Island Dispatch, 2006-06-23

              Island Dispatch V01.62 No. 14 $1.00 24 Pages June 23, 2006 proud publishers of Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune Island Dispatch Lewiston-PorterSentinel Grand Island Penny Saver www.wnypapers.com Niagara Frontier Publications For Home Delivery of the Island Dispatch Call 773-7676 Property Improvements page 3 Exchange student honored page 10 Keith's Classic is July 13 page 15 Town delays action on Waterford Park by Karen Keefe Yet another proposed housing development on Grand Island is being criticized by neighbors worried about its potential effect on traffic, the environment and their quality of life. On Monday, the Grand Island Town Board listened to residents' concerns over the Waterford Park Subdivision and decided to delay action on it until residents' questions were resolved. Waterford Park is a 40-acre parcel bounded by Riverview Court, East River Road, Riverdale Drive and Beaver Island Parkway.Approval Sought for 70 Homes Thomas Giambra is seeking preliminary plat approval for 70 single-family homes to be built on 80-by-160-foot lots. The homes would be built in five phases over five years, subject to market demand. The first phase would involve 14 building lots. The parcel is zoned R-ID, or medium-density, single-family residential. "It conforms to the town subdivision regulations," said Assistant Municipal Engineer Robert Westfall. Giambra is seeking "no variances whatsoever," Westfall added. But a parade of residents with questions about and objections to the plan at Monday's public hearing led the Town Board to decide, by a vote of 5-0, that the application for the preliminary plat approval was incomplete. McMahon Recommends Delay Supervisor Peter McMahon said it would not be appropriate to act on the request until residents' questions on traffic, access Residents who live in neighborhoods near the proposed Waterford Park Subdivision stand near the S-corve on East River Road between Broadway and Fix Road, They say that section of the road, already dangerous, would be worse ir an entrance to a new subdivision is allowed to go in at that point, (photo by Barbi Lore) Marching to the beat of the parade judges by Marilynn Horwood Do you hear yet - the street beat of a snare drum, the cadence call of a parade marshal, the scream of a siren blown by a fire truck? If you don't, you soon will. Parade season is in full swing in Western New York. From long before Memorial Day to weE after Labor Day, fire departments and communities throughout the region hold parades to celebrate everything from holidays arid grand finales to annual field days and festivals. Pride and patriotism come to the forefront as American flags are unfurled in the line of march as well as along the sidelines. So what motivates the hundreds of musical and marching units to practice songs, drill marching and strive to look their best in these events? If s the lure of competing to be judged the best at what they do. And the often-daunting task of selecting the best falls to groups of individuals who gather to judge the parades. Selecting the Champions In some cases, as with Grand Island's Fourth of July parade, the units are not J. VUi I-t* \J&. JUIJ MiV VU-JLVV? «** v __w judged. But generally, groups of judges assist the various parade committees in selecting the champions. The most prominent judging associations in Western New York are the Genesee Valley Judging Association, the New York-Pennsylvania (NY-PENN) Judging Association, and the New York State Volunteer Firemen's Judging Association-Western New York Division. Each association has specific rules by which they judge, and also work within the rules of the parade they are judging. Many of these judges have spent years as members of marching unite, themselves. Also, they may possess expertise in specialty areas, such as music or motorized equipment restoration and maintenance, and therefore are well qualified to perform the tasks at hand. Prizes for the winning units range from large cash awards for a parade's outstanding musical units to trophies and/or cash prizes. But all winners take home bragging rights for being the best Marilynn Norwood and her husband, the late Dick Horwood, as they judged the 2002 parade at the Clarence Center Volunteer Co. Field Days. Rash of car window breakings plagues Island by Karen Keefe Erie County sheriffs deputies aire checking out leads in a rash of broken car windows that plagued Grand Island last week. There were more man 30 incidents reported of windows and windshields being shot out by a pellet or BB gun, said Det Dennis Fitzgibbons. "We haven't recovered any pellets or BBs," he said. "But several people reported hearing a 'pop.'" At least one of the reports indicated that a car window was broken by a baseball bat. There seemed to be a heavy concentration of the BB gun shooting incidents in the southern end of the Island, where more cars are parked on streets, the detective said. But reports also came from all over the town, he noted. Calls started coming in from residents on June 13 and continued through June 16. The complaints came in from such diverse locations as Oakridge, East River, Schwegler, Blackmon, West Park, Stony Point, Whitehaven and Ransom roads; Carter and Riverdale drives; Broadway, Regency Court, Spicer Creek Run and Tcacy Lane. Not Alone And Grand Island is not alone in having many more of these incidents than usual. 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