Island Dispatch, 2008-02-29

              ISLAND Dispatch February 29,2008 Vol. 63 No. 50 20 Pages 773-7676 $1.00 For Home Delivery of ihe Island Dispatch Call 773-7676 S Niagara Frontier Publications proud publishers of Island Dispatch Lewiston-Porter Sentind Grand Island Penny Saver Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune www.wnypapers.com Helping Hand page 5 100 Days page. 8 , Super Sunday page 12 Inside The Dispatch School 8 Sports... 12 Classifieds 15 Crossword 16 Service Directory 19 Picture Page 20 \ Legislation would transfer I-190, end tolls by Larry Austin The road to ending tolls at the Grand Island bridges may take a short cut as legislators discuss divesting the New York Thruway Authority of control of the 1-190. At a press conference at Grand Island Town Hall last Friday, State Sen. George Maziarz, R-62nd Disf tict, Newfane, and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-144th District, Buffalo, Grand Island, discussed legislation they are proposing that would transfer control of the Niagara section of the Thruway from the New York State Thruway Authority to the state Department of Transportation. The move, if passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Eliot Spitzer, would both remove tolls collected at the Grand Island bridges and make the bridges eligible for federal aid reimbursements, Maziarz said. Maziarz said Friday this "an entirely different plan" than those previously proposed to remove the tolls from the Grand Island bridges. Past plans introduced were 'feel good legislation," he said, that merely called for removing the tolls without a mechanism to determine where money would come from to operate and maintain the roads. The Thruway Authority policy has stated that if tolls were removed, a replacement funding source must be found. 'This is saying we're taking away the operation and maintenance responsibility from the Thruway Authority,''Maziarz said. Hoyt and Maziarz credited Islander Rus Thompson with the transfer idea. Thompson said he approached Maziarz in about late November or early December with the concept. "Honestly, it just came to me," Thompson said. "When you look at the Thruway from Erie, Pa., all the way to Albany, once you get off the mainline Thruway there are no tolls. Why is the Thruway Authority controlling any sections of roads off of the mainline Thruway? It makes no sense." "When Gov. Spitzer says that he's wants to influx a billion dollars for the economy of Western New York, this is one huge step that he can take to actually start doing something to show mat he does care for Western New York," said Thompson of nogitolls.com. "This one step. If he does this, then he's basically made a commitment, because he hasn't done anything thus far." Maziarz said he thinks he can secure passage of the legislation in the State Senate; State Sen. George Maziarz diseussses legislation as Assemblyman Sam Hoyt listens, (photo by Larry Austin) Drama brings substance abuse issue to life by Kathleen Duff A small audience turned out on a snowy night to attend an interactive theater workshop called "Family Business" at Grand Island High School Tuesday. Presented by the drug initiative "One Island, One Team, One Dream, To Be Drug Free" and funded by the Grand Island Youth Board, the two-act play was written, produced and acted by professional actors from Theatre For Change Inc., a traveling troupe of actors who take their Buffalobased productions on the road across the nation. Through short dramas, where the audience is allowed to ask questions of the actors while they are still in character, the organization tackles topics such as health care, eating disorders, gang violence and, in Tuesday night's issue, substance abuse. While the plans for bringing this production to Grand Island have been in the works for months, the timing appears to have been just right in light of the recent arrests of numerous underage drinkers at two separate Grand Island house parties.In "Family Business," middle class working parents, Teresa (Darleen Pickering Hummert) and Karl (Richard Hummert), come to realize they both have been enabling and denying the drug and alcohol addiction of their high school senior son, Tony (Steven Dawson). As the story unfolds, it Theatre for Change actors Darleen Pickering Hummert, Steven Dawson and Richard Hummert portray a family in crisis due to drug and alcoholism, (photo by Larry Austin) Cast and Credits Teresa (Momj.Darieen Pickering Hummert Kari (Dad) Richard Hummert taura Vanessa Christiani Tony. Sieven Dawson Theatre for Change, in association with One Island," One Team, One Dream, To Be Drug Free, presents "Family Business" by written and directed by Darken Pickering Hummert.School Board receives first budget draft by Kathleen Duff If s obviously the end of February as evidenced by the arrival of the first draft of the 2008-2009 school budget before the members of the Grand Island Board of Education. At the board's regular meeting Monday evening, school district administrators emphasized that numbers are preliminary at this point School Superintendent . Robert Christmann stated that, "The budget will not look the same at final adoption. There are a lot of moving parts," something to be expected so early on in the budget process. Christmann and Assistant Superintendent for Business and Finance Loraine Ingrasci highlighted the following preliminary budget figures: •A 6.4 percent increase over 2007-2008 •Fuel costs as a major impact item but not as much as previously anticipated •Increased sales tax revenues in the amount of $200,000 •A possible 2 percent increase in property tax revenues •Static BOCES aid •A $1 million increase in state aid •A tax rate of $39.33 per assessed $1,000, up from $38.08 for 2007-2008 Interesting asides to this draft are that the high school musical will now be self-sustaining (per teachers' and students' choice) so that no funding for it will be included in the budget. Also, new pre-engineering courses have been placed "on the backburner," according to Christmann, due to a lack of funding. The Board of Education will review a second draft of the proposed 2008-2009 budget at its next, regular meeting. 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