Island Dispatch, 2004-03-19

              Island DISPATCH  GIHS Student Wins Award Page 5 The Farmer's Almanac predicts: Snowstorm than Sunny h n ri-jhi' Clicik flit weu'.licr mi />■■; Z Corporate Bowl Winners Page 3 B ' ' • '  Founded 1944 • Complete Community Coverage 1 59 Years As the Voice of Grand Island I Award Winning Newspapers The Official Newspaper of the Town of Grand Island and the Grand Island School District Vol. 59 No. 52 March 19.2004 20 I'lijics Plus American Profile SI.OO 38th annual Citizen of the Year banquet Grand Island Chamber honors Dorothy Blakelock, the Fuccillo Automotive Group As the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce proceeds with preparations towards its 38th annual Citizen of the Year awards banquet, Thursday, April 1 at the Holiday Inn- Grand Island Resort and Conference Center beginning at 5:30 p.m., in today's Dispatch we continue with profiles of the 2004 award winners. In today's issue, we'll take a look at Dorothy Blakelock, recipient of the Chamber's Senior Citizen of the Year honor, and the Fuccillo Automotive Group as the Chamber's Business of the Year, Dorothy Blakelock, Senior Citizen of the Year This year, the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce has chosen Dorothy Blakelock as Senior Citizen of the Year. Kaegebein cook-manager, Dorothy Blakelock, has worked at the school for 42 years. She started out as a dishwasher, working for just a couple of hours a day after her youngest son went to school. Working her way up to salads and sandwiches and then as assistant to Doris Kaiser, Dorothy took over as cook-manager over 25 years ago. Cookmg turkey dinner and making homemade soups are favorite activ- ities at Kaegebein for this woman. It brings in "lots of praise," she says. After growing up in Buffalo, she moved to Niagara Falls when first married to her husband, the late Bart Blakelock, and then to Grand Island in 1952. When she still had a houseful at home, she enjoyed making spaghetti, cheesecake and the weekly Sunday roast beef dinner. Dorothy has recently moved into an apartment near her daughter after 52 years of living in the home purchased when the family first moved to the Island. Dorothy and Bart raised three children on Grand Island and she now has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren to brag about. Dorothy says she has had a "good life, no regrets." Today, Dorothy is an amazing 79 year old and is" very happy to be working at Kaegebein. In bed by nine most evenings, she is at work early to start her soups every day. Former Principal George Wenner, speaking during the Kaegebein Dorothy Blakelock is being honored as the Chamber's Senior Citizen of the Year. Billy Fuccillo (inset) and his Fuccillo Automotive Group have been chosen as the Chamber's recipient of the 2004 Business of the Year. GI Town Board tables Fuccillo site plan by Larry Austin The Town Board of Grand Island tabled, by a 5-0 vote, site plan approval of the proposed Fuccillo Toyota dealership at Monday's meeting. Councilman Gary G. Roesch explained that the town is awaiting information from the State Department of Environmental Conservation. The new dealership .project, to be located on a 5 to 10--acre parcel at 1974 Alvin Road, looks positive, he said, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will weigh in on wetlands protection. Site plan approval was granted by the town's Planning Board, with several understandings, by a 6-0 vote on March 8. Fuccillo Chevrolet's plans, as detailed in a Planning Board meeting on Jan. 12, call for a Toyota building adjacent to the Chevy store. In all, the investment in the property could total $20 million. Other Items In other issues at the meeting, which lasted just 30 minutes: •During a public hearing that preceded the regular agenda, no one from the public spoke in opposition to a special use permit request by Joseph Salamone, who would like to keep up to four horses on his property at 2406 Love Road, which is in an R-1A zoning district. By a 5-0 vote, the Town Board referred the matter to the Planning Board for review and recommendation. •The board set a public hearing for Monday, April 5 at 8 p.m. to hear comments on a resolution to increase the maximum income eligibility level for senior citizens to receive a real property tax exemption. State and county legislation enacted recently allows municipalities to grant 50 percent assessed value exemptions for those qualified senior citizens with incomes up to $24,000. •The board, in two 5-0 votes, granted conditional approval that would complete two separate subdivisions. In one matter, the board approved 45 subplots of Sections 4D and 4E of the Ransom Village Subdivision, a development which was previously approved in the 19905. In another, the board gave the go-ahead to 14 lots in Section 3 of Oakwood Estates at River Oaks. •The board unanimously waived subdivision regulations for Robert Weaver of East River Road to build a model home on Lot No. 1 of the Stony Point Subdivision, of which has preliminary approval. •The board tabled, pending action of the Zoning Board of Appeals, a request by Norman Parisi of East River Road to remove property lines between properties and to separate two other properties. •The Recreation Department received approval to purchase from state bid a Ferris tractor mower for $4,844 and a Chevrolet Express Cargo Van 1500 for $13,106. The old mower will be used at town hall. The department also awarded continued on page 20 isp continued on page 20 m* 2nd Section eggsT n This ffeen^^^^-W «sg « «»aw BJH W 9SH «T Celebrating Hometown Life Uf'^jHMfcW''" At-a Glance Friday The Niagara Sailing Club Annual Fish Fry 3619 East River Road 6 p.m. Saturday Huth Road Elementary School Bazaar 1773 Huth Road 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For a complete listing of area events, visit NFP's Web site at www.wnypapers.com Classified! Ads ftsi EtesifAs j *J5" A trader sv»* **?■« i