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Out of options, Bethany Town Board seeking bids for demolition of old town hall

By Howard B. Owens
old bethany town hall
The Old Bethany Town Hall, built in 1832, is fated for demolition.
Photo by Howard Owens

Even many of Bethany's oldest residents, said Town Supervisor Carl Hyde, have come to accept the unpleasant but unavoidable and undeniable reality of the situation. The old Town Hall, built in 1832, must come down.

The town is currently accepting bids from demolition contractors.

Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee Celebrates Anniversary

By Elizabeth Bentley-Huber

Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee Celebrates Anniversary

It’s the committee’s Third Year Anniversary! Join us at our next meeting of the Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee scheduled for Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at the new U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Building, 1101 Casey Road, Basom, NY 14013. Phone (585) 948-5445 (All meetings are open to the public and you are welcomed to attend.)

Guest Speakers:

- Fran Wagner, President of the Scajaquada Creek Canoe Club will discuss the clubs dedication to improving the environmental health of Scajaquada Creek. The 30 to 40 member club are involved in conducting stream cleanup’s, water quality and wildlife monitoring, and creating access for canoes and kayaks, as well as paddling together on the waterways of Western New York. Several members just participated in the Adirondack Classic, a three-day canoe race.

- Sheila Hess, CEO of Conservation Connects and Executive Director of New York Green will discuss the importance and benefits of partnerships in watershed planning and natural resource conservation. Sheila will review techniques for building relationships and creating synergy with traditional and nontraditional conservation partners.

Great strides have been made in forming a multi-county alliance devoted to the Tonawanda Creek Watershed, which lies within parts of Wyoming, Genesee, Erie and Niagara Counties. On December 2, 2009 a meeting was held at the Corfu Community Center to discuss the feasibility of forming a multi-county Tonawanda Creek Watershed group. This initial meeting was well attended, including officials and interested citizens from: Genesee County: Soil & Water Conservation District, Planning Dept., Health Dept. and Legislature; Towns of Pembroke, Alexander, Bethany and Darien; Tonawanda Band of Seneca’s. Wyoming County: Soil and Water Conservation District, Planning & Development Dept., Emergency Management Dept., Towns of Sheldon and Bennington. Erie County: Soil and Water Conservation District, NRCS, Buffalo-Niagara Riverkeeper, Water Quality Committee, Dept. of Public Works, Environmental Planning/Storm water Coalition, UB Law Environmental Attorney, Towns of Clarence and Amherst. Niagara County: Town of Royalton. Regional: NYS Soil & Water Conservation Committee, Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council, Lake Ontario Coastal Initiative, and US EPA Region 2.

“A lot of work is already going on separately. We need to connect and make a coordinated effort,” said Mark Gaston, District Manager of Erie County SWCD.

A large list of concerns and goals for the watershed were expressed, including water quality, erosion and sedimentation control, stream bank stabilization, flood control, habitat protection and recreational use.

By nearly unanimous consensus, it was decided to proceed with formation of a Tonawanda Creek Watershed Committee. “We must identify stakeholders and make sure they are involved. Communication is vital,” said Paul Fuhrmann of the Erie County Water Quality Committee, adding “The database of knowledge of this diverse group is invaluable”.

If you are unable to attend but are interested in joining this effort or have any questions, please send email to Tonawandacreek@yahoo.com or contact Elizabeth Bentley-Huber at Genesee County Soil & Water Conservation District at 585-343-2362 or at Elizabeth.Bentley-Huber@ny.nacdnet.net. View our website at http://tonawandacreek.shutterfly.com

Event Date and Time
2012-12-19T18:00:00 - 2012-12-19T20:00:00

Paul Strogen

By Joshua Smith
Pic

Paul D. Strogen 81, of Daly City, California and formerly of Batavia, passed away January 29, 2023 at his home.

Mr. Strogen was born May 17, 1941 in Batavia, the son of the late Joseph P. Strogen and Elva Hyde Strogen.

Surviving are his son James Wohlford (Sherri) of Bloomsburg,PA, brother James A. Strogen (Virginia) of Sunrise Beach, MO and sister Mylynne Austgen (Wayne) of Elizabeth,CO.

Mr. Strogen was a graduate of Batavia High School where he played drums in the band and ochestra. He also was a member of the Saint Joseph Drum and Bugle Corps.

Paul served his country honorably in the United States Navy, serving on the USS Dewey and later as an electronics instructor at the Treasure Island facility of the US Navy at San Francisco.He served during the Vietnam years on a special warfare intelligence aircraft.

He was a member of the Batavia VFW as well as in San Francisco.

In later years he worked as an electrical engineer for various firms.

Mr. Strogen travelled extensively all over the world.  He especially loved to sail his own sailboat  with friends.

Special destinations for him were the Hawaiian Islands, Australia , Europe and especially Slovakia where he visited Strogen family relatives.

Mr. Strogen was a patron of the San Francisco Symphony and the San Francisco Opera and participated in folk dance in Europe and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.  His motto was: "Music feeds my soul-Dance is my lifeblood"

He will be missed by family and a large number of friends all over the world.

Mr. Strogen's Navy Honors Memorial Service we be held at the West Bethany cemetery at 1:00 pm on Saturday June 17th, 2023.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the United States Navy Memorial, 701 Pennsylvania Ave. Ste 123, Washington,DC, 20004-2608.

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