Spencerport C of C to recognize award winners

Winners of the Spencerport Area Chamber of Commerce's 2003 awards were recently announced. The awards will be presented at the chamber's annual awards dinner on Friday, January 30, at the Whittier Party House, 88 Whittier Road.

Thomas Vandertang will receive the Clyde W. Carter Citizen of the Year Award posthumously for the many ways he served the Spencerport community over the years. Mr. Vandertang died in 2003. In a nomination made by David Goddard he writes, "I had the pleasure of serving with Tom for 25 years as a member and officer of the Spencerport Volunteer Fire Department. During that time, I witnessed in Tom a truly rare and unbelievably strong dedication and commitment to the community." In another nomination, submitted by Alice Sidoti-McCombs, the nominator writes about Mr. Vandertang in his role as chairperson of the Spencerport Canal Days committee. "Tom became very ill during the planning stages of Spencerport Canal Days," wrote Sidoti-McCombs. "He was hospitalized and in very serious condition but this did not stop him. From his hospital bed he continued to plan and prepare for that event," she said. These are just two of the six nominations that were received for Mr. Vandertang, which set a record for the most nominations ever received for this award.

William "Bill" Bleier, owner of Bleier Electric, will receive the Business Person of the Year Award. Bleier received eight nominations for this award, also setting a record for nominations for Business Person of the Year honors. In one, from Edward "Ted" Vargo, Bleier is described as one who "gives freely of his time to help out locally at the Ogden Senior Center, the Spencerport Volunteer Fire Department, the Village of Spencerport, Town of Ogden and several churches in the area." Local D.A.R.E. officer, Steven Brown, of the Ogden Police Department, nominated Bleier for his efforts to help with the D.A.R.E. program. "What is most impressive about Bill is his 'Spencerport is a small town' attitude in the way he treats his customers," Officer Brown said.

There will be two recipients of the Civic Beautification Award this year. One recipient, The Spencerport Garden Club, was nominated by Patricia Uttaro, Director of the Ogden Farmers' Library, for the Garden Club's efforts to beautify and maintain the flagpole and entrance area to the Ogden Community Center. "Staff at the Town Hall and in the library constantly field questions about who takes care of the garden, what flowers are planted and so on," Uttaro wrote.

The other recipient is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of Dave Widger and the Town of Ogden Highway Department with the County of Monroe and Roberts Wesleyan College which resulted in the section of Westside Drive now known as "Ronald J. Starkweather Boulevard." It was named in memory of the former Ogden resident and political leader. "The median, with brick pavers, trees and grass areas, is a major improvement for the campus of the college as well as the entire community," wrote Fred Holbrook in his nomination.

Also to be recognized at the dinner will be a number of local organizations who have achieved a milestone. They include Walker Brothers Funeral Home - 130 years, Suburban News edition of Westside News Inc. publications - 50 years, Village Square Management - 30 years, Spencerport Florist - 25 years, Kenny's Auto Center - 25 years, The Feltner Group - 20 years, Cardinal Lawn & Landscape - 20 years and Ridgeview Motors - 20 years.

The awards dinner will feature entertainment by the music department from Spencerport High School. Social time begins at 6 p.m., dinner is at 7 p.m.

Tickets are available, at $20 per person, at the following locations: receptionist desk at the Ogden Community Center, Cardinal Lawn & Landscape, The Unique Shop, Village of Spencerport offices, The Ogden Farmers' Library and Westside News.