NORTH TONAWANDA – City Court is getting a makeover. And court officials are convinced that it will make a difference in the way people feel about their dealings with the legal system.

The monthlong, state-funded project, which will cost about $45,000 to $48,000, should be completed by the end of this month or early in June. It is expected to give the courtroom both a new look and a new feel.

The hope is that it will command more respect from those who appear in the courtroom, said Andrew B. Isenberg, executive for the state’s Eighth Judicial District, who oversees court operations in Western New York.

He said the look of a courtroom does make a difference.

“I’ve been involved in a number of courtroom renovations in the Eighth Judicial District, and the judges and court staff regularly tell me that they cannot begin to articulate how much it changes the way the public interacts with the court,” Isenberg said. “Any lack of respect for the law can ultimately lead to chaos.”

Isenberg pointed out that it has been “decades since there has been any work done” on courtroom aesthetics. “I would say it has more of ’50s or ’60s feel.”

He said court officials felt that it was time to take a fresh look at the facility in an effort to upgrade and update the courtroom and back office. “The city was willing to work cooperatively with the state court system and, fortunately, the state court system was able to find some funding to pay for these updates,” he said.

Mayor Robert G. Ortt said that the city has fronted the money for the project and that city workers are involved. Any costs for upgrades, he said, will be reimbursed by the state. Ortt said the courtroom is expected to match the design of Common Council Chambers.

The mayor said both rooms at the court really had a dated look but that Council Chambers were updated several years ago. “Now they will have a similar look and similar feel,” he said.

While work is under way, all courtroom proceedings have been moved next door to Council Chambers.

Ortt said the temporary move has not been an inconvenience. Staff meetings have been moved to a different part of the building, he said.

Isenberg said that it made sense to try to match the look and feel of Council Chambers. He said that it was cost-prohibitive to remove the judge’s bench and that there would only be minor changes to the jury box. But the paneling is coming down, walls are being painted and new carpeting is going in, he said, including in a back office where carpeting had become a tripping hazard. The wooden chairs and Council tables also are being replaced, he said.

Chief Court Clerk Jennifer A. Steele said, “It already looks better with paint on the wall instead of paneling. It’s definitely an improvement.”

Isenberg said they hope when the renovations are completed, North Tonawanda residents and others who interact with the court will “do so in a setting that is proper to promote decorum and respect.”

“We appreciate the help of the city,” he said, “to make this happen.”



email: nfischer@buffnews.com

LOCKPORT – Beginning Monday the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office will be out in full force, partnering with New York State Police and other local law enforcement agencies taking part in the 2013 National Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement campaign, according to Niagara County Sheriff James R. Voutour.

Children under age 8 must use a child restraint, and babies must be in rear-facing infant seats until they are at least 1-year-old and weigh at least 20 pounds, with new recommendations that they be kept in a rear-facing restraint until as close to 2-years-old as possible.

The Sheriff’s Office, based in Lockport, offers a permanent fitting station to check to make sure that restraints fit properly.

“It’s important that everyone buckles up every time they go out, both day and night, and there is no good excuse not to have your children properly buckled,” Voutour said.

“Seat belts save thousands of lives every year, but still far too many motorists are senselessly killed or seriously injured by not wearing them, especially at night when the risk of getting in a crash is even greater,” the sheriff said.

“We want everyone to have a safe summer, but it requires an important step that everyone buckles up prior to heading out on our roadways.”

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than half of the passengers killed in 2011 were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

It also said crashes were more prevalent at night than during the day. Automobile crashes are the No. 1 killer of children between ages 1 and 12, and 85 percent to 90 percent of all child restraints are installed incorrectly.

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office permanent fitting station is available by appointment for seat checks from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Call Grace Destino at 438-3190 to schedule an appointment. Checkpoints are also offered throughout the county, mainly in the warmer months, with no appointment necessary.

Locations and times for upcoming seat belt checks are available on www.niagarasheriff.com calendar of events.

The School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in the district’s administrative offices, Quaker and Haight roads.The Planning Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, followed by the Zoning Board of Appeals at 8 in Town Hall, 4160 Upper Mountain Road, Sanborn.The Village Board will meet for a work session at 6 p.m. Monday in Village Hall, 145 N. Fourth St.

Also this week:

• The Lewiston-Porter School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Community Resource Center on the district’s Creek Road campus.The Common Council will meet for a work session at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Municipal Building.

Also this week:

• The Greater Lockport Development Corp. will meet at 7:45 a.m. Thursday in the Municipal Building.The School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Early Childhood Center on Godfrey Road.

Also this week:

• The Town Board will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Town Hall, 2737 Main St.• The Town Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall, 7105 Lockport Road.The County Legislature will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the County Courthouse, Park Avenue and Hawley Street, Lockport.

Also this week:

• The Board of Health will meet at 4:30 p.m. Thursday in the Warren J. Rathke Public Safety Training Facility, 5574 Niagara St. Extension.The Niagara Falls School Board will hold an agenda review session at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in the district’s central office, 630 66th St. A public hearing about the district’s safety plans will follow at 6:30, with the board’s regular meeting following at 7 and a meeting to accept election and budget vote results at 8.

Also this week:

• The Zoning Board of Appeals will meet at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers in City Hall, 745 Main St.The Common Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, 216 Payne Ave. An agenda review session will be held at 6:15.The town Planning Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall, 6570 Campbell Blvd.The Planning Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in Town Hall, 5316 Royalton Center Road, Middleport.

Also this week:

• The Middleport Village Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in Village Hall, 24 Main St.The Niagara Charter School board of trustees will meet at noon Thursday in the school, 2077 Lockport Road.

CONCERt: 4 p.m., Hartland Bible Church, 8110 West Ave., Gasport. Features the Festival Chorus of Clarence and the Middle Community Vocal Choir, led by Ric Jones, and the Middleport Belltones, directed by Debby Clark. Works by American composers. Concert is free and open to the public. For information, visit www.middleportcommunitychoir.com.

PASTA DINNER: 2 to 6 p.m., St. Jude Shrine of Lewiston. Dinner includes ravioli with pork sauce, fettucini alfredo, Italian sausage, pizza, salad, rolls, dessert and beverage. Cost is $13 adults, $8 for children 6-12. Dine in or takeout available. For reservations, call Joanne at 284-7043.PRAYER: The Healing Rooms of Buffalo Niagara is open to pray for anyone needing physical, emotional or spiritual healing, 7 to 9 p.m., Potters House Christian Community Church, 723 Seventh St., Niagara Falls. No appointment or fee necessary. For more information, call 884-0048.BIBLE STUDY: 7 p.m., St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1073 Saunders Settlement Road, Lewiston. Study will focus on the Gospel of Matthew. For information, call 297-2668.

RECOVERY GROUP: 7:30 p.m., Wheatfield Community Church, 3571 Niagara Falls Blvd. Addiction Conquerors will offer a Life Recovery Group every week to those who are victims of any addiction. The Rev. Pat Lavery, co-founder of the group, will lead. For information, call 553-3794 or visit www.wheatfieldcommunitychurch.org.DEVOTIONAL GROUP MEETING: St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church, 1073 Saunders Settlement Road, Lewiston. Upper Room discussion and devotional at 1 p.m.; vespers at 6:30; and “Orthodoxy 101,” a meeting designed for those wishing to convert or learn more about the Orthodox faith, at 7. All are welcome. For information, call 297-2668 or email saintgeorgeorthodox@yahoo.com.GROUP DISCUSSION: 6:30 p.m., Mount Olive Lutheran Church. “Step One,” an informal group gathers to discuss various faith-based topics. All are welcome. For information, call 434-8500.



If you would like your event included, send the information two weeks in advance to Niagara Community Calendar, c/o The Buffalo News, P.O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240, fax to 856-5150 or email to niagaranews@buffnews.com.

LOCKPORT – Many communities have offered themed public art programs, with the decorated bisons of the Herd About Buffalo effort of a few years ago being the best known local example.

But less common are places where the art has turned to music.

Lockport businesswoman Ellen Martin has cooked up an idea to fill the city’s business district with music and attractive art this summer.

Starting June 21, several businesses will have pianos set up outside their doors. The donated pianos, mostly uprights, will have been painted or otherwise decorated, but they also will be available for anyone who wants to tickle the ivories.

“The idea is, come and stroll and play,” said Linda Van Buskirk, executive director of the Market Street Art Center.

It’s called Sweet Harmony, and it’s part of Martin’s “Sweet Sweet Summer” series of events.

“I think it’s a cool, innovative idea,” Mayor Michael W. Tucker said. “Ellen has come up with some innovative ideas, good ways to promote our community.”

“I’m viewing it as bringing business and life to downtown,” Martin said.

Martin might be trying to trademark the word “sweet.” She is the owner of Sweet Sixteen Cafe and Sweet Ride Rentals, a bicycle rental business.

“I’m just viewing it as part of an overall theme for the summer,” she said.

Her other ideas include “Sweet Dreams,” a chalkboard on which citizens will be able to draw or write about their dreams; the “Sweet Chalk Festival,” a weekend of sidewalk art drawn in chalk; and “Sweet Idea,” which opened the season earlier this month.

An 8-by-12-foot chalkboard was attached to the outside wall of City Hall, starting May 6, and citizens were invited to complete the sentence: “I’m important to Lockport because I …”

Responses, written in blue, pink or yellow chalk, included, “I help my grandma,” “Get rid of drug dealers,” and “Contribute to the downtown economy.”

“My staff and I built the chalkboard. It’s not as pretty as the art people would have made it,” Martin said.

Sweet Dreams will run for a week, starting July 6. The chalk festival is set for the weekend of Aug. 17 and 18. Both will be held on Canal Street.

Meanwhile, donated pianos for Sweet Harmony are being stored at Market Street Art Center, until they are collected by sponsors for painting. Sponsors, who pay $350 each, may do as they wish with the piano after the Sweet Harmony event ends Aug. 18, which is the date of the annual Taste of Lockport restaurant promotion in Ida Fritz Park.

The $350 include the price of moving and tuning the piano, which is being handled by Thomas Miller of Miller Piano, a Lockport business.

“We’re only doing a dozen. I think we could do it every year. It has the potential to be a long-running public art project,” Martin said.

Sponsors so far include the Niagara County Bar Association, which plans to place a piano in front of the County Courthouse; Lake Effect Ice Cream; J. Fitzgerald Group; J. Muscato Interiors; McCollum Farms; and Old City Hall. Martin’s businesses and the Market Street Art Center also will have pianos.

Piano sponsors may hire an artist from the Market Street Art Center’s roster to help them paint the instrument.

“You can get very creative and do all kinds of things with them,” Van Buskirk said.

The Common Council voted Wednesday to give formal permission for Sweet Harmony, Sweet Dreams and the Sweet Chalk Festival.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com

LOCKPORT – The History Center of Niagara County will commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 with a free program Thursday funded by a New York State Council on the Humanities grant.

Ann Marie Linnabery, the center’s assistant director and education coordinator, will present “The War of 1812 in Niagara County” at 7 p.m. at the center, 215 Niagara St. The program will be repeated at 11 a.m. June 22 at the Erie Canal Discovery Center, 24 Church St.

The presentation will highlight the significant role Niagara County played in this international conflict and some little-known incidents as well as the more recognized events.

Using historical images as well as recent photographs, Linnabery will trace war-related events that occurred in the county from 1812 to 1814, beginning with the Battle of Queenston Heights and continuing through the destruction of much of the Niagara Frontier.

One of the lesser known skirmishes occurred at what is now known as Molyneaux Corners, at the corner of Route 104, North Ridge Road and Plank Road, in the Town of Cambria, Linnabery said.

“After the British and their Native American allies burned Lewiston in December of 1813, people fled along Route 104 east toward Orleans County,” she said.

“When they got to Gaines, in Orleans County, they told the people there what had happened, and the Gaines Militia gathered and walked to Niagara County. When they got to the area around what is now Molyneaux Corners, there was a tavern there, and they heard noise inside. They weren’t sure what to expect.”

“One of the militia went in and confronted the British soldiers and Native allies he found inside, and there was some shooting,” she said.

“From what I’ve read, two British soldiers and two Natives were killed, but no Americans. In fact, those two British soldiers were the first to be buried in Molyneaux Cemetery, which is just a little west of where the tavern was on Route 104. It’s called Molyneaux Corners because just before this all happened, the property had been sold to William Molyneaux. He later built a large hotel and tavern on the site, and it lasted about 100 years, burning down around 1927.”

Linnabery said the center would like to get a marker at the site some day. “We are still looking for an original letter or diary or newspaper article as a primary source of information,” she said.

Linnabery said she has relied on help from Old Fort Niagara, the Historical Association of Lewiston and the Cambria Historical Society for the project. She has 25 years of experience in the museum field, with a master’s degree in history from the University at Buffalo.

She also is working on a map of sites throughout Niagara County that are marked because of their connection to the War of 1812. She hopes it will be available by the June 22 presentation.

Light refreshments will be served following the program. For more information, call 716-434-7433.

Voters in every Western New York community outside of Buffalo will head to the voting booth Tuesday to consider school budgets, school board candidates and propositions.

The following capsules introduce the school board candidates and give the financial information voters can use to see how their money would be spent. All figures related to tax rates and tax bills are estimates, either provided by school officials, or calculated based on information they provided. The taxes on a $100,000 home do not include the STAR rebate.Candidates (elect 2): William Smith (i); Mary Jo Clemens-Harris and John McDonald.

Total budget: $19.01 million, down 2.4 percent.

Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 90 percent.

Tax levy: $3.91 million, up 3.5 percent.

Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: $15.96, up 54 cents

Taxes on a $100,000 home: $1,596

Percentage of budget from property taxes: 20.5 percent

Percentage of budget from state aid: 34.4 percent

Proposition 2: Proposal to convert Barker Free Library into a school district library with a $75,000 budget.

Proposition 3: Candidates for Library Board (Elect 7): Roy Anderson, James Trinder, Pamela Atwater, Terrence Upton, Henry Charache, Marilyn Zaciewski and Seanna Corwin-Bradley.

Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m. in the Barker High School Auditorium, 1628 Quaker Road.

Web link: www.barkercsd.net

...

Voters will consider a $19 million budget that cuts spending nearly $467,000 from its current level, a 2.4 percent reduction.

“While our expenditures have steadily risen, our revenues have decreased, primarily from our PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) with the Somerset coal plant (now Upstate Power Producers) , which will drop $3 million in 2013-14,” said Superintendent Roger Klatt.

To help cut down on costs, Barker and the Royalton-Hartland districts will share a superintendent. Effective July 1, Klatt will oversee both districts.

The district has also taken on other collaborative agreements with Roy-Hart “by sharing our football program, and we will share wrestling and some special education programs and a business teacher. We are also eliminating 6 full-time positions and will not fill vacancies created with retirements,” Klatt said.

Voters will choose from a field of three candidates for two school board openings. Candidates are:

• Incumbent William Smith, 73, retired Barker elementary teacher who has served on Barker School Board for 18 years, was board president for seven years and currently serves as vice president.

• Mary Jo Clemens-Harris, 44, is an optician. This is her second time running for a seat on the board.

• John McDonald , 65, retired General Motors toolmaker. Also taught vocational education for BOCES for 10 years. First time running for elected office.• Candidates (elect 3): Jodee L. Riordan, Anna Boulay Wright, Betty VanDenBosch Warrick.

• Total budget: $40 million, down 1.16 percent.

• Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 4 percent.

• Tax levy: $23.6 million, up 5.52 percent.

• Property tax rate per $1,000 or assessed value: $24.06 in Lewiston, up 5.22, and $20.69 in Porter, up 4.86 percent.

• Taxes on $100,000 home: $1,966.

• Percentage of budget from property taxes: 59 percent.

• Percentage of budget from state aid: 34.8 percent.

• Proposition 2: $26 million capital improvement project for interior and exterior reconstruction and renovation work for code and safety measures and upgrades throughout the district, as well as a number of enhancements and upgrades including the pool and locker room and air conditioning for the computer labs.

• Polls open: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in Community Resource Center [board room], 4671 Creek Road.

• Web link: www.lew-port.com.

...

Despite an overall decrease from budget to budget, the proposed $40 million Lewiston-Porter budget would affect taxpayers with a 5.5 percent tax increase. The increased tax levy exceeds their district’s tax levy threshold and the proposed budget will need a 60 percent majority to pass. Superintendent R. Christopher Roser said the increase is caused by the loss of state aid from New York State’s gap elimination adjustment, which for each of the past three years took away $2.4 million in state aid from their district. “This is the fourth year in a row we are trying to operate with significantly less funds than we had four years ago.” He said they have attempted to avoid increases, staying at the same tax level for three years and at the threshold this past year, but he said this past year they were one of eight districts in the state operating with no fund balance. The proposed budget also cuts 23 positions – nine teachers, nine support staff and five they are not filling. “There is not a stash of money floating around in our budget. We’ve cut lots of positions, but this year we hit the wall. This will maintain the programming that our community wants for our students,” said Roser

Three candidates are running for two three-year terms on the board. They are:

• Board President Jodee L. Riordan, 44, of Youngstown, the mother of four, just completed her first three-year term, serving as president for two of those years. She has been active in a number of community organizations and served as president of the Lewiston-Porter Parent Teachers Association, including her first year as president of the Board of Education, serving for one year as president of both boards. She has lived in the district since 1987 and is a graduate of North Tonawanda High School and has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University at Buffalo. She is employed in sales as a contract administrator at Modern Disposal.

• Betty J. VanDenBosch Warrick, 45, of Youngstown is seeking her first term on the board. She has lived in the district for the past 20 years and is the mother of three children. She previously served as treasurer, vice president and president of the Lewiston-Porter Parent Teachers Association. She works as the general manager of U.S. operations for Yorkville Sound and has a background in credit management.

• Anna D. Bouley Wright, 32, of Youngstown has lived in the district for the past seven years. She is the mother of two children and is seeking her first term on the board. She has worked in management for 15 years and is currently employed as a general manager for a retail denim store.• Candidates (elect 3): Diane Phelps; John Williams; Randall Parker; Marietta Schrader; Edward Sandell; Todd McNall.

• Total budget: $83.06 million, up 3.96 percent.

• Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 5.04 percent.

• Tax levy: $35.2 million, up 2 percent.

• Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: about $25.37, up 2 percent.

• Taxes on $100,000 home: $2,537.

• Percentage of budget from property taxes: 42.4 percent.

• Percentage of budget from state aid: 47.8 percent.

• Proposition 2: A $22.2 million capital project package including improvements to the kitchens of four elementary schools, and added security cameras and upgraded Internet connections and fiber optic cable at all schools.

If approved, the district intends to borrow $19.2 million on a 15-year bond at 2≤ percent interest. The state will reimburse the district’s costs at 92 cents on the dollar, but the district must spend the money up front. The remaining $3 million will be appropriated from a reserve fund.

•Polls open: Noon to 9 p.m. in Washington Hunt Elementary School, 50 Rogers Ave. (1st Ward); Board of Education, 130 Beattie Ave. (2nd Ward); Anna Merritt Elementary School, 389 Green St. (3rd Ward); Charles Upson Elementary School, 28 Harding Ave. (4th Ward); Roy B. Kelley Elementary School, 610 E. High St. (5th Ward); Lockport High School, 250 Lincoln Ave. (towns).

• Web link: www.lockportschools.org.

...

Spending rises $3.1 million, or nearly 4 percent, in the $83 million budget voters will consider Tuesday. The major increases are in state-mandated pension contributions, driving a $3 million increase in employee benefits, according to a district newsletter. The budget also includes $1.2 million to pay debt incurred for the 2008 high school renovation project. On the other hand, retirements and the closure of Washington Hunt Elementary School this June have produced $1.3 million in savings. The board deleted nearly $500,000 it had intended as a contingency fund in case of federal budget cuts, assuming Congress will restore the sequestration of funds for local schools.

Candidates (Elect 3): Diane Phelps; John Williams; Randall Parker; Marietta Schrader; Edward Sandell; Todd McNall.

Schrader is a former board president who retired in 2010 after one year in her last term.

Six candidates are running for three three-year terms on the board. They are:

• Incumbent Diane Phelps, 49, is seeking her second term. She was elected as a write-in candidate three years ago. She holds a doctorate in English education and has taught education at Niagara University and the University at Buffalo.

• Incumbent Jon A. Williams, 66, is running for his third term. He has been a professor of public communication and speech at Niagara County Community College for the past 29 years.

• Randall J. Parker, 52, has been a City of Lockport firefighter since 1986, and has served as president of the Lockport Professional Fire Fighters Association.

• Marietta G. Schrader, 60, served on the board for 12 years, including four years as president, before stepping down in 2011. She is a retired nurse practitioner.

• Incumbent Edward P. Sandell, 55, is running for his third term. He is an engineering manager at the Delphi Thermal technical center in Lockport.

• Todd G. McNall, 35, is a former shop chairman of United Auto Workers Local 686 at Delphi. He now works at the GM Powertrain plant in the Town of Tonawanda and is the son of Niagara County Legislator W. Keith McNall, who was a previous School Board president.• Candidates (elect 3): Donna Lakes of Charlotteville Road; Michele Malone of Corwin Ave.; James Schmitt of Rounds Road; Margaux Lingle of Charlotteville Road; Joseph Flagler of Lockport-Olcott Road, Lockport.

• Total Budget: $33.69 million, up 2.31 percent.

• Tax Levy increase allowed under tax cap: 2 percent.

• Tax Levy: $12.78 million, up 2 percent.

• Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: Newfane, $28.35; Lockport, $26.08

• Taxes on a $100,000 home: $2,608.

• Percentage of budget from taxes: 38 percent.

• Percentage of budget from state aid: 52 percent.

• Polls open: 8 a.m.–8 p.m., Newfane Elementary School, Main St.

• Web link: www.newfane.wnyic.org.

...

Voters are being presented with a budget that holds the tax increase to a flat two percent, the amount usually referred to as the tax levy limit.

Instead of seeking a larger increase, the district will cover more than nine percent of its budget from its reserve savings or about $3.2 million, officials said.

Although the state tax levy limit is frequently believed to be two percent, districts are permitted to make adjustments for items such as indebtedness and pension obligation increases. Such adjustments usually allow districts to seek a larger tax hike without needing a supermajority of voters or 60 percent to pass the budget.• Candidates (elect 2): Ronald J. Barstys, Kevin Dobbs, Michael S. Gawel, Don J. King, Herbert L. Lewis, Anthony F. Paretto.

• Total budget: $124.06 million, up 1.32 percent.

• Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 3.77 percent.

• Tax levy: $25.82 million, up 3 percent.

• Property tax rate per $1,000 or assessed value: $19.21, up 3 percent.

• Taxes on $100,000 home: $1,922.

• Percentage of budget from property taxes: 21 percent.

• Percentage of budget from state aid: 73 percent.

• Polls open: Noon to 9 p.m. at eight neighborhood polling sites. Polling places can be found on district’s website.

• Web link: http://www.nfschools.net/nfschools.

...

Voters will consider a $124.06 million budget that would increase spending by $1.62 million over the current budget.

The budget is the first in 20 years to include a tax levy increase.

District officials say the increase is driven by employee pension contributions and other contractual items.

Six candidates are running for two five-year terms on the board. They are:

• Incumbent Don J. King, 80, a more than 30-year veteran of the School Board who is a retired retail business owner.

• Incumbent Kevin Dobbs, 58, a school board member since 1997 who is a retired supervisor for Occidental Chemical.

• Ronald J. Barstys, 40, director of student services for the North Tonawanda City School District.

• Michael S. Gawel, 56, an accountant and real estate broker.

• Herbert L. Lewis, 41, a former City Council candidate and security guard at the Seneca Niagara Casino.

• Anthony F. Paretto, 46, an electrician for the City of Niagara Falls.Candidates (elect 2): Lorna Tilley-Peltier, Lori Pittman and Amy Deull.

Total budget: $62.75 million, up 3.69 percent

Tax levy increase allowed under cap: 5.91 percent

Tax levy: $30.35 million, up 5.91 percent

Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: Town of Niagara, $29.27 (homestead), $39.35 (nonhomestead); Wheatfield, $24.71 (h), $33.78 (n); Lewiston, $20.86 (h), $28.06 (n); Cambria, $17.11 (h), $17.11 (n).

Taxes on a $100,000 home: $1,711.

Percentage of budget from property taxes: 49 percent

Percentage of budget from state aid: 46 percent

Proposition 2: Whether to allow a representative from the high school senior class to sit on the School Board as a member who would not have voting rights or be allowed to attend executive sessions. Students who apply to be a board member would have to meet specific criteria and would be selected by the board.

Polls Open: 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Adult Learning Center, 2292 Saunders Settlement Road, Sanborn, N.Y.

Web link: www.nwcsd.k12.ny.us/nwcsd/site.

...

Voters will decide on a budget that had to address a $1 million deficit by eliminating six teaching positions, but not touching kindergarten, as threatened, or sports and the arts programs.

According to school officials, the cuts to cover the budget shortfall total $1.07 million. The instructional cuts come to the equivalent of six teaching positions, while other items in the savings are $414,975 in retirements, $40,975 for three school monitors, one cleaner at $29,415, and $115,000 for 18 hours a day in teaching assistants. School board members had suggested cutting kindergarten back half-time or even entirely until they were approached by dozens of residents who objected.

If the budget goes down, they said kindergarten, a nonmandated program, would be reduced or eliminated for a second budget vote.

This budget represents the third year the district has had to make significant program and personnel cuts and increase taxes since it was pressured into depleting its reserve fund by the State Comptroller’s Office.

Voters will elect two members. The highest vote-getter of the three candidates would begin serving on May 21, immediately after the vote to fill the remaining term of a previous vacancy to June 30. The term would continue to June 30, 2016. The term of the second highest would begin July 1 for three years.

Candidates are:

• Lorna Tilley-Peltier of Ward Road, Wheatfield

• Incumbent Lori Pittman of Lauer Road, Town of Niagara

• Amy Deull of Millville Circle, Wheatfield.• Candidates (elect 2): Colleen Osborn, Arthur Pappas, Robert D. Schmigel, Susanne Williams, and Randy Bradt.

• Total budget: $65.74 million, up 1.53 percent.

• Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 2.56 percent.

• Tax levy: $26.83 million, up 2.56 percent.

• Property tax rate per $1,000 or assessed value: $21.48, up 2.558 percent.

• Taxes on $100,000 home: $2,084.

• Percentage of budget from property taxes: 41 percent.

• Percentage of budget from state aid: 49 percent.

• Polls open: noon to 9 p.m. in Alumni Center at North Tonawanda High School, 405 Meadow Drive.

• Web link: www.ntschools.org.

...

Voters will consider a $65.74 million budget that would increase spending by $987,861 over the current budget.

The rise in spending is driven by benefit costs, primarily the retirement system and contractual increases in salary, said Alan Getter, assistant superintendent for administrative services.

This year nine retirements helped the district keep costs down. “Last year we had zero,” Getter said.

Five candidates are running for two three-year terms on the board. They are:

• Colleen Osborn, 38, an incumbent, a medical office manager studying for a master’s in nursing, running for a second term. She wants to continue to find ways for the community to use school buildings and to encourage the district to share information in a transparent, accountable way.

• Arthur Pappas, 68, an incumbent, served on the board for 15 years, a decade of those as president. A retired elementary and middle school teacher with Starpoint Central School, he is now running for his sixth term. He aims to collaborate with the city to save costs on such things as snowplowing and bring an educator’s perspective to the board. “With education it’s the students that should come first. Discussion should revolve around that,” he said.

• New are: Robert D. Schmigel, 44, a father of three and store manager at CVS, wants to balance school needs with keeping the budget and taxes down.

• Susanne Williams, 46, an office manager in dental and medical practices, would work to maintain sports and art programs and draw on her experience developing an educational program with her son.

• Randy Bradt, 42, a father of three and an accountant and owner of Nicastro Accounting Services in Amherst.Candidates (elect two): Daniel Bragg; Sara Fry.

Total budget: $22.02 million, down slightly.

Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 6.1 percent.

Tax levy: $9.36 million up 3 percent.

Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: $22.49, up 3 percent.

Taxes on a $100,000 home: $2,249.

Percentage of budget from property taxes: 42 percent.

Percentage of budget from state aid: 49 percent.

Polls open: noon to 8 p.m. in Roy-Hart High School gym, 54 State St., Middleport.

Web link: www.royhart.org.

...

Voters will take to the polls to consider a $22 million budget, which represents a 0.17 percent decrease in spending from the current budget, according to Superintendent Kevin MacDonald. “We made significant cuts in the past four to five years and while the cuts were made in past years, they have had significant benefits that continue,” he said.

One of the cuts included a new agreement with Barker schools to share a superintendent. Barker’s Roger Klatt will oversee both districts, while MacDonald leaves Roy-Hart to head Genesee Valley Educational Partnerships.

Other cost-saving moves have included laying off teachers “and we have had a fair number of retirements that has helped,” MacDonald said. “We’re trying to be understanding of the community’s needs, while still managing the cuts in state aid we suffered years ago and not balance the budget on the backs of the taxpayers. We feel we’re as close to bare bones as we can get.”

There are two candidates running unopposed for two three-year terms. They are:

• Daniel Bragg, 58, completing his ninth year on board and is its current vice president. He is manager of Standish Jones Building Supply.

• Sara Fry, 46, office manager for Hypertherm, Lockport. This is her first time running for a seat.• Candidates (elect 4): Susan M. Brooks, Jeffrey D. Duncan, Michael D. Zimmerman, Eugene E. Stanwich, Andrea L. Wick, Kevin P. Duffy, Dennis P. Toth, Sherri Weber.

• Total budget: $46.55 million, up 2.6 percent.

• Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 4.86 percent.

• Tax levy: $25.81 million, up 3.18 percent.

• Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: $22.23, up 1.99 percent in Cambria.

• Taxes on $100,000 home: $2,223.

• Percentage of budget from property taxes: 55.4 percent.

• Percentage of budget from state aid: 39 percent.

• Polls open: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the middle school gymnasium, 4363 Mapleton Road, Pendleton.

• Web link: starpointcsd.org.

...

Superintendent C. Douglas Whelan said the proposed Starpoint budget of $46.55 million, which shows a spending increase of less than $1.2 million, doesn’t really cover the district’s cost increases. “The cost of doing business as usual is $3.5 million,” he said. “We have reduced quite a bit, about $950,000, plus $300,000 in extra state aid.” He said the district has had 24 retirees in the last four years that haven’t been replaced.

Eight candidates are running for four seats on the board. The top three finishers receive three-year terms; the fourth-place finisher wins a one-year term. The candidates are:

• Susan M. Brooks, 42 of Pendleton, a director of nursing at Buffalo General Medical Center.

• Incumbent Jeffrey D. Duncan, 40, of Pendleton, who is running for his second term. He is a service account engineer at Siemens in Amherst.

• Incumbent Michael D. Zimmerman, 47, of Pendleton, is a chief master sergeant in the 914th Airlift Wing at the Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, working as a load master superintendent on C-130 cargo planes. He is seeking his third term.

• Eugene E. Stanwich, 64, of Wheatfield, has a doctorate in education and retired after 32 years as a librarian in Amherst schools.

• Andrea L. Wick, 38, of Pendleton, works at a Buffalo accounting firm.

• Kevin P. Duffy, 42, of the Town of Lockport, served two terms on the Lockport School Board when he lived in that district. He is a psychologist in the Buffalo public schools and in private practice.

• Incumbent Dennis P. Toth, 57, of Pendleton, is a captain in the Niagara Falls Fire Department, where he has worked for 27 years. He is running for his second term.

• Sherri Weber, 42, of the Town of Lockport, is a professor of elementary education and reading at SUNY Buffalo State.Candidates (elect two): Timothy Kropp, Mark Randall and Amy Phillips.

Total budget: $24.29 million, up 3.5 percent.

Tax levy increase allowed under tax cap: 5 percent.

Tax levy: $11.32 million, up 4 percent.

Property tax rate per $1,000 of assessed value: $27.42, up 4 percent.

Taxes on $100,000 home: $2,523.

Percentage of budget from property taxes: 47 percent.

Percentage of budget from state aid: 48 percent.

Polls open: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in R. Zipp Gym at Wilson High School, 412 Lake St.

Web link: www.wilson.wnyric.org.

...

Voters will consider a budget that increases spending 3.5 percent due to debt service, salaries, BOCES contracts, materials and supplies, according to school officials.

There are three candidates running for two board seats. The candidates for three-year terms are:

• Timothy F. Kropp, 63, an incumbent, has served on the board 18 years and is current board president. He is a retired lineman for the New York Power Authority.

• Mark Randall, 57, an incumbent, is a truck driver and has served on the board for six years. He also serves as vice president of Niagara-Orleans School Board Association.

• Amy Phillips, 36, is executive secretary for the chief of surgery for Kaleida Health Systems and chairman of the department of surgery at the University at Buffalo. This is her first time running for public office.

One person was killed and two people seriously injured when their car hit a power pole this morning in Lewiston.

The identities of victims, all females under the age of 21, were not released pending notification of relatives.

State Police Lt. Kevin Barnas said the accident occurred about 6 a.m. on Walmore Road on the Tuscarora Reservation. The vehicle carrying the three victims was northbound on Walmore when it went off the east shoulder of the road and hit the power pole and flipped over several times, ejecting all three occupants, Barnas said.

One of the occupants was pronouced dead at the scene. The other two were airlifted to Erie County Medical Center, where one was listed in critical condition and the other listed as stable early today.

The accident was still being investigated by members of the State Police Reconstruction Team and the State Bureau of Criminal Investigation, who were still at the scene late this morning.

A 37-year-old Niagara Falls man is dead after being shot outside his home early today.

Niagara Falls police officers who were called to the scene of the shooting at 4:52 a.m. found Joseph Medley Sr. lying on the ground in the 1300 block of Ashland Avenue. Medley had suffered a gunshot wound to his upper body and was pronounced dead at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center a short time later.

Niagara Falls Police Department detectives this afternoon had no further information regarding a motive or suspects in the shooting. The department is asking that anyone with information about the case call 286-4553.

Problems are mounting at Phoenix Frontier Inc., a Buffalo human services agency that offers day programs for individuals with disabilities.

The agency’s board of directors fired its president and chief executive officer in March after learning the agency owed the Internal Revenue Service about $133,000 in overdue payroll taxes.

Jack K. Manganello, the fired executive, responded with a lawsuit last month saying the agency owes him $132,408, including $72,261 in severance pay, $13,460 in bonuses and $8,000 in consultant fees.

The firing and lawsuit follow a 2011 finding by the state Office of the Medicaid Inspector General that Phoenix Frontier had overcharged the state’s Medicaid program by at least $600,000 in a three-year period.

Key Bank froze the agency’s line of credit.

And Timothy Maggio of Buffalo, the board chairman, died unexpectedly in April.

Despite the turmoil, board members said the agency continues to provide services to its disabled clients while taking steps to improve its finances.

“I can tell you that the board is unquestionably protecting its consumers, which is our obligation. The consumers are well taken care of,” said Timothy G. O’Connell, a Buffalo attorney and Phoenix Frontier board member.

Founded in 1965, Phoenix Frontier assists about 400 people with developmental and physical disabilities, including those who have trouble hearing or seeing or who have suffered traumatic brain injuries. The agency is headquartered on Leroy Avenue and has satellite sites in Amherst and North Tonawanda.

Court filings for Manganello’s State Supreme Court lawsuit revealed the agency’s financial troubles.

Manganello, who headed the agency for 24 years, said the board fired him without cause and that he should be paid the $132,408 under the terms of his contract.

He also wants Phoenix Frontier to defend and indemnify him against any attempt by the IRS to recoup the agency’s taxes from him.

O’Connell submitted an affidavit spelling out how the agency became “mired in serious financial peril under the watch” of Manganello.

The directors, O’Connell said, “lost all confidence in Mr. Manganello, whose relationship with the board became very difficult.”

The agency, with a $4.8 million budget and more than 100 employees, has been forced to cut staff and sell some of its property.

“Unfortunately, plans are under way to cut benefits and trim programs in order to try to save the agency from financial ruin,” O’Connell wrote.

In addition to the IRS debt, the agency owes $164,000 to the Office of the Medicaid Inspector General and $175,000 on its line of credit with Key Bank. It also owes money to vendors.

“Mr. O’Connell alleges that Phoenix became mired in serious financial peril under my watch and that I refused to take personal responsibility,” Manganello said in his affidavit. “What responsibility has the board taken for its actions, or rather, its inaction?”

The agency’s most recent problems with the IRS began in February 2012, when withholding payments were made late, resulting in penalties and interest. Between April and July, no payments at all were made to the IRS.

Manganello said the agency’s chief financial officer never told him about the overdue taxes and late tax payments. He maintained it was the chief financial officer’s responsibility to pay the taxes.

Manganello fired the chief financial officer in August 2012 when the officer told Manganello about the IRS “intent to seize notice” for monies owed.

Manganello said O’Connell blames him for the late tax payments.

“However, my job as CEO was to supervise the employees and to carry out the policies and directions of the board,” Manganello said in his affidavit. “My job was make sure that policies and procedures were in place for the payments of taxes, not to make the payments myself.”

Manganello’s annual salary was $108,392 at the time of his firing.

The IRS informed Manganello earlier this year that it would hold him personally liable for paying the taxes if Phoenix Frontier did not pay.

Manganello said the board received monthly reports last year indicating the agency did not have a surplus. And the board was told of “extraordinary expenses” and cash flow issues caused by delays in state funding that hurt Phoenix’s financial condition, he said.

Board members said Manganello never advised them that payments were not being made to the IRS until the financial officer was fired, nor did he make them aware that the agency did not have enough money to pay its debts.

“Bottom line is Mr. Manganello was the chief executive officer of the organization. If that’s not his responsibility, then whose is it?” asked board member Marty Haumesser. “Mr, Manganello’s departure was unfortunate, but the board felt it was necessary to take action to right the ship.”

The board hired a forensic accountant, who is still investigating the agency’s financial records, said Haumesser.

Taxes are being paid now and the agency is “in the process of correcting those past-due taxes,” he said.

But the other debts remain a huge fiscal challenge, and the board has been in discussions with the state Office for People With Developmental Disabilities to help map the agency’s future.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to keep Phoenix going,” said Haumesser. “We’ve got a strong board in place, so that if anyone can turn this around, I’m confident we can.”



email: jtokasz@buffnews.com

State Police on Sunday released the identities of three victims in a fatal Lewiston car crash.

Jasmin P. Dubuc, 19, of Cayuga Drive in Niagara Falls, died at the scene of the accident. She was a passenger in the vehicle, which was traveling northon Walmore Road when the driver failed to negotiate a curve. The vehicle drove off the east shoulder, struck a power pole, and then rolled over several times.

Dubuc was ejected from the vehicle along with the driver, Taylor J. Clause, 18, of Walmore Road, Lewiston, and Jasmine A. Rickard, 18, of Upper Mountain Road, Sanborn. Clause also suffered extensive injuries and was airlifted to Erie County Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition Sunday. Rickard also suffered injuries. She, too, was transported to ECMC by Mercy Flight, and was later released.

State Police, who investigated the early morning crash, said none of the victims was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident.

The Niagara County Sheriff’s Department on Sunday released the name of man who died in a motorcycle crash Saturday in the Town of Cambria.

Christopher E. Rowland, 46, of the Town of Wilson lost control of the motorcycle he was riding, veered off Plank Road and struck a wooden post, along with several other objects. The motorcycle continued south on Plank Road for another 75 feet before coming to a stop. Rowland died at the scene.

LOCKPORT – Battle lines have been drawn in a lawsuit between a contractor and the City of Lockport over the opening of bids for the demolition of the city’s downtown parking ramp.

The city’s attorney filed papers in State Supreme Court last week, attempting to contradict the version of events given by Scott Lawn Yard, a Sanborn company, in its lawsuit, which is to be heard Thursday by Justice Richard C. Kloch Sr.

The city’s paperwork includes an affidavit from Judy L. Ritchie, senior account clerk in the Engineering Department, identified for the first time publicly as the city employee who allegedly told Scott Lawn Yard’s representative that he had to deliver his bid for the job in Buffalo, not at City Hall as the bid instructions stated.

However, Ritchie denied sending Christopher Juliano, the Scott employee, to the offices of Conestoga-Rovers & Associates, or CRA, the engineering firm handling the design work for the city.

Corporation Counsel John J. Ottaviano acknowledged Friday that by challenging Scott’s version on factual as well as legal grounds, it might cause Kloch to take testimony in a hearing that could delay the demolition even more. The city had hoped to have the ramp removed and replaced by a 42-space surface lot by late July.

Ritchie’s version says she entered City Hall after her lunch break at about 1 p.m. April 5, bid opening day, and found a man who asked whether she was from the Engineering Department. Ritchie said that she was and that the man, later identified as Juliano, told her that he had just left a bid package on her desk. Ritchie then said CRA was handling the project. She asked Juliano whether he had the company’s phone number, and he said he did. Ritchie found no bid package on her desk and ran outside to try to find Juliano, but he had left.

The lawsuit filed by Scott said Juliano drove to CRA’s Buffalo office and was told the bids were supposed to have been delivered in City Hall by 2 p.m. Juliano was unable to make it back in time, and Scott’s bid was marked late and rejected, even though it was $190,000 less than the lowest of the other nine bids.

“None of the other nine bidders had a problem with following the written bid specifications. None of the other nine bidders needed to ask anyone in City Hall questions about where and when to deliver their bids,” Ottaviano wrote in his legal brief.

He also said the CRA engineers who opened the bids at City Hall noticed that Scott’s form had several white-outs, including the amount of the $987,000 bid, which was written in by hand.

On April 10, the Common Council awarded the contract to Empire Dismantlement of Grand Island for $1.17 million. Scott went to court and obtained a temporary restraining order from Kloch, barring any demolition work until the lawsuit is decided.

Scott’s attorney, John P. Bartolomei, did not return a call seeking comment Friday.

The five-level, 260-space parking ramp at Main and Pine streets, which opened in 1975, was closed in 2006 because of deteriorating concrete.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com

LOCKPORT – Niagara County legislators have ordered that welfare recipients’ shelter allowances be paid directly to landlords, effective June 1.

Now it’s time for the other side of the issue to receive some attention, according to Minority Leader Dennis F. Virtuoso, D-Niagara Falls.

“Now they’ve got their rent. The second phase of this thing would be to inspect them,” said Virtuoso, who also is Niagara Falls’ chief building inspector.

He and his Democratic colleagues from the Falls, Owen T. Steed and Jason A. Zona, have introduced a resolution for Tuesday’s Legislature meeting to set up a committee to study how to mandate inspections of rental property before welfare clients move into them.

It would be similar to requirements implemented by the federal government in its Section 8 leased housing program.

During the debate over shelter allowances, Steed, who cast the only vote against direct payments to landlords, and other welfare advocates argued that withholding rent is the client’s only leverage against poor conditions in the apartments they sometimes find themselves in.

Virtuoso said if rental properties are inspected before they are rented to welfare clients, the county could bar anyone from moving in until any code violations are repaired.

Virtuoso also said the inspection would show exactly what kind of shape the property was in before the tenants moved in, so any damage would clearly be the tenants’ fault.

“It’ll be a lot better quality of life for the welfare recipients and for the landlord,” Virtuoso said.

The question is, who would do the inspections? The county abolished its code enforcement office more than a decade ago.

“We’d either have to hire someone or farm it out to the municipalities,” Virtuoso said. But he said Social Services Commissioner Anthony J. Restaino told him that the county would have to pay only 25 percent of the cost, and the state would pick up the rest.

The Democrats’ resolution says the issue of how to address the problem would be studied by a committee including Virtuoso; Majority Leader Richard E. Updegrove, R-Lockport; Community Services Committee Chairman W. Keith McNall, R-Lockport; County Manager Jeffrey M. Glatz; and County Attorney Claude A. Joerg. A report would be due by Sept. 2.

Virtuoso said the inspections might turn up welfare fraud by detecting instances where the recipient lied about the number of people in a household.

But he hopes the county could also save money by having fewer welfare recipients evicted or otherwise vacating apartments. The county then has to come up with emergency shelter grants for them.

“It could save us a ton of money on move-out expenses,” Virtuoso said.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com

LOCKPORT – Niagara County’s sole welfare fraud investigator is having such a big year that county leaders have decided she needs a partner.

The County Legislature is to vote Tuesday on creating a second welfare fraud post in the Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff James R. Voutour said that three deputies already have been interviewed for the promotion and that one will be hired Wednesday morning, assuming the Legislature approves the move.

Investigator Amanda J. Irons has made more than 30 arrests this year and has recovered more than $100,000 for the county, Chief Deputy Sheriff Thomas C. Beatty said.

Those figures sound great to Legislator David E. Godfrey, R-Wilson, chairman of the Community Safety and Security Committee. He said Irons has 10 other open cases, with five pending arrests and 32 pending prosecutions.

“On the average, they get two or three referrals every day,” Godfrey said. “If you double that work being done by one investigator, it’ll easily pay for the salary.”

Social Services Commissioner Anthony J. Restaino said the state will pay 75 percent of the cost of the new investigator, which is $68,245 for the rest of this year, including benefits.

Beatty said the real savings can’t be known, because the word is out on the street that the county is playing hardball.

“It’s like a patrol car rolling down the street. You can’t tell how much crime it prevents,” Beatty said. But people have been calling the Social Services Department and turning in their welfare benefit cards, he said.

“We had a slew of them, about 50 or 60, a month ago,” Restaino said.

“I actually got calls from the Falls about this. People are thrilled,” said Legislator Jason A. Zona, D-Niagara Falls.

Voutour said a 1991 sheriff’s roster showed that there were eight welfare fraud investigators at that time, but budget cuts have taken their toll.

The single investigator detected $393,000 worth of welfare fraud by recipients in 2012, which was 327 percent more than in 2011.

Restaino said the most common means of defrauding the welfare system these days is misuse of the electronic benefit cards, which are debit cards programmed by the state with the appropriate level of food stamps or cash grants.

“They could be using cards they shouldn’t be using, whether they’re selling them or whatever,” Restaino said. “We know that type of activity is going on.”

Another source of fraud is misconduct by store owners scheming with welfare clients. The Sheriff’s Office has been probing businesses for allegedly kicking back cash to clients who use their debit cards in their stores.

“Some businesses have closed their doors and left town,” Voutour said.

Restaino said a convenience store on Niagara Street in the Falls, right across from the parking lot at the Social Services office there, was one that closed recently.

The deputy position to be vacated by the promotion to welfare fraud investigator will be filled with a new hire, which is a major milestone, according to Voutour.

“I’ve been on the job for 20 years. We’ve never done anything but reduce police officers,” the sheriff said. “When I started, we had 134 police officers. Today we have 102. This is the first time in 20 years we’re adding an officer.”

In all, the Sheriff’s Office has about 15 investigators, Voutour said.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com

LEWISTON

• Ridge Road, Timothy R. Sledziewski; Candice D. Sledziewski to Ryan M. Henderson; Jill A. Henderson, $115,000.

LOCKPORT

• 335 Elmwood Ave., Pamela Sarchia to Heather L. Campbell, $119,000.

• Charlotte St., Michael J. Cain to Kristen Antoinette Szymanski; John Carl Devore, $30,000.

• Ontario St., Alan J. Biano; Anne F. Horton; Anne F. Robinson; Anita L. Butts; Arnold N. Biano to Michael Robinson, $18,000.

TOWN OF LOCKPORT

• Woodhaven Drive, Yanport Warehouse Corp.; to Yvonne Lane; Christopher Lane, $18,500.

NEWFANE

• 3972 Lockport Olcott Road, Michael L. McCabe to Clydes Properties, $265,000.

• 3862 Lockport-Olcott Road, First Niagara Bank to Laureen M. Zayac, $48,500.

TOWN OF NIAGARA

• St. Joseph’s Road, Geraldine Prygon; Kathleen Bos to Scott M. Wilson; Marla A. Wilson, $137,867.

NIAGARA FALLS

• St. Joseph’s Road, Geraldine Prygon; Kathleen Bos to Scott M. Wilson; Marla A. Wilson, $137,867.

• 8323 Frontier Ave., Jodi Marshall to Mary E. Richner Richner-Decolon; Pablo E. Colon-Garay, $78,000.

• Pine Ave., Antonia Gallo to Tabita & Ca Llc, $60,000.

• North Ave., Diane Scarupa; Leoran W. Ripson; Diane Cosimano to Thomas A. Tiede, $49,000.

• Niagara Ave., Stacy M. Schultz to Melissa Justiana; Mark Justiana, $47,000.

• North Ave., Peng Wu; Yi Emily Wu; Dai Wu to E&R Horizons, $27,000.

NORTH TONAWANDA

• 1354 Saybrook Drive, Shawn M. Flynn to Michael K. Mulvaugh; Jill C. Mulvaugh, $140,000.

• Robert Drive, Paul W. Schwandt; Catherine G. Schwandt to Stanislav Ganyukov, $120,000.

• 10th Ave. & Gilmore Ave., Paul J. Drof to Salvatore J. Tirone, $84,000.

• Payne Ave., Andrew S. Koelemeyer to Christopher Henry; Ryan Henry, $69,000.

PENDLETON

• Devonshire Lane, Campbell Pendleton Llc to Ryan Homes of New York; Nvr Inc., $54,000.

PORTER

• Church St. & Blairville Creek Road, Renee Roman; Renee Broderick to Kenneth L. Young; Charlene A. Young, $300,000.

• Campbell St. & 2nd St., Barbara Lion Finn; Barbara L. Finn; Robert Edwin Finn; Robert E. Finn to Cory J. Weber, $122,500.

• Ransomville Road, Maria Ann Wilson; Scott M. Wilson to Gregory J. Stephens; Jessica M. Stephens, $92,220.

ROYALTON

• Bulmore Road, James C. Bugenhagen; Pamela C. Bugenhagen to RWNY Properties Llc, $50,292.

WHEATFIELD

• Skylark Lane, Ryan Homes of New York; Nvr Inc. to John A. Huttenlocker; Patricia A. Huttenlocker, $204,535.

WILSON

• Shadigee Road, Norman W. Hallifax; Sharon I. Hallifax to Michael R. Armitage; Constance M. Armitage, $200,000.

Villa Maria College awarded degrees to about 100 students Sunday during the school’s 49th commencement ceremonies in the college auditorium.

Robert D. Gioia, president of John R. Oishei Foundation, was the keynote speaker. He also accepted the Founder’s Medal on behalf of the foundation for outstanding advocacy of the Villa Maria mission and the community.

The Catholic college specializes in applied arts and music but recently expanded its programs to include business administration and photography and graphic design, among other offerings.

Also Sunday, about 950 Genesee Community College students received degrees during the school’s 45th commencement ceremonies in the Anthony T. Zambito Gymnasium.

State Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, gave the keynote address before the college recognized students who completed or will complete programs last August as well as in January, May and August of this year. Graduates included 54-year-old Aggie Robinson of Batavia, who returned to school to earn a degree in human services after postponing her education to raise a family.

The GCC ceremonies were streamed live to monitors across the campus, including in the cafeteria and student union.

Mark Gaston Pearce, the former Buffalo lawyer who was named chairman of the National Labor Relations Board by President Obama in 2011, will be the keynote speaker at the 47th annual awards dinner of the Buffalo Branch NAACP at 6 p.m. June 9 in the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center.

Honorees will include the Rev. Eric Johns, who will receive the Medgar Evers/Civil Rights Award; Marilyn Gibson and the Lighthouse, the Daniel Acker Community Service Award; the Rev. Mark E. Blue and Adia C. Jordan, the Rufus Frasier Human Relations Award; and Camille Green and Krysty Tyson, the Youth Award.

Tickets are $50 by advance sale only. Deadline for ticket orders is June 1. For tickets or more information, call Madeline O. Scott at 834-4982.

The spectacular kites on display at Gratwick Park on Saturday gave Cheryl Matthews plenty to smile about – from the gigantic purple spider that seemed about as big as a house to the elaborate manta ray that somehow slipped off the ropes that tethered it to the ground, only to be recovered soon afterward in a field down the road.

And then there was the seemingly endless flow of children – some riding in strollers, others eating hot dogs or ice cream, and hundreds of them doing their best to keep their own small kites aloft in the strong breeze coming off the Niagara River in the North Tonawanda park.

But really, what gave Matthews the biggest reason to smile was what the whole scene represented: a collective effort to provide help for veterans like her who find themselves homeless. A local group of Vietnam vets organized the event, which gave away kites in exchange for voluntary donations that will be passed along to local groups serving homeless veterans.

Matthews, who served 20 years in the Army and Air National Guard, knows all too well what it’s like to be without a place to call home.

For nearly a year, she lived out of her car. For some of that time, her then-teenage daughter lived with her, until she started college.

“It was devastating, being homeless,” she said. “We used to sleep at the Clarence truck stop. I would race my car around to warm it up and then huddle under down coats to keep warm at night.”

Matthews worked for years as a licensed practical nurse in the private sector and as a guard on the Niagara Falls Air Force Base as a member of the National Guard. After she left the service, the single mother took a job working at McDonald’s so she could be home as much as possible with her daughter. The job aggravated her rheumatoid arthritis after several years, and she had to stop working, she said.

Eight years ago, she and her daughter were evicted from their apartment in North Tonawanda. They stayed for several weeks at the Niagara Falls Air Force Base, paying their way using money from a tax return and disability checks. Eventually, they ended up living out of their car while Matthews waited for an interview for Social Security disability.

“People look down on homeless veterans,” said Matthews, now 58. “But a lot of them, when they get home, they have physical problems or they have mental problems, and they need someplace to stay.”

Matthews is among a new wave of homeless veterans, local experts say: women, many of whom have children.

About 1,760 veterans were newly homeless or at risk of being homeless in 2012, according to Celia O’Brien, chief operating officer for the Western New York Veterans Housing Coalition.

“It’s not the stereotype of homeless pushing a shopping cart,” O’Brien said. “Most are unemployed or underemployed. Many are couch-surfing. Families and females make up many of them.”

“This is an ongoing problem. It’s not getting any better,” said Jack Michel, who served as a Marine squad leader in Vietnam more than four decades ago.

He and a group from Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 77 in the City of Tonawanda decided to take a new approach to tackling the longstanding problem: ask people to “come fly a kite for homeless veterans” at what they hope will become an annual Memorial Day event. The Great Lakes Kite Flyers Society donated its services, providing the eye-catching, larger-than-life kites that helped draw families to the park.

Members of the veterans group on Saturday sold hot dogs and hamburgers, handed out free kites and wandered through the crowd asking for donations.

Michel said he wasn’t sure how much the event was likely to raise – he was hoping to hit the $10,000 mark, or at least enough to help get a couple of veterans established in apartments of their own. While the tally hadn’t been counted by day’s end, the group gave away more than 600 kites and ran out of 200 pounds of hot dogs by the end of the four-hour event.

What’s more, the effort left many veterans feeling they had helped create a safety net for other former service members.

“But for the grace of God, I could be homeless. I could be starving and going to food pantries,” Michel said. “Our young guys have given way too much. For them to come home and not have a place to live is not acceptable.”



email: mpasciak@buffnews.com

The waters lapping up along the Lake Erie shoreline are no longer orange. The lake doesn’t smell as bad as it once did. And talk of “a dead lake” has been put in the distant past. The water even looks bluer, clearer – and more alive. But appearances can be deceiving. Lake Erie – the focus of cleanup efforts for four decades – is still, in many ways, simmering just below crisis.

Instead of industrial slag, chemical pollutants and blazing rivers – infamous trademarks of Lake Erie during the Rust Belt’s heydey – that choked nearly all life out of the water, the lake remains under assault on several fronts:

Sewage systems. Farms. Aquatic organisms from far away places. Climate change.

Phosphate discharges were eliminated 40 years ago, yet toxic blue-green algae rolls again across the western half of Lake Erie, creating a suffocating “dead zone” up to 100 miles across its center.

Traces of various drugs and pharmaceuticals are showing up in the water nowadays – even caffeine.

Asian carp knock at the lake’s front door – one was found in Scajaquada Creek in 2007 – threatening to invade its ecosystem.

And more than a billion gallons of raw sewage overflow directly into these same waters from Buffalo and Erie County.

Now, the 21st century cycle of environmental cleanup is grappling with a fresh round of threats.

If successful, scientists are confident that an elusive balance between man and nature on a post-industrial Lake Erie will be restored.

All acknowledge this: Buffalo Niagara residents rely on Lake Erie, as a place of recreation – for swimming and sunbathing, boating or fishing – and also for commerce.

Most importantly, it’s where many of us – along with more than 10 million others around the lake – get our fresh water to drink.

In some places, the lake is even being hailed as the key to Buffalo’s rebirth.

It may be more important, in 2013, than ever. Much will depend, many agree, on what happens in these next few years on the beaches and bays, in the sand and waves.

The Buffalo News today begins a five-day series on Lake Erie’s Troubled Waters.