Saddle Up For Roswell

On September 10th, 2016, Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center will be hosting their 11th annual Saddle Up for Roswell event.

This is a wonderful horse show where the riders raise money for Roswell. The day benefits cancer research and patient care in Western New York at Roswell park Cancer Institute. More than 100 riders participate in this event and the community is encouraged to come view this great show which will feature dressage, cross country, and stadium jumping events.

The Chestnut Ridge Equestrian community is passionate about cancer, a cause that has touched so many in one way or another. They are proud to partner with Roswell Park to assist those who face this disease. Last year they raised $14,430 -- and over the past 8 years they have raised nearly $133,000.

In order to continue this special event, they are seeking both in-kind and monetary donations. They also sponsor a basket raffle at the event. Donors would receive exposure on many levels from hundreds of participants, ads in the newspapers, TV spots, links with USEA (United States Eventing Association) and USDF (United States Dressage Foundation).

For more information please contact Megan Gamin, Co-Chair of Saddle Up for Roswell, at (716) 772-7703 or pistolmeg@thegamins.com.

To donate to Roswell Park Cancer Institute on behalf of this event, make checks payable to Roswell Park Cancer Institute and send to: Chestnut Ridge Equestrian Center, Saddle Up for Roswell, 7913 Chestnut Ridge Road, P.O. Box 372, Gasport, NY, 14067

Information for participants and donors can be found on the Equestrian Center's website:

http://chestnutridgeequestriancenter.com/shows-and-events/2015/9/12/saddle-up-for-roswell-10th-anniversary

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center. The Institute was one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

A product invented in Gasport "officially" turns 40

September will mark the 40th anniversary of the patenting of a product invented right here in Gasport by my dad, Doug Confer. His ubiquitous flexible fuel funnel can be found in garages everywhere and it is used to put gasoline, oil, and other compounds into vehicles.

The item was invented in 1975 while the 24 year-old was working on the family farm in Gasport (that in itself is a testament to his and my grandfather's work ethic – they ran a farm AND a factory!).

Back then, funnels were made out of metal that would either corrode or not clean very well. So, Doug thought, why not make them out of plastic at their young plastics company in North Tonawanda? Plastic wouldn’t corrode and leave pieces of metal in fuel tanks, and it would be much cheaper than the metal alternatives.

My dad received his patent in September of 1976 and Confer Plastics made hundreds of thousands of the funnels until the patent expired 14 years later. After that, Mexico and China could make them far cheaper than we could. While we haven’t made any funnels since 1990, it’s a product that helped us grow and it’s pretty neat to see this effective invention in use throughout the world....an invention that came to be on a small farm in Gasport.

Mr. Hyde has passed away

Mr. Hyde was one of my teachers during the sixth grade at Gasport Elementary School. He always delivered a good science class and I can clearly remember his "Metric Mondays".

Mr. Hyde passed away over the weekend.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Here is Mr. Hyde's obituary...


Robert Rae Hyde, age 73 of Middleport, entered into rest on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at the Brothers of Mercy.

Born August 31, 1942 in Lockport, Robert is the son of the late Robert Maxwell and Norma (Lines) Hyde.

Robert worked at the Royalton Hartland Central School District at the Gasport Elementary School as a teacher. He retired in 1999.

Surviving is his dear wife: Mary Margaret (Kelly) Hyde, a sister: Carol (Craig) Dixon, special friend: Ken Halstead and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Services will be announced at a later date.

Donations may be made to Samaritan's Purse, P. O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607 or to the Brothers of Mercy, 10570 Bergtold Road, Clarence, NY 14031.

Please go to the Bates Wallace website and leave a condolence for the family:

http://obits.dignitymemorial.com/dignity-memorial/obituary.aspx?n=Robert-Hyde&lc=6722&pid=181220903&mid=7066265

HBC Community Day

Gasport residents and those of surrounding communities, along with the friends and families of Hartland Bible Church are invited to join them for a day of food and fun. They will be hosting their 2nd annual Community Day on Saturday, September 10th from 11:00 AM till 3:00 PM at the HBC at 8100 West Ave. They will be having a corn roast, hot dogs, giant water slide, inflatable obstacle course, lawn games, bocce, volleyball, and kids area with crafts. Please note everything is free!

The Facebook event page is at: https://www.facebook.com/events/278865655838142/

TOWN OF ROYALTON COMMUNITY DAY

The Town of Royalton Community Day will be this Sunday, August 28 from noon to 3:00. This event will take place at Royalton Town Hall, 5316 Royalton Center Rd, Middleport, NY.  They will have electronic recycling that day for residents. They will have hot dogs and drinks to all residents who stop in. The town clerk and town historian will be available for questions. They also have some local businesses and organizations who will come and set up to provide information about what they do. For a list of what is accepted for the e recycle, please go to www.sunnking.com and search for acceptable materials. Any questions please call Supervisor Jennifer Bieber at 716-735-7335.

Local ponds hit hard by fish kills

A month and a half ago, in one of my nature columns I suggested that WNY ponds were being set-up for significant fish kills this summer (http://www.allwnynews.com/…/exploring-niagara-frontier-wny-…). Well, unfortunately, I was right. Our big pond has been decimated. Four of our sterile grass carp (used to combat weed growth) have washed up on shore. In this picture, the Lil' One investigates one of the cadavers -- a carp that likely weighed close to 30 pounds. Throughout the shore I found plenty of dead crappies and the head of a bass that when it was alive was probably a 20"+ trophy largemouth. It's kind of depressing -- we manage our fishery so it gives our family countless hours of fishing fun and then Mother Nature has other plans.

Terry's Corners secures FEMA grant

It takes a lot of money to keep a volunteer fire company fully and properly equipped, and finding funding for a rural fire department can be tough. So, a hearty congratulations goes out to Terry's Corners as they have been awarded a grant from FEMA totaling $121,436 that will be used to purchase new SCBA and a new cascade system to replace the old one on Rescue Truck 4. Great job, TC!

Cliff Grant's John Deere Museum

The Lockport US&J looks at Cliff Grant's John Deere toy museum in Hartland:

http://www.lockportjournal.com/news/local_news/toying-around-on-the-farm/article_9bfaf342-7186-5672-9e8f-13828babc618.html

Hartland's new truck makes the news

The Buffalo News looks at the Hartland highway department's new truck...which was once used by the US military abroad:

http://www.buffalonews.com/city-region/all-niagara-county/niagara-county-towns-new-truck-once-hauled-tanks-in-germany-20160814

Road closure

Dewhirst Rd, from Bunker Hill Rd to Grove Rd, will be closed Wednesday 8/17 at 6:30am until 5:00pm due to road work.

Royalton Community Day

The Town of Royalton Community day will be Sunday, August 28th. The town is looking for any local businesses, organizations or groups that would like to set up a table for the event, at no charge. It will run from noon-3:00. Please contact Supervisor Jennifer Bieber at 716-735-7335 as soon as possible.

KLEINFELDER: MACHINIST OF THE YEAR

Troy Kleinfelder, a senior from Royalton Hartland, was recognized as the Outstanding Precision Machine Technology student of the Year at the Orleans Career and Technical Education Center. Troy was introduced by his teacher Bill Rakonczay and Dale Pearce, a former student from the program, gifted him with a scholarship. Mr. Pearce gives out a $200 scholarship each year to the recipient of the award. He started the scholarship to further education and training to graduates.

ROSSELLI COACHING IN OLYMPICS

Tom Brands of Iowa City, Iowa, Mark Manning of Lincoln, Neb. and Lou Rosselli of Columbus, Ohio have been named as the volunteer freestyle coaches for the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The freestyle wrestling competition will be held August 19-21 at the Carioca 2 Arena in Rio.

They will work with National Freestyle Coach Bruce Burnett and Assistant National Freestyle Coaches Bill Zadick and Brandon Slay in the preparation of the team and the coaching of the athletes at the Olympic Games. These assignments are subject to approval by the United States Olympic Committee.

Rosselli was a a 2012 Olympic coach in London, England, where the USA won three medals including two gold medals. He has coached numerous U.S. World Teams, including most recently at the 2015 World Championships, where the USA won three medals, including two champions. He is a personal coach for 2016 U.S. Olympians Kyle Snyder and Tervel Dlagnev. Snyder became the youngest U.S. World champion in 2015 at age 19. Rosselli serves as Associate Head Coach at the Ohio State University, where he has worked 10 years and helped lead the Buckeyes to the 2015 NCAA team title. He was a member of the 1996 U.S. Olympic Team which competed in Atlanta, Ga., and was a two-time NCAA All-American as a student-athlete at Edinboro.

“I am always excited to help the Olympic team. I was fortunate enough in 2012 to help out. Being selected by Coach Burnett is a great honor. I am pleased to be helping. I believe we have a good team and it will go really well,” said Rosselli.

“Our goal should always be the same, to win six medals and hopefully, they would be gold. We know the world is tough. We have to do everything in our power to give them their best chance, from training them correctly to their recovery to tapering them down right, to scouting their opponents. Our chances are good. I think every guy in every weight class has a chance to be successful. As we come down the stretch, we have to make sure we flip every rock and we do our part to give them the best chance to win,” said Rosselli.


LOU ROSSELLI BIOGRAPHY

Lou Rosselli was a 2012 Olympic coach and helped lead the USA to three individual medalists, champions Jordan Burroughs and Jake Varner and bronze medalist Coleman Scott. The USA was third in the unofficial standings.

Rosselli has coached numerous U.S. Senior World Teams, including the 2015 U.S. World Team, which won three medals, including two champions in Las Vegas, Nev.. He was a 2013 U.S. World Team Coach, helping lead the USA to a fifth-place finish in Budapest, Hungary. Rosselli served as a 2011 U.S. World Team Coach in Istanbul, Turkey, which finished third in the team standings. Rosselli also served as a 2007 U.S. World Team Coach, helping lead the United States to a fourth place finish. He also served as a World Team Coach for the 2006 U.S. Freestyle World Team, which placed third as a team in Guangzhou, China.

He is the personal coach for 2016 Olympians Kyle Snyder at 96 kg and Tervel Dlagnev at 125 kg. Snyder was a Senior World champion in 2015, the youngest in U.S. history at age 19. In 2013, Rosselli coached an amazing five athletes on the U.S. World Team, Dlagnev plus Angel Escobedo at 55 kg, Reece Humphrey at 60 kg, Keith Gavin at 84 kg and J.D. Bergman at 96 kg. He also had three members on the 2015 U.S. World Team, Snyder, Dlagnev and Humphrey.

Rosselli is a coach with the nationally respected New York Athletic Club, and is the head coach at the Ohio Regional Training Center, which has won the RTC Cup as the nation’s most successful freestyle RTC.

He was the assistant coach of the 2005 U.S. World University Games Team, which placed third in the team standings with three individual gold medalists in Izmir, Turkey. He also coached the 2010 U.S. World University Championships team in Torino, Italy. He was also a coach for the U.S. team at the 2009 Pan American Championships. Rosselli has also coached a number of other U.S. teams on international tours.

He has received the Terry McCann Freestyle Coach of the Year from USA Wrestling two times, in 2007 and 2013.

Rosselli serves as the Associate Head Coach at The Ohio State University, working on the staff with head coach Tom Ryan and has been with the Buckeyes for 10 seasons. He was instrumental in helping the Buckeyes win its first NCAA Div. I national title in 2015, plus NCAA runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2009. Among the stars he has coached with the Buckeye program was four-time NCAA champion Logan Stieber and two-time NCAA champion J Jaggers.

Previously, he served 11 seasons as an assistant coach at Edinboro Univ., eight years as a full-time assistant and three years as a volunteer assistant. Rosselli has helped build the Scotsmen into a nationally competitive program on the Div. I level.

Rosselli competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Ga., at 114.5 pounds. He was a 1997 World Cup champion, and won a silver medal at the 1998 Pan American Championships. He won U.S. National freestyle titles three times (1995, 1996, 1999) and was second in the 1998 U.S. Nationals. Rosselli was also a University Nationals freestyle champion in 1994.

Rosselli placed third at the 1993 NCAA Championships and was fourth in the 1991 NCAA Championships for Edinboro Univ. A native of Middleport, N.Y., Rosselli was a two-time New York state champion at Royalton-Hartland High School, in addition to finishing second once and third once.

FMC REMEDIATION UPDATE

FMC Corporation informed a group of property owners in Middleport this week that it has been requested by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), along with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) (collectively, the “Agencies”) to perform additional investigative activities in a portion of the study area known as “Tributary One and Flood Plain South of Pearson/Stone Roads,” also referred to as “Operable Unit 6” or “OU6.”

The data and information that will be obtained will be used to better delineate the areas and depths of elevated arsenic on properties, and/or to evaluate the scope of any remediation that may be needed as part of a Corrective Measures Study (CMS).

These investigative activities will be conducted concurrently with those announced in June 2016 as part of an OU6 Reach T1 Interim Corrective Measures Pre-design Work Plan for approximately 26 properties along the upstream portion of Tributary One and its flood plain between Francis St. on the south and the Erie Canal on the north.

FMC and/or its environmental consultants will be contacting individual property owners for an estimated 45 parcels north of the Erie Canal to discuss property-specific activities and to request permission to perform the work required for the CMS.

Activities to be conducted in 2016 may include:

• Inspecting properties to identify, survey, and mark sampling locations and property boundaries;
• Collecting stream and/or wetland samples and characterization data;
• Collecting surface and subsurface soil samples on selected properties;
• Inspecting structures (e.g., embankments, road/bridge foundations, storm sewer pipes);
• Conducting ecological surveys and/or collecting samples of wildlife, fish, plants, insects, benthic invertebrates, small mammals, and worms, as necessary and appropriate.

These investigative activities for the CMS are part of FMC’s continuing effort to evaluate constituents relative to its plant in Middleport under the 1991 Administrative Order on Consent among FMC and the Agencies. Property specific data will be shared with the property owner.

FMC is committed to operating safely in Middleport, NY to protect its employees, neighbors, and the environment in compliance with all applicable Federal and State regulations. It is also committed to protecting human health and the environment and has worked diligently with the community over the years to ensure the Village is safe.

Property owners with any concerns, comments or questions can contact the FMC Community Office at 735-9769 or in-person at 8 S. Vernon Street in Middleport. Walk-in hours are 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Other times are available by appointment. Property owners are also invited to speak with a representative of the Agencies.