Woodcrest Golf Course to Build ChautauquaVacation Homes




















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Sinclairville Wild Animal Farm Holds Fund Raiser. When your in the area stop by with the kids.

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Holiday Valley, NY upcoming events :












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It's wonderful to witness renewal of life in spring 3/26/2006

It's that time of year again. Time to watch as black branches turn into tinges of pale color, first little shoots, then tiny buds, blossoms and, finally, full green leaves.
It starts with black branches threaded delicately through blue sky. But as the stages move stealthily toward full-blown leafiness, tinges of green suddenly expand to hide the sky, seemingly overnight. Spring has sprung, usually moving all too quickly into summer.
Too quickly, because I love to watch the trees awaken slowly, on a daily basis. But every year, I forget just one day as I get caught up in the wrangles of daily living. And in that one slip of time, overnight, they go into full bloom without me!

It's always a disappointment, for my goal is to see it happen, to enjoy step by lovely step from barren to bloom. This is my very favorite time of year, the promise of spring bursting forth its uplifting message of warmer days ahead, every sign a bright reminder of future blessings.
Sunshine tells of sandals and shorts, of boat rides on Chautauqua Lake. Warming breezes shout of ice cream cones, of Italian sausage at family reunions in Clarence Town Park.

But mostly it's witnessing renewal of life that makes me smile. As I watch the trees bud through all their lacy transitions from twigs to summer's leaves, I focus first on sky that fills all minute spaces. Seeing next the crocheted trelliswork of subtle green on black, laced by soft blue, I find myself wishing this stage could last forever - much as one wishes a playful kitten could always be that ball of fuzzy fun rather than its full-grown audacious and sassy counterpart, a cat!
But I know that's impossible, so instead I make a conscious effort to witness each fast-moving phase, especially when on the road, though that's not the only place I study.

I also wander around my yard, watching changes in my flower beds. It's true that weeds are saucily raising their persistent heads, but so are little shoots of irises and bleeding hearts. Some of the early rising flowers bob their heads in greeting. Wind-flowers, one of my favorites, dance their blossoms in time with the breeze, activity that undoubtedly gave them their charming name. Daffodils in all their yellow glory also bend to the wind, while their equally golden counterparts, forsythia, stretch up in swarms of glory. Downward, creeping ground-cover stretches outward to disguise brown earth.

The same little buds I see on trees I also see on bushes, every day growing a little bigger. Ornamental trees add their share of rosy pink and white to the color chart. Life is everywhere.
But the very best about this season is that I can watch it twice. Heading north out of Pittsburgh to visit family in Buffalo, or to weekend in Chautauqua, I watch the trees change all over again. It's a lovely bonus.

Years of "scientific" spotting have shown that up north warms some two weeks later than Pennsylvania, so at this time of year, each trip brings double pleasures, the vistas on the road heading northward mingling nicely with pleasures of family fun anticipated at the end of the journey. The return home presents another chance to witness that minute-to-minute transition, the simple wonders and beauty of growing life.
Watch for it. Don't miss a minute. Because if you forget, for even one day, those trees will be in absolute full summer's bloom and you will have missed it, till another 365 days transpire.

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For the Kids, 2185 Mill Creek Road Sinclairville



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Chautauqua Lake Hotel Gets Little Opposition


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Bemus Point Condo Project Delayed

























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1031 Do’s and Don’ts By Lorraine Stuart Merrill:

Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code contains serious tax benefits for property owners who qualify—and who plan before they leap into a sale. “Even though this is an old law, enacted by Congress in 1921, only a relatively small number of people utilize it,” notes Tom Torsney, senior vice president of TIMCOR Exchange Corporation, a national qualify¬ing intermediary. “With less tax to pay, more money can be reinvested into more valuable property. It’s one of the last great tax breaks,” Torsney declares. “It is a means of building wealth, using undiminished gains to reinvest into more valuable property.” A Section 1031 exchange is not a do¬it-yourself project. The IRS has rigid specifications, including the use of a qualifying intermediary (QI) to hold the property and money until the exchange is completed with acquisition and transfer of the replacement property. Consult with a financial planner or tax account¬ant, and find a reputable professional QI before you sell. Follow these basic rules for

1031 exchanges. DO:

Plan ahead to meet all requirements of Section 1031.
Establish a rental history for vacation home property. The IRS has not set a firm rule, but attorney Richard Lipton, tax partner with Baker & McKenzie in Chicago, advises a minimum two years of rental his¬tory, prefers five years.
Report change of use from personal to rental/investment to IRS by filing return showing rental income, expenses. “The biggest trap taxpayers fall into is to not establish a paper trail,” advises Scott Saunders, senior vice president of Asset Preservation, Inc.
Secure the services and advice of a rep¬utable and knowledgeable attorney, tax accountant, and qualified intermediary.
Make sure a reputable qualified inter¬mediary holds all funds and title until the exchange is completed.
Identify replacement property within 45 days of date of transfer of property being relinquished in an exchange.
Have the replacement property transferred to exactly the same ownership as the relin¬quished property.
Complete the exchange within 180 days of transfer of relinquished property.

DO NOT:

Use a home for personal use more than 14 days a year, or ten percent of annual total occupied days, for at least one year. Two or more may be safer.
Select replacement property of lesser value than the relinquished property, unless prepared to pay taxes on the ‘boot’ or difference in value.
Allow a relative or personal agent such as attorney, realtor, or accountant to act as the intermediary, because IRS will not qualify such an agent as independent.
Take control of proceeds from relinquished property or title of acquired property at any point before the exchange is completed.
Use 1031 exchanges for ‘flipping’ rental properties. Property held primarily for sale, vs. investment, does not qualify, warns Jon Christianson, vice president and general counsel for Asset Preservation, Inc.
Wait for an audit to try to establish investment or rental use of exchange property.

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A Milestone In Land Protection On Chautauqua Lake






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Our State's Top Five Spring Walleye Waters
Here's a look at where to go for some exciting spring walleye fishing on New York's top-rated lakes and reservoirs. (March 2006)
By Brian Krull

New York's waters provide some fantastic spring walleye fishing, and although the fishing doesn't really heat up until later in the spring, now is the time to start preparing to ensure success once the season opens May 6.

In most Empire State waters, the minimum length for walleyes is 15 inches and the daily limit is five fish. Some exceptions do exist and will be listed for the waters mentioned below. Check the 2006 freshwater fishing regulations before a trip.

LAKE ERIELake Erie is home to some of the best walleye fishing in the world, and the waters from the Pennsylvania border all the way to the Peace Bridge in Buffalo offer some excellent spring fishing.
Lake Erie has excellent boat access along its shoreline bordering Route 5. Heading east to west, the best public boat launches include Small Boat Harbor in Buffalo, Sturgeon Point Marina in Derby, Silver Creek (near the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek), Dunkirk Harbor and Barcelona.
When fishing the daylight hours, keep in mind that walleyes tend to move into 30 to 35 feet of water where they can be caught by drifting or trolling.
If you do not have access to a boat, there is some good spring walleye fishing available by wading at Wanakah Beach off Route 5 in Hamburg. There is also access for shore-casters at the mouth of Smokes Creek in Lackawanna. The daily limit on walleyes in Lake Erie is four fish.
When planning a walleye fishing trip on Lake Erie, be sure to check the weather forecast, as it can be extremely rough when the wind gets above 15 miles per hour and unsafe when the wind gets above 20 miles per hour. It is also wise to have an alternate plan to fish a nearby inland lake in the event that a prolonged windstorm blows in.
Accommodations are plentiful in the greater Buffalo area as well as in Dunkirk. Check with your favorite hotel chain because most are close to the lake.
For local fishing information, check with Miller's Bait and Tackle in Silver Creek or at the pier in Dunkirk.

CHAUTAUQUA LAKE In southern Chautauqua County, this lake offers great spring walleye fishing. The fun begins with the annual walleye tournament at 12:01 a.m. on opening day.
Chautauqua Lake, known for its great muskie fishing, has been a spring walleye hotspot for a number of years, producing excellent sizes and numbers of fish.
The Interstate Route 86 bridge divides the lake almost in half, and spring walleyes may be found in the shallows along the shoreline of both the northern and southern basins.
Daytime walleye fishing is rarely productive. Trolling or casting from dusk until sunrise will provide the best opportunities for catching a limit of walleyes, which in Chautauqua Lake is three fish with a minimum size limit of 18 inches.
Prendergast and Dewittville creeks, feeding the north basin of Chautauqua Lake, have great runs of spawning walleyes. Early in the season, the mouths of these creeks are two of the best spots for walleyes coming off their spawning beds. Other hotspots in early spring are the shoreline surrounding Long Point State Park, the I-86 bridge, and the water off Maple Springs on the eastern side of the northern basin.
Later in the spring, walleyes move away from the shorelines and into the weedbeds. They can be found by fishing the edge of any weed line, with two of the most noted hotspots being off the tower at Chautauqua Institution on the western side of the north basin and Cheney's Point on the western side of the southern basin.
Free boat access is plentiful on Chautauqua Lake, with five of seven public launches not charging launch fees. Perhaps the best and easiest of these is the New York Department of Environmental Conservation's launch at Bemus Point off Route 430, just a few miles from I-86 and a short drive from I-90. Because most of Chautauqua Lake is shallow, it can get pretty choppy on windy days, but it is rarely too rough to fish.
Long Point State Park offers some great opportunities for wading. Accommodations are plentiful in Jamestown at the southern end of the lake.

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