the districts had been tallied, however some absentee ballots were yet to be accounted for. According to Town Clerk Nancy Samrany, the numbers are too close to announce any final results. It is assured that Republican Councilman Richard Crawford Jr., receiving 29 percent of the votes, is guaranteed a seat on the Town Board for a third four-year term. Crawford is also the chair of the Grand Island Planning Board and hopes to assist in the development of a local community center to pro- vide Island residents with additional recreational and athletic services."The members of the Town Board are all very committed to providing necessary services to the residents of Grand Island, while remaining within a reasonable budget, and a good conservative financial plan," Crawford said. When asked if Grand Island residents will notice a major change in taxes over the next four years he replied, "there will not be any major changes. Each year the board is able to adapt well to shrinking dollars from the federal and the state, but we've always been able to overcome the financial hurdles and consolidate our spending."Real Nail Biter Republican candidate Gary Roesch is following close behind with 26 percent of the vote. With |th is {being {his first lendeav-5 or in {seeking j political {office, ißoesch {has experiencedmany ups and downs. "When I went to bed on the night of the election I was down 38 votes, when I woke up in the morning, I was suddenly ahead of Rustowicz by one vote," Roesch said. "Now I have to wait until Nov. 14 for the final results. "Let me just put it this way, I have my linger nails down to my knuckles." If elected, Roesch plans to bring his 36 years of experi- J ence in the pri- I vate sector to the town board, j "My. involvement in civic j activities ' will allow me to understand the various issues of the town board," he said. Democratic Incumbent Kevin Rustowicz, with 25 percent of the vote, and Democrat Michael Heftka, with 20 percent still have a chance for recovery once the absentee ballots are calculated. Rustowicz is following Roesch by only one vote. Town Clerk's Office Republican Patricia A. Frentzel won her seat on the board as Grand Island Town Clerk with 3; 145 votes, replacing Nancy Samrany, who is retiring. Democrat Robin A. Swedish came up short with 2,632 votes. Frentzel's years of experience include regional director for the American Heart Association, executive director for Grand Island Chamber of Commerce and financial resource director for Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce. Some of her goals for town clerk i include: collaboration with state, j county and local officials in the! areas of: cash control, licensing, \ public relations, records manage- j ment and e-commerce. I Voting was constant throughout the day as seen in this photo of residents lining up to cast their ballots, (photo by Lisa Ariganeilo) A healthy mix of candidate signs greeeted residents outside Grand Island Town Hail on Tuesday, (pnoto by Josn wiaiorii) Town Board reviews improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant by Lisa Ariganello On Monday, Nov. 3, the eve of Election night, the Grand Island Town Board moved swiftly though the listed agenda items. Although a public hearing was scheduled in order to address some needed improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, no individuals in the audience chose to speak for or against the presented proposal. Therefore, the board authorized Supervisor Peter McMahon to sign the appropriate paperwork for the issue of $1,240,000 in serial bonds for improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The engineering department will now plan for installation of a new mixing system and the replacement of pump station no. 7. The board reviewed further improvements to the Wastewater Treatment Plant and voted to approve the installation of a davit crane and diversion plate to isolate the flows from half the plant at a time. According to Town Engineer John Whitney, this work is necessary since the valves that are currently isolating the flow do not close properly and to replace them would cost approximately $27,000. A new diversion plate will result in a net increase to the contract amount of $8,749,000. The funds are available and the board approved the improvements. More Water/Wastewater Department News Also on request from the Water/ Wastewater facility, the board discussed the following agenda items: Superintendent Clinton requested to advertise for bids for the hauling of sludge from the Grand Island Treatment Plant to the Niagara Falls Treatment Plant. The board unanimously voted to open the bid to the public by advertising in the local newspaper. McMahon authorized the renewal of the cooperative purchasing agreement between the town of Grand Island and the city of Niagara Falls, for the period of one year. This agreement warrants Niagara Falls as the lead agency for the purchase of chemicals used in the treatment of the town's water and wastewater. The Town Clerk is in the process of recovering all delinquent water and sewage accounts for the Grand Island 2004 tax roll. As of Oct 31, 2003 there was a total of $401,731.35 in delinquent accounts which will be rolled over to the 2004 tax rolls. The Town Clerk will accept no further payments from these delinquent accounts. Town Board News and Notes As part of its regular meeting, the board unanimously voted: • To allow Supervisor McMahon to provide The Trust for Public Land with a copy of the comprehensive master plan of the open continued on page 24 uS" continued on page 24 e3" At a Glance Tuesday '. Veteran's Day Ceremony ! Veterans Park Memorial Wall 1715 Bedell Road 11a.m. An Onen House at will follow at VFW Post 9249 2121 Grand Island Blvd. Wednesday Knights of Columbus Spaghetti Dinner Benefiting the Grand Island Neighbors Foundation 1841 Whitehaven Road 4:30 to"7 p.m. For a (omplete listing of area events, visit NFP's Web site at j www.wnypapers.com 1 See Your Local Weather \ H| %S n&rGrf Btt T@€SMyFS PStpeS1 ■■■■■ Ge? ererytfitag from company Wstory to acherisfog /nformafcr, T . m .... ' ~,, j. , , jti j e„|ps Island Dispatch • Grand Island Penny Saver • Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune • Lewiston-Porter Sentinel v Lewiston • Porter • Town of Niagara • Wheatfield • Grand Island Qafage =a!B Happy Ari Sewn Day tomast* Petard tepM>Ba«yAwmg&&lteeotds ami mm» | c/ass/ffeds WWW.Wnypaper§,€&m Announcements