Island Dispatch, 2004-12-24

              Island DISPATCH Founded 1944 « Complete Community Coverage 60 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 t? :W4r« I;.I **'"*""'" -• Vikings | Cruise Page 12 f Us On TJie Web  Ph0ne:(716)773-7676 « lax: (716) 773-7190 * E-Mail: MTNcwsCg clmnil.com Vol. 60 • No. 40 Decern Ik r24. 2004 $1.00 20 I'a^cs High school 'elves' help Neighbors Foundation by Karen Keefe The Knights of Columbus Hall looked like Santa's workshop on Tuesday, with 21 busy "elves" from Grand Island High School assembling food and gifts destined for 60 needy families on the Island. The huge hall was filled with bags and boxes of food, all marked by an ID number for each family, along with notations on how many adults and children are in each. Students shuttled between various stations and focused on choosing items to balance the meal selections each family would receive. Families Pick Up Baskets Most families were to pick up their Christmas baskets on Tuesday at the X of C Hall, with the balance being delivered to those who couldn't personally come in., The students, members of both the Interact and DECA clubs, arrived shortly after 8:30 a.m. and began sorting the food, then allocating it for the families who will be helped this year by the annual Neighbors Foundation Drive. "I love this," said Geoff Crossley, vice president of DECA and a senior at the high school. "I'm really happy we got to help out so many families. Islanders Donate From the Heart "This year it's the most we've ever helped," said Shirley Luther, a member of the foundation's board of directors. Dennis Dahl, also on the board, said each family gets food and Christmas gifts, The food is donated by Island residents. Dave Dulak stopped in Tuesday morning to donate three turkeys from him and his wife, Katey. They redeemed their Tops coupon and Players Card incentives from Seneca Niagara Casino to help the food drive. "Somebody else can use these," hesaid. Students, Companies Help Out Grand Island students collected more than 5,000 pounds of canned goods and other food. Hams were donated by Russer Foods and turkeys from Invitrogen. The Bremmer Corporation contributed 10 cases of cookies. Foundation President Henry Kammerer said the Holiday Distribution "would not have been possible without the tremendous assistance from many Island organizations and individuals. He thanked the Knights of Columbus for providing their hall for two days. Kammerer also said invaluable assistance was provided by Fuccillo Chevrolet, Rotary, Zonta, BPW, the Grand Island Fire Company, the Grand Island School Grand Island High School students from the DECA and Interact clubs worked all morning on Tuesday to assemble gift baskets of food and Christmas gifts for 60 needy families. The families came to pick up their baskets Tuesday afternoon. One mother who received two brand new bicycles for her children was so overwhelmed that she cried tears of joy when she saw the gifts, (photo by Barbi Lare) Town Board OKs eliminating need of hearings for cell towers by Karen Keefe The Grand Island Town Board meeting Monday night was relatively tame, following two previous sessions in which some residents had questioned the propriety of a cell phone tower built on Councilman Dan Robillard's property, which brings him $9,600 in annual lease payments. Objections Absent In fact, a local law was adopted — without objection or public comment - which, in part, allowed cell tower applications to be approved without public hearings. It was as if the controversy had evaporated. Critics of the tower on Robillard's property previously had said it was approved with insufficient time for public comment, 13 days after the application was received. They also questioned whether Robillard, as a town official, received the inside track on winning the lease. Letter from Verizon A Dec. 16 letter from Verizon Wireless appears to vindicate Robillard's contention that the company sought him out, and not vice versa, because his property was deemed the most suitable for the company's service needs. Verizon said four properties appeared to meet town requirements, but only one met both the town's rules and their needs: the Robillard property at 423 Ransom Road. The town calls for a setback equal to the height of the tower (120 feet) and that the tower be located at least 500 feet from any neighboring residence. Other Properties Unsuitable The properties that Verizon rejected as unsuitable were owned by Leo Hopkins, the Grand Island School District, and the Sheridan- Transit Rod & Gun Club. John Englebert, real estate manager for Verizon Wireless, enumerated the problems with the other sites: •The parcel to the east of Robillard's property would place the tower within 500 feet of a neighboring residence. •The wireless company sent a letter to the gun club and never received a response. •Leo Hopkins' property has a deed restriction that limits the use of the property to single-family dwellings only, thus it was "unusable" for the company's purposes. Just the Facts Robillard said after the meeting, "Now they go for the facts," referring 'to activist Kirn Tetreault's request to Verizon to remove the tower from the councilman's property — a request that elicited Verizon's written response. Robillard said it was too bad he had to take a hit from critics before they understood the choice Verizon made. Hearing Would Be Pointless Councilwoman Mary Cooke continued on page 2 eg" continued on page 2 cy kcogpe,, COUPON SECTION * * Inside From Your Local Merchants j Christmas At a Glance Christmas Eve Candlelight Service and Carol Sing •Bible Fellowship Center 1136 Baseline Road 4 p.m. For more information call 773-3748. •Bible Presbyterian Church 1650 Love Road 7 p.m. For more information call 773-7303. For a complete listing of area events, visit NFP's Web site at www. wnypapers. com 2nd Section ISII In Tb/s HfeekfsAn^^^» ■■■ «■ ■■■W ■ ■WWH* V Celebrating Hometown Life