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8ae, Whitby Fin ree. Wekioday, Octber 13, 1993 AntiBIA group bgn petition campaign By Mike Kowalski A group of Whitby merchants are callingr on Town council ta temporarxly rescind the special tax levy imposed on downtawn bueinesses. A petition now circulating in te fowntawn is demanding that for a two-year period, council refrain from charging the assese- ment leviod againet businesses located in the Downtawn Busi- ness Improvement Area (DBIA). .But the petition also goes on ta, state that a two-thirds majority vote of aIl businesses in the DBIA muet be obtained before the tax can be re-introduced., Organizers of the petition cam- pain ntend ta survey al profs- sinali service and retail outlets in the DBIA and present the results ta council. They are confident a majoity of the DBIA's approxirnately 400 members will sign. Gene Peacock, owner of Pea- cock Sports & Trophies, is among the group behind the petition. Earlier this year ho and others initiated a campaign aimed at informing merchants and non- retail businesses about the DBIA and how much they are paying ta, sprtt suegroup produced the anti- BIA T-shirts, flyers and pamph- lets found in sonýe downtawn shop s. Although ho personally favours scrapping the 1 erodDBIA Peacock foots a two-year mora- torium should satisfy those on beth aides of the issue. Opponents and BIA-backers alike could use the time ta make their argumenta for and against continuing with the current sys- tem, Peacock said. A moratorium would also relieve those who are uncortain about the DBIA, from having ta make a firrn decision at this time, ho said. "If they (council) closed it for two years and thon triod to reopen it, they couldn't unlese most people wantad it," said Pea- cock. "When it originally started evoryone was s0 busy theydîdn't pay much attention and7 didn't realize what they were gtting into.» Peacock and others have com- plained for yoars that tho DBIA has not only outlived its usoful- nees, it bas becorne too expensive to maintain. Supporters counter that hav- ing a BIA bas improved down- town Whitby and is nocessary to the survival of businesses threa- tened by area shopping mails. Formod in 1978 aller a bylaw was passed by Town council, the DBU was ostablished ta boost downtawn businesses through a varioty of means such as improv- ing the appoarance of buildings an promotional campaigns ta attract shoppars. Centered at the intersection of Dundas and Brock streets, the DBIA geographic area jute and jaethrough the downtawn as frprnorth as Walnut Street east to Hickory Street, soultot Ontario Street and west ta High Street. The DBIA is operated b ya management boarclappointed by council and consista of merchants and business people based in the downtown. Mombership is mandatary. Members are assessed a special levy which is paid in addition ta 1621 McEwen Drive, Unit #7,, Whitby Phone: 723-1404 Fax: 723-9056 ADVERTISING POLICV The Whitby Free Press is a business which derives almost ail its revenue tram advertisng in one form or anottier. For abviaus seIi-interest, we want our clients' advertîsing ta, work. Our policy is Io reach as many homes in Whitby as possible (usually more than 99%) and la, provide local high-interest content tfiat ensures that people read the paper and hence the advertising as vieIl. We urge readers ta paîronize aur adtvertisers in arder that vie can pravide even benter coverage inthie future. We also stress creativity. We will pravide aur prafessianal experienoe ta advise clients on ways ta make their advertising more effective, but for a praduct that cannot be repssessed, ther are no guarantees. We strive ta, avoid errars. but whon we make thorn, a correction wiii be made in a subsequent issue or a discount offered. The newspaper's legai hiabiity is only for te actuai spaoe occupied by te error. Adverling is sold accarding ta the space it occupies. No additonal charge is made for arfwark or iayout and hence the nevspaper retains thne copyright on ail ils on inal work. Thie newspaper reServes Vie flght ta refus advetii5Irg vific i t firids ob ectonable or devirlIfOfli to its buskneSS their propert taxes. Theley isted gs 'locals' on the tax- bil, is based on such factors as square footage, park- ing area and general tax assess- ment. Last March, the DBIA annual meeting approved a $155,974 budget for Î993, which was il per cent less than last year's $175, 894 budget. Althougli Pvacock and others have long argued that the cost of belonging to the DUAoutweighs the benefits, a "ýecent decision by the DBIA board bas intensified their opposition. "This newspaper is the last straw,» said Peacock, in referring' ta, a monthly DBIA promotional publication which is distributed ta, homes in Whitby. The DBIA board insists the publication will be self-support- rng, with advertising paying for more than two-thirds of the cost and DBIA money covering the rest. But the publication -- which only accepts advertisinq from DBI members -- is costing the DBIA a «emaîl fortune", Peacock said. Members were tald that the publication, which costs $9,745 per issue ta produce (including .delivery), must be at least 24 pages ta, break even, Peacock explained. While the initial issue was 24 pages, the next two were 20 pages and 16 pages, respectively. ccording ta calculations based on advertising rates charged by the DBIA, t he critics contend- that revenue fromn the three issues bas tatalled only $13,500 SERPAGE 9 I~. ...... .~n In last week's edition, an arti- cle about Medichair Durhtam, a new store in downtown Whitby, mistakenly appeared at the end of an article about an RCMP probe. Due to t/te error, it may have been implied that Medichair was also a subject of the probe. Medi- chair was in no way involved with the probe. The Free Press wishes to apo- logize for the error and any embarrassment which may have resulted. T/w following is a reprint of the article. A new Whitby. store bas just the thing for seniors and people with physical limitations who need a little help getting around. Medichair Durham, whch just opened recently at 110 Dunlop St. E., carrnes scooters, wheel- chairs, lift chairs, walkers, stair lifta -- "a complete lino of pro- ducts ta assist people in mobi- lityM says owner Ray Walters, who notes «We stock or can get access ta, many product fines." The store alec> bas bath lifts, home safety aide and assistive devices fior daily living. Ail pro- ducta are available for rent, lease or purchase. Med*chair bas somo products which it sellseoxclusively, includ- ing a German-made bath lift which works ontirely off the household wator systern, through an adapter put on the shower outlet. OWNERS SUSAN PARKINSON (Ieft) and Charene Kavanaugh ln the Patches & Threads store that has relocated to 107 Coiborne St. W. from 210 Brook St. S. The store has handmade home accessories, antiques and counry olletibes. Photo by Jeremy Dre5ar, Whtby Free Prous National Bank, closes branch at Kendalwood Geographic location an h eso ae been cited as factors contributing ta, the closing of the National Bank in the Kendalwood Plaza. M'cer five years in business, the bank's Kendalwood brandi bas been cloeed and its operations tr-ansferred toaother National banks in the area. Ian Dalrymple, vice-president of retail banking for the National Bank of Canaa said several reasons forced bank officials *to close the brach. "In the five years it was open it didn't generate the volume ta make it profitable," said Dalryrnple. It was located at the wrong end of the shoppin ete Obviously if it were dane today, we would look for a better location," he said. The Kendalwood site was one of the first branches opened when National underwent an expansion prograra in the late 1980s, Daryznple said. National opened 56 banka over a thre-year period in an area stretching from Burlington ta Cobourg, he said. "Wihen you open that many that fast ites not unusual that some don't work out,"wsad Dairymple. "'Me recession was alec> a factor. I know everyone says that, but it was a factor." The majarity of the branch's operations were transferred ta National's Rowland Thornton branch and the balance ta, the Ro*slad-Garden bank. Karen Bibeau, manager of the Kendalwood brandi, bas assumed those duties at the Rosland-Thorntan benk. FuIl-tinie and pazt-time empliyees at the Kendalwood location have been offeredf positions elsewhere in the conpany, Dairymple said. l~ FU]~Ut]ISUiUSthG1i-aLi The Durham Business and Professional Women's Club will meet on Wednesday, Oct. 27 at General SikorkiPoliah Veterans Hall, Oshawa. A variety of experts on dif- féent business topics will be on hand for round table discussions in 'Crake Barrel -TableHop- Reception starts at 6 p.m. Cost in $25 for members, $30 for non-members. For more information catI Karen Graham at 427-6930, Leah Murray at 728-9115 or Nancy Bore at 723-3000. COMPUTER PREVENlIVE MAINTENANCE SERVICE only$113per year* offer expires Dec. 31193. Price is based on a computer systemn consisting of 1 CPU, 1 Monitor, 1 Printer For locations with more than one computer system site pricing is available. Note: 1. Price quoted does flot include replacement parts 2. Price quoted includes the 7% GST Service is done evey four months and includes: V'â> Inspection of Computer & Peripheral Devioes E:ýWCeaning of Computer & Peripheral Devices E'à> Optimization of Hard Drive For more information about this or our other services, please stop by or give us a cali. SewZýed 0 99«dawAd v,7.,e44