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No last-minute buybacks at Niagara County foreclosure auction

August 11, 2013, 5:07 pm
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LOCKPORT – Niagara County’s annual tax foreclosure auction will put more than 100 parcels up for bid Saturday.

County Treasurer Kyle R. Andrews said Friday that there are several well-kept houses, but little commercial property and no obvious blockbuster items on the list of properties to go under the hammer starting at 10 a.m. Saturday in the hall of the Shawnee Fire Company, 3747 Lockport Road, Wheatfield.

“There are a lot of developed houses, especially in the Town of Lockport and the Town of Lewiston, that should draw significant interest,” Andrews said.

This year, he changed the county’s historic policy of accepting payments of the delinquent taxes almost until the last minute to rescue properties from going up for bid.

The deadline Andrews set for redemption payments was Aug. 2. “Even a 15-day window is more flexible than a lot of other municipalities,” he said.

Several communities won’t allow redemptions by previous owners less than 60 days before the auction. But the last-minute policy Andrews inherited from his predecessor, David S. Broderick, who died Monday, created its own problems.

“Many times, a prospective purchaser will travel a great distance to bid on a property, only to find there’s been a buyback,” Andrews said.

The 15-day rule, he said, “allows both our staff and the county attorney’s staff to better prepare for the auction.”

Thus, a bankruptcy or other legal issue is the only way to force a deletion from the list of the properties listed in the auction catalog or on the website of Auctions International, which conducts the bidding.

The problems with late buybacks were illustrated last year, when a coveted 1.77-acre piece of lakefront real estate in Porter, which had been expected to generate a major bidding war, was redeemed a couple of days before the auction. The owner paid the $12,666 tax bill.

A nearly 2,400-square-foot house in Pendleton also was redeemed the day before the bidding with a $13,068 tax payment.

This year’s catalog includes a helping of the usual supply of odd lots, such as a parcel on Beach Ridge Road in Pendleton which is 376 feet deep but only 14 feet wide.

The houses with assessed valuations of more than $100,000 in the auction are located on Dana Drive in Lewiston, Erna Drive and East High Street in Lockport, Cottage Road in Royalton and Telegraph Road in Middleport. There are a large number of houses valued between $50,000 and $90,000.

For commercial property, the vacant former Country Cafe on Niagara Falls Boulevard in Wheatfield is featured, along with vacant storefronts in Gasport, Middleport and Barker.

email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Study says expansion of Fashion Outlets of Niagara won’t affect traffic

August 11, 2013, 5:10 pm
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TOWN OF NIAGARA – A traffic study by developers has determined that the proposed expansion at the Fashion Outlets of Niagara would not seriously impact traffic in the area.

However, at least one Town Board member was not convinced and wants more information.

Norman Gardner, a principal associate engineer with Clark Patterson Lee, told the Town Board last week that developers of the $71 million expansion at the Military Road mall had conducted a traffic study as part of the site plan. He said the study looked at 13 intersections in the area and concluded that the additional 170,000 square feet of space “won’t bring a significant increase” in traffic.

Increased traffic into the area and a host of other issues have been raised by the board, which has been designated the lead agency in the state environmental quality review process. As lead agent, the board has the authority to request, review and make recommendations on issues such as traffic, noise, air pollution, and drainage that are included in the studies developed by Macerich Co., the Santa Monica, Calif., company that owns the mall.

Councilman Charles F. Teixeira questioned the study, saying he wanted to know who did it for the developer and when it was conducted. Further discussion revealed that the study was done during one week in June.

Among his concerns, Teixeira said, was that the report failed to include accident data. Town police have to respond to accident calls, and any increase would have a big impact on “such a small police force,” he told Gardner.

Officials said more information also is needed about issues ranging from a storm water management plan for the site to building and fire code compliance .

Gardner, who recommended the officials collect all the data before making any decisions, is meeting with the board on a monthly basis at the direction of Supervisor Steven Richards.
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Assemblyman John Ceretto to hold virtual town hall on Facebook

August 12, 2013, 4:17 am
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Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-Lewiston, will use social media to hold a virtual town hall meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday.

Ceretto said this will be the third time he has opened his Facebook page for a town hall “meeting,” where he allows people to post questions on his Facebook page that he will then answer as comments. He said the virtual town hall is being offered in conjunction with his door-to-door “Listening Tour” throughout his district.

Ceretto said constituents may post questions on a wide variety of topics, from economic development to education and more.

“With so many issues affecting Western New York families, I hope to use this Facebook Town Hall to answer questions and inform constituents about the issues that affect them most,” said Ceretto.

“The Internet and social media allow the people to have access to their representatives in ways that were not possible in the past.”

People wishing to participate in the town hall should go to Ceretto’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pages/John-D-Ceretto/182498981761714, “like” the page and then post a question on Ceretto’s wall.

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Town of Niagara to consider building eight dugouts at baseball diamonds

August 16, 2013, 5:17 pm
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TOWN OF NIAGARA – The Town Board will consider spending $228,700 to build eight dugouts at four town park baseball diamonds.

The resolution to draw money from the capital projects fund is on the agenda for the Tuesday meeting and has been discussed by the councilmen at various work sessions for the past three months.

Supervisor Steven Richards said after the work session Thursday that he wanted the item to be up for approval at the regular meeting.

The cost, which represents the lowest bid received on the project, was an eye-opener for most of the councilmen. The original estimate discussed at a May workshop was a total of about $72,000 for all the work, according to the discussion.

However, when the bids came in with the highest at $328,000, many of the councilmembers displayed signs of sticker shock. Councilmen Marc Carpenter, Rob Clark, and Charles Teixeira all said the cost was much higher than they had imagined.

“It was supposed to be $8,000 each,” Clark said last week. “That money could be used for so much more.”

But Richards and Deputy Supervisor Danny Sklarski defended the expenditure as an investment to protect the baseball players and the town.

Richards conceded that spending “$200,000 for six weeks of baseball is a lot of money. But, he said, the board needed to weigh the expense against the ramifications of “a kid getting hit in the head.”

Sklarski cautioned the board to think the situation through.

“Before you decide, consider that a lawsuit could make it look like chump change. You would wish you had spent it,” he said recently.

Town Attorney Michael Risman noted at a previous work session that “one claim of a head injury could be very costly for the town.” During the discussions, it was noted by officials that about 270 youngsters play baseball every season in town parks and there are reports of about four to five injuries last year.

Richards said some of the costs are associated with the requirement to make the dugouts compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as building them “vandal proof,” and providing wider concrete pads.
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Gerbec says Wheatfield needs a drainage department

August 16, 2013, 6:02 pm
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WHEATFIELD – It’s time that Wheatfield had a separate drainage department, Councilman Arthur Gerbec proposed at this week’s Town Board meeting.

The drainage issue has drawn attention, especially since the record-smashing 4-inch downpour of July 19 that left flooding in its wake in some of the town’s low-lying areas, notably the Wheatfield Heights and Eagle Chase subdivisions.

“Eighty percent of our problems in the town are water: moving water, getting water out of here,” said Gerbec, who like Supervisor Robert B. Cliffe is a candidate for re-election this fall.

“It’s exacerbated by mosquitoes. We have neighbors fighting neighbors,” Gerbec said.

Drainage problems are normally responded to by the town Highway Department. “I think Art’s plate is full,” Gerbec said, referring to Highway Superintendent Arthur F. Kroening.

He has been asked to take heavy equipment into off-road areas to clean ditches and dig pathways for standing water to drain, but Cliffe pointed out that such equipment can only be used when the fields are fairly dry, otherwise the vehicles will get stuck in the mud.

“You’d have to get the equipment, the personnel and everything would have to come out of the Highway Department,” Cliffe said.

Gerbec agreed, but said he thinks three workers would be enough to get the department moving.

He thought a referendum would be needed to set up the department. Cliffe said that would be true only if there were to be a drainage tax.

Town Attorney Robert J. O’Toole wasn’t sure. “The question would be whether you’re taking powers away from an elected official,” he said, meaning Kroening. “I don’t think drainage is part of the powers of the highway superintendent, although traditionally in Wheatfield the Highway Department handles it.”

In the Eagle Chase subdivision, off Lockport Road near Baer Road, town officials are looking for answers to the drainage. However, the board unanimously tabled a proposal from Wendel, the town engineering firm, to appropriate $18,500 for a drainage study in that neighborhood.

Gerbec noted that Niagara County recently replaced a box culvert under Lockport Road, but the main thing that would help would be to clean out a ditch from Lockport Road to Bergholtz Creek.

“Art, come hell or high water, you’ve got to get something back there and dig it out,” Gerbec told Kroening.

The highway superintendent said he knows that project is necessary, but access is difficult. “You’re talking about going on private property and doing a lot of damage to farmers’ fields,” Kroening said.

Cliffe said the July 19 rainstorm was “a 200- to 500-year storm event. It still would have flooded. You can’t design for a storm like that.”

In Wheatfield Heights, on Nash Road north of Niagara Falls Boulevard, Town Engineer Timothy Zuber said the issue is that someone placed a pipe into one of the two retention ponds without authorization, altering the outflow controls and creating an artificially high water level in the pond. Meanwhile, the other pond’s pipe may be blocked.

“We need to remove the pipe that’s defeating the original design of the pond,” Zuber said.

email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Building inspector: Covanta probably not to blame for Falls rat problem

August 16, 2013, 10:09 pm
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NIAGARA FALLS – The city’s chief building inspector said Friday he doesn’t think Covanta Niagara’s energy-from-waste incinerator has caused a recent rat infestation in a nearby neighborhood.

Dennis F. Virtuoso, who also is a Niagara County legislator, said he thinks the source of the problem is the reconstruction of nearby Buffalo Avenue.

However, Covanta business manager Kevin O’Neil said the company will help with efforts to end the rat problem, even though Covanta disclaims responsibility for it.

“These are our neighbors,” said O’Neil, whose company is seeking approval for a major expansion to allow for New York City garbage to be shipped in for burning at the incinerator.

Virtuoso said, “When they tore up Buffalo Avenue, they also tore up the sewers, and the rats were living in the sewers. We didn’t have a problem until they started working on the street.”

The infestation area is bounded roughly by Buffalo and Stephenson avenues and 56th and 60th streets, Virtuoso said. Dead rats have been found in alleys there.

O’Neil said rat reports started coming in as soon as the work started on Buffalo Avenue in March.

“Here in our facility, we don’t have a rat problem, and we have 5,000 to 6,000 tons of garbage on hand most of the time,” O’Neil said.

He said Covanta, formerly known as American Ref-Fuel, has been burning trash in the neighborhood for 33 years.

Residents complained that they’ve seen rats jumping off garbage trucks arriving at Covanta. O’Neil said those trucks aren’t Covanta’s; they belong to the municipalities that haul garbage there.

But O’Neil said it’s not unheard of for those trucks to contain rats, raccoons, skunks or other small animals that happen to be in garbage cans or bags when they are collected.

“Every once in a while, a rat jumps out of a truck. They become fuel here,” O’Neil said.

Vituoso said there’s no need for rats to scavenge for food in the neighborhood if they find themselves in Covanta’s trash pile.

“It’s like a smorgasbord for the rats. Why would they ever leave?” he asked.

Virtuoso said he thinks one of the other reasons for the rat problem is a field between Frontier and Stephenson avenues, owned by the state Department of Transportation, which hasn’t been mowed this year. The inspector thinks rats migrating from the sewers are nesting there.

“That’s possible. We do have folks who are talking with the city and the [county] Department of Health,” DOT spokeswoman Jennifer Post said. “We were looking at having [the field] revert to its natural state, but if it’s determined that mowing is needed to address a rodent problem, we would look at it.”

County Environmental Health Director James J. Devald said the blame game can come later.

“That’s been set aside. The main thing is to address the problem,” Devald said. He said the Health Department has been distributing information to homeowners about discouraging rats by covering up garbage cans, cleaning up animal waste and making bird feeders inaccessible.

Devald said Covanta has a licensed exterminator who seldom works off plant property, but he’s been spreading some rat poison, and there’s been talk of having Covanta pay for a baiting program.

O’Neil, the Covanta executive, said most of the homes in the neighborhood are well-kept, but not all.

“I can send over an exterminator to two houses, but that doesn’t help if the other 42 houses don’t take care of their issues,” O’Neil said.

email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Bark for Life kissing booth, Sweet Chalk Festival slated

August 16, 2013, 10:26 pm
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LOCKPORT – From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today, the Lockport Community Market on Canal Street will feature the Bark for Life “kissing booth,” where for a donation, shoppers can get kisses from a dog, Patrick the Pomeranian.

The dog kisses are meant to promote the American Cancer Society’s Bark for Life Western New York, a noncompetitive fundraising walk scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 25 in the Town of Lockport’s Day Road Park.

Simultaneously on Canal Street, the Sweet Chalk Festival, a program of sidewalk art headlined by Carolyn Schultz of Orlando, Fla., who will reproduce the Mona Lisa on the sidewalk. Singer-songwriter Dale Campbell will perform from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Canal Street gazebo. Davey O, will take the stage from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
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Aug. 29 information meeting set for storage site proposal

August 16, 2013, 10:26 pm
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WHEATFIELD – Quasar Energy Group announced Friday that it will conduct a public information meeting to explain its plans for storage of high-nitrogen byproducts from its biomass power plant, which is about to come online on Liberty Drive in Wheatfield.

The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Aug. 29 in American Legion Post 1451, 6525 Ward Road. Company officials will discuss their project and why they need fertilizer lagoons to store the byproduct, which is a powerful fertilizer.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation bars eating of any fruit or vegetable that touched soil spread with the material, called “equate,” until 38 months after the application. Cattle are allowed to graze on the land within 30 days, however.

The company’s plant extracts methane gas from food waste and sewage sludge and uses it to power a generator to produce electricity.
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Women’s services director appointed at Falls hospital

August 16, 2013, 10:27 pm
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NIAGARA FALLS – Susan V. Martin, a registered nurse, has been appointed director of women’s services at Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.

A graduate of Niagara County Community College and Niagara University, Martin has spent her entire career in women’s health services and has extensive experience in direct patient care, including critical care. She is a former clinical team leader at Sisters Hospital, Buffalo, and most recently worked in the labor and delivery unit at Mount St. Mary’s Hospital, Lewiston.
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Olcott Beach gets go-ahead to reopen for swimming

August 17, 2013, 2:10 pm
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OLCOTT – Olcott Beach has reopened, after sampling tests showed the water quality was suitable for swimming, the Niagara County Health Department said on Saturday.

The Health Department ordered the closing on Wednesday because of elevated bacteria levels in the water. It was the fourth closing of the season at Olcott, but the first since early July.

The water quality at the beach will continue to be monitored and the public will be notified if there are any further problems, the Health Department said in a prepared statement.
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Lewiston Art Festival award is deja vu for Gasport’s Kathleen Giles

August 14, 2013, 7:05 pm
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LEWISTON – Gasport watercolorist Kathleen S. Giles has had quite a year. She won the Best of Show award last weekend at the Lewiston Art Festival – on the heels of winning the very same award, for a different painting, at Buffalo’s Allentown Art Festival in June.

“This is such an honor to get this award,” she said. “It’s difficult to win Best of Show with a watercolor when you’re up against oils and sculptures and all kinds of great things.”

This is the second time she captured top prize in Lewiston. The first time was 2000, which she described as her “earlier days.”

“I’ve been painting professionally for 17 years,” she said.

The painting that captured top prize in Lewiston is “Peonies in the Spotlight.” Giles said she often paints subjects from her own gardens surrounding her Gasport home. Her Allentown winner, “Where’s Lily?,” featured her toddler granddaughter behind a sheer curtain.

Giles maintains an art gallery and studio at her home at 2336 Hartland Road, Gasport (www.kgilesstudio.com). While this is her final outdoor show of the year, she will hold her 17th annual art studio and gallery open house from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 23-24 and is also open to the public year-round by appointment (795-9368).

The Lewiston Art Festival, sponsored by the Lewiston Council on the Arts, featured the works of more than 175 professional and student artists from 13 states.

Other winners last weekend included Mary Granger, who took top honors in the oil and acrylic painting category for “Undone,” and Susan Miller, who won first place in watercolors for “Before Long.” Photographer Shawn Kosmala earned the top award for “Shell,” and Carol Maltby took top place in graphic arts and drawing for “The Straw Hat.”

In the sculpture category, Mark English earned top marks for “Gourmet,” while Kathryn Nidy Cukier took home first place for contemporary hand-weaving for mixed media. In the Artistic Craft categories, Elizabeth Keil took home the top prize for jewelry with “Midnight Flower,” especially impressive because she was a College Alley student exhibitor. In the Artistic Craft Other category (glass, wood, fiber, ceramics, etc.), Julianna Drumheller earned the top award for her ceramics entry, “Waterfall Bowl” and top prize for Best Booth display went to Robin Strauss.
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County Fair sets attendance record, delivers bevy of awards

August 14, 2013, 7:34 pm
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By Nancy A. Fischer

News Niagara Reporter

LOCKPORT – For most of the thousands of visitors to the Niagara County Fair, which was held July 31 through Aug. 4, it was all about food, rides and fun.

But for the hundreds of youth who participate in 4-H, the summer event is a chance to show off their hard work and be rewarded for a job well done.

These 4-H members live their group’s motto, “Learn by Doing,” each day, to prepare their fair entries in the areas of animal science, plant science, social science, nutritional science, as well as home environment, consumer economics, leadership development, volunteer development and more.

The 2013 edition of the fair set an attendance record at more than 30,000 people, according to Cathy Lovejoy Maloney, Cornell Cooperative Extension executive director and fair director.

“We’ve never had a year like it, which is fabulous, but this almost caught us off guard,” said Maloney. “It’s a great problem to have.” She said fair officials already are preparing for next year.

She said about 400 young people participate locally in 4-H.

“It’s much more than individual projects. It’s really about self-development and giving back to the community,” Maloney said. “It’s also much broader than agriculture. It’s preparing the leaders of the future.”

She said Cornell Cooperative Extension provides a nurturing environment for youth to learn and test their skills.

Some of the winners for 2013 included:

Animal Science Show for Dogs, First Place Winners – Kayla Clark, Lockport, Graduate Beginner A, Senior Showmanship, Grand Champion Showmanship; Sarah Yousett, Wilson, Novice, Beginner B Obedience; Brittany White, Lockport, Rally; Evelyn Maerten, Lockport, High Score Obedience, Beginner A Obedience, Beginner Showmanship; Kelsi Keough, Lockport, Junior Showmanship; and Kayla Clark, Brittany White, Melissa Schultz, Sarah Yousett, Four Person Team.

In addition to 4-H awards, the fair also held its 15th annual Classic Car Show sponsored by Niagara’s Choice Federal Credit Union. There were 90 entries representing cars dated from pre-1942 to 2013.

First place trophies were awarded to:

Best of Stock – 1964 Chevy Impala SS, Jim Wiltberger, Lockport; Best of Modified – 1957 Chevy Nomad, George York of Grand Island; Best Paint – 1976 Chevy Stingray Corvette, Ian Crawford of Brampton, Ont.; Best Motor – 1968 Plymouth Road Runner, Mark Farina of Lockport; Best Convertible – 1967 Chevy Camaro Ragtop, Rob and Louise Sampson of Mississaugua, Ont.

Stock – Pre-1942 – 1939 Buick Special, Lynn Artieri of Lockport; 1946 to 1960 – 1958 Chevy Impala, Larry Dunn of Niagara Falls; 1961 to 1965 – 1962 T-Bird, Pat Artieri of Lockport; 1966 to 1970 – 1967 Plymouth Satelite, Bob and Laurie Ferenc of Wheatfield; 1971 to 1989 – 1972 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, Butch Wickham of Akron; 1990 to present – 2005 Chevy SSR, Ron Leave of East Amherst;

Stock Muscle Cars:

1964 to 1969 – 1969 Olds Hurst Olds, Ted Westbrook of Pendleton; 1970 to 1978 – 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport, Nancy and John Lang of Clarence Center.

Stock Mustangs–1998 Ford Mustang, Jim Belter of Amherst.

Stock Corvettes –1978 Chevrolet Corvette Pace Car, Bill Prenevan of Amherst.

Stock Trucks – 1970 Chevrolet El Camino, Bob Heary of Cheektowaga.

Stock Foreign – 1970 VW Beetle, Randy Shoop of Cambria.

Modified:

Pre-1934 – 1931 Ford Coupe, Rob and Deb Spoon of Newfane; 1935 to 1949 – 1939 Chevy Sedan Delivery, Marie and Marty Brennan of Alden; 1950 to 1965 – 1965 Dodge Hemi Coronet, Mike Servas of Rochester; 1976 to 1990 – 1982 Chevy Z28 Camaro, Lewis and Shirley Schultz of Newfane; 1991 and newer – 1995 Pontiac Bonneville SSE1, Steve Markle of Olcott.

Modified Foreign – 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse, Miguel Peña, of Buffalo.

Modified Customs All – 1994 Chevy Caprice, Brian Schriber of North Tonawanda.

Radical Street/Race Prepared – 1975 Plymouth Scamp, Larry Zugehoer of Brockport.

Modified Trucks – 1955 Ford F-100, Gary Schneegold of Amherst.

Modified Corvettes – 1967 Chevy Corvette, Skip Poloway of Lockport.

Other (all years):

Unfinished – 1952 Dodge B3B half-ton, Kevin Klaybor of Sanborn.

Special Interest/Kit Cars – 1936 Mercedes Marline, Ed Smith of Kendall.

Also, first place trophies were awarded to the following recipients at the Niagara County Fair Horse Show:

English Division – Haley Brown, Barker, Junior Showmanship, Junior English Reserve Champion; Morgan Brown, Barker, Senior Showmanship, Senior Hunter Hack, Senior Equitation, Senior English Pleasure Horse, Senior English Champion; Kristen Call, Lockport, Children’s Hunter Over Fences; Elizabeth Croop, Ransomville, Beginner Hunter Hack, Beginner English Pleasure, Beginner Command, Beginner Champion; Delaney Dorion-Heine, Clarence, Advanced Equitation Over Fences; Katie Grace Hillestad, Niagara Falls, English Pleasure Pony, Hunter Under Saddle Pony, English Pony Champion; Jessica Lobur, Akron, Hunter Hack Pony; Maddie Moran, Sanborn, Junior Command; Melanie Morgan, Lockport, Beginner Showmanship; Jesslyn Murphy, Ransomville, Pony Equitation, English Pony Reserve Champion.

Also, Alexis Nadeau, Sanborn, Senior Command, Senior English Reserve Champion; Serena Nichols, Niagara Falls, Intermediate Equitation Over Fences, Open Hunter Over Fences, English Dressage; Amanda Schurr, Wheatfield, Novice Equitation Over Fences, Low Hunter Over Fences, Junior Hunter Hack, Junior Equitation, Junior English Pleasure Horse, Junior Hunter Under Saddle, Junior English Champion; Carolyn Schwab, Clarence, Beginner Equitation; Katie Widmer, Lockport, Beginner English Reserve Champion; and Stephanie Zimicki, Lockport, Senior Hunter Under Saddle, English Dressage.

Western Division – Haley Brown, Barker, Junior Western Showmanship, Junior Western Hack, Junior Western Reserve Champion; Morgan Brown, Barker, Senior Western Hack, Senior Western Reserve Champion; Samantha Chilcott, Lockport, Beginner Western Showmanship, Beginner Western Equitation, Beginner Western Champion; Danielle Crane, Lockport, Junior Western Command; Emma Johnson, Sanborn, Junior Western Riding; Jessica Lobur, Akron, Western Hack Pony, Western Pony Equitation, Western Dressage, Western Pony Champion; Melanie Morgan, Lockport, Beginner Western Reserve Champion; Alyssa Olaf, Gasport, Senior Western Pleasure; Kelsi Palistrant, Sanborn, Senior Western Showmanship, Senior Western Equitation, Senior Western Command, Senior Western Horsemanship, Senior Western Champion; Ashley Randall, Lockport, Junior Western Equitation, Junior Western Pleasure, Junior Western Horsemanship, Junior Western Champion; Morgan Ryndak, Sanborn.

Also, Western Dressage; Anna Spoth, Clarence, Beginner Western Command; Angela Wager, Newstead, Senior Western Riding, Western Reining; and Sara Yousett, Wilson, Western Pleasure Pony, Western Pony Reserve Champion.

Gymkhana Division – Morgan Brown, Barker, Pony Texas T Barrels, Gymkhana Pony Reserve Champion; Felicia Craft, Lockport, Senior Stake & Barrel; Danielle Crane, Lockport, Junior Straight Barrels, Junior Stake & Barrel, Junior Gymkhana Reserve Champion; Hannah Fiacco, Barker, Pony Cloverleaf Barrels, Pony Straight Barrels, Pony Pole Bending, Pony Keyhole, Pony Bleeding Heart, Gymkhana Pony Champion; Hannah Hannon, Lewiston, Beginner Gymkhana Showmanship, Beginner Straight Barrels, Beginner Pole Bending, Beginner Gymkhana Champion; Jessica Lobur, Akron, Gymkhana Showmanship, Senior Quadrangle Barrels, Senior Keyhole, Senior Bleeding Heart Barrels, Senior Gymkhana Champion; Selah Lowery, Ransomville, Beginner Cloverleaf Barrels; Emily Reed, North Tonawanda, Junior Cloverleaf Barrels, Junior Quadrangle Barrels, Junior Texas T Barrels, Junior Pole Bending, Junior Keyhole, Junior Bleeding Heart Barrels, Junior Gymkhana Champion; Stephanie Sherwood, Newfane, Senior Texas T Barrels, Senior Gymkhana Reserve Champion; Sarah Starkweather, Newfane, Pony Stake & Barrel; Ashley Weiser, Grand Island, Senior Straight Barrels; Katie Widmer, Lockport, Beginner Keyhole, Beginner Gymkhana Reserve Champion; Quinn Wilson, Lockport, Senior Pole Bending; and Sarah Yousett, Wilson, Pony Quadrangle Barrels.

Miniature Division – Jamie Bower, Gasport, Beginner Showmanship; Samantha Chilcott, Lockport, Junior Showmanship, Junior Miniature Reserve Champion; Jessica Dell’Aria, Ransomville, Senior Hunter, Senior Liberty, Senior Miniature Champion; Delaney Draper, Gasport, Junior Halter Obstacle, Junior Hunter, Junior Liberty, Junior Miniature Champion; Hannah Fiacco, Barker, Beginner Halter Obstacle, Beginner Miniature Champion; Mattie Hamelink, Lockport, Beginner Hunter, Beginner Miniature Reserve Champion; Selah Lowery, Ransomville, Senior Halter Obstacle, Senior Miniature Reserve Champion; Murphy McDermott, Gasport, Beginner Liberty; Katie Moje, Ransomville, Senior Showmanship; Marissa Olsen, North Tonawanda, Senior Jumper; Anna Spoth, Clarence, Junior Jumper; and Evan O’Reilly, Clarence, Beginner Jumper.

Driving Division Katie Bednarz, Lockport, Senior Miniature Horse Pleasure Driving, Senior Miniature Horse Reinsmanship, Senior Miniature Horse Timed Obstacle Driving, Senior Miniature Horse Driving Champion; Jessica Dell’Aria, Ransomville, Senior Miniature Horse Gambler’s Choice Driving, Senior Miniature Horse Driving Reserve Champion; Lucy Ebbole, Lockport, Junior Miniature Horse Reinsmanship, Junior Miniature Horse Driving Reserve Champion; Hannah Fiacco, Barker, Beginner Miniature Horse Pleasure Driving, Beginner Miniature Horse Reinsmanship, Beginner Miniature Horse Timed Obstacle Driving, Beginner Miniature Horse Gambler’s Choice Driving, Beginner Miniature Horse Driving Champion; Rose Paxon, Clarence, Junior Miniature Horse Gambler’s Choice Driving; and Anna Spoth, Clarence Center, Junior Miniature Horse Pleasure Driving, Junior Miniature Horse Timed Obstacle Driving, Junior Miniature Horse Driving Champion.
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Niagara Honor Roll / Recognizing the accomplishments of Western New Yorkers

August 14, 2013, 7:58 pm
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Dr. Renee Taefi Baughman and Lucy and Dominick Muto have been named co-chairs of the 2014 Premier, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center’s annual black-tie dinner and entertainment gala, to be held Jan. 18 at the Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel. Proceeds will benefit the hospital’s Cardiac/Stroke Care Center Campaign.

Baughman, a physician with Women’s Medicine of Niagara, is chief of obstetrics and gynecology at Memorial. Lucy Muto is vice president of M&T Bank and branch manager of the Main and Cedar branch in Niagara Falls. Dominick Muto is employed at Sicoli & Massaro and is the owner of Reliable Property Service.

The gala will honor Dr. Sujatha Addagatla, a physician specializing in nephrology who has served Memorial patients since 1997, and Western New York banking executive Nancy Gara, founder of the Premier and a member of the Memorial Medical Center board of directors at the time of her death in May.

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Niagara University student Ethan Froelich was selected from a group of his peers at the 2013 Leader Development and Assessment Course as the ROTC cadet who best represented the Warrior Ethos, a term coined to reflect the embodiment of a soldier.

He received the honor during the Aug. 5 graduation and commissioning ceremony for the 446 members of the 13th ROTC regiment who completed the 29-day leadership program. The ceremony was held at Watkins Field on Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

Froelich, a senior criminal justice and criminology major at NU from Rome, N.Y., was one of the four cadets honored for individual accomplishments that set them apart from their peers.

The annual leadership course, also known as Operation Warrior Forge, is the U.S. Army Cadet Command’s capstone training event and assesses cadets typically between their junior and senior years of college.

The purpose of the course is to train U.S. Army ROTC cadets to Army standards, to develop their leadership skills and to evaluate their officer potential.

Successful completion of the program is a prerequisite to becoming an Army officer through ROTC.

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Ben Wroblewski, who has worked for more than a year as a field investigator for Alliance Worldwide Investigative Group Inc., has recently been promoted to a business development specialist for the Western New York area.

Wroblewski will identify potential prospects and partners that could benefit from the company’s suite of investigative risk mitigation services. He will continue to provide field investigation services for attorneys and adjustors to combat insurance fraud.

Wroblewski, who lives in Newfane, was previously employed in the security and investigative services industry and has many years of experience working in sales and management.

He received an associate degree in liberal arts from Niagara County Community College.

email: niagaranews@buffnews.com
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Niagara County faith-related events Aug. 18-25

August 14, 2013, 8:00 pm
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Monday

 PRAYER: The Healing Rooms of Buffalo Niagara is open to pray for anyone who needs physical, emotional or spiritual healing, 7 to 9 p.m., at the Potters House Christian Community Church, 723 Seventh St., Niagara Falls. No appointment or fee necessary. For more information, call 884-0048.

Tuesday

 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. Rev. Pat Lavery, co-founder of the group, will lead. For information call 553-3794 or visit www.wheatfieldcommunitychurch.org.

Wednesday

 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 p.m.; and “Orthodoxy 101,” a meeting designed for those wishing to convert or learn more about the Orthodox faith, at 7 p.m. All are welcome. For information, call 297-2668 or email saintgeorgeorthodox@yahoo.com.

Thursday

 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.
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Royalton plans first Community Day

August 14, 2013, 8:07 pm
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MIDDLEPORT – An inaugural Town of Royalton Community Day is planned for noon to 4 p.m. next Sunday at Royalton Town Hall, 5316 Royalton Center Road.

Volunteer fire companies from Wolcottsville, Terry’s Corners, Middleport and Gasport will be on hand with their fire trucks. The Niagara County Sheriff’s Office’s new command center will be on display for tours, joined by members of the Mounted Division.

Modern Corp. representatives will be on hand to talk about recycling. The Niagara Orleans County Dairy Princess will be serving milk punch. And Absolut Care of Gasport will offer free blood pressure checks.

“This is a chance to put everyone in one central location,” said Town Supervisor Jennifer Bieber. “This is an opportunity for any group who wants to come down and give out information or look for new membership.”

Bieber added, “Boy Scout or Girl Scout or 4-H groups might want to come down and set up. Local growers are welcome to come and sell their produce. If any local businesses or organizations want to join us at the last minute, we’ll find a space. Just call me at home at 735-7335.”

Entertainment will be provided by the Good Ol’ Boys, one of the bands that opened for Kellie Pickler in Lockport on Aug. 9.

“They had over 200 submissions for local bands to open for Kellie Pickler, and it was narrowed down to 10 and then Kellie herself picked the three bands who would open for her, and the Good Ol’ Boys was one of them,” said Bieber. “Pretty cool.”

Also of note is the fact that the band’s lead singer, Mike Hartman, is the assessor shared by the towns of Royalton and Hartland, Bieber said.

Sunday’s event will be held rain or shine, and the town will provide free hot dogs, soft drinks and water.

The idea for the event grew from a suggestion made at a Royalton Fire Board meeting, Bieber said, as volunteer fire departments are always looking for new members.

Organizers expanded the idea to include any interested local businesses or organizations, she added.
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Best of jazz takes to the streets at Lewiston’s 12th Annual Jazz Fest

August 14, 2013, 8:34 pm
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LEWISTON – A great summer of free music and summer festivals in the Village of Lewiston culminates Friday and Saturday in one of the summer’s most anticipated events – the Lewiston Jazz Fest.

The annual event boasts free music on five stages, featuring top names and new discoveries in jazz. Also on tap are a display of classic jaguars cars, jewelry, regional wines and culinary offerings that go beyond the ordinary fair fare.

Bobby Militello will headline the festival Friday night and will receive the first Western New York Jazz Ambassador of the Year Award, recognized for his outstanding international success as a jazz musician and for his efforts to promote and celebrate jazz, according to Carol Calato, chairwoman of the Lewiston Jazz Festival board of directors.

This year’s festival will feature more than 100 musicians and more than 40 performances on the stages along Center Street in the Village, as well as in local restaurants. The festival gets under way at 5 p.m. Friday and continues, at outdoor venues, until 10:30 p.m. On Saturday, the music begins at noon and continues through 10 p.m.

“The historic Lewiston Jazz Festival has grown each and every year with a unique blend of national, international and local musicians to become an end-of-summer festival for both residents and visitors from Western New York, southern Ontario and other regions,” Calato said.

“What started out as a sweet, little festival has really grown to become a premier Western New York music festival,” said Sandy Hays-Mies, the festival’s executive director. “Also Lewiston’s reputation as a hip, little village has gotten out and people have discovered Lewiston over the past five or six years, and that has helped to grow the festival.”

Approximately 40,000 people attend each year. Hays-Mies said there has been a real effort to make the event a first-class festival.

“We pay very strict attention to the kinds of vendors we allow in. We make sure the food is not your traditional festival food. We have a lot of gourmet foods that we offer from our restaurants. We pay a lot of attention to sanitation to make sure that there isn’t trash on the street, which can easily get out of hand with that many people, to make sure the event always looks pristine,” Hayes-Mies said. “We also require vendors to have tablecloths on their tables to make their booths look like a cabaret instead of a festival stand.”

She said support from sponsors and the community has also helped grow the festival, which is free to the public but costs about $150,000 to produce. Costs include hiring professional stages and sound people, and more than 150 musicians that are handpicked by music director Ron Corsaro and a committee.

When the New York Power Authority, as a public commission, was not allowed to sponsor the event about seven years ago, the festival’s organizers had to appeal to the private sector to keep the festival alive.

“At that time we only raised about $1,000 from the private sector. Today a festival that costs us $150,000 to execute is fully funded because of sponsorships. It’s wonderful,” she said.

The presenting sponsor for this year’s fest is Emblem Health, with secondary sponsorships from Sevenson Environmental Services and M&T Bank and the Town of Lewiston. There also are early 100 other sponsors, from politicians to individuals, to local businesses and area restaurants.

Jazz saxophonist Militello, who will be featured on the main stage at 8:30 p.m. Friday, has been on the Buffalo jazz scene for more than five decades, and toured with the Maynard Ferguson Band, recording and doubling as his road manager. He joined the Dave Brubeck Quartet in 1982 and toured major jazz festivals throughout the United States and Canada. He was a member of the touring Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show Band and has been a staple on soundtracks recorded in Hollywood and New York for movies, commercials and TV shows. In all, he has recorded more than 250 albums.

He also managed Buffalo’s Tralf and owns the Bijou Grille and Militello’s Restaurant in Buffalo.

On Saturday night, the headliner will be M.F. Production’s Celebration of Lionel Hampton on the main stage at 8 p.m., with Kevin Mahogany and Jason Marsalis leading an all star 12-piece jazz ensemble paying memorial tribute to Hampton, one of the most celebrated jazz vibraphonists of his time.

Internationally acclaimed percussionist Jason Marsalis is the youngest of the celebrated Marsalis brothers while Mahogany is recognized as a standout jazz vocalist.

For those who yearn to learn more about jazz, there will be a “show and tell” performance of the Eastman School of Music Jazz Anthology on the Rising Star Stage at M&T Bank at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

Coached by professor Rich Thompson, bright young jazz players will serve up a variety of styles, from Louis Armstrong and Charlie Parker to Sonny Rollins and Pat Metheny. Musicians will perform along Center Street, with the main stage located at Center and Fourth streets, the Rising Star stage at M&T Bank and stages at DiCamillo Bakery, the Lewiston Peace Garden and the Frontier House porch.

Area chefs will showcase their specialties for purchase along Center Street. Regional wines from the Niagara County Wine Trail also will be available.

Festivalgoers can shop under the big tent for vintage and contemporary jewelry as part of the “Jewelry and All the Jazz Show.” And for those who like their sparkly things on four wheels, there is a classic car show, coordinated by Jaguar of Buffalo and presented by West Herr Jaguar.

Featured are vintage British cars, European collector cars and cars of special interest.

Hays-Mies believes the festivalgoers themselves are key to the event’s successful chemistry.

“There are two kinds of people who come to the jazz festival: There are the real jazz enthusiasts and they can come and see some of the best jazz musicians around [and] those that just love a wonderful festival and enjoy the music,” Hays-Mies said.

A complete list of performers and activities is available at www.lewistonjazz.com. Parking is free and available in the lower level lot at Artpark. Seating for performances is limited, so festivalgoers are encouraged to bring their own chairs.

email: nfischer@buffnews.com
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State to update century-old pedestrian bridges in Niagara Falls State Park

August 14, 2013, 8:54 pm
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NIAGARA FALLS – The state is planning to either repair or replace a pair of hundred-year-old pedestrian bridges crossed by millions in Niagara Falls State Park every year.

Officials from the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and Department of Transportation peg the costs in the tens of millions of dollars for the bridges that connect the mainland and Goat Island via Green Island.

The bridges are considered to be in “deficient” condition – though not unsafe – by the state, and underwent repairs in the spring.

They have been closed to trolley traffic since mid-2004 when a chunk of a bridge fell into the river and temporary truss structures were installed over the existing arches. Pedestrians have had an obstructed view of the river rapids and the brink of the falls since then because of what was put in place.

The state parks agency has dedicated $3 million toward the cost of developing bridge designs, Parks Western Regional Director Mark W. Thomas said.

Thomas called the bridges “vital to the full Niagara Falls State Park experience as it is a passageway between Green Island, Goat Island and the mainland and provides a spectacular view of the Falls.”

Officials estimate the total costs to rehabilitate the bridges at between $34.2 million and $50.4 million, while building new bridges is estimated to be between $38.1 million and $62.3 million, according to a June report issued by the DOT.

Those figures include not only construction costs, but also design and inspection work. No funding source has yet been identified.

Designs for the project are expected to be approved in the fall of 2014, with construction beginning in the fall of 2016 and being completed in the fall of 2018.

The major rehabilitation projects on the bridges since they were built in 1901 included work in 1965, 1969 and 1980, according to the DOT report.

In June 2004, a large piece of a concrete arch from the bridge connecting the mainland and Green Island fell into the Niagara River, which led to an emergency inspection and the closure of both bridges, the most recent DOT report said.

A 2005 report by Cannon/FRA Design, cited in the latest report, recommended replacement of both bridges.

Paul Gromosiak, an area historian and author, said he’d like to see the bridges restored, not only because it’s cheaper, but also because it would allow them to be kept as historically accurate as possible.

“These bridges complement the falls by being made of stone primarily on the outside,” Gromosiak said. “The arches, of course, are something that complement and blend with the river very nicely.”

Gromosiak said there’s a time capsule in the cornerstone of the bridge between the mainland and Green Island, a capsule that was placed there 100 years ago this Nov. 22.

He said he’d like to see the capsule rededicated with something new put inside of it.

email: abesecker@buffnews.com
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Lockport’s outdoor piano promotion deemed a success

August 17, 2013, 1:05 pm
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LOCKPORT – Throughout the summer, 13 pianos have been placed at various locations in downtown Lockport as part of a public art promotion.

That promotion ends today, with general agreement that “Sweet Harmony,” as it was called by the promoter, Ellen Martin, was a success.

“I think it’s been a cool thing, and I have to commend Ellen for her creativity and her imagination,” Mayor Michael W. Tucker said.

“I received a lot of positive feedback about it. People took advantage of it and enjoyed it,” said Heather B. Peck, program manager for Lockport Main Street Inc.

The idea was to make used pianos into showcases of creativity by painting and decorating them in an assortment of styles, and leaving the uprights and spinets on the sidewalk for people to play as they saw fit.

“Everybody has their own stories about people coming by to play,” said Martin, owner of Sweet Sixteen Cafe and Sweet Ride Rentals. “Some are really talented.”

Otherwise, Martin said, listeners have been subjected to “a lot of ‘Chopsticks.’ ”

Bree Woodbridge, co-owner of McCollum Orchards, the only active fruit farm within the city limits, donated an old upright piano to be placed in a gazebo at Josie Carveth Packet Park on Market Street, near the Market Street Art Center and Lockport Locks and Erie Canal Cruises.

The instrument, a one-time player piano, is estimated to be about 80 years old. Woodbridge said it was appropriate to place it in a park named after her husband Richard Woodbridge’s great-grandmother.

Like most of the other pianos, it was left exposed to the elements during what has been a rather wet summer.

“It weighs 400 pounds, so good luck moving it,” Bree Woodbridge said. “It was out in the barn, so it’s used to the weather … It’s in OK shape. It actually held its tune surprisingly well.”

Neither she nor Richard play the piano, but they did find some old sheet music from the 1920s that they left with the instrument in the park, including an obscure old song called “The First Kiss.” There were reports that some skilled pianist sight-read that song recently.

“I think it was a fun, positive part of the summer, and kudos to Ellen for thinking it up,” Bree Woodbridge said.

The piano outside City Hall was covered more often than not, as it was late in being painted. It was exposed more in the last couple of weeks.

Main Street businesswoman Julie Muscato had her piano painted in-house, using a black-and-white chevron design. Many pianos were decorated by artists from the Market Street Art Center.

“People walk by and start pecking away. Most of them are just having fun,” said the owner of Julie Muscato Interior Design on Main Street, who placed the piano outside her store.

Muscato said she made no effort to protect the donated piano from the rain.

“I had to put mine out so far toward the street, because I don’t have an overhang,” Muscato said. We decided we would just let it be.” Martin supplied tarpaulins for piano protection, but Muscato said her piano “would have just been covered up all weekend. … It did take a little more wear and tear than the others, but it still plays.”

Woodbridge placed a piece of Plexiglas above the keyboard of her piano to protect it from vandalism.

Martin, who had pianos outside both of her businesses, said the only report of intentional damage came from Old City Hall on Pine Street, where someone stole the black keys off the keyboard.

“I’m not sure why,” Martin said. “It was a disappointment. I’m a little surprised there wasn’t more [vandalism].”

Other pianos were at Lake Effect Ice Cream, the Lockport Cave ticket office, Market Street Art Center, Pallister House Florists, Sixteen West Salon, the YWCA, and the Lockport Public Library, the latter sponsored by Miller Pianos, whose owner, Tom Miller, did the tuning and collected most of the donated instruments used in “Sweet Harmony.”

A plan to place a piano at the Niagara County Courthouse fell through.

The piano promotion was timed to end today, the day of the annual Taste of Lockport in Ida Fritz Park, West and Park avenues.

About 20 local eateries will serve food from noon to 6 p.m., to the accompaniment of live music by Brother 2 Brother and The Moondogs.

Shamus Restaurant will be defending its titles won last year as the People’s Choice, along with best dessert and best appetizer, while Cammarata’s Restaurant will defend the crown for best entree.

Today also marks the completion of Martin’s Sweet Chalk promotion on the Canal Street sidewalk from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Carolyn Schultz, a star chalk artist from Orlando, Fla., will be completing her sidewalk chalk edition of the Mona Lisa, and other local artists also will be working on their hands and knees.



email: tprohaska@buffnews.com
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Pro returns to share his love of golf with youth

August 17, 2013, 1:05 pm
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Frank Garcia was 11 years old when he discovered his passion for golf.

Walking from his home on 37th Street and Simmons Drive, through St. Joseph’s Cemetery and the gully of Hyde Park’s Red Nine, Garcia and his friends would collect lost golf balls on their way to playing 18 holes. On weekends, when youths could not play the course, Garcia spent full days at the practice area by the ice pavilion. “The first couple times, my father thought I got kidnapped,” he said.

By the time he was 16, Garcia was good enough to win the Hyde Park men’s championship.

Garcia went on to play college golf, qualified for the Porter Cup and a couple Canadian professional tournaments and become a PGA teaching professional. He’s visited many of the country’s premier courses. At last weekend’s PGA Championship in Rochester, Garcia tended to the practice range areas, interacting with some of the world’s top players.

Two days later, Garcia returned to Hyde Park Golf Course and stoked his passion for the game.

“Coming back here, I get goose bumps,” said Garcia, 57, now an assistant professional at Niagara Frontier Country Club. “Hyde Park will always be home to me”

Garcia was honored Tuesday as part of the 36th City of Niagara Falls Kids Junior Golf Tournament. Two weeks earlier, the 2009 Western New York Professional Golf Association Teaching Professional of the Year gave a free clinic to many of the young golfers that would be playing in the tournament.

Inspired by the experience, Garcia said he plans to continue offering free clinics at Hyde Park annually. “It’s an honor for me to come and help the kids out,” he said. “You never know what a golf club and a little bit of motivation can do.”

Garcia came of age before the Hyde Park Juniors Championship was created, but he is remembered as one of the best young players in the city’s history.

“He was always as good of a player as there was. Nobody played the game better, from tee to green,” tournament founder Ken Ruggiero recalled.

“He was a very competitive, aggressive person. He did his own thing. He was a tough cookie, but you knew where he came from and you had to like him because he was a square shooter. As he got older, he got very spiritual and he sort of changed his life and became somebody who was more interested in what other people were doing with their lives and how he could help them than in his own life.”

Garcia told the young golfers to take advantage of a game that allowed them to play alongside older generations.

“It’s something I didn’t realize then but I realize more now, how much knowledge I gained from all of the men who were willing to share it,” he said. “There were a bunch of wonderful golfers that played here. Guys that spent their whole life playing golf. It was like holy ground. If you didn’t replace a divot, they’d eat your lunch. So you learned young to rake the bunker and do all the stuff you’re supposed to do.”

For the Juniors Championships, Hyde Park closes its main 18-hole layout for the morning, spruces up the historic but seldom played Red Nine, solicits food and prize donations from local businesses, and invites youths ages 7 to 17 from all locales to play for a $5 entry fee. This year, 107 players participated.

“A lot of these kids that come out here have probably never held a golf club before,” said John Caso, deputy director of public works and tournament coordinator. “When they are done, they say to their mom and dads, ‘I want to play. I want a set of clubs.’ And before you know it, they are playing nine holes, twice per week.”

Mayor Paul Dyster said, “It’s a great opportunity for our youth to come out and be exposed to a sport that, as Frank Garcia said, you can play as a youngster, you can play at middle age, you can play as a senior citizen, and you can play together.”

“And we’re proud that it gives us an opportunity to show off our Hyde Park Golf Course. We continue to make improvements here, and we are a looking at a series of additional improvements.”

The tournament was born from youth clinics Ruggiero gave when he was the city’s supervisor of recreation. “When the clinics were over, these kids were so juiced up about golf that I decided we needed to have some sort of piece de resistance to the clinics,” he said. “Not one public golf course had junior golf tournaments. Private clubs did. But public courses, I think we were 15 or 20 years before another one did it.”

Last summer, Dyster gave a proclamation recognizing Ruggiero as the founder of the tournament.

“It’s without a doubt, hands down, the proudest thing I’ve ever done,” Ruggiero said. “Golf is a great sport. It brings kids together. I see kids out here that don’t know each other in the morning putting their arms around each other at the end of the day, and I think, “Oh my, what have you done?” God is going to reward me for this, I’m sure.”

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The winners of this year’s tournament were: Boys, 15-17 – David Yarger; Girls, 11-14 – Mikah McDonnell; Boys, 11-14 – Shane Helbig; Girls, 7-10 – Brianna Scazzafava; Boys 7-10,– Andrew Messalle.
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Margie and John Urban celebrate 50th wedding anniversary

August 13, 2013, 2:13 pm
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Mr. and Mrs. John F. Urban of Niagara Falls celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a family vacation in Hawaii. Mr. Urban and Margaret M. Nowak were married Aug. 17, 1963, in St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic Church in Niagara Falls. He is a retired physical education teacher and coach for Niagara Wheatfield Central School District. They have two children, three grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
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