Senior apartments planned for Main Street in the Village of Hamburg will clash with the atmosphere along historic Main Street and Victorian homes around it, some residents say.

“This is totally unbecoming that lot,” said Jason T. Wujek.

The apartments, proposed for an irregularly shaped parcel just east of Lake Street, would back up to his Long Avenue property.

“We know something is going to be built,” Wujek said, adding residents want it to fit in with the neighborhood.

Hamburg’s Main Street was listed as a historic district on the state and National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

The village’s comprehensive plan describes the area on Main between Lake and Center streets as having “prestigious homes” creating a “grand entrance” to the downtown section, and says the many architectural styles should be preserved.

“The Village should take steps to maintain the residential character of the street and individual properties. Large parking facilities, excessive lighting and signage, and large traffic generators should not be permitted in these areas,” the plan states.

Neighbors on Long and Lake believe the apartments should not be allowed there, and have attended Village Board and Zoning Board meetings as the proposal from ARR Holdings is reviewed. They also have submitted petitions against the development.

The proposal calls for two buildings to be built at what is now being called “0 Main St.” The one closest to Main Street would be 5,760 square feet in two stories and contain six units. A larger three-story building with 31,080 square feet and 24 apartments would be built at the rear of the parcel. The apartments would have two bedrooms and rent would be $1,000 and up, said Sean Hopkins, the attorney for the developer.

The proposal has been modified a bit, Hopkins said. The smaller building was shifted to increase the front-yard setback on Main Street to more than 22 feet, and two units were removed from it. The dumpster was relocated from the south side of the lot to near the garage on the west side of the lot. The larger building was shifted to increase the setback from the south property line from 20 feet to 30 feet, and the attached garage was moved 1 foot to comply with a 6-foot setback.

The parking area was modified for additional green space along Main Street and a porch was added to the front of the smaller building to enhance the appearance.

The project did need six variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals, but the modifications would reduce that number. It still would need a variance for the size of the larger building. The zoning would allow the apartments, but the code requires buildings to be no larger than 6,000 square feet.

Mayor Thomas J. Moses Sr. said the size of the larger building is a problem for some residents.

“It’s tough. It’s a process now. There’s a need for senior housing. Is that the place? I really don’t know,” Moses said.

The Zoning Board tabled the project, and it is expected to go before the Planning Commission at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The Architectural Review Committee also would give its recommendation on the plans. Final site plan approval would come from the Village Board.

email: bobrien@buffnews.com

The ninth annual Gowns 4 Prom charity event will be held form 3 to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday on the stage of Shea’s Performing Arts Center in downtown Buffalo.

This year’s effort spearheaded by Colvin Cleaners has resulted in the collection of more than 4,000 gently used gowns, which can be picked up for free at Shea’s. Over the past eight years, Gowns 4 Prom has given out more than 5,000 dresses and expects to give out 1,000 this year. On-site alterations at Shea’s are avaialable.

A schedule for Buffalo schools has been posted on the Colvin Cleaners Facebook page to let parents know when to bring their children to Shea’s. Enter through the Pearl Street stage entrance.

Gowns still can be donated at Colvin Cleaners, 2375 Elmwood Ave., Kenmore, or at any Goodwill store in Western New York.

Erie County

It’s time to hit the links.

The county’s Grover Cleveland and Elma Meadows golf courses will open for the season at 7 a.m. Thursday.

“We are looking forward to a great season of golf at both of our courses, which are ready to go after a long offseason,” said Troy P. Schinzel, the county’s commissioner of parks, recreation and forestry.

Grover Cleveland, home to the 1912 U.S. Open, is a par-69 course located at 3781 Main St. in Amherst. Elma Meadows, which is a par-70 course, is at 1711 Girdle Road, Elma. It has an irons-only driving range.

Also this week:

• Several volunteer fire departments in Erie County will join others across the state in opening their doors next weekend to let the public know what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter.

RecruitNY, established in 2011 by a collaborative of state firefighters organizations, is an annual campaign to recruit new volunteers to join those already serving their communities.

Highlighting the campaign is Open House Weekend, scheduled for April 26 and 27. Local departments will conduct tours, demonstrate equipment and discuss volunteer opportunities.

Last year, more than 700 new volunteers joined firefighting forces in Erie County. For more information – including a list of participating departments, visit www.recruitny.org.

Lackawanna

Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski will take another step to fight blight Monday, when the city’s new instant ticketing program takes effect.

Instant ticketing will allow code enforcement officers to issue on-the-spot fines for property code violations.

“The new process should cut down on the amount of time it takes for homeowners to fix problems on their properties,” Szymanski said. “The old system could take three weeks to get results.”

City inspectors will be looking for code violations that include: hanging gutters, garbage totes put to the curb too early or yards strewn with litter, said Szymanski.

The $25 fine will double if the violation is not corrected.

Also this week:

• The inaugural Dyngus Day Parade will roll from Our Lady of Victory Basilica after Monday’s 12:10 p.m. Mass. The parade will travel to Lackawanna City Hall, 714 Ridge Road.

• A meeting of the School Board of Global Concepts Charter School begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the school auditorium, 1001 Ridge Road.

Southern Erie County

The Springville Village Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 65 Franklin St.

Also this week:

• A meeting of the Springville-Griffith School Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school library media center, 290 N. Buffalo St.

• The Eden School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Junior/Senior High School, 3150 Schoolview Road.

• The Eden Conservation Board meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor conference room in Town Hall, 2795 E. Church St.

• A meeting of the Boston Planning Board begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall, 8500 Boston State Road.

• The Eden Town Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Town Hall.

• A representative of state Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, will be in Brant Town Hall, 1272 Brant-North Collins Road, from 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

Hamburg

Ten people will be recognized May 1 for their dedication to youth development and recreation at the Town of Hamburg’s 26th Youth Bureau Service Awards banquet.

Barb Wagner will receive the Michael J. Dundon Service to Youth Award, given to the person who best exemplifies the service of the late Michael J. Dundon, a longtime executive director of the Youth Bureau.

The Youth Bureau also will honor Midge Harrington, Walter Rooth III and Rick Szabala with the Service to Youth Award. Recipients are recognized for having given a high degree of their time, energy, dedication and commitment to youth development within the town.

The Recreation Department will recognize Sean Muldowney, Keith Thurnherr, Ralph Colucci, Steve Chaffee and Chris Damiani as Character Coaches of the Year. The award recognizes qualities that include being a positive role model who leads by example, and demonstrates fairness and sportsmanship.

Ryan Nurmi will receive the Donny Thiry Human Spirit Award, which honors the memory of its namesake, who loved sports but was prevented from active participation because of physical limitations resulting from neurofibromatosis.

“Despite his physical limitations, he came to Hamburg Recreation when he was still finishing high school at Frontier. He worked the scores table at the basketball games and did whatever else was needed,” said Martin Denecke, director of the Youth, Recreation and Senior Department.

That award goes to the person who best exemplifies the qualities that Donny displayed, overcoming all obstacles in his or her path and remaining positive and inspiring others.

Outstanding members of Youth Engaged in Service also will also be recognized.

To register for the banquet, contact Nicole Dayka at 826-2226, or visit the town website at www.townofhamburgny.com.

Also this week:

• The Hamburg Village Board will conduct a work session at 5:30 p.m. Monday, followed by a regular meeting at 7, in Village Hall, 100 Main St.

• The Frontier School Board will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Frontier Educational Center, 5120 Orchard Ave. The board plans to go into executive session and return to open session at 7 p.m. , when the board is expected to appoint a new superintendent and adopt the 2014-2015 budget.

• The Hamburg School Board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Union-Pleasant Elementary School, 150 Pleasant Ave. The board plans to go into executive session at 6 p.m. and return to regular session at 7:30.

• A meeting of the Village of Hamburg’s Planning Commission begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Village Hall. The board plans to review a proposal for a senior citizen apartment project on Main Street.

• A meeting of the Blasdell Village Board begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Village Hall, 121 Miriam Ave.

• “Building a Sustainable Business through Succession Planning,” a seminar presented by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and Hilbert College, begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the Armor Inn Saloon, 5381 Abbott Road. The event is open to the public, but reservations are required. Contact the chamber at 649-7917 or at its website at www.hamburg-chamber.org.

Elma/Marilla/Wales

Kiwanis Club of Marilla is holding its annual town wide cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Volunteers should sign up between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. in the Marilla Community Center, 1810 Two Rod Road. Trash bags, assignments and instructions will be given out at that time.

Lunch will be served to all participants beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Community Center. Call 652-7608 for more information.

Also this week:

• A meeting of the Elma Conservation Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall, 1600 Bowen Road. A review of conservation land easements is on the agenda.

• Elma’s Multiple Dwelling Code Committee will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Town Hall for further discussions about the Seneca Street area.

• The Marilla Town Board is holding a work session at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the upper meeting room at Town Hall, 1720 Two Rod Road.

• A meeting of the Marilla Sludge Committee begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the supervisor’s office at Town Hall.

• The Marilla Historical Society is sponsoring a public program on genealogy at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Community Center, 1810 Two Rod Road. Call 652-1827 Monday to reserve a spot.

• A work session of the Wales Town Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Community Center, 12345 Big Tree Road.

West Seneca

Parents and guardians of students entering sixth grade in West Middle School next year are invited to a tour and informational session Wednesday.

The event, for adults only, begins at 6 p.m. with a building tour, followed by the informational meeting at 7 in the auditorium.

Guests will hear from Principal Matthew Bystrak; Assistant Principal Andrew Klaich; Katie Kubiak and Ann Marie Canaple, who are school counselors; Linda Thibault and Deborah Hughson, school nurses; and Aimee Smart, the school’s social worker.

Also this week:

• The Town Board meets at 7 p.m. Monday in Council Chambers at Town Hall, 1250 Union Road.

• “Know Your Backyard,” a video focusing on the history of the town and the importance of the creeks and tributaries running through it, will be shown by the town’s Environmental Commission at 7 p.m. Monday in the Senior Citizens Center, 4620 Seneca St.

• The West Seneca School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 200 at West Elementary School, 1397 Orchard Park Road.

• A meeting of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Council Chambers at Town Hall.

• A Family Health & Safety Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Senior Citizens Center. Myriad free health screenings and safety information will be available at the event, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick Gallivan, R-Elma. It coincides with the eighth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, when unwanted medications can be dropped off for disposal.

Orchard Park

Councilman Michael Sherry is looking for volunteers for a Government Efficiencies Task Force to examine government operations and find ways to save money and time, and to improve services.

Created at last week’s Town Board meeting, the task force will review, among other things, the police department’s budgeting process to see if it can be streamlined, Sherry said.

The committee will have five to seven members and will start meeting once a few people have signed up. People with expertise in budgeting and business operations are invited to apply.

“We definitely want some capable people within the community,” Sherry said. “This type of work tends to be quite specialized .. It’ll likely go on for several years. It has both a broad and a narrow focus.”

Those interested in applying should call Town Hall at 662-6400 and leave a message for Sherry, or e-mail him at mikesherryop@orchardparkny.org.

Also this week:

• A regular meeting of the Orchard Park School Board begins at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in the district office, 2240 Southwestern Blvd.

• The Town Board has a work session at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the board room of the Municipal Center, 4295 S. Buffalo St.

Aurora/East Aurora

The annual spring Art Walk on Friday kicks off a weekend of events to celebrate spring and invite people to downtown East Aurora.

The art walk will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, when visitors can explore 13 art galleries, shops and bistros that will feature exhibits, demonstrations and food.

Business owners of East Aurora have planned classes and discounts for next weekend, and are calling it “Girls Getaway.”

Learn how to make face cream with green tea at the Purr-Fect Tea shop and get free popcorn with a movie at the Aurora Theatre.

Check www.ateastaurora.com for details about discounts throughout the village, and the full schedule for Saturday and Sunday.

Also this week:

• The East Aurora Village Board meets at 7 p.m. Monday in Village Hall, 571 Main St.

• A special meeting of the East Aurora School Board begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the superintendent’s office in the Middle School/Main Street Building, 430 Main St. Votes will be cast on the BOCES budget and board elections.

• The Aurora Town Board meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday for a work session at the Southside Municipal Building, 300 Gleed Ave.

Akron/Newstead

Dedication ceremonies for the Town of Newstead’s Cultural Center are scheduled for Thursday afternoon.

Located in the basement of Newstead Public Library, 33 Main St., the center will be dedicated at 4 p.m. Thursday. The Town Hall will close at 3:45 to allow staff to attend.

Also this week:

• The Newstead Planning Board will hold a work session at 7 p.m. Monday, followed by a regular meeting at 7:30, in Town Hall, 5 Clarence Center Road.

• A work session of the Newstead Town Board begins at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Town Hall.

• The Akron Village Board meets at 7:30 p.m. Monday in Village Hall, 21 Main St.

• An Akron School Board meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in room H190 at 47 Bloomingdale Ave.

• Town and village residents may drop off tires between 9 a.m. and noon Saturday at the Joint Municipal Facility, 12707 Clarence Center Road. Permits are available at the Town Hall for no charge. Up to six tires may be dropped off.

Alden

A regular meeting of the Alden School Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school library, 13190 Park St.

Also this week:

• The Alden Village Board has a work session at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by a regular meeting at 7:30, in Village Hall, 13336 Broadway.

Amherst

The award-winning a cappella group, the Friends of Harmony, will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Williamsville Meeting House & Museum, 5658 Main St.

Billed as “The Grooviest, Most Hip and Far Out Musical Review of those Spectacular Sixties Songs This Side of the Peace Bridge,” the concert is sponsored by the village’s Arts & Cultural Committee. It’s free and open to the public.

Also this week:

• The Amherst Zoning Board of Appeals will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Municipal Building, 5583 Main St., Williamsville.

• A meeting of the Amherst School Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the district office, 55 Kings Highway.

• The Williamsville School Board is holding a special meeting at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the district office boardroom, 105 Casey Road, East Amherst, to vote on the BOCES budget and board elections.

• People looking to improve their financial futures can learn basic saving and investment concepts from noon to 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the Center for Tomorrow on the University at Buffalo’s North Campus.

The event – “Leveraging Time, the Power of Saving and Planning for the Future” – is geared specifically toward a non-financial audience. Presented by Gregg Fisher, founder and chief investment officer at Gerstein Fisher, it’s part of the next Smart Business Practices, hosted by the UB School of Management Alumni Association and co-sponsored by the UB Investment Club.

Cost is $30 for alumni association members and $35 for all others. Online registration is required by Monday. Register at www.mgt.buffalo.edu/smartbusiness. For more information, call 645-3224.

• The Village of Williamsville will hold an Earth Day-Arbor Day celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Island Park, located behind Village Hall on Main Street. The event will include children’s activities and a sapling giveaway.

Participants are asked to drop off gently used shoes, which will be donated to Friends of the Night People.

Aurora/East Aurora

The annual spring Art Walk on Friday kicks off a weekend of events to celebrate spring and invite people to downtown East Aurora.

The art walk will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, when visitors can explore 13 art galleries, shops and bistros that will feature exhibits, demonstrations and food.

Business owners of East Aurora have planned classes and discounts for next weekend, and are calling it “Girls Getaway.”

Learn how to make face cream with green tea at the Purr-Fect Tea shop and get free popcorn with a movie at the Aurora Theatre.

Check www.ateastaurora.com for details about discounts throughout the village, and the full schedule for Saturday and Sunday.

Also this week:

• The East Aurora Village Board meets at 7 p.m. Monday in Village Hall, 571 Main St.

• A special meeting of the East Aurora School Board begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the superintendent’s office in the Middle School/Main Street Building, 430 Main St. Votes will be cast on the BOCES budget and board elections.

• The Aurora Town Board meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday for a work session at the Southside Municipal Building, 300 Gleed Ave.

Buffalo

The need to bring Verizon FiOS television and Internet service to Buffalo will be discussed during a community meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the West Side Community Center, 161 Vermont St.

State Sen. Tim Kennedy and Assemblyman Sean Ryan are hosting the meeting, which will focus on Verizon’s unwillingness to establish service in certain communities.

Also this week:

• The Buffalo Brownfield Redevelopment Corporation and the Real Estate Committee of the Buffalo Urban Development Corp. will meet at noon Monday in the fourth-floor conference room at 95 Perry St.

• A Planning Board meeting begins at 8:15 a.m. Tuesday in Room 901 in City Hall. The agenda includes a proposed addition to the Jasper Parrish administration building at 520 Hertel Ave.

• The Council’s Finance Committee will meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers. The city’s contract with ambulance provider Rural/Metro is on the agenda.

• A meeting of the Council’s Community Development Committee begins at 1 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers, where lawmakers will discuss the proposed sale of the former School 71 building, at 104 Lang Ave., to King Center Charter School, currently located at 938 Genesee St.

• Public input on redeveloping brownfields will be sought during three open houses this week, each of which will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. The Buffalo River brownfield opportunity area will be discussed Tuesday in the Old First Ward Community Center, 62 Republic St. The Tonawanda Street Corridor is the subject Wednesday in the Riverside Institute of Technology, 51 Ontario St., and the Buffalo Harbor brownfield opportunity area will be discussed Thursday in the Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy, 315 Carolina St.

• A career fair will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Thursday in the Community Action Organization JFK Community Center, 114 Hickory St. Employers with job openings will attend the event, which is sponsored by CAO, and the Buffalo Employment and Training Center.

• A meeting of the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency begins at 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Room 209 of City Hall.

• The Preservation Board meets at 3 p.m. Thursday in Room 901, and will consider a local landmark designation for the Meidenbauer-Morgan compound in the Fruit Belt. The buildings, one of which is a Civil War-era house, would be demolished under plans by St. John Baptist Church for a pharmacy and deli.

• Project Slumlord will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Lt. Col. Matt Urban Center, 1081 Broadway. The group is focused on reducing slum and blight in city neighborhoods. Housing Court Judge Patrick Carney and city building inspectors are expected to attend.

Cheektowaga

Remember Earth Day?

To mark the annual observance, there will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to open new trails at Reinstein Woods Nature Preserve.

Abby Snyder, regional director of the state Department of Environmental Conservation, which operates the preserve, also will announce a watchable wildlife mobile application.

Entrance to the preserve is at 93 Honorine Drive.

Also this week:

• A Town Board meeting begins at 6:45 p.m. Monday in Council Chambers in Town Hall, 3301 Broadway.

• The town’s Sanitation Department grass trucks will hit the road this week. All grass clippings and yard debris should be in open-top containers or brown, biodegradable lawn/leaf bags. Bundles of branches are limited to 4 feet long, 4 inches in diameter and a maximum of 40 pounds.

• A special meeting of the Cheektowaga-Sloan School Board begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Irma Czubaj Board Room at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School, 166 Halstead Ave., Sloan.

• The Maryvale School Board will vote on the BOCES budget and board elections at a special meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday in the Samuel R. Bennett Administration Building, 1050 Maryvale Drive.

• Votes on the BOCES budget and board also will be cast at Tuesday’s meeting of the Cheektowaga Central School Board, which begins at 7 p.m. in the board room of the high school, 3600 Union Road.

• The Cleveland Hill School Board meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the community room at 105 Mapleview Road.

• Ann Marie Linnabery, assistant director of the Niagara County Historical Society, will talk about the history of the Erie Canal at Thursday’s meeting of the Cheektowaga Historical Association, which begins at 7 p.m. in the Senior Center, 3349 Broadway. The meeting is free and open to the public.

Clarence

The Clarence Women’s Club’s 51st Annual Scholarship Card and Game Night is scheduled for May 6 in Clarence Town Park Clubhouse.

Tickets are $5 per person and include door prizes, strawberry shortcake and beverages. A Chinese auction will be held. The money raised will allow the club to award five scholarships to Clarence High School seniors.

The event begins at 6:30 p.m. on May 6 in the clubhouse, 10405 Main St. For more information, call 310-7674 or 741-4718.

Also this week:

• A meeting of the Clarence School Board begins at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday in Conference Room B in the district office, 9625 Main St. The School Board will vote on the BOCES budget and board elections.

• The Clarence Chamber of Commerce is holding an A.M. Networking event, beginning at 8 a.m. Wednesday, in Cozy Cafe & Catering, 9060 Main Street. Tom Shelberg of Picone Construction will speak.

• The Planning Board convenes at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday for a work session in the Hallock Conference Room at Town Hall, One Town Place, followed by a regular meeting at 7:30 in the auditorium.

Depew

The Depew School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the cafeteria at Depew High School, 5201 Transit Road.

Elma/Marilla/Wales

Kiwanis Club of Marilla is holding its annual town wide cleanup from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Volunteers should sign up between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m. in the Marilla Community Center, 1810 Two Rod Road. Trash bags, assignments and instructions will be given out at that time.

Lunch will be served to all participants beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Community Center. Call 652-7608 for more information.

Also this week:

• A meeting of the Elma Conservation Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall, 1600 Bowen Road. A review of conservation land easements is on the agenda.

• Elma’s Multiple Dwelling Code Committee will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Town Hall for further discussions about the Seneca Street area.

• The Marilla Town Board is holding a work session at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the upper meeting room at Town Hall, 1720 Two Rod Road.

• A meeting of the Marilla Sludge Committee begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the supervisor’s office at Town Hall.

• The Marilla Historical Society is sponsoring a public program on genealogy at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Community Center, 1810 Two Rod Road. Call 652-1827 Monday to reserve a spot.

• A work session of the Wales Town Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Community Center, 12345 Big Tree Road.

Erie County

It’s time to hit the links.

The county’s Grover Cleveland and Elma Meadows golf courses will open for the season at 7 a.m. Thursday.

“We are looking forward to a great season of golf at both of our courses, which are ready to go after a long offseason,” said Troy P. Schinzel, the county’s commissioner of parks, recreation and forestry.

Grover Cleveland, home to the 1912 U.S. Open, is a par-69 course located at 3781 Main St. in Amherst. Elma Meadows, which is a par-70 course, is at 1711 Girdle Road, Elma. It has an irons-only driving range.

Also this week:

• Several volunteer fire departments in Erie County will join others across the state in opening their doors next weekend to let the public know what it takes to become a volunteer firefighter.

RecruitNY, established in 2011 by a collaborative of state firefighters organizations, is an annual campaign to recruit new volunteers to join those already serving their communities.

Highlighting the campaign is Open House Weekend, scheduled for this weekend.

Last year, more than 700 new volunteers joined firefighting forces in Erie County. For more information – including a list of participating departments, visit www.recruitny.org.

Grand Island

The Town Board will consider the site plan for Nottingham Estates, a three-building, 32-unit apartment complex on a two-acre property at 1995 Grand Island Blvd., when it meets at 8 p.m. Monday in Town Hall, 2255 Baseline Road.

Site plan approval also is sought for an expansion at the KOA campground, 2570 Grand Island Blvd., to accommodate six more campsites, and for additional outside storage at 2389 Whitehaven Road.

The board also will discuss the town code on tourist homes. No longer on the agenda is a public hearing on rezoning for the controversial 414-unit Light House Pointe residential project at Whitehaven and East River roads; it was canceled at the request of the developer.

A board workshop begins at 6:30 p.m.

Also this week:

• The Grand Island Chamber of Commerce holds its 48th annual Citizen of the Year Award Dinner at 6 p.m. Thursday in Bylbos Niagara Resort, 100 Whitehaven Road. Tickets are available at the Chamber office, 2257 Grand Island Blvd. Call 773-3651.

Honorees include Nonnie Carroll, Volunteer Service; Cheryl Chamberlain, Educator; Hizair Hair Salon, Business of the Year; Lynn Alan Konovitz, Professional Contributor; and Teddy Klingel Linenfelser, Service to the Community.

• The committee for Relay For Life of Grand Island will decorate the Town Commons, adjacent to Town Hall, on Saturday to show support for those touched by cancer. Bows, which cost $1 and $5, can be purchased from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the nearby First Niagara Bank branch, 2300 Grand Island Blvd.

• The Knights of Columbus Good Samaritan Council is hosting a Taste of Italy Dinner on Saturday in the cafeteria of St. Stephen’s School, 2080 Baseline Road. It begins at 6 p.m. with a cash bar and complimentary appetizers, followed by a buffet-style dinner at 7. Dinners are $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $9 for children ages 5 to 15. For reservations, call Joe Diebold at 773-1196 or e-mail jdiebold@verizon.net.

Hamburg

Ten people will be recognized May 1 for their dedication to youth development and recreation at the Town of Hamburg’s 26th Youth Bureau Service Awards banquet.

Barb Wagner will receive the Michael J. Dundon Service to Youth Award, given to the person who best exemplifies the service of the late Michael J. Dundon, a longtime executive director of the Youth Bureau.

The Youth Bureau also will honor Midge Harrington, Walter Rooth III and Rick Szabala with the Service to Youth Award. Recipients are recognized for having given a high degree of their time, energy, dedication and commitment to youth development within the town.

The Recreation Department will recognize Sean Muldowney, Keith Thurnherr, Ralph Colucci, Steve Chaffee and Chris Damiani as Character Coaches of the Year. The award recognizes qualities that include being a positive role model who leads by example, and demonstrates fairness and sportsmanship.

Ryan Nurmi will receive the Donny Thiry Human Spirit Award, which honors the memory of its namesake, who loved sports but was prevented from active participation because of physical limitations resulting from neurofibromatosis.

“Despite his physical limitations, he came to Hamburg Recreation when he was still finishing high school at Frontier. He worked the scores table at the basketball games and did whatever else was needed,” said Martin Denecke, director of the Youth, Recreation and Senior Department.

That award goes to the person who best exemplifies the qualities that Donny displayed, overcoming all obstacles in his or her path and remaining positive and inspiring others.

Outstanding members of Youth Engaged in Service also will also be recognized.

To register for the banquet, contact Nicole Dayka at 826-2226, or visit the town website at www.townofhamburgny.com.

Also this week:

• The Hamburg Village Board will conduct a work session at 5:30 p.m. Monday, followed by a regular meeting at 7, in Village Hall, 100 Main St.

• The Frontier School Board will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Frontier Educational Center, 5120 Orchard Ave. The board plans to go into executive session and return to open session at 7 p.m. , when the board is expected to appoint a new superintendent and adopt the 2014-2015 budget.

• A meeting of the Village of Hamburg’s Planning Commission begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Village Hall. The board plans to review a proposal for a senior citizen apartment project on Main Street.

• The Hamburg School Board meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Union-Pleasant Elementary School, 150 Pleasant Ave. The board plans to go into executive session at 6 p.m. and return to regular session at 7:30.

• A meeting of the Blasdell Village Board begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Village Hall, 121 Miriam Ave.

• “Building a Sustainable Business through Succession Planning,” a seminar presented by the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and Hilbert College, begins at 8:30 a.m. Friday in the Armor Inn Saloon, 5381 Abbott Road. The event is open to the public, but reservations are required. Contact the chamber at 649-7917 or at its website at www.hamburg-chamber.org.

Lackawanna

Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski will take another step to fight blight Monday, when the city’s new instant ticketing program takes effect.

Instant ticketing will allow code enforcement officers to issue on-the-spot fines for property code violations.

“The new process should cut down on the amount of time it takes for homeowners to fix problems on their properties,” Szymanski said. “The old system could take three weeks to get results.”

City inspectors will be looking for code violations that include: hanging gutters, garbage totes put to the curb too early or yards strewn with litter, said Szymanski.

The $25 fine will double if the violation is not corrected.

Also this week:

• The inaugural Dyngus Day Parade will roll from Our Lady of Victory Basilica after Monday’s 12:10 p.m. Mass. The parade will travel to Lackawanna City Hall, 714 Ridge Road.

• A meeting of the School Board of Global Concepts Charter School begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the school auditorium, 1001 Ridge Road.

Lancaster

The Town Board meets at 7 p.m. Monday in the board room at Town Hall, 21 Central Ave.

Also this week:

• A meeting of the Lancaster School Board begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, when an executive session will be held, in the Central Avenue Board Room, 149 Central Ave. The public session begins at 7.

Orchard Park

Councilman Michael Sherry is looking for volunteers for a Government Efficiencies Task Force to examine government operations and find ways to save money and time, and to improve services.

Created at last week’s Town Board meeting, the task force will review, among other things, the police department’s budgeting process to see if it can be streamlined, Sherry said.

The committee will have five to seven members and will start meeting once a few people have signed up. People with expertise in budgeting and business operations are invited to apply.

“We definitely want some capable people within the community,” Sherry said. “This type of work tends to be quite specialized .. It’ll likely go on for several years. It has both a broad and a narrow focus.”

Those interested in applying should call Town Hall at 662-6400 and leave a message for Sherry, or e-mail him at mikesherryop@orchardparkny.org.

Also this week:

• A regular meeting of the Orchard Park School Board begins at 6:45 p.m. Tuesday in the district office, 2240 Southwestern Blvd.

• The Town Board has a work session at 6 p.m. Wednesday in the board room of the Municipal Center, 4295 S. Buffalo St.

Southern Erie County

The Springville Village Board will meet at 7 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the Municipal Building, 65 Franklin St.

Also this week:

• A meeting of the Springville-Griffith School Board begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the high school library media center, 290 N. Buffalo St.

• The Eden School Board will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Junior/Senior High School, 3150 Schoolview Road.

• The Eden Conservation Board meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the second floor conference room in Town Hall, 2795 E. Church St.

• A meeting of the Boston Planning Board begins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall, 8500 Boston State Road.

• The Eden Town Board will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Town Hall.

• A representative of state Sen. Mark Grisanti, R-Buffalo, will be in Brant Town Hall, 1272 Brant-North Collins Road, from 9 a.m. to noon Friday.

City of Tonawanda

“Council on Your Corner” is coming to the City of Tonawanda.

Fourth Ward Councilmember Jenna Koch and Third Ward Councilmember Jay Hall will host a town hall meeting at 5 p.m. April 30 in City Hall, 200 Niagara St.

“This is another opportunity outside of our council meetings for residents ... to come and ask questions, discuss ideas and have an informal conversation with your representatives,” Koch said.

Also this week:

• The Tonawanda School Board will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the high school, 600 Fletcher St. A budget for 2014-15 will be adopted.

Town of Tonawanda

The Learning Disabilities Association of WNY is looking for volunteers to help with its Earth Day Community Clean Up Day.

Volunteers will meet at 5 p.m. Tuesday at 2555 Elmwood Ave. Cleaning supplies will be provided, but participants are encouraged to bring their own gloves. Food and refreshments also will be provided.

Also this week:

• The Town Board will hold a work session at 4 p.m. Monday in the conference room of the Municipal Building, 2919 Delaware Ave. A regular meeting follows at 7:30 in Council Chambers.

• A Village of Kenmore Planning Board meeting begins at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Room 15 of the Municipal Building.

• A second public meeting to discuss updates to the Town of Tonawanda Comprehensive Plan begins at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Milton J. Brounshidle Post 205, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 3354 Delaware Ave.

• The Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda School Board is holding a special meeting at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in the board room of the Administration Building, 1500 Colvin Blvd., regarding the superintendent search.

West Seneca

Parents and guardians of students entering sixth grade in West Middle School next year are invited to a tour and informational session Wednesday.

The event, for adults only, begins at 6 p.m. with a building tour, followed by the informational meeting at 7 in the auditorium.

Guests will hear from Principal Matthew Bystrak; Assistant Principal Andrew Klaich; Katie Kubiak and Ann Marie Canaple, who are school counselors; Linda Thibault and Deborah Hughson, school nurses; and Aimee Smart, the school’s social worker.

Also this week:

• The Town Board meets at 7 p.m. Monday in Council Chambers at Town Hall, 1250 Union Road.

• “Know Your Backyard,” a video focusing on the history of the town and the importance of the creeks and tributaries running through it, will be shown by the town’s Environmental Commission at 7 p.m. Monday in the Senior Citizens Center, 4620 Seneca St.

• The West Seneca School Board meets at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in Room 200 at West Elementary School, 1397 Orchard Park Road.

• A meeting of the town’s Zoning Board of Appeals begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Council Chambers at Town Hall.

• A Family Health & Safety Fair will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Senior Citizens Center. Myriad free health screenings and safety information will be available at the event, sponsored by state Sen. Patrick Gallivan, R-Elma. It coincides with the eighth National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day, when unwanted medications can be dropped off for disposal.

A Lackawanna man with a drunk driving conviction from last year was charged with felony driving while intoxicated early Sunday in Orchard Park.

Sameer Alwan, 35, was pulled over on Abbott Road at about 2:20 a.m., Orchard Park Police said. Alwan’s blood-alcohol content registered 0.17-percent, more than twice the legal limit of 0.08 percent, in a breath test given at the police station, police said.

In addition to felony DWI, Alwan was charged with first-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, having an open alcoholic beverage in his vehicle and failing to have a required ignition interlock device installed on his vehicle. Police said Alwan was convicted of DWI in West Seneca last year and his driver’s license wassuspended.

AKRON

• 9 Indianola Ave., Gary A. Cescon; Bonnie L. Cescon to Scott Mapes, $135,000.

ALDEN

• 23 Four Rod Road, David C. Smith; Lavina M. Smith to Amy A. Martin; Thomas J. Martin, $192,000.

• 1152 Clearvue, Amy A. Martin; Thoma S. Martin to Mitchell G. Wilkinson, $122,000.

AMHERST Highest price: $370,000 Average price: $161,152 Median price: $152,450 Number of Sales: 20

• 58 Hampton Hill Drive, Charles C. Nail; Deborah J. Nail to Lydia Brenner, $370,000.

• 17 San Dominico Court, Susan B. Storck; Michael E. Storck to John J. Gaesser; Carrie A. Gaesser, $280,000.

• 3550 Sweet Home Road, Wendy T. King; Robert C. King to Laura Hartrich-Taylor, $247,000.

• 25 Caraway Court, Vanderbilt Properties Inc. to Christine Convey; Cynthia Colatosti, $239,900.

• 330 Randwood Drive, Cher K. Higgins; Cheryl K. Higgins to Erin R. Mouyeos; Jason D. Mouyeos, $223,000.

• 75 Kingsview Road, Hosea Crumpler IV to Jagdish Tangri; Uma Tangri, $220,000.

• 516 Getzville Road, James M. Walker; Mark E. Guglielmi to PHH Mortgage Corporation, $211,666.

• 36 Bondcroft Drive, Ryan P. Carroll; Jessica K. Carroll to Jacquelyn M. Crawford, $183,000.

• 5775 Sheridan Drive, Allison Marie Patti; Biagio A. Patti to Matthew Battaglia; Laxey A. Lynch, $172,500.

• 577 Emerson Drive, Erin R. Mouyeos; Jason D. Mouyeos to Gary H. Waters; Amanda L. Waters, $154,900.

• 172 Teakwood Terrace, Elizabeth Jane Binder; Betty J. Binder to Patricia Coyle, $150,000.

• 210 Oakwood Drive, Gregory Long to Heidie Caraway, $143,000.

• 219 Allenhurst Road, Canisius High School of Buffalo New York to Phat Troung, $127,070.

• 40 Hyledge Drive, Kaetlyn M. Szakmary to Rebekah L. Reitmeier, $111,500.

• 489 Grover Cleveland Highway, James W. Mollosky to Shimon Elmosnino, $83,000.

• 880 Tonawanda Creek Road, Ervin C. Krause; Ardell J. Krause to Peter Lovering; Timothy Q. Lovering, $75,000.

• Vacant Land/72 Collins Lane, 2615 Millersport Highway Llc to Natale Building Corp., $75,000.

• 3900 Ridge Lea, Diane McNamara; Diane M. McNamara; Susan M. Marynowski to Helen Q. Huang, $62,000.

• 61C Georgian Lane, Stephanie M. Hopkins to Pauline Magganas; Kostas Magganas, $58,500.

• 35 New Road, Salvatore Napoli to MPR Associates, $36,000.

AURORA/EAST AURORA

• 871 Knox Road, Waterhill Llc; Richard W. Bowen II to Scott Socha; Karin Socha, $900,000.

• Vacant Land/Center St., John E. Hoeh to Deborah M. Robbins, $327,117.

• Vacant Land/Knox Road, Waterhill Llc to Scott Socha; Karin Socha, $250,000.

• Vacant Land/Old Glenwood/Ellis Road, David Fatta; Sharon J. Fatta to Michael D. Farrell; Regina A. Farrell, $46,000.

BOSTON

• 7280 Chestnut Ridge Road, Frank S. Wong; Yvonne J. Wong to Jennifer E. Cassidy; Michael P. Cassidy, $410,000.

BRANT

• Vacant Land/Vermont St., Sherri L. Witczak; Donald J. Witczak to John Schwartz; Susan Schwartz, $15,000.

BUFFALO Highest price: $893,200 Average price: $87,357 Median price: $40,000 Number of Sales: 89

• 188 Soldier Place, Kingman Bassett Jr.; Lori A. Bassett to Stacey Akers; Victor A. Filadora II, $893,200.

• 283-399, Carl P. Paladino; Louis A. Magnano to 1093 Group Llc, $540,200.

• 145 & 157 & 179 Reading, Paul F. Hogan Jr. to Reading Associates II Llc, $500,000.

• 183 Beard Ave., Leonard R. Sciolino; Dana M. Sciolino to Amy C. McCarthy; Michael S. Ahern, $467,500.

• Part of 283-399 Ohio St., Carl P. Paladino; Louis A. Magnano to Buffalo Scholastic Rowing Association Inc., $419,690.

• 288 Linwood Ave., PMT Linwood Limited to Oscar Lang Llc, $380,000.

• 837 Bailey, Jacob Levin Inc.; Jack Levin Inc. to 837 Bailey Avenue Llc, $317,000.

• 10 Rachel Vincent, Dato Development to Kim Chinquee, $302,205.

• 444 Huntington Ave., Matthew Webb; Kristen E. Webb to Janet C. Jordan; Dennis P. Jordan; Kathryn E. Jordan, $264,000.

• 379 Crescent, Amy C. McCarthy to Daniel A. Mcauliffe, $252,500.

• 452 West Delavan, James R. McKeever to Nicholas Anthony Sessanna, $220,000.

• 506 Lafayette Ave., Anna C. Balesteri to Richard A. Balesteri, $165,000.

• 338 Woodside, Margaret H. Krohn to Michael A. Lattanzio, $128,500.

• 3077 Main, Abul Talkukder; Mohammed Hoque; Anwar Shamim to Kayandar Developments, $125,000.

• 338 Monroe, Rita Llc to Annette Northington, $115,000.

• 125 Edward St., Amy M. Schmit to Patrick C. Eagan, $110,000.

• 114 Tuscarora Road, Randy McDowell Rodriguez; Randy W. McDowell; Jillian R. McDowell to Justin R. Sicienski, $103,000.

• 293 Winspear Ave., Larry D. Milton; Patricia A. Milton to Derik Kane; Jessica M. Kane, $95,000.

• 64 Foundry, David M. Wegman to Anthony Previte II, $90,000.

• 158 Parkview Ave., Angela R. Mecca to Cazenovia Recovery Systems Inc., $81,000.

• 284 Carolina St., Mark Domitrek; Michael Domitrek to Niagara Associates, $75,000.

• 34 Zollars Ave., John J. Gonzalez Jr. to Joseph M. Pike, $74,500.

• 105 Amber St., Kelly M. Lalley to Jason L. Keller; Kenneth J. Keller, $69,000.

• 128 Folger St., Matt A. Stucke to J&M Freedom Enterprises Inc., $67,000.

• 68 Laforce Place, Silver Tie Homes to American Estate & Trust; Catlett Susan, $66,300.

• 201 Courtland Ave., Rock It Homes to Legacy Real Estate Holdings, $63,500.

• 630 Eggert Road, Return On Rentals to Living Legacy Homes, $63,400.

• 32 Pershing, Glebova Realty Group to Kristina Thulin; David Thulin, $62,000.

• 74 Grote St., Dayna J. Smith to Lance Schickling, $61,000.

• 76 Grote St., Dayna J. Smith to Lance Schickling, $61,000.

• 574 Niagara St., MDF Group to Ruthful Llc, $60,000.

• 75 Remoleno, Jaime M. Eddy to Niagara Associates, $53,500.

• 91 Burgard, Premier Investments Properties to Phoenix Project, $53,500.

• 116 Lafayette Ave., Rocco Anastasio to Ba T. Latt, $50,000.

• 2000 Hertel Ave., HUD to Mary Lou Munzert; Cody M. Shaefer, $48,000.

• 276 Vermont St., Taha Ali to MP Development, $45,000.

• 35 Geary, Richard Heerdt; Justina Heerdt to 1DMT Llc, $45,000.

• 158 Weimar St., Sandra Edgar to Niagara Association, $44,500.

• 61 Aldrich Place, Edward J. Harrigan to Steven Warren, $44,000.

• 62 Dorrance, Edward J. Harrigan to Steven Warren, $44,000.

• 32 Ullman, Jose L. Colon to Jure Draksic; Mark Draksic, $43,000.

• 530 Winspear, Ferdinand H. Sales; Nydia M. Sales to Paul Kolmatycki; Christopher Kolmatycki, $43,000.

• 709 Linwood Ave., Diane Wray; Michael Hughes to David M. Hughes, $40,244.

• 1125 West St., Warren E. O’Hearn to Meshi Corporation, $40,000.

• 335 Vermont, Warren E. O’Hearn to Meshi Corporation, $40,000.

• 53 Pershing, Glebova Realty Group to Li Na, $40,000.

• 885 Northampton, Glebova Realty Group to Najat Bader E.H. Al-Wuhaib, $39,000.

• 86 Briscoe Ave., Paul F. Hammond; Quithia M. Fife to Citimortgage Inc., $36,583.

• 1955 Niagara, City of Buffalo to Mohammad Sheikh, $35,000.

• 32 Hagen, Dora Properties to Red Lox Inc., $35,000.

• 281 Northland Ave., Carolyn Gilmore; Jeanne Vinal to Midfirst Bank, $33,744.

• 18 Girard Place, Absolute Best Properties to Jimmie L. Griffin, $33,000.

• 1462 Kensington Ave., James P. Kiser to Robert James Paul Llc, $29,000.

• 17 Newburgh Ave., Bires Rental Properties to Joan T. Hamilton, $29,000.

• 501 Stockbridge Ave., Phillip John Gillam to Eldad Argov, $29,000.

• 85 Greeley, City of Buffalo to WNY Account Solutions Group, $26,000.

• 752 Eagle East, East Eagle Llc to Buffalo Greens Llc, $25,500.

• 197 Cable St., Ronald W. Bugaj to J&M Freedom Enterprises Inc., $25,000.

• 197 Cable St., T. Gerald Bugaj to J&M Freedom Enterprises Inc., $25,000.

• 33 Archer Ave., Charles F. Knill Sr. to Charles F. Knill Jr., $25,000.

• 441 Normal Ave., Lenworth Salmon to Samy A. Ali, $24,000.

• 286 Ohio St., 1029 Group Llc to 1093 Group Llc, $22,020.

• 53 Pershing, Yitzys Homes to Glebova Realty Group, $21,000.

• 100 Gorton St., Tara Edwards to ABS Enterprises Series 1 Only, $20,000.

• 257 Ogden North, City of Buffalo to Mria Llc, $20,000.

• 39 Lisbon Ave., Michael Dipasquale to Gene R. Dirosa, $20,000.

• 69 Hayden, City of Buffalo to SSMT Realty Corp., $20,000.

• 248 Northland, City of Buffalo to Mohammed Bhuiyan, $18,000.

• 38 Thornton, City of Buffalo to Emilio Galarza Jr., $18,000.

• 789 Glenwood Ave., MK Buffalo Unlimited to M&M Dearot Inc., $17,000.

• 88 Harriett St., Emily Mohl; Emily Gray to ABS Enterprise Series 2 Only, $16,500.

• 186 Stockbridge, City of Buffalo to Sana Ali, $15,000.

• 24 Schreck, City of Buffalo to Parven Akther, $15,000.

• 453 Berkshire, Palmtree Investments to Hillel E. Goral, $13,000.

• 49 Woltz Ave., James W. Lamb to Mohammad Uddin, $12,188.

• 563 Doat, Candace Richardson to Brandon 1 Llc, $12,000.

• 1408 Fillmore Ave., Fillmore Properties of Western New York to Kaled Munassar; Jamil A. Munassar, $10,500.

• 70 Rich, City of Buffalo to Alea Begum, $10,000.

• 1261 Seneca, City of Buffalo to Roberto Ramos, $9,000.

• 885 Northampton, Nyeisha Care Inc. to Glebova Realty Group, $9,000.

• 233 Townsend, City of Buffalo to Dwight Daniels, $8,500.

• 34 Hamburg, City of Buffalo to Earl Ketry, $8,500.

• 79 Dingen, Joel Levin to 837 Bailey Avenue Llc, $8,000.

• 116 Marigold, Mountain West; Peter Balcom Ralph to Kevlola Llc, $7,500.

• 600 Minnesota, City of Buffalo to Western New York Account Solutions Group, $6,500.

• 85 Girard, City of Buffalo to Pacific Construction New York Inc., $6,500.

• 90 Warren, City of Buffalo to Mohammed Bhuiyan, $6,000.

• 235 Titus, City of Buffalo to Samland Inc., $5,000.

• 36 Ada Place, Islam Mahidul to Ashraful Hassan, $5,000.

CHEEKTOWAGA Highest price: $177,000 Average price: $85,042 Median price: $85,500 Number of Sales: 19

• 102 Lou Drive, Erica Hollands to Vincene F. Baldi-Berlinski; Ronald T. Berlinski, $177,000.

• 152 Treehaven Road, Claude Tortora; Tiffany M. Kopacz to Long Beach Mortgage Loan; Deutsche Bank, $124,314.

• 44 Nardin Drive, Daniel Cybulski; Terri L. Lotempio; Alice Cybulski to Protium Master Grantor Trust; Mellon Bank of New York Trust Company, $114,468.

• 10 Diane Drive, Stacy Zielinski; Michael A. Zielinski to Thomas M. Maggio; Robin L. Maggio, $111,000.

• 12 Brookfield Lane, Vincent J. Grasso to Denise Matos, $111,000.

• 38 Princeton Court, Santos Velasquez; Daisy Lopez Velasquez to Danielle N. White; Eric T. Glynn, $110,000.

• 48 Charlotte Road, John T. Venezia; Aleen F. Venezia to Caitlin Rieck; Bruce L. Deveny; Jonathan S. Deveny, $105,000.

• 413 Cherokee Drive, Robert M. Kozlowski to Zachary J. Zunic, $91,000.

• 18 Bonita Drive, Michael Tang; Zhen X. Tang to Shivani Batra; Sukhwinder Singh, $88,000.

• 78 Caprice Drive, John J. Hurney to Donald P. Przybylo, $85,500.

• 705 Cayuga Creek Road, Richard J. Viggato to Judith F. Allyn, $85,000.

• 107 Wilshire Road, Kim E. Nowak; Domenic J. Migliaccio to American General Home Equity Inc., $83,103.

• 1164 Maryvale Drive, Marion Overholt; Stephen C. Decsman; David B. Decsman to Deborah C. Stuber; Richard A. Stuber, $78,000.

• 7 Southgate Road, Frank E. Washburn to Jillian N. Miller; Stephanie A. Cote, $74,400.

• 89 Ridge Park Ave., W. Kevin Holleran; Michael J. Jakubik to Kevin D. Peterson, $54,000.

• 141 Louis St., Dolores Frazer to Michele Levcik, $40,000.

• 187 Garland Ave., Louise Elaine Hayday; Louise E. Hayday to Jason P. Redding; Benjamin B. Roberts, $36,000.

• 102 Haller Ave., HUD to Mary J. Cimato, $29,005.

• 12 Connelly, Small Potato Llc to Shohre Zahedi; Farhad Raiszadeh, $19,000.

CLARENCE

• 6420 Bridlewood Drive, Joel E. McWilliams; Jodi L. McWilliams to Biagio A. Patti; Allison M. Patti, $352,000.

• 5186 Willow Brook, Paul J. Parrinello Sr.; Paul J. Parrinello; Rose Marie Parrinello to Lindsey R. Doktor; Jason P. Doktor, $230,000.

• Vacant Land/Meadowglen, 9679 Golden Aster Court, Courts At Spaulding Green Llc; Blase W. Caruana to Tesmer Builders Inc., $119,900.

COLDEN

• 8780 Lower East Hill Road, Anthony D. Bruni to Ruth Heiler; Kenneth Heiler, $68,000.

COLLINS

• 2992 Gowanda Zoar Road, Robert M. Riehle to Brian D. Tussing; Sherri L. Malek, $185,000.

• 2604 Lenox Road, Amanda L. Pachucinski; Alfred J. Pachucinski Jr. to Matthew Prieur; Raegan Prieur, $160,000.

EDEN

• 2735 Kulp Road, Gary Fischer; Linda Fischer; Linda Dipirro; Gary W. Fischer to Tera M. Ciesla, $254,410.

ELMA

• 2840 Girdle Road, Cynthia Swain; Stephen B. Edge to Vincent Passucci, $245,000.

• 1205 Maple Road, Joseph Pawlak; Geraldine Peterson to James P. Teller Jr., $155,000.

EVANS

• 6838 Lake Shore Road, Anne M. Smith; Anne E. Smith to Joseph Finnegan, $874,000.

• 6778 Derby Road, Constance Mary Rose; Jean C. Rose to Michael T. Wutz, $135,000.

• 7041 Waring Circle, Robins Hens; Brian Bates to Erik Rosborough; Angel Rosborough, $135,000.

• 9567 Harrison St., Carrington Mortgage Loan Trust; Series 2006-Nc4 Asset-Backed Pass-Through Certificates; Wells Fargo Bank to Roger W. Fox, $27,000.

GRAND ISLAND

• 1225 Lasalle Ave., Lisa A. Nelson to Kevin Buck, $130,000.

• 1587 Love Road, Doris E. Klaaren; Douglas E. Hardman to Peter Hardman, $50,000.

HAMBURG Highest price: $399,000 Average price: $225,138 Median price: $228,238 Number of Sales: 10

• 124 Kenton Place, Eric Lipke to Mary Beth Gasuik; Brian E. Gasuik, $399,000.

• 2675 North Creek Road, Gordon Richard Hinckle Jr.; Thomas L. Wright to Robert M. Riehle, $345,000.

• 4130 Middleham Park, Marcia K. Laub to Karen J. Laible; Mark S. Laible, $309,000.

• 5665 Southwestern Blvd., U48D, Villas At Brierwood Llc to Robert Klein; Evelyn Klein, $239,900.

• 5665 Southwestern Blvd., U48A, Villas At Brierwood Llc to Thomas J. Moretuzzo; Linda M. Moretuzzo, $237,475.

• 9 Pinegrove Park, Linda Monforte; Linda M. Monforte to Cecille Demeo; Donald Demeo, $219,000.

• 5555 Rogers Road, Roselind G. Bogner; Patricia G. Selden to Laura M. Keller Jagroop; Yatram B. Jagroop, $180,000.

• 169 Pleasant Ave., Charles L. Hubbard to Amy M. Munoz; John P. Meyers, $172,000.

• 129 East Main St., Darryl B. Ryan to Trevis V. Durni, $103,000.

• 291 Buffalo St., Mark Phillippi to Curtis Phillippi, $47,000.

HOLLAND

• 152 South Main St., Eileen McNulty; Peter J. McNulty to Mark Yuhnke; Leanne Palmer, $110,000.

LACKAWANNA

• 135 Franklin St., Emily Ziolko; Emily N. Ziolko; Emily M. Ziolko to Michael J. Newton, $60,000.

LANCASTER

• 5 Tranquility Trail, Essex Homes of WNY Inc. to Jeremy D. Blecha; Ashley A. Blecha, $285,000.

• 6456 Broadway St., Grace McWilliams to Junior Enterprises Management Properties Inc., $200,000.

• 1167 Penora St., Judith B. Kurzawski; Joseph B. Kurzawski; Barbara A. Kurzawski to Holly Cwiklinski; Peter E. Dembinski, $138,020.

• 333 Stony Road, Jennifer M. Hitchcock; Shawn D. Crandall to Brandi M. Turner, $130,000.

• 5318-20 Genesee St., Daniel R. Magrum to William P. Zehler, $92,000.

• 55 Middlebury Lane, RJF Development JV to Ryan Homes of New York; NVR Inc., $66,000.

• 39 Tranquility Trail, RJF Development JV to Ryan Homes of New York; NVR Inc., $65,000.

NORTH COLLINS

• Vacant Land/Eden Road, Carl Brenner to Debbie Noel; Michael S. Noel, $25,000.

ORCHARD PARK Highest price: $679,000 Average price: $307,385 Median price: $295,000 Number of Sales: 9

• 9 Evergreen Trail, Forbes Homes Inc. to Rosemary Skalski; Charles L. Skalski Jr., $679,000.

• 3 Grand View Trail, Sandy L. Kowalczyk; John E. Kowalczyk to Richard Brooks; Kim Brooks, $635,000.

• 73 Old Orchard Lane, Steven A. Achramovitch to Dawn Giuliana; Michael Giuliana, $318,000.

• 99 Hunters Ridge Road, Rosemary H. Skalski; Charles L. Skalski Jr. to Jay R. Spoto; Jennifer I. Spoto, $303,750.

• 115 Hunters Ridge Road, Joseph F. Biasillo; Nadine G. Biasillo to Neal J. McMullen; Suzanne P. McMullen, $295,000.

• 3980 North Freeman Road, Linda A. Kirisits to Marisha Handzel; Stephen Handzel, $244,212.

• 212 Vistula Ave., Stephen M. Handzel to Denise Scarozza, $119,000.

• 5 Holly Ridge Lane, DJC Land Inc. to Brett Lauer; Cheri Lauer, $110,000.

• 60-7 Carriage Drive, Marcia P. Salasny to Katie Kline, $62,500.

SARDINIA

• 11439 Olean Road, C. Miles Marthinsen to James A. Miller, $117,500.

CITY OF TONAWANDA

• 290 Niagara Shore Drive, James A. Adams; Barbara L. Adams to Michael F. Klinger; Hanni A. Klinger, $275,000.

• 555 Delaware St., OMFS Properties to Twintondent Llc, $171,000.

• 68 Mosher Drive, Jeffrey J. Platko; Robert H. Platko; Pamela A. Koepzle; Pamela A. Koetzle to Bryon T. Schmutzler; Kristin L. Schmutzler, $82,500.

TOWN OF TONAWANDA Highest price: $390,000 Average price: $111,243 Median price: $111,000 Number of Sales: 21

• 2874 & 2878 Elmwood Ave., Richard H. Herman; David C. Johnson to Hunt & Associates 03 Llc, $390,000.

• 61 Southwood Drive, Nina Muscarella; Nina Dinunzio to Michael S. Gullia; Darlene M. Gullia, $149,000.

• 808 Woodstock Ave., Marianne E. McGinty to Sarah Kubiak, $140,000.

• 756 Starin, Carrie Elisabeth Wicks to Robert T. Stoll, $129,900.

• 402 Warren Ave., Patrick M. Enders to Brian M. Gifford, $128,000.

• 21 Fancher Ave., Mary Beth Champlin; Kathleen M. Fries; Patricia J. Watkins; Rosemary T. Ailinger; Cheryl A. Barone; Calbraith P. Champlin III to Jennifer M. Twist, $122,000.

• 367 Glenalby Road, Aaron Burch; Alan Shaw; Charles A. Shaw Jr.; Genevieve M. Caruana; James A. Shaw; William D. Shaw to Carlos Jones; William P. Lovern, $119,900.

• 371 Parkhurst Blvd., Kenneth Fessel; Doris M. Fessel to Dennis J. Rose; Martha C. Rose, $118,000.

• 236 Edgewood Ave., Peter J. Hughes; Michael J. Hughes to Elizabeth A. Mertens, $116,600.

• 679 Starin Ave., William J. McLean; Charlotte L. McLean to Daryl Miller, $116,500.

• 43 Crosby Lane, Rita L. Zalewski to Candace M. Lavoy; Donald J. Lavoy, $111,000.

• 24 Colonial Ave., Alexander J. McDougall; Keith N. Bond to Fannie Mae, $100,610.

• 402 Hamilton Blvd., Rosalie Ramos; James Ramos to Abaid S. Wahab, $98,500.

• 387 Abbington Ave., Sondra Shapiro; Burton Shapiro to John C. Hamm, $97,000.

• 189 Mayville Ave., John Carncross to Wassim Khechen, $95,000.

• 244 Thorncliff Road, Donna Louise Haese to Anthony Sweeney, $90,000.

• 2700 Niagara Falls Blvd., Bayview Loan Servicing to Advanced Metal Building System Inc., $65,000.

• 346 Nassau Ave., Philip D. Leone; Michele L. Milazzo to American Homeowner Preservation, $60,000.

• 88 Pilgrim Road, Allen Fanaro to Musso Plumbing & Heating Inc., $48,500.

• 320 Niagara Falls Blvd., Mark Aquino; Mark R. Richardson to Wells Fargo Bank, $33,600.

• 1132 Military Road & 900 Ontario St., Erie County Industrial Development Agency to 1146 Military Road Inc., $7,000.

WEST SENECA

• 315 Orchard Park Road, Eagle Group Llc to 1093 Group Llc; First Niagara Funding Inc., $567,000.

• 3760 Seneca St., Michael R. Scott to 3760 Seneca Street Llc, $375,000.

• 23 Round Trail, Sharon A. Kimaid; Ronald A. Kimaid to Stefanie J. Sterlace; Anthony J. Sterlace Jr., $173,000.

• 4303 Clinton St., Raymond F. Kuerdoerfer to Karen M. Czuprynski; William P. Czuprynski, $83,000.

• 1170-8 Indian Church Road, Christine M. Luebcke to Cheryl A. Putnam, $66,000.

• 72 Jasmine Ave., Karen G. Pettibone; Susan F. Schein to Paul Schein; Susan F. Schein, $65,000.

Buffalo’s Dyngus Day celebration today will be bigger than ever, with a parade and polka dancing, kielbasa and pierogi feasting, and pussy-willow and squirt-gun flirting.

But the tradition started out much smaller, decades ago, in the working-class family taverns of the Polish neighborhoods on Buffalo’s East Side. There, cooks in barroom kitchens created stove-top delicacies.

And it’s where the heart beat of today’s parties still pounds.

Dyngus Day “brings families together,” said Lottie Pikuzinski, who along with her husband, Ron, has owned the R&L Lounge at 23 Mills St. since 1969. “It gives them a reason to come out and celebrate ... Let them not forget their Polish culture.”

Since the early days of the Dyngus celebration, many Polish-American families have migrated away from the old neighborhood and can be found scattered from the northern tip of Niagara County to the southern edge of Erie. But the most densely Polish-American neighborhoods today, according to a Buffalo News computer analysis of census data, can be found east of downtown along Broadway, and through Cheektowaga, Lancaster, Alden and Marilla.

Today, those Polish-Americans will return en force – along with their non-Polish friends – to the heart of Buffalo’s Polonia on Broadway for the end-of-Lent celebration called Dyngus Day, with its swell of parties at church halls and social clubs and local taverns.

The R&L, which serves Dyngus plates of “lazy pierogi” noodles with sauteed sauerkraut and onion, gets especially busy.

Some patrons walking through the door may be old family friends or former neighbors, and when they return they will find the neighborhood around the Broadway Market populated with people of many backgrounds. Only 9 percent living there now have Polish ancestry, according to the latest census. That doesn’t matter to Pikuzinski.

“We’re all in it together,” she said, amid the Easter egg cut-outs dangling from the ceiling. “People are people. They’re all my friends.”

Beyond the city borders, more Dyngus Day permutations will unfold throughout the day.

You can start with a 10 a.m. bloody Mary breakfast at Cheektowaga’s Polish Villa 2 on Harlem Road, which will include live polka music. Later, take in lunch with a sausage sandwich at Ray’s Lounge on Clinton Street, where Buffalo, Cheektowaga and West Seneca meet. Tonight, you can dance at Pvt. Leonard Post Jr. Post, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 2450 Walden Ave., Cheektowaga.

“I think Buffalo’s approach to Dyngus Day is wondrous,” said the Rev. Czeslaw Krysa, rector of St. Casimir Catholic Church on Cable Street, which is in the region’s second-most-concentrated Polish neighborhood, Kaisertown.

Krysa, who grew up in Niagara Falls, has priest friends form out of town who make the trip to Buffalo to share in the fun. The party in his church hall at 1388 Clinton St., from noon to 3 p.m., will be aimed at children, with games, dancing and food.

Throughout the season, St. Casimir features Polish traditions, like the blessing of food baskets before Easter Sunday. The church attracts families who want to stay connected to old traditions. It also makes a point of reaching out to the entire neighborhood, attracting nonchurch members to the youth group and monthly fellowship meals.

“People do watch out for each other,” Krysa said. “The church needs to be responsible for the neighborhood.”

Near St. Casimir, you don’t need census data to know you are in a Polish neighborhood. Krysa can count at least eight establishments that sell pierogi on this stretch of Clinton Street, from Wiechec’s Lounge at 1748 Clinton in Buffalo to the Deer Head Inn at 2683 Clinton in West Seneca.

“This brings people into the neighborhood,” Krysa said. “Food is an expression of love.”

In Sloan, the third-most-densely populated Polish neighborhood, according to census data, the parking lot at Camillo’s supermarket was nearly full a few days before Easter. The clerks were wishing people a happy holiday as they checked out, butter lambs were on sale for $1.99, and 17,000 pounds of the store’s homemade sausage had been sold to shoppers preparing for Easter Sunday feasts.

Geaton Camillo said his Italian family makes sure to stock seasonal Polish staples like horseradish and pierogi. He likes seeing his customers dance in the aisles to the polka music he plays.

While he has long heard how much fun it is to celebrate Dyngus Day, joining in has always been out of the question.

“I’m usually so burnt out from Easter week,” said Camillo, 32.

At Sloan Village Hall, Deputy Clerk Karen Guminski Gold reminisced about a Dyngus Day during the 1980s that she still remembers clearly.

She was in her 20s and had gone downtown with friends to the now-defunct clubhouse of the Chopin Singing Society, which is credited by many with starting the Dyngus tradition in Buffalo.

She stepped inside and could smell the food, but it was so crowded she couldn’t get near the kitchen or the bar. Men were tapping women with pussy willows and shooting squirt guns. People were laughing.

She danced to the polka music for few hours before heading to a more-low-key family bar, where she ate sausage and lazy pierogi.

“It was a fun night,” she said.

Gold plans to join the mayor and other staff this year to watch the Dyngus Day parade in Buffalo. Afterwards, they plan to return to Sloan and eat and drink at the local “R” Bar tavern at 2139 Broadway, where a $10 “Polish Plate” includes a helping of lazy pierogi with a secret ingredient.

While Gold has never enjoyed a Dyngus Day celebration as much as that one all those years ago, she’s still looking forward to hanging out with friends and celebrating “the camaraderie of being Polish.”

”You have a beer and eat ... It’s all about the food,” she said. “It’s truly a fun people-watching day.”

email: mkearns@buffnews.com

This is a critical time in the calendar for Lake Erie.

The lake is reawakening from one of its longest and most ice-encrusted winter slumbers in recorded weather history, and the next several weeks will determine just how blue and healthy – or green and toxic – its waters will be this summer.

Driven by high levels of dissolved phosphorus in the lake from agricultural runoff and other sources, the bright pea-soupy green toxic algal blob that conquered much of the western portion of the lake in 2011 returned in force last summer.

For the first time, the harmful blue-green algae – actually cyanobacterial-borne hepatotoxin or neurotoxins – appeared as early as mid-July. They later overwhelmed an Ohio water treatment plant and cropped up as far east as Presque Isle State Park in Erie, Pa.

As a collateral consequence, massive algal blooms from the shallow western part of Lake Erie drift eastward and die in the central part of the lake. Decaying dead algae then rob the water of its oxygen creating vast “dead zones,” where little marine life survives.

That’s why fears abound about what’s in store for 2014.

What damage will the harmful algae wreak this summer? Will they just close beaches in Ohio or shutter more drinking water plants? Or crop up even closer to Buffalo?

If above-average precipitation in the watershed continues this spring, most lake experts agree the news will not be good.

That’s because wetter than usual spring months pick up fertilizer spread across the rich Midwest farmland in late fall and early winter and carry it into nearby tributaries and rivers. Eventually, it winds up in Lake Erie. That fuels higher levels of phosphorus in the lake, and with it, more algal growth.

“At this point, it’s too early to say anything useful,” said R. Peter Richards, a senior research scientist for the National Center for Water Quality Research at Heidelberg University in Ohio. “Yes, we did have a long, cold winter. The question we cannot answer yet is whether this has led to a big early pulse of phosphorus loading.”

“And even if it did, the ultimate answer to how much goes into the lake will be decided over the next 12 weeks or so.”

Where it starts

The harmful algal blooms usually begin in the shallow, western basin of Lake Erie in the mid-to-late summer, but the length and severity of the blooms typically are driven by the amount of total phosphorus pouring into the lake from the Maumee River between the months of March and June.

“What is happening this spring in the Maumee watershed will drive the severity of the bloom,” said Joseph V. DePinto, senior scientist based in an Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Maumee – a more than 4 million-acre watershed – carries waters from tributaries in an overwhelmingly agricultural part of northwestern Ohio and parts of Michigan and Indiana, depositing them into Maumee Bay at the western end of Lake Erie at Toledo. In that same area, the Detroit River empties overflow sewer runoffs from aged wastewater treatment plants in the cash-strapped Motor City, adding to the amount of phosphorus in the western lake waters.

Now add the extensive ice cover, and some informed people worry.

The last time Lake Erie was as ice-covered as it was this winter was in 2011, and that summer was the high-water mark thus far for toxic algae, noted Sandy Bihn, the executive director of the Oregon, Ohio-based Lake Erie Waterkeeper organization.

So, if this proves to be another bad year on the lake, it might not be a coincidence.

“We had a cold winter, followed by a wet spring, followed by a very, very hot summer,” Bihn said of 2011. “Those are the three ingredients for hell on the lake – algae hell.”

The first of those ingredients already seem to be in the mix.

One needn’t belabor the point about how extreme 2013-14’s winter was across the Midwest and Northeast.

Ice cover

As late as March 6 this year, Lake Erie was more than 96 percent frozen over, the highest ice concentration in years.

In 2011, the last time the lake was as covered with ice, it hit a maximum of 94 percent covered with ice Feb. 8.

And, just as the Buffalo region experienced, it was a heckuva year for snowfall in the Maumee River watershed as well.

Take for instance, Toledo, where a lot of winter’s 85.3 inches of snow melt – 2½ times its annual average – would help saturate the ground or eventually be carried down the Maumee into Lake Erie. The northwestern Ohio city at the mouth of the Maumee only picked up 38 inches of snow in the winter of 2010-11.

To further illustrate the point, in 2012, the three Maumee watershed cities averaged more than 5 inches below normal for precipitation between February and June. The algal bloom in the lake that summer was minimal.

There is some good news.

Overall precipitation this season, thus far, remains well below the nearly 7 inches above normal the three cities along the Maumee averaged during the drastically wet spring three years ago in 2011. That year, Fort Wayne, Ind., which picked up close to 25 inches of precipitation between February and June, recorded its wettest spring in 114 years.

That’s why experts say the rest of this month, May and June, will play a momentous role in how the lake waters will fare later this year.

“The weather from now until July will have much more effect on the summer bloom than any weather we have had to date,” said Thomas B. Bridgeman, associate professor of the department of environmental sciences at the University of Toledo’s Lake Erie Center.

Controlling nutrient runoff

At some point soon, experts agree stakeholders along Lake Erie’s shoreline don’t want to have to be crossing their fingers and hoping Mother Nature delivers a dry spring to keep the blue lake waters from turning bright green.

It’s why the International Joint Commission, in its report of the Lake Erie Ecosystem Priority from late February, calls on governments in the United States and Canada to take legislative steps to cut phosphorus going into in the lake, especially in the Maumee watershed, through regulatory and nonregulatory reforms.

“We still believe the Maumee and western Lake Erie tributaries are the primary problem for soluble phosphorus,” said Dave Dempsey, a policy adviser at the IJC, a bi-national commission that serves in an advisory capacity to the governments. “Our recommendations are aimed at the federal governments as well as the states and provincial.”

Starting to solve the problem of harmful algal blooms and dead zones on Lake Erie the report states can be accomplished by:

• Setting phosphorus reduction targets on both sides of the border.

• Reducing phosphorus loading into the lake from agricultural sources and septic systems.

• Reducing phosphorus loading into the lake from urban sources by promoting green infrastructure and stormwater management plans.

• Strengthening monitoring and research on and around Lake Erie.

In Erie County, Pa., a task force was established last year to deal with algal blooms after toxic algae sprung up for the first time in a few places along Presque Isle Bay in Erie. Task force officials are focused on continued monitoring of the water as well as keeping the public aware of the potential danger of the toxic algae through education and posted signage in the area.

Dempsey said the IJC will continue its public information campaign as well. The commission expects to hold public meetings again this fall in the Lake Erie watershed to learn “what people think as far as this year’s algal blooms.”

Phosphorus is issue

Back in western Ohio, it’s an ongoing endeavor for Bihn and others who, near the mouth of the Maumee, really live at ground zero.

“It probably is the biggest threat to a horrible image of Lake Erie,” Bihn said of the proliferation of the toxic blooms and their effects on drinking water and public health. Left unchecked, she said, that could, in the long run, prove even “worse than the burning of the Cuyahoga.”

Legislators in Ohio last week approved a bill designed to help the lake that would require farmers to receive state certification in order to apply commercial fertilizer across at least 50 acres of land, according to a report in the Columbus Dispatch. Incentives are also provided in the bill for farmers “who voluntarily develop state nutrient-management plans and keep accurate records,” the report stated.

“Is it going to solve all the problems that we have right now in our lakes and streams? Well, it’s going to be a step in the right direction,” the bill’s sponsor, Ohio Sen. Cliff Hite, told the Dispatch.

Bihn is less bullish on her state’s new regulation as a solution. She says it doesn’t have much teeth to it and only targets part of the problem.

“All we talk about is agriculture,” Bihn said. “Wastewater plants have phosphorus discharged on an ongoing basis 365 days per year.”

For Bihn, directly restricting the total maximum daily load of dissolved phosphorus allowed to be discharged is a necessity to arrest the spread of toxic blue-green algae before it gets even worse.

“We have no such system,” said Bihn. “If we’re going to do something about this, there has to be accountability. By the time you get it in Buffalo, it’s going to hard to cure.”

email: tpignataro@buffnews.com

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A state appeals court has suspended a Southtowns attorney for a year for failing to comply with disciplinary rules regarding business transactions with clients and the maintenance of trust account funds and records.

The Appellate Division of State Supreme Court, based in Rochester, ordered the suspension for Allithea E. Killeen, who maintained a law office in the Town of Orchard Park or the Town of Boston from 1999 to 2013 when the alleged misconduct occurred, according to a petition filed by the Grievance Committee for the Eighth Judicial District of State Supreme Court, which covers the eight counties of Western New York.

The misconduct charges involved borrowing money from a client, filing two deeds and two discharges of mortgage with the Erie County clerk that Killeen had notarized without requiring the signatory to appear before her, and identifying herself as the attorney for a former client in a case of alleged housing code violations at the former client’s home, even though that client had retained another lawyer in the matter.

The appeals court found that Killeen, 65, whom the court admitted to the practice of law in 1984, “engaged in conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.”

It also found she entered into a business transaction with a client “without disclosing the terms of the transaction to the client in writing and without obtaining in writing the consent of the client to those terms and to her inherent conflict of interest in the transaction.”

It also found that she had commingled client funds with personal funds and made withdrawals from a special account, with the checks made payable to cash and not to a named payee.

email: jstaas@buffnews.com

Jeremy Bolvin, a 27-year-old North Tonawanda man who was twice convicted of brutally beating babies, was released from state prison Monday after serving about two years and six months for the latest attack.

Bolvin’s release came 20 months after the state Parole Board refused his request for an early release, calling him a danger to society.

“Your actions resulted in your two-month-old son receiving multiple fractures and a permanent seizure disorder,” the parole board wrote in an August 2012 decision obtained Monday by The Buffalo News. “The panel remains concerned about your pattern of behavior and actions which you attributed to anger and depression. You showed minimal insight about the consequences of your actions.”

Officials of the state Corrections Department said they were required by law to release Bolvin on Monday, but the release triggered an angry response from a state senator and relatives of the victims, one of whom voiced the opinion that no local children are safe with Bolvin on the streets.

In 2007, Bolvin was convicted of third-degree assault for beating and breaking the arm of his six-month-old son. In 2011, he was convicted of assault and attempted assault, this time for beating another of his infant sons, causing 11 fractures and brain damage.

“When you have a perpetrator like Jeremy who will do this to his own children, he’ll do this to anyone’s kids,” said Kevin Retzer, of Sloan, whose great-nephew, Jay-J Bolvin, was the infant whose beating led to Bolvin’s second conviction. “For me, the state releasing this guy is like putting a bomb in our backyard and telling us we have to learn where not to step.”

“I was in utter shock when I heard he was getting out,” said Krista Dunkelberger, of North Tonawanda, whose son, Marshall, was Bolvin’s first victim. “I would not put it past him to get together with some other woman who doesn’t know his past and abuse her child.”

Retzer said he was especially upset because his family did not get any notification that Bolvin’s release was pending until Friday, when they got a letter from the Niagara County District Attorney’s Office.

“We would have done everything we could to stop it, if we had more time,” Retzer said, and Dunkelberger concurred.

Officials of the state Corrections Department said Bolvin’s release – after serving two-thirds of his maximum 4-year prison term – was dictated by law and routine for prisoners who are credited with good behavior.

“Today is his statutory conditional release date,” said Taylor Vogt, the state corrections spokeswoman. “He will be on parole and under the supervision of a parole officer until Aug. 21, 2015.”

Under state law governing prisoners who are given an “indeterminate” prison sentence, a prisoner who has served two-thirds of his or her maximum prison term must be released if their behavior in the prison system has been good, Vogt said. Such releases are standard procedure and routine within New York’s prison system, she said.

State Sen. Tim Kennedy, D-Buffalo, said cases such as Bolvin’s should not be handled as routine.

“It’s outrageous. This man is a threat to society. He’s certainly a threat to kids. He was convicted of assaulting and injuring his infant son after already being convicted of doing the same thing to his other infant son,” Kennedy said. “He should be serving his entire four-year prison term, which I think is too light already.”

Kennedy said he asked State Corrections Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci if Bolvin’s release can be revoked. That does not appear to be possible, Kennedy said.

“We’re going to have to figure out what we can do legislatively to stop this from ever happening again,” he said.

Efforts to reach Bolvin and his family in North Tonawanda were unsuccessful. A Buffalo News reporter left a telephone message at the home of Bolvin’s father, but no return call was made.

If Kennedy does push for legislation to require child abusers such as Bolvin to serve their entire maximum prison terms, it would be the second time that legislation was inspired by the Jay-J Bolvin beating.

Last July, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed “Jay-J’s Law,” which was proposed by Kennedy. The law strengthened sentencing provisions for repeat child abusers. Before “Jay-J’s Law,” a sentencing judge could only consider previous convictions going back three years. Now, a defendant’s previous child-abuse convictions going back 10 years can be considered by the judge.

Daniel E. Brick, the attorney who represented Bolvin in the 2011 case, called the whole situation “a tragedy” and said Bolvin himself had a very difficult childhood. He said he understands why people close to the two boys who were beaten are upset.

“Jeremy’s natural parents were drug addicts. His adoptive parents did their best to raise him. He had a lot of issues and a very tough childhood,” Brick said. “It was a bad case, all the way around. I am assuming that, if the state Corrections Department says he’s done his time, he is entitled to be released. It happens every day.”

“A lot of people have a tough childhood, but that doesn’t excuse beating your own children,” Dunkelberger said.

According to state officials, Bolvin will be under some tight restrictions during his parole period.

They said he will be required by his parole officer to take part in domestic-abuse treatment programs, will have no contact with any person under 18 years of age without permission of the parole officer, will be under a curfew and will not be allowed to consume alcoholic beverages.

Retzer said that, in his view, good behavior in prison should not cause a child abuser to get released early.

“He sits in his cell and watches Sponge Bob without throwing food at the TV, and for that, they let him out early,” Retzer said.

email: dherbeck@buffnews.com

A 20-year-old Eden man was arrested for drunken driving and other charges after Erie County sheriff’s deputies reported his car crashed into several mailboxes and then landed in a ditch on Mayer road in the Town of Boston about 6 p.m. Sunday.

Nicholas D. Ball was also charged with criminal mischief for destroying the mailboxes, operating with open alcoholic beverage containers in his car, imprudent speed, failure to maintain the roadway and refusing to submit to a breath screen device. He was taken to Erie County Medical Center by ambulance for treatment of minor injuries. He refused to submit to a blood test at the hospital. He was ordered to appear in Boston Town Court next month for further proceedings.