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VOLUME 5 ISSUE 23
The Official Newspaper
MAY 27 - JUNE 2, 2016
of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville, Ellicottville Central Schools and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
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Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, East Otto, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Beyond
Sunny Days Ahead!
Upcoming Events
June in Ellicottville
June 3-5 Cycling Weekend Holiday Valley
By AliCia DZiaK
June is fast approaching, which means sunshine, long days and lots of time outdoors. Lucky for you, Ellicottville is full of ways to get you out the door and enjoying yourselves. There’s so much to do, your biggest challenge will be fitting it all in! Start the month off with a weekend outdoors. June 3-5 is Holiday Valley’s Cycling Weekend, a 3-day weekend of cycling fun for riders who will enjoy the ideal road riding routes around Cattaraugus County. For more info, visit holidayvalley.com and check out our cover story. If you love mountain biking, take to the woods on Holiday Valley’s mountain biking trails. The 4-5 mile “race loop” starts at the Holiday Valley Training Center and goes up gradually to the top of Cindy’s. A new trail is being constructed from Spruce Lake across through the woods to Champagne, then it zigs and zags across the front ski slopes with big banked turns in the woods, and finishes near the Training Center. June 4-5, the first annual Ellicottville Outdoor Expo will be held throughout the area at locations such as Holiday Valley and the Village Gazebo. Take part in yoga classes, mountain bike rides, fly fishing clinics and much more. For more info, see our cover story! On June 18, get ready to get muddy at the fifth annual Holiday Valley Mudslide. This down and dirty race challenges runners to navigate 11 fun, not scary, obstacles. Choose from 3.5- or 5.4-mile distances, both ending at the famous mudslide
June 4-5 Outdoor Expo Ellicottville June 3-5 Dairy/Ag Fest Springville June 18 Mudslide Obstacle Run Holiday Valley June 18 EVL Paddlefest
See June in EVL page 7
All Things Outdoors June 3-5
By AliCia DZiaK
Like spending time outdoors? Then next weekend is for you! Join other outdoor enthusiasts June 3-5 for two fresh air-focused events taking
place all over Ellicottville. All weekend long, Holiday Valley will be celebrating Cycling Weekend with races geared toward the more serious level 2 and 3 rider. Get in on the
fun for $299 per person, which includes double occupancy Friday and Saturday night lodging at the Inn at Holiday Valley, three guided road rides (with sag wagon), cycling clinics and light instruction, meals, social activities and a goody bag full of cycling treats! (Commuter rate without lodging is $205.) According to Jane Eshbaugh, Holiday Valley’s marketing director, this weekend is meant to “introduce people to the great road rides around this area and to meet other cyclists.” She explained that “We do a short ride on Friday night See Outdoor Weekend page 11
Camp at ASP This Summer!
Allegany State Park offers many camping options to best fit your style inside the park, with sites in the Red House Campgrounds on ASP 1, at Cain Hollow, behind Quaker Lake and on the Diehl Trail on Quaker. Within the park, you’ll find rustic cabins with one room and no electricity, and modern cabins with multiple rooms and full size kitchen appliances. Some are close to the action and to one another, while others are in more private, See ASP Camping page 9
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June 18 Randolph Arts & Crafts Festival June 18-19 Raccoon Rally Allegany State Park June 30-July 3 Ellicottville CHampionship Rodeo July 1-3 Summer Music Festival Holiday Valley July 22 Rock the Park Allegany State Park
State Announces Check-Based School Tax Exemption Program
New Homeowners Note JULY 1 Deadline
The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance is changing the STAR school tax exemption program to a check-based program for all new homeowners.
People who purchased their home after March 1, 2015 are now required to register with the state for the school tax credit. If you qualify, you will receive a check in the mail (instead of a property tax exemption on your school tax bill which has been the process in the past). Most checks
should be received at around the same time as your school tax bill arrives in the mail. Again, this new check program applies to NEW homeowners only. You do not need to take any action if you already have a STAR exemption, as long as you stay in your current home.
Trail Heights Approved by Planning Board
May 23 pending a few minor revisions to the Homeowners Association (HOA) document. The property, owned by developer Phil Vogt, will feature 14 lots for singlefamily homes on 70-acres across Poverty Hill Rd. from the planned 42 Degrees North (42DN) resort community. The
See STAR Exemption page 4
Apartment Plan Under Fire from Neighbors By JaNN WisWall
The Town of Ellicottville’s Planning Board approved the final plat plan for the Trail Heights development at its monthly meeting on Monday,
Scenic Byway to Expand
See Town Planning Board page 8
Amy Storer, Resident Engineer for Cattaraugus County, New York State Department of Transportation; Brian McFadden, Executive Director, Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce; Assemblyman David DiPietro; Bob Lennartz, President, Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway Committee; Senator Catharine Young; Senator Patrick Gallivan; and Assemblyman Joseph Giglio unveil the sign for the Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway, which has expanded into northern Cattaraugus County.