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PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 1984, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, I Pub Publisher - Managing Editor e only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. blished every Wednesday by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Ine. Phone 668-6111 The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. MICHA L KNELL Community Editor CONWAY DOBBS AdvertisIng Manager Second Class Mail Registration No. 5351 There was no 'villian'involved in Dow House loss On page 3 of today's edition, this newspaper reported on a lack of communication between Whitby Town Council and the Local Architectural Conservation Advisory Committee (LACAC). The.dispute between council and its appointed advisory committee centres over Costain Developments Ltd.'s decision to demolish the Dow House which was located on lands owned by the company which are slated for residential con- struction. The demolition took place after no purchaser could be found for the house. There were two major issues raised during the discussion held at last week's meeting of council. The first issue was the apparent lack of com- munication between council and LACAC. There definitely seems to be a problem here but it ZEST cir Fi' 1<1-,viA ABOE~EW 70K GLOBAL NEUN I've been thinking a lot about my childhood lately, largely because of a book I've just finished by a man i admire - Dave McIntosh. Dave worked for the Cana- dian Press in Ottawa for many years, and for some of them at least, his byline was enough to strike terror in- to the hearts at the Defense Department, not to men- tion the rest of the Press Galleryi don'tknow how many times, when I was working in Ottawa for the Toronto Star, that the desk got on the phone to me screaming for what we called a "matcher". It was usually a Mcin- tosh story they wanted matched, and without Dave's contacts and inventiveness it was usually a very tough story to duplicate. In 1972, Dave quit Canadian Press in favor of a less frenetic career in the Civil Service, a change which had no apparent effect on one of Dave's stocks-in-trade - tough, trenchant, honest talk about any subject that moves him. As a matter of fact, about ten years ago he came out of retirement long enough to rescue a rather pallid documentary I had done on the Armed Forces with a few pungent observations that gave the film some bite. I was flying back from England a few years ago when I found Dave's first book "Terror In the Starboard Seat" in a Heathrow book shop. It was the story of Dave's experiences in the Second World War as the navigator of a Mosquito, and if it wasn't exactly the best book I could have chosen for a trans-Atlantic flight, that wasn't the author's fault. It was vivid, and funny, and frightening. I meant to write to him about it, but I don't think I ever got around to it. A couple of days ago, I got Dave's newest book in the mail. It's called "The Seasons of My Youth," and it's being distributed by General Publishing. It's a very good read about places, people and periods that I'm glad Dave has preserved. He's a few years older than I am, but the places of our youth, the kind of people we grew up with, and some of our experiences were similar. The years he writes about he spent in Stanstead, Quebec, where he was born, and on an un- cle's farm near Woodstock, New Brunswick, where he learned about life. It was Stanstead in the winter and the farm in thesummer. My winters were spent in New Brunswick - Sackville and St. John mostly - and my summers were either on or near my uncle's farm on Prince Edward Island. Our circumstances were quite dif- ferent, but our experiences weren't and I think the main difference between us is that he remembers almost everything. What I recollect about my early days wouldn't fill a single chapter; Dave's memories fill a whole book, a very warm and rich one. What Dave remembers from more than f ifty years ago is astonishing. should be pointed out that the Dow House has been on LACAC's priority list for designation un- der the Ontario Heritage Act for some years now and that Costain has owned the house for at le.ast 10 years. It seems to us that LACAC could have acted sooner, after ail, the negotiations that produced the subdivision agreement that resulted in the demolition of the Dow House began some eight or nine years ago. The time to act on this matter has long since passed. Perhaps it would have been wisest to in- clude the preservation of the Dow House ln the subdivision agreement but since LACAC was not established until 1978, a couple of years after negotiations had commenced this might have been difficult. However, the time for input could still have been found. But, hindsight is a vice and there is no use crying over spilt milk. Everyone concerned with the Dow House - Costain, Whitby Town Council and LACAC - knew it was there, knew its historical importance but no one seemed to be'able to find the means by which to preserve it. We don't think there is any "villian" in this situation nor was there any apparent irrespon- sibility on the part of anyone involved. Time had just run out and the irievitable occured. It is a loss to our community but it should be pointed out that there are many fine examples of our architectural heritage remaining in the town and every effort should be made to preserve them for future generations of Whitby residents. The second issue of importance that was raised came from councillors Joe Bugelli and Joe Drumm. These two gentlemen said that Vera Hugel, a member of LACAC, had an express con- flict of interest because she was attempting to purchase Dow House while sitting as a member of the committee. Iri fact, Councillor Drumm went so far as to suggest that Hugel should resign from LACAC because he; private involvement in the situation was "an embarassment" to council. This newspaper is satisfied that Hugel does not have a conflict of interest and accepts LACAC chairman Rod Angevarre's assurances that she excused herself from all discussions concerning the Dow House. We are not convinced that her position on LACAC would have in any way affected the negotiations she entered into an effort to buy the house. We would also like to point out that volunteers such as Hogel and Angevarre are much needed in our community. They give of their own time and efforts to ensure that Whitby's heritage ls preser- ved. Their dedication and hard work should not be overlooked. There is no reason for her to resign and we hope that her contributions to the town will continue for many years to come. Bugelli and Drumm have a valid concern. Council is ultimately responsible for the actions of its appointed bodies whether it be LACAC, the Property Standards Committee -or the Whitby Public Library Board and, therefore, has the right to expect that the members of these bodies act in a manner consistant with the standards expected of members of council itself. The preservation of our heritage is not something to be taken lightly. The members of LACAC have a grave responsibility. The proper discharge of their duties requires not only ex- cellent means of communication with council and the people of Whitby but also requires that each member maintain a standard of conduct con- sistant with that required of members of council itself. Measures must be taken to ensure that these requirements are met and that in the future, Whit- by will not lose another Dow House. mon p Pý; ý ", 4r,-,ýý4«.ýlýý,ýW----l ý - --- 1- - .912 -ýý - - - --- - -- - -- .-- A - - - 1 . - . --.. ...