Island Dispatch, 2008-12-26

              Island Dispatch Niagara Frontier Publications . proud publishers of Island Dispatch Lewiston-Porter Sentinel Grand Island Penny Saver Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune www.wnypapers.corn VoL64 No. 41 December 26, 2008 773-7676 $1.00 20 Pages For Home O&tw&rf of the island Dispatch' .. Call -773-7676 Toys for Tots page 5 High Character page 9 Twirlers page 12 Inside The Dispatch Church 6 School , 8 Sports ....12 Classifieds ~ 14 Crossword 15 Service Directory 19 Picture Page 20 Thompson renews call for toll removal Notes condition of concrete piers Grand Island bridge toll opponent Rus Th o mp so n sees the recent signs of bridge inspections as the writing on the wall for more tolls. "For a few weeks I have been watching as an inspector went up and down each and every concrete pier under the South Grand Island Bridge. He started on the Tonawanda side first then went over to the Grand Island sicie," Thompson wrote in an e-mail to local media outlets. "On every pier there are markings, some of them look like jig saw puzzles. Some of the lines are white and some are orange. But they are everywhere on every pier," Thompson noted. "My major concern is and always has been the condition of the concrete piers." He described the piers as abnormal, with rust running down the sides, cracks, chunks of concrete missing, and swelling concrete. '> 'To my construction eye that is a telltale sign of corrosion as water has permeated the concrete, saturated the areas around the steel reinforcement bar causing it to swell, rust and corrode," he said. Borrowing money byt the New York Thruway Authority to repair the bridges would mean the tolls would remain in place for years to come, he noted. "For decades, the Thruway Authority has drilled into the population that they need the toll revenue to maintain the bridges, yet every single year the Thruway Authority has walked away from Grand Island Bridges with millions upon millions of our toll dollars," Thompson said. "Apparently, now they are planning on repairing the concrete piers, all of them, including the bases and the bases that are in the Niagara River." 'Wouldn't you think regular repairs and maintenance over these decades could have prevented all this?" Thompson asked. "This is completely irresponsible and shows that these bridge tolls are simply a cash cow for the Thruway Authority and Albany. It is past time to remove these tolls. Bring in the federal dollars to repair the bridges and start construction of new ones." More photos from Thompson can be viewed at his anti-toll Web site, www.riogitolls.com/South- BridgePiers.html. A concrete pier supporting the south Grand Island bridge shows signs of corrosion, according to Rus Thompson.Above and Beyond Grand Island firefighters contend with 'lost' hydrants by Ray Pauley Public Information Officer Grand Island Fire Co. Grand Island Fire Chief Greg Butcher reports that firefighters responding to fire emergencies can be severely handicapped by heavy snowfalls, which recently buried many local hydrants. Butcher pointed out that the extra time required to locate and dig out "missing" hydrants can hamper firefigMng operations and could potentially turn a controllable incident into a major loss of property or, even worse, a fire-related fatality.Butcher urges residents to clear snow away from hydrants near their property so that firefighters have ready access to a vital water supply if needed. likewise, business owners, who arrange for the clearing of adjacent parking areas should take care not to isolate hydrants, thereby compromising their fire protection. GIFC fire cadets, Boy Scouts and others have been asked to continue their hydrant-clearing efforts this winter, and your helping hands will be greatly appreciated by your GIFC volunteers, stressed Butcher. The solution costs only the expense of a homeowner's time and effort. This Baseline Road fire hydrant is almost completely buried in a snowbank because of drifting snow and plowing, (photo by Ray Pauley) Chamber of Commerce directors elected Installation set for Jan. 20, 2009 At the Dec. 9 holiday party, the Grand Island Chamber of Commerce re-elected two incumbents to the board of directors and elected three new directors. Incumbents re-elected were Skip Mazenauer of Niagara Frontier Publications and Jim Shatpe of Sharpe Associates. Eric Fiebelkorn of Toshiba Business Solutions, Fran McMahon of McMahon's Day by Day Family Restaurant and liz Wilbert of Century 21 Winklhofer were elected as new board directors. All five director seat holders will serve three- year terms. Joanne Kud will remain on board as past president; John Bonora of AIG Adivsor Group, was re-elected as president, Tony Brindisi of The Keller Group was re-elected to first vice president, Diane Thompson of Emerson/ Control Techniques was re-elected to second vice president, Dr. Sherry Bradford of Oncology Research Therapeutics will remain as chamber secretary and Judy Schmidt was elected treasurer. Other directors include Sam Aceti of Aceti's Wine & Spirits, Andy Beyer of AJ Beyer Mechanical, Dawn Bonora, beauty consultant for Mary Kay Cosmetics, Teresa Costello from the Grand Island Holiday Inn Resort & Conference Center, Beverly Kinney of Carol Ann's Hair Fashions, Rob Ratajczak Jr. EC and Michael Anthony Rossi, Esq. The chamber's board meetings are open to all members and the general public at 7 p.m. at the Buffalo Launch Club, 503 East River Road on Grand Island each third Tuesday of the month. The installation of directors and executive officers will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 20,2009. Chamber o£ Conaneree Cottven ienee and Style! ■ <S Monday J i 'V; r-J'J Visit our shops, restaurants ■- r^/I\y/7T^<3Zt ». 1*"^s i&tg tetonc*. j 8 Jo' v Mi,', andservlnslnefudfng Ziz>-\k/oiJS*S} , ■ ■ ' , The Bon Ton... Sears... Save A 10t... mmßWmnmmsn, (l (PJZZMsUBS). I '-fcv* -.- Fo@d Court...and much morel % NIAGARA FRONTIER PUBLICATIONS | ' 2131 Grand Island Blvd 'll'3'1"" ' Island Dispatch-Grand Island PennySaver.Niagara-Wheatfield Tribune .Lewiston-Porter Sentinel hi- * 'SgteJF J ~lu~m~h»ji_^^i_^»mlii^.-Lu : i; I "I"UUiSU holwwwllnariyolnerolfers. expiresli/31/Ou