FREE! TAKE ONE! VOLUME 5 ISSUE 5
JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 4, 2016
The Official Newspaper
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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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Upcoming Events
February is Heating Up Fast Snocross, Penguin Paddle Annual Favorites
February 5-6 AMSOIL Championship Snocross Seneca Allegany Casino
By Eva Potter
Whether you’re new to Ellicottville or a regular, you’ll find entertaining winter action for the whole family this month. Get ready to bundle up and head outside, because February is heating up fast. AMSOIL ISOC U.S. Air Force National Championship Snocross returns to the Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino Feb. 5-6 on its eight-race national circuit. The track’s tight quarters offer thrilling bar-tobar racing action with plenty of side bumping as the 400-pound sleds race shoulder to shoulder at high speeds around the oval, outfitted with plenty of jumps for serious air. More than 200 of North America’s top snocross racers and nearly a dozen from countries worldwide will compete. Purchase tickets now and save $10 at the Logo Shop inside Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino or online at http:// snocross.com/national/tickets. The “Your Turn” Women’s Ski Clinic returns to Holiday Valley Feb. 11-12 with Lisa Densmore at the helm. Densmore, a widely acclaimed coach, instructor and ski racer, along with some of the Valley’s finest women instructors, lead a two-day clinic designed for intermediate to advanced skiers designed to take you to the next level of skiing . Preregistration is advised for this $290 clinic, which includes two days of coaching, demo equipment, breakfast and lunch each day plus dinner on Thursday, as well as specially priced lift tickets. To save your spot, visit www.holidayvalley.com or call (716) 699-2345, ext. 4422 or ext. 4424.
Febraury 14 Art Roscoe XC Ski Loppet Allegany State Park February 18 SkiScape HoliMont
© 2015 Ellicottville Times / Keystone Designers Inc.
February 20 Penguin Paddle Holiday Valley February 28 Aspire Ski the Valley Holiday Valley March 3 Ski Day for United Way HoliMont March 5 Phoenix Rise to the Challenge Race HoliMont March 12 Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival
See Third in the East page 9
See February Fun page 7
New Housing HoganWillig Office Opens Development in the Works in Ellicottville
By Jann Wiswall
One of Buffalo’s top law firms has opened a satellite office in space behind the Ellicottville Pharmacy at 6129 Rt. 219 S. HoganWillig, a full-service firm based in Amherst, has been interested in having a
presence in Ellicottville for quite some time, but with the recent addition of Barbara Nuchereno to the staff as a law associate with business development responsibilities, the firm made the commitment without further delay. That’s because Nuchereno
knows Ellicottville. She and her family have been coming to Holiday Valley to skiing and snowboarding for many years and her children are on the HV snowboard team. Over these years, Nuchereno became friends with other race-team parents, as well as lots of regulars at the resort. When she joined HoganWillig last year, friends immediately suggested that the firm could do well here. “The area’s local firms are excellent, but we kept hearing they’re overloaded,” Nuchereno said. “When we looked at the community and county as a whole, we realized
See HoganWillig page 2
Art Roscoe Loppet XC Ski Race Feb. 14 Take part in an annual tradition while enjoying the great outdoors and getting in a full body workout. On Sunday, Feb. 14, Allegany State Park will host the Art Roscoe Loppet XC Ski Race, which helps support the Allegany Nordic Ski Patrol. The race begins and ends at the Summit Ski Area Lodge on the Red House side of the Park, and spans the trails of the Art Roscoe Ski Area. The Loppet draws skiers from several states to the rolling trails of the Art Roscoe Trail System. Whether you’re a first- timer or a seasoned pro, you’ll love the trail’s See Art Roscoe Loppet page 5
Planning Board Reviews Sketch Plan By Jann Wiswall
Developer Philip Vogt and his engineer, Curt Wallace, presented sketch plans for a new 14-lot housing development off Poverty Hill Rd. during the Town of Ellicottville Planning Board meeting on Monday, Jan. 25.
The development is on 70-acres across Poverty Hill Rd. from the planned 42 Degrees North (42DN) resort community. The east side of the new development abuts the town’s conservation district. A new private road, called Trail Heights Road, will run roughly straight through the middle of the site, with a cul-
de-sac at the end. Driveways to each home will come off of Trail Heights Rd. At town engineer Mark Alianello’s direction in advance of the planning board meeting, Vogt located the Trail Heights entrance off Poverty Hill directly across from the entrance to 42DN. See Planning Board page 11
ECS Board Hears Student Trip Proposals By Jann Wiswall
The ECS Board of Education was treated to three student presentations during its Jan. 26 meeting. All three presentations were about school-sponsored trips. The first presentation came from junior class president Jenna Aldridge who is planning
ahead for the senior class trip in 2017. Aldridge asked the board for its feedback on a proposal to do a more expensive class trip to one of four locations: New Orleans, Miami, San Antonio or New York City. The trips requiring air travel, she said, would run in the $1200-$1300 range. The NYC trip would be
about $700. Aldridge said that, with more than a year for fundraising, she thought the class would be able to raise significant funds to reduce costs to each student. She also said the travel company will allow students to spread the cost of the trip out See ECS Board page 4
Change is Good for Weed Ross By Jann Wiswall
Some people are afraid of change; others embrace it. The staff at Weed Ross Agency has been looking forward to a major change since Gary Ross announced his retirement and Sean Cornelius prepares to take his place. “Gary is just the best person
to work for and we’ll miss him,” said Roseann Hintz, who has worked for the insurance agency since Ross started there in 1987. But she and fellow employee Laurie James know that the level of service won’t change under Cornelius’ leadership. See Weed Ross page 11