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VOLUME 4 ISSUE 11
The Official Newspaper
FREE
of the Village of Ellicottville, the Town of Ellicottville and the Towns of East Otto, Great Valley and Mansfield, New York
www.EllicottvilleTimes.com facebook/theEllicottvilleTimes
MARCH 20 - 26, 2015
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, East Otto, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Randolph, Salamanca, Springville and Beyond
Maple Weekends Start Now!
Calendar of Events March 21-22 and March 28-29 Annual Maple Weekends
Learn about the new grading system while digging in!
March 22 Northwind Super-G Race at Holiday Valley March 28 Pond Skimming Holiday Valley
By Jann Wiswall
The first of two consecutive maple weekends in New York State starts this weekend, and, if a heaping plate of hot pancakes dripping with real New York maple syrup isn’t a good enough reason to participate, you could also make a point to learn about the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA) new maple syrup grading system that went into effect in spring 2014. Why is there a new system? According to the USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service, the adjustment was made at the request of the International Maple Syrup Institute (IMSI) “to foster or assist in the development of new or expanded markets, and improve the marketing of maple syrup in the U.S. and internationally.” IMSI, which represents both U.S. and Canadian producers, proposed that the USDA “eliminate inconsistent grade names and nomenclature, which vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and emphasize the taste of the syrup by including flavor descriptors as well as new color descriptors on the labels for the different classes of syrup.” Until last year, different U.S. states had different grading
April 10 Holiday Valley Golf Course opens April 17-19 Greater Olean Area Home & Garden Show April 25-26 Maple Festival Franklinville May 2 I Love My Park Day Allegany State Park
© 2015 Keystone Designers Inc.
May 2 Adventure Run Allegany State Park May 8 Sky High Adventure Park opens June 5-6 Cycling Weekend Holiday Valley June 20 Mudslide Obstacle Run Holiday Valley July 3-5 Summer Music Festival Holiday Valley
See Maple Weekends page 9
Town Board Supports Dale Baldwin Appointed ‘Elk’ Concerns Mansfi eld Justice Bigos Philipps Lauded for Lifesaving Efforts Term Lasts Apr. 1 – Dec. 31 By Jann Wiswall
By Jann Wiswall
The Town of Ellicottville’s board agreed to recommend to village authorities that the townhouse development planned for the east side of Fillmore Drive not be named Elk Creek Homes. The issue was brought to the board’s attention by residents of the Elk Creek Road housing development in the town of Ellicottville and by a resident of Elk Street in the village. They argued that there is already confusion among delivery personnel and others concerning multiple “Elk” addresses. The issue also arose at last week’s Village Planning Board meeting during which one of the developers assured attendees that the proposed name would be changed. However, after a conversation with the developer the following day, one resident said he
The Town of Mansfield’s board appointed Dale Baldwin to the temporary position of town justice at its meeting on Monday, March 16. Baldwin will serve in the role, upon completion of an upcoming training, from April 1 through Dec. 31, 2015. The justice position has been open since former justice Randy Alexander retired, after 28 years in the
See Town Board page 8
Warmer Temps, Icy Cold Pond Laugh It Up at Pond Skimming March 28 By Alicia Dziak
The ski season is winding down, but there are still plenty of laughs to be had on the slopes of Holiday Valley. Join other spring skiers for the annual Pond Skimming event at Holiday Valley on Saturday, March 28. The event attracts competitors of all ages to the Yodeler hill, where they don costumes, ski down the hill, and at the bottom, skim across an icy cold pond. You’ve never noticed the pond at the bottom of Yodeler? That’s because it’s only there this time of year. “We use the snow from the Winter Carnival snowbar, spread it out, then use a Snowcat to dig the hole,” explained Jane Eshbaugh, Holiday Valley’s marketing director. After that, it’s covered with a tarp See Pond Skimming page 7
See Baldwin Appointed Justice page 11
Nat’l Fuel Gas Requests $3.5M in Tax Breaks
Win-Sum Applies for Sales Tax Exemption By Jann Wiswall
National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation officials have asked the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) for some $3.5 million in tax breaks for its Northern Access 2015 project. The company received Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) certification for the project on Feb. 27. The proposal requesting tax relief was presented to See CCIDA page
HV Racing Highlights
It’s been a successful season for the Holiday Valley Race Team, and it has the results to prove it. While the latest results can always be found at www.hvskiteam. com, here are some of the recent highlights: USSA U18-U21 Eastern Finals Patrick Hylkema opened the USSA U18-U21 Eastern Finals at Gore Mountain with a bang. He finished 5th in the GS. U16 Eastern Championships at Whiteface Bella Wylie finished in 21st place in the Women’s SG at the USSA U16 Eastern Championships at Whiteface. U12/U14 at Piche Invitational See HV Racing page 8