Sandbags provide brief flood relief on Roberts Drive
by Susan Mikula Campbell
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 19, 2009
Residents near Cayuga Creek on Roberts Drive have received at least some temporary relief from flooding, according to Deputy Supervisor Robert E. Herman.
Herman, who was filling in for vacationing Supervisor Steven C. Richards at Tuesday's Town Board meeting, said there was more flooding in the Tuscarora Road area after heavy rains on March 7.
On March 8, Richards and Herman walked the creek from Porter Road, and in a wooded portion found that a v-shaped area had been worn away in the creek bank by water. That water was going into the Roberts Drive back yards. Workers from the town Highway Department cut away brush and debris and brought in a couple hundred sandbags.
After another heavy rain the night of March 9, Herman said, his own back yard was puddled. "I drove over and was sure that area would be flooded, but it wasn't."
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Cosmetology students take hairstyles to new lengths
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 19, 2009
Shown, from left, are first-place evening category model Elyse La Chance from Lewiston-Porter, teacher Cathy Bonaccorso and winning stylist Deanna Wait from Niagara-Wheatfield.
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A crowd gathered at the Niagara Career and Technical Education Center recently to watch cosmetology students and their models parade on the catwalk showing off their talents and creativity.
More than 130 students participated in the event in the categories of evening, braiding/extensions and fantasy hairstyles.
"The students did an amazing job," said cosmetology teacher Pauline Szathmary. "We had several judges who were former students, local salon owners and stylists come in and they had an incredibly hard time picking the winners. There is so much talent here."
Ruth Gibson and Cathy Bonaccorso, the other two cosmetology teachers at the center, said their students have been working for weeks coming up with inspirations and techniques to impress the judges and the audience. "They have been all working so hard, and it shows," says Gibson.
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BOCES graphics program brings home awards
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 19, 2009
The students of Karen Krull's graphic communications class at the Orleans/Niagara BOCES Niagara Career and Technical Center recently participated in Metro Group Inc. Ad Craft 2009 and were recognized for their work. Eight students from Krull's class had their ads published as part of the competition. Shown from left are David Hewitt (Niagara-Wheatfield), Courtney Foley (North Tonawanda), Graham Hall (Lewiston-Porter), Miranda Lyle (North Tonawanda), Brittany Reynolds (North Tonawanda), Jacob Schul (Niagara-Wheatfield), Tiffany Hammond (Wilson) and Kyle Lochren (Wilson).
Jagow announces strategies for coping with passport rules
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 5, 2009
With more stringent rules for international travel inside North America set to take hold June 1, Niagara County Clerk Wayne Jagow has announced his office is augmenting its passport offerings with new services designed to make obtaining the documents easier for county residents.
Jagow, whose Lockport office now offers a "one-stop shopping" approach, said last week that given Niagara County's proximity to Canada, it's doubly important for county residents to have access to an easy and speedy passport application process.
"If people need a passport, they can come to the Niagara County Clerk's Office at any time and be taken care of," Jagow said.
The office is located in the Niagara County Courthouse, 175 Hawley St., Lockport.
Jagow showed off a dedicated, private area for processing passport applications that he said helps make the application process, including potentially sensitive questions that applicants might have, more comfortable.
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Schumer backs Wheatfield floodplain fight
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 5, 2009
In an effort to help save homeowners in the Town of Wheatfield from costly flood insurance fees, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer has called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to re-examine the homes included in the newly established floodplain map to ensure that the maps are a precise representation of the flood zones.
"Wheatfield homeowners are getting slapped with mandatory, onerous flood insurance fees that in many cases could be completely unnecessary – and it couldn't come at a worse time. As we all work through these tough economic times, the last thing homeowners need is a $1,100 fee," Schumer said. "The town already assumed the cost of an expensive engineering study to ensure a thorough and accurate flood mapping process. Residents should not have to bear the burden of funding another study in search of more discrepancies. I urge FEMA to work with Wheatfield officials to reevaluate the flood maps based on the town's existing engineering study."
The town engineering study succeeded in removing more than half of the homes that FEMA claimed were in a new floodplain. Now, the remaining 387 homeowners are faced with the choice of paying up to $1,100 every year in mandatory flood insurance, or funding another expensive engineering study in the hopes of finding more discrepancies in the FEMA flood plain map, Schumer said.
Basket auction in Wheatfield
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 5, 2009
The Ladies Auxiliary of the St. Johnsburg Volunteer Fire Co. is hosting its annual theme basket auction on Sunday, March 8, at the firehall, 7165 Ward Road, Wheatfield. Doors open at 11 a.m. and drawings begin at 3 p.m. Door prizes, raffles and lunch items will be available. Admission is $5 (25 tickets). Making preparations, from left, are Janice Vertlieb, Debbie Collins (event co-chairwoman and auxiliary trustee) and Arlene Mante (auxiliary president).
