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Vipond "design refinements"... Boost tab another $11,000 By MIKE JOHNSTON Free Press Staff "Design refinements" and a "fault in the system" are being blamed for an $11,000 increase in price for two new dressing rooms at the Brooklin arena. The new estirnate, $145,680 is an eight per- ccnt increase from an estimate the town received in May of this year, $134,690, and almost twice the original estimate of $82,000 when the project first began last year. "Basic design refinements," have caused the $11,000 in- crease said project co- ordinator Tom Nolan who works for the town's consultants Tot- ten, Sims, Hubicki and Associates. He said the refinements by his firm were required to "build the building according to building codes and by-laws." The $11,000 increase has raised the ire of parks and recreation chairman Ross Batten but he said the town has come too far to stop work Qn the arena now. "I'm not particularily happy with the situation but there is not a whole lot we can do about it," said the councillor. "It's the fault of the system and we have to correct that fault," said Batten acknowledging that increases in estimates have been happening too often. "This year was really bad," he ' said. While Batten blamed the increase on the system he did say that someone should have made contingencies and been aware of some of the problems. "It's hard to work to budgets with costs in- creasing,"hesaid. Both Batten and Nolan said the final price for the dressing rooms will not be known until the work is put out to tender. "The price could come in higher or it could come in lower," said Nolan adding that "I wish I could say it could go down." While Nolan is blaming design -refinements for the $11,000 increase, coun- cillor Joe Bugelli and Joe Drumm have previously blamed town staff for the increase in price from $88,000 to $134,690. Councillor Bugelli said staff erred in their fiscal planning and councillor Drumm said staff added things to the proposal between the first estimated price and the second which should have been "gimmies" right from thestart. They included SEE PG. 3 Catching the rays The weather in Whitby these past few weeks has been perfect and Chantal Short and Lorna Kenney decided to catch some of the suns rays before the weather decides to take a turn for the worse. Free Press Staff Photo Affordable housing approval expected Vol. 16, No. 26 Donald McCoy, 36, of Toronto, and Ralph Fisher, 33, of Toronto, are seen here being led from the Whitby Provincial courthouse last Friday by a Durham Regional Police officer after their trial date was set for July 18. The pair along with three other people Fred Fisher, Elizabeth Fisher, and Janet Fisher, have been charged with the second Wednesday, July 2, 1986 28 Pages degree murder of Walter Clark Major of Brooklin. Major, 52, died four years ago attempting to stop a number of persons from stealing items from his. property. The five will appear in courtroom one at the Whitby Provincial courthouse at 9:30 a.m. Free Press Staff Photo The Administrative Committee was expec- ted to approve two site plan applications Mon- day night which would see 114 rental apar- tments built in Whitby. The apartments will be built under Ontario's Renterprise program and planning director Bob Short said he expec- ts construction of the apartments to begin sometime this year. Sixty-seven of the apartments will be built by Aldom Enterprises on the north side of Dundas St. E. just west of the C.P.R. underpass and 47 units will be built on Regency Cres. by the Sorichetti Group. The provincial gover- nment will provide $650,000 in loans to allow construction of the apartments according to Housing Minister Alvin Curling. "Renterprise is an example of the public and private sectors working together to stimulate rental con- struction in selected areas, such as Whitby, with low rental vacancy rates and a need for rent-geared-to-income housing," said - Mr. Curling. Across Ontario, 4,786 apartments and townhouses will be built in 39 municipalities with Renterprise assistance totalling more than $45 million. The builders are required to offer 40 per- cent of the apartments for needy families with rents for these' units based on their household incomes rather than on the size or type of accom- modation. "These apartments will be a valuable ad- dition to Whitby's sup- ply of affordable housing," said Mr. Curling. Separate school funding will raise taxes Public school suppor- ters may have to pay $15 more per household in 1987 because of Bill 30. Last week the bill to extend funding to grades il and 12 separate school studen- ts passed third and final reading in the legislature. As of January 1, 1987 the assessment which currently supports Roman Catholic studen- ts in the public system will be switched to the separate system. Ray Clark, manager of business and finan- cial services for the Durham Board of Education, estimates that if all the Catholic students in grades 11 and 12 transfer to separate schools, that loss of assessment will mean the mill rate will have to be raised by two percent or $15 for each public school suppor- ter's household. This tax increase would be necessary to cover the $1 million loss in tax revenue, if Catholic students transfer to the separate system. Chairman of the Board Ruth Lafarga said the board has no control over that loss in assessment, and that increase in taxes would come even without other increases needed for the budget. Whitby public school taxes for 1986 increased by 8.5 percent over last year. The Ontario Secon- dary School Teachers' Federation and the Metro Toronto School' Board are challenging Bill 30 in the Supreme Court. Trial date set 1 »--1