2014 Silver ADDY Award Winner
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 9
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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
MAY 9 - 15, 2014
Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Ellicottville, Great Valley, Little Valley, Mansfield, Olean, Salamanca, Springville and Surrounding Communities
Calendar of Events
Keep Ellicottville “Epic” Vote Today for the Holiday Valley Mountain Biking Trail!
May 10 Zoar Valley Fest 2014 May 15 Night Lights at Nannen Arboretum Begins
By Jann Wiswall
May 17-18 Routes to Art Tamarack Lodge May 17 - 18 Allegany State Park Geobash, 2014 May 20 ECS Budget Vote and Board of Education Election May 23 Holliday Valley Mountain Coaster Spring Opening May 30 - June 1 Geobash Allegany State Park
© 2014 Keystone Designers Inc.
Ellicottville is “Epic,” according to the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA). And you can make it even better simply by voting for the Holiday Valley Ski Resort Trail in the Bell Helmets “Bell Built” trail competition. The IMBA’s “Epic® designation is no small feat. To be considered Epic, a region must offer “demanding, singletrack mountain biking adventures in a natural setting … that are technically and physically challenging, more than 80 percent singletrack and at least 20 miles in length.” The IMBA goes on to assert that its Epic sites “should go on your short list of riding destinations. These are the trails worth traveling to, the best places to introduce someone to the sport we all love and are the facilities builders and advocates should look to for inspiration.” Ellicottville’s network of mountain-biking trails more than meets this definition. Dennis Baldwin, Ellicottville’s own mountain biking ambassador who owns Ellicottville Bike and Bean and has been an active member of the Western New York Mountain Bicycling Association (WNYMBA) for many years, points to more than 30 miles of trails looping through the expansive state forest system behind Holiday Valley and HoliMont and south to Allegany State Park. “This makes Ellicottville a great destination for a solid one, two, or three-day ride for
lle Epice!y i v t t o c i l Keep El e Holiday Vall
May 30 - June 1 16th Annual Gowanda Hollywood Happenings June 6-8 Cycling Weekend Holiday Valley June 6-8 Springville Dairy Fest June 7 Relay for Life Ellicottville Central School June 14 Mudslide Obstacle Trail Run Holiday Valley July 4-6 Summer Music Festival Ellicottville & Holiday Valley
th Vote for Resort Trail tion Competi Ski t il u B 14 Bell m/bellbuilt o lmets 20 Bell He w.bellhelmets.c May 18 ww n i l ad e:
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See Epic Ellicottville page 8
School Budget, Board Vote GV Regatta Funds Scheduled for May 20 Purchase Needed Equipment One Board Candidate for Two Open Seats
15 school year. A public hearing will be held the week before, on May 13, to allow voters to ask questions and learn more about how the budget was developed by the school’s board. In addition to the basic budget, voters will be asked to approve the lease of one school bus at a cost of no more than $18,000 and to approve spending $28,916 to support the Ellicottville Memorial Library. The basic budget funds “all of the educationally related services and the maintenance of our school building,” according to the resolution passed by the board at its meeting on Tuesday, April 1. The $11.07 million budget represents a Niki Klein 1.3 percent increase (approximately $128,000) over the current fiscal year’s budget. By Jann Wiswall The school’s board and staff cut more than Residents of the Ellicottville Central Schools District will vote Tuesday, May 20 on the $100,000 in expenses through a number of beltproposed budget of $11,070,000 for the 2014See ECS Board Vote page 5
Donate to Many Community Organizations
By Mary Fox
“The Jaws of Life cost $30,000,” said Chief Randy Wiser of the Great Valley Fire Company, as he pointed to the giant claws in the back of a truck specially built to carry them. The fleet of firefighting trucks and equipment in the
transforms itself into a muddy haven. The third annual Holiday Valley Mudslide is an obstacle run, and participants can choose from two distances — 3.5 miles or 5.4 miles. Both courses begin by Spruce Lake — and runners can mentally prepare as they ride up the Spruce chairlift to the course start. The 3.5mile course goes from Spruce Lake, across the cross-country trails then heads downhill toward the finish. The route encompasses several trails, including Eagle, Woodstock, Explorer, Morning Star, Mardi Gras, Holiday Run and Edelweiss and Yodeler. The 5.4-mile course adds a loop and some steep uphill climbs — ropes have even been installed this year to help runners up! Of course, 11 unique and challenging obstacles are interspersed. “Lily Pads are overturned tubes from the tubing park that are hooked together and See Down and Dirty page 5
See GV Regatta Funds page 4
By Eva Potter
World-class artists living and producing original artwork that is held in private collections all over the world — yes, these talented individuals reside all around us in the Southern Tier. They work quietly, often from home studios creating pieces so spectacular that their works are sought by U.S. and international collectors. It’s really true. You don’t have to visit New York City, Chicago or San Francisco to find mind-
Mudslide Hits Holiday Valley June 14 Who can resist acting like a kid again and splashing around in the mud? Incorporate some good old-fashioned running and you’re actually doing something healthy in addition to having a blast! Join hundreds of other fun-loving Western New Yorkers on June 14 as Holiday Valley
wait for equipment to come from the New York State Fire Commission, which provides and owns the equipment while the fire company owns the facilities.” The latest acquisition purchased from regatta funds is a four-person John Deere
Treasures of the Southern Tier Artistic Talents on Display during Routes to Art Weekend
Get Down and Dirty! By Alicia Dziak
Great Valley Fire Company garages is made possible partly from funds raised by their annual Great Valley Regatta. “These funds enable us to purchase up-to-date equipment while saving the public added expense reflected in their taxes,” said Wiser. “We would otherwise have to
See Southern Tier Art page 8
County Invites Public Input for County Comprehensive Plan The Cattaraugus County Department of Economic Development, Planning & Tourism hosted Open Houses on April 29 and May 8 with regard to the creation of a
Comprehensive Plan that will guide the future of Cattaraugus County. An additional open house will be held on Wednesday, May 14, at the County Center
Building in Little Valley and will begin at 6 p.m., with a presentation beginning at 7 p.m. Light refreshments will be served. Another way to provide See County Invites Input page 9