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May or disputes'vicious' rumor by BLAKE PURDY Staff Writer Whitby Mayor Jim Gartshore has termed "vicious" and "less than credible" a rumour currently making the rounds that the zoning in the area of the two high rise apartment buildings presently under construction in West Lynde prohibits such structures. The high rise apartments, being constructed. on the corner of Dundas and Jeffrey Streets, were the subject of a long battle with the West Lynde Community Association and Whitby Council on one side and developer Peter Sorichetti and Sons and the Ontario Housing Corporation on the other. The developer, who at one time had threatened to apply for a mandamus if he was not issued the building permits, was given council's permission to construct the apartments in October of last year. The 'rumour was made public at a meeting of the West Lynde Community Associatioh on Thursday. It apparently started when an association member was having an informal conversation with former Mayor and unsuccessful Durham West- Liberal candidate Des Newman at a social function shortly after the provincial election. Mr. Newman, when asked if the high rises were a dead issue, responded that they were not, according to the association member who posed the question. The association member then contacted the W.L.C.A. executive and repeated Mr. Newman's response. An executive member then apparently contacted someone in the Town's administration and asked what Mr. Newman meant. According to a report, read at the association meeting, the Town employee allegedly responded that there was an infraction in the zoning bylaw in the area of the high rises which did not permit the construction of that building. The infraction, according to the report, supposedly extended into a vast area of West Lynde, causing residents of the subdivision to wonder if they had clear title to the properties on which their houses atood. The executive, after advice from a lawyer, then contacted Durham West MPP Charles Godfrey who in turn asked the Town if there was any truth to the rumour. Apparently, a Town official responded in the negative but in such a way that Dr. Godfrey felt the matter needed further investigation. He said that he would continue to investigate and advised the executive to do likewise. That is where the matter now stands. There is no concrete evidence, only rumour. Mayor Gartshore, when contacted Monday by the Free Press, said "it is a complete and utter mistruth". "I have a legal opinion that states exactly that", he said. Mayor Gartshore added "we have had planning people check into it and they say there is nothing wrong". "I am thoroughly convinced -that Mr. Newman was misquoted", he said. Mayor Gartshore added "whoever started the rumour is doing a great disservice to the area and the whole town". Council brings in no-increase budget They said it couldn't be done, a few short weeks ago, but council has done the impossible again. It has achieved a no-mill increase budget for local purposes for the second consecutive year. At the fourth and final budget meeting last Thurs- day, the council gave tentative approval fer a $4.6 million operating budget, which will keep the mill rate at 1974 and 1975 levels. Three major factors con- tributed to the no-mill increase budget, says Mayor Jim Gartshore. The first was a 6.3 per cent increase in assessment in Whitby in 1975, and the second was an unexpected S200,000 surplus at the end of the year. The third factor was a se'ries of service cutbacks across the board in every ar :a of town business, to keep the budget level as tight as possible. "We are not cutting ser- vices where it will really hurt that much", said Mayor Gartshore. He said that some services have been cutback, but not as much as he had originally anticipated. Despite the cutbacks, some programs,.such as the town's preventative mai- tenance for roads will continue. Mayor Gartshore expects that the current budget for local purposes will be passed in a bylaw next Monday, and predicts that the capital budget will be ready a few Layoffs A total of 95 production workers at Dayton Tire Canada Limited were laid off Friday. Meanwhile, the strike by 59 office workers continues. later. It will be a small capi- tal budget this year", he says. Mayor Gartshore points out that although the mill rate for local purposes will remain the same as 1974 and 1975, the town has no control over the school board, and limited control over regional taxes. "We're hoping that the region might take some kirA of note", he said. "We've done a rather reasonably good job to keep the situation as it is, and not eliminate any major services in any area", he said. Nobody's going to be hurt ýnd there will be nothing detrimental to the service of the community". The breakdown of the current budget, subject to a few refinements prior to passage of 4he bylaw, is S 1,790,000 for public works, $684,000 for fire protec- tion, $621,000 for general government expenses, $427,000 for recreation, S290,000 for grants to the library and other organiza- tions, $239,000 for plan- ning; $231,000 for garbage collection and disposal, and $162,000 for protection to property. Centre opens- Mayor Jim Gartshore will cut the ribbon to officially open Whitby's new senior citizens' centre Saturday. morning. The ceremonies at the centre, at -the corner of Brock and Pitt Streets, are open to the general public starting at 11 a.m. Special guests from the town's senior citizens clubs will be introduced, and light refreshments will be served following the ceremonies. do you do", says woodcarver Pat presented by the Whitby Public Library last Thursday and Wilson, 203 Hallett St., to his iatest creation, a three-foot Friday in the council chambers. Mr. Wilson took a month bigh black bear carved from a single pine log. Mr. Wilson's of work in his spare time to carve "Charlie" with a wood bear was one of the many exhibits at a hobby show chisel.