THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE VILLAGE OF ELLICOTTVILLE AND THE TOWNS OF ELLICOTTVILLE, GREAT VALLEY AND MANSFIELD,
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 49 FREE www.EllicottvilleTimes.com
NY
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2013
By Jann Wiswall
The year was 1961. John F. Kennedy was president. Roger Maris broke Babe Ruth’s homerun record. “West Side Story” won the best picture Oscar. And Bill Merk
Celebrating 50 Years of HoliMont with Gala Event
© 2013 KEYSTONE DESIGNERS
envisioned what would soon become HoliMont. Merk had been skiing with the Ellicottville Ski Club for many years on Fish Hill and at Holiday Valley, which had opened in 1958. According to HoliMont General Manager Dave Riley, “Merk thought Ellicottville needed a private, uncrowded ski area.” So in 1961, with the support of several local investors, he initiated purchase options on land parcels along Route 242. The first trail was cut that year, with seven more to follow in 1962. The 1962-63 ski season was the first official year of the club, when skiers were towed up the hill on an old-fashioned sled behind a Tucker Sno-Cat. The following year, the first chairlift was installed, as was the first T-bar. Fifty years later, HoliMont is the largest private ski club in North America with about 1,380 memberships, more than 4,000 members, eight chairlifts and 52 slopes on 135 skiable acres. As HoliMont prepares for its 50th anniversary weekend Feb. 16-17, 2013, it is both looking back on its history and ahead for
the next generations. Members are gathering old photos, See HoliMont’s 50th page 8
Fifth Annual Boarding for Breast Cancer Fundraiser Feb. 16 By Jann Wiswall
Breast cancer strikes women (and men) of all ages. The founders of Boarding for Breast Cancer know this firsthand. A friend and fellow snowboarder, Monica Steward, was diagnosed with an advanced stage of the disease at age 26. She died two years later.
While there’s no way to know if an earlier diagnosis might have saved Steward, it is well documented that early detection significantly improves survival rates. And it is also known that younger people are not as aware that the disease can strike – and strike harder – as early as age 15. In an effort to bring this knowledge to a younger population, B4BC was founded in 1996. Its youth-focused educational and prevention programs at colleges, music
festivals and ski areas across the country have grown exponentially. And Holiday Valley and The Boardroom is now a major fundraiser for the cause. The Boardroom/Holiday Valley’s event began small in 2009, but it has been growing steadily. In its first four years, the Board-a-Thon raised nearly $40,000 for B4BC and its other beneficiary, the Buffalo area’s Women’s Oncology Program at Camp Good Days. In 2012 See B4BC page 7
Anticipation Building for Westmont Ridge Auction Open House Saturday, Feb. 9
By Jann Wiswall
On Saturday, Feb. 9, 2013, those interested in participating in HoliMont’s Westmont Ridge property auction are invited to an open house from 12-4 p.m. for a close-up view of the stunning lots that will be available. Another open house will be held on the Feb. 23 before registration for the auction begins at 2 p.m. The Westmont Ridge
project, Phase 1 of a two-phase plan, involves the sale of 31 lots for single-family, private homes. The lots range in size from one-third to one-half acre and will feature ski-in, skiout terrain. The land is west of the resort off Route 242 in the Town of Mansfield. Once a substantially number of lots are sold, HoliMont expects to start the infrastructure (road, sewer, water) this spring and to
close on the lots by the end of 2013 after the infrastructure is complete. Phase 2, which will involve building new slopes in the Sunset area and a new lodge, is dependent in part on funds raised from the sale of the lots and will not begin until the bulk of Phase 1 sales are complete. Phase 2 also includes development of a multi-unit condominium; “Park & Pipe” terrain with lighted, nighttime hours; a new beginner-friendly ski area; a state-of-the-art high-speed detachable lift at Sunset; a Nordic Center for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing; parking and more. Historically, said HoliMont’s See Westmont Ridge page 8
ECS Board Prepares for Referendum
By Jann Wiswall
The Ellicottville Central School Board of Education approved a number of motions related to preparations for the March 19 Voter Referendum on the ECS Capital Project proposal at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013. These included a resolution to publish a legal notice announcing the vote and “to institute all other procedures required for conduct of the vote and election,” including hiring voting inspectors, an election machine technician and an election machine custodian. Superintendent Mark Ward also briefed the board on other
planned activities leading up to the vote, including a schedule of community meetings (see box) and presentations he will make to various community organizations including seniors groups, the Ellicottville Chamber of Commerce, the Great Valley Fire Department, and others as opportunities come available. Flyers, artist renderings and other materials will be available for distribution at these events outlining the scope of the capital project and addressing issues of importance to the community, such as “How does this impact me?” Ward emphasized that he would
make himself available to any other community organization interested in learning more about the project. Senior Class Trip to NYC Senior Class President Will Murphy presented plans to the board for a chaperoned senior class trip to New York City. The trip, which is still in the planning stages, would include charter bus transportation, three nights’ lodging and visits to the Museum of Natural History and the 9/11 Memorial, a tour of Manhattan, a dinner cruise and tickets to a Yankees game. If BOCES grant funding is made available, students See ECS Board page 4
Trail Committee Takes Huge Step Forward in Planning Process Requests CCIDA Funding of Master Plan by Eva Potter
On Aug. 7, 2012, a small group of area leaders and businesspeople, invited by organizer and Ellicottville Town Board Member Ken Hinman, met to gauge the level of interest in moving forward with a recreation trail project. To gain insight from experienced trail builder, they invited guest speaker Joe Higgins, who spearheaded the design, development and construction of the Allegheny River Valley Trail in nearby
Allegany, N.Y. Months of meetings and planning ensued and on Feb. 7, 2013, the Ellicottville–Great Valley Recreational Trail Committee presented their initial plan for the development of a multiuse recreational trail to the Cattaraugus County Industrial Development Agency (CCIDA) at their meeting on Feb. 7, 2013 – a huge next step from creative to reality. CCIDA board member and trail committee member
Joe Higgins introduced the Ellicottville–Great Valley Trail Committee and took a few minutes to explain the request for funding of a recreational trail master plan. Even though Ellicottville is an obvious tourist destination offering a variety of outdoor opportunities, he said Ellicottville does not have a trail system and recommended the group work with Rick Manning, a professional landscape architect who See Trail Committee page 12