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Concerns about role of advisory committee page 2 Formner police chief dies page3 Whitby team in Ontarîo final page22 Round for Chue Mae 8 Research park planned But 'sellig job' needed for govemment support By Mike Kowalokl A medicai and educational 'research park' bas been pro- posed in conjunction with the building of the new Whitby Psy- chiatrie HosItal. Proposedfor surplus lands to b. created by the $133.5-million hospital redevelopînent project tii. ark proposai was outhned to Town council's planning and deveiopment committee Monday. Committee was toid the park would bouse businesses and in- dustries devoted almost exclu- sively to medical research and development. Facilities for the training of heaith care workers would also be a major component of the park to* b. located east of the future Lynde Sbores residentiai conimunity, committee beard. But an extensive "selling 'ob" remains to be don. at both the rovincial and local levels before t>e park -- touted as the firet of its kind for Canada -- becomes a reality, cornmittee was warned. Consultants Kenneth Stroud and Catherine Spears outlined details of a planning and market feasiblity report prepared by their firnT for tbe Ontario goverft- ment's management board secre- tariat. lhe study was initiated by the province foliowing a request from Witby to determine the best use of lands not required by the Minisr of Heaith wben tbe new bospital is buiît in 1996. Approximately 69 acres wil become superfinous to tbe minis- try's needs. According to the consultants, the «hghest and best use for the property would b. a medicai and educational research park. The park would provide a highly specialized area of employment for the. research and development of advanced tecbno- logy products and services, their report States. here would aIso, be a "direct relationsbip" to tbe botb the new psycbiatric hospital and nearby Whitby General Hospital, the report notes. Tii. park would be developed in a «campus-like setting» to take advantage of tbe "unique land- scape and beritage features» of the<psychiatric bospital grounds, As Stroud explained, the two bos pitals wouid serve as «anchors» for the. project and bave a vital intereet in the success of tbe research park and its tenants. "It's a rarity in many jurisdic- tions to have two anciaors already in p lace," bie said. But as Stoud noted, the pro- posai is oniy in tbe «infaincy stage" and requires the partici- pation of al «stakehoiders.' Tbis would include the pro- vince Durham Region, Whitby the. lospitals, nearby private landowners and local bealth car. officiais, hie said. Initiatreaction to the. pro<posal from tbe province has been opti- SEE PAGE 5 JENNA DASBERG helps son Tyler, 2, navigate the orowded waters of the Civic Rec Centre pool during March Madness week. Photo by Mark Reesor, Whltby Free Press DBIA board to ignore 'solicited' budget responses By Mike Kowalski Another battle may b. brewing within Whitby~s beleaguered downtown business association. Neariy 50 per cent of the association'. more than 400 members bave demanded a zero budget ini 1994, opponents of the. Downtown Business Improvenient Area (DBIA) contend. Their dlaim is based on the number of responses to a budget questionaire prepared by the DBIA management board. If approved at a future budget meeting, this would prevent tbe board from spendling money tins year - in effect, making the DBIJA an organization in naine only. But advocates cf a zero budget may bave a fight on their banda trying to convince the board to acknowledge the vralidity of the responses. It appears doubtful that the questionaires wili b. accepted, since the resuits were not obtained in the' *recrbed manner. mir. 200 questionaires were collected by DBIA critic Shirley Scott and Linda Peacock, who with husband Gene, operates a downtown sports Te two woenen coilected the. questionaires after learning tbat only a dozen had béen returned to the DBIA office prior te the board's March 9 deadline. According te Scott, most of the. 200 members caling for a zero budget were going to, disregard the survey since they believed continued opposition to the DBIA was futile. However, the. merchants were convinced te make their feelings known, despite any niisgivings they may have bad, Scott sad. (ast month, Town council voted unanimously to continue its support of the. DBIA. (In so doing council rejected a petition signed by 85 per cent of U~i DBIA membership whicii demanded that a special tax ievied against -businesses in the. downtoiwn core b. iield in abeyance for two years. SEU PAGE 16 AUOlEW Pge 1 2 In the aewim 1 i. -l-