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VOLUME 3 ISSUE 41
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The Official Newspaper of the Village of Ellicottville and the Towns of Ellicottville, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
www.EllicottvilleTimes.com facebook/theEllicottvilleTimes
DECEMBER 19 - 24, 2014
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Surrounding Communities
Your Guide to Dining in Ellicottville
Calendar of Events December 19 Mountain Coaster Opens at Holiday Valley
New Faves, Old Faves
December 20 HV Tubing Co. Target Opening Day
By Jann Wiswall
Oh, the aromas! Strolling the streets of Ellicottville gets your tummies grumbling every time, as restaurants prepare their delicious selections for your dining pleasure. And some newcomers to the area now offer even more great selections for every age and preference in what is fast becoming a western New York dining destination. Let’s start with the new kids on the block. The Armor Inn, with its original location in Hamburg, N.Y., opens its second restaurant in the Village Centre plaza next to the Red Apple store on Mill Street, this Friday, Dec. 19. The family-friendly restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner and is famous for its affordable, lip-smacking BBQ, along with steaks, seafood and more. The comfortable bar area is a perfect evening gathering place for adults to watch bigname, national blues acts on the stage. And a $5 late-night appetizer selection will keep your energy levels up all night long. Cadillac Jack’s, while not technically new to Ellicottville, is opening in early January at a new location in the heart of the village at 24 Monroe St. Yes, you’ll still find your old favorites, like Hot-Lips mussels and a large selection of craft beers on tap, but you’ll also find some new favorites on its reenergized gourmet
December 20 Demo Day at Holiday Valley
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December 21 Santa Ski Day at Holiday Valley December 25 Target Opening at HoliMont December 31 Torchlight Parade Holiday Valley January 5-9 Canadian Friendship Week January 9-11 Winter Blues Festival January 17-18 Greater Olean Outdoor & Recreation Show January 24 Harley-Day Valley January 24 Woodstock Party at HoliMont February 6-7 AMSOIL Snocross at Seneca Allegany Casino February 12-13 Your Turn Women’s Ski Clinic at Holiday Valley February 13 Ellicottville Rotary Ski Day
See Dining in Ellicottville page 3
HoliMont Set to Open Christmas Day New, Responsive Website Now Live
By Alicia Dziak
HoliMont members and their guests can have an even hollier, jollier Christmas this year because the resort will open for the season on Christmas Day. On Thursday, Dec. 25, HoliMont will once again welcome skiers and snowboarders of all ages, ready for the actionpacked, fun-filled season ahead. Why check out HoliMont? “People should experience HoliMont because it has such a family-friendly atmosphere,” said Dash Hegeman, HoliMont’s marketing director. “Our Snowsports School is very focused on helping children and adults, as well as harnessing a love for skiing/snowboarding.” See Holimont Set to Open page 11
Armor Inn Ellicottville Now Open Partnering with Wingate and Ellicott Hospitality By Jennie Acklin
JC Seneca (left), owner of the Armor Inn Tap Room in Hamburg, and the new Armor Inn in Ellicottville, with Mark Tufillaro, director of development.
Mark Tufillaro, director of development, has been in charge of bringing the Armor Inn to Ellicottville, and is proud to see it ready to open. “We have overcome a lot of obstacles renovating this old building, and it’s exciting to now see the finished product,” said Tufillaro. He credits a great staff and many hardworking contractors for bringing to project to completion. “The building was in rough shape when we started working in here this summer. Now look at it — with a stunning view of HoliMont and Ellicottville out the entire bank of windows — it’s terrific,” he said. Kirstin Knowles, newly appointed general See Armor Inn Now Open page 11
Police, Highway Depts. Top Town Board Agenda Mortgage Tax Revenues Higher than Budgeted By Jann Wiswall
Town of Ellicottville Supervisor John Burrell led off the Dec. 17 board meeting with the good news that mortgage tax revenues were $14,000-plus higher than the board budgeted for 2014, and, the total is more than was
forecasted for 2015. Fiscally speaking, this means the town is, potentially, starting 2015 ahead of the game. During the relatively brief meeting, the board got an update on the police department from Police Officer in Charge Don Auge. Board Member Rick
Jackson asked Auge if he has looked into body cameras for officers. Auge said he knows of some area departments that have looked into or purchased the devices, but there are no standard policies for their use. “Everyone is looking for See Town Board Agenda page 8
NFSC Hosts Gold Team December 19-22 Olympic-Style Ski Camp At HV
By Jennie Acklin
At Holiday Valley, ski racers are mentored and coached by a caring group of dedicated coaches, but a handful who make the elite Gold Team get a special chance to take it to the next level.
Miguel Azcarate, a former professional ski racer for Spain and Gold Team chairperson, provides this group of top Western New York athletes an Olympic-style ski camp with specialized training through the Niagara Frontier Ski Council (NFSC), which is
composed of Holiday Valley, HoliMont, Kissing Bridge, Peak n’ Peak, Buffalo Ski Club and Ski Denton. The program has seen great success by establishing standards and providing cooperative training opportunities for the area’s top level ski competitors at all See NFSC Gold Team page 3
New Fitness Center Coming to EVL Town Planning Bd. Discusses Construction Issues By Jann Wiswall
The former Marble Works property on Route 219 N has been purchased by husband and wife team Phillip Vogt and Dionne Kress, who plan to open a new fitness center, Groove Fitness, in the space. Preliminary drawings
for the facility include two small additions, a new front roof, exterior improvements, parking, dark-sky exterior lighting and more. The Town of Ellicottville’s Planning Board, which was supportive of the new use for the property, focused on infrastructure-
related issues that must be addressed. The board recommended some relatively minor changes to the parking lot configuration to accommodate more vehicles, reviewed the exterior lighting plan to ensure See New Fitness Center page 8