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Let's Go Back for Feb. 24, 2012

by jmaloni
Tue, Feb 28th 2012 01:45 pm

40 Years Ago, Feb. 23, 1972

Plans finalized for citizens award dinner

Joseph R. Masters of the Island's Chamber of Commerce has announced that Supervisor Raymond P. Griffin has been selected to present the Citizen of the Year award to Robert Campbell at this year's annual dinner, which is being held at the Buffalo Launch Club on East River Road. ...

All Island citizens are invited attend and pay tribute to those citizens the chamber has selected for their outstanding contributions to the community.

30 Years Ago, Feb. 19, 1982

Winter has taken its toll on Island roads

"This is definitely one of the hardest winters we have had in a long time," Highway Superintendent Norman Mrkall said Thursday in commenting on the condition of Island roads. "We have had a hard time getting the ice off roads because it formed so fast and the extreme cold continued so long."

Keeping town roads in passable condition has resulted in overtime work far above that contemplated, as well as a high consumption of sand and salt, Mrkall said.

Despite the large amount of sand and salt needed to help clear town roads, the Highway Department has kept well within its budget. "That's why we maintain a surplus - so we do not have to worry about conditions that prevailed this year," he said, adding, "We are in good shape."

20 Years Ago, Feb. 28, 1992

Canadian bridge plans dormant

Plans for building a toll bridge across the West River between Fort Erie and Canada, announced by Canadian investors in November, apparently have not progressed beyond the exploration stage.

The Niagara River Region Concerned Citizens, a group of town residents seeking to meet with the investors, have been told, "At this time there is insufficient information available with regard to tangible plans to open discussions with NRCC."

Maj. Gen. Richard Rohmer, head of the Canadian Niagara New Bridge Corporation, in a letter to Citizens chairman, John Pax, said, "We still have not reached a conclusion."

Referring to the news story in November, Rohmer said, "My organization was simply looking at a concept and had not come to any final position as to whether a bridge would be feasible economically, aesthetically or economically."

The Town Board opposed the Canadian investors' proposal to construct the bridge, which it, at that time, estimated would cost between $160 million and $200 million and could be built by 1995.

10 Years Ago, Feb. 22, 2002

New IsleChem owners seeking brighter future

A little over one year ago, Occidental Chemical Corporation, which operated for more than four decades at its Love Road location, announced its plans to phase out jobs and eventually shut down the plant.

At that time 40 jobs were initially eliminated, and others would be lost (when) the plant closed its doors for the final time. But in September of 2001, a major turn in events occurred, a turn which could have a positive impact on the growth of business on Grand Island. Three former employees of Occidental Chemical Corporation's Grand Island Research and Technology Center stepped up and purchased the business and the facility. Dr. Charles Rader, Edward Rowe and Dale Kunze combined efforts and formed the new companies, IsleChem LLC and IsleChem Business Center LLC.

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