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Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesclay, November 22,1995 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whitby resîdents for Whîtby residents! MEMIBER 0F: CANADIAN ONTARIO COMMUNITY COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ASSOCIATION ISSN#0844-398X The Whitby Free Press is distributed free to 99% of the homes in Whitby, Brooklin, Ashburn & Myrtie as weIl as numerous public and commercial outiets in Whitby, Oshawa, Ajax, Pickering & Port Perry. J27-,500 COP IES DELIVERED WEEKLY MAIL SUESCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE Canada $34 + GSI - Outside Canada $80-+ GST Published every Wednesday by 677209 Ontario Imc. Box 206, 131 Brook St. N., Whîtby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1 -800-668-0322 Faxý: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Pubisher Maurice Pither - Editor Alexandra-Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% 40 recycled content using.vegetable based inks.%m Ct Ail written material, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protected by copyright. Any reproduction by any means for commercial purposes wthout the express permission of the newspaper is prohiblted and is a violation of Canadian copyright Iaw. Reproduction for non-commercial distribution should bear a credit mie to the Whitby Free Press. Dangerous corner To the oditor: I have watched the crosswalk ai Anderson and Bradley/Frederick almost overy day sa 3:30 p.m. for months, hoping and praying that no one would b. bit ai this corner. Recently my tsars almost came ta be, as my son, crossed al thîs comor. My. husband stood helessly as my so rssed ln front ai hlm and the two lanes of cars that had stopped only ta se the cars coming ln the other direction, with no indication of aven slowing down. My son was close ta loslng hîs 1Ife, my husband was shaken Up and stilI lI& What-wlIl the Town do If there lsaa fat&ly ad this corner? Will they finally put up the psdestrian activated lights that are so desperaiely needed ai this corner? I know what Ihey wiIl do, #hM wiM pass 1he buck on ta 1h. Reglon. l-owever, bath are rosponsible, bath aware how dangerous Ihis corner is, bath know that it ls adeath walllng tohappen.l1 have been laid that by the Town and Region. WHI a potential lawsuit move them ta do 1he. nght thing? In Augusl 1996 a new school wull open ta th. west of Anderson. Mare ckren wilIho crassing Anderson than ever before. Rumnour has Rt thet Print session appreciation To the odtor: Durham Regional Police and volunteera of the Whhtby Nelghbaurhaod Police Services would Ike Io thank ail the store owners ini downtown Whitby for their assistance in making aur fist Child Print Session a suoeess.' A speclal thaiks le given ta the Whltby Fre Press, CHEXTV, Rogers Cable and the Rinanial Post, as weflas adlthe media who took part ln this ovent. The police and volunteers are proud ta announce thae thero were savon winners ai the Halloween colourlng contest. We also thank al the cSents and chlldrsn who attededthesession. Police and volunteors a fulset ai tralflclights wiIl ho installed dlown ai Crawforth. That blew up in the faces ai the powers- that-be when a crosswalk was lnstalled aI Anderson. Do they think it wlIl ho any differont this lime? Pedlestrian-acivated lights ae FroderickfAnderson Is the onty sensible solution - Ihat's why it Wl nover get clone. Carol Robinson Whftby No dead frogs here To the oditor: Re: LoUter, 'Expensive tuies,' by A Roy Nethercott, Fr.e Press, Nov. 15 Mr. Netheroett, if you ever lift your head ouI of the dead frags and take a hop around downtown Whltby, you wlII find a dedlcated group ai owner/operator merchants wha are alve and kicking. That's why we make se much noisel Baby Shack *lds Space has been In business In dawntown Whltby for 10 years. We are In retal, specializing In children's turniture, tays and books. We have not only survived, w. have grown and we have prospered In spite of the recession, the mails, parking problems, the demise of the DBIA and al of the nay-sayers. W. have watched aur competitian in the surrounding towns disappear: two in Oshawa, three in Pickering, ans in Scarborough and one in Toronto. We have stayed dlowntown In spite ai sittlng threo years without a lease: W. have moved and expanded withln the downtown. We purchased and renovated aur current promnises, whlch sat vacant and deteriorating for fiv. years. W. draw customers tram ail over Durham Region and beyond ta dawntawn Whltby. We have remained committed ta the downtown becaus. it is the heart of Whltby, and f the heart dies so dos the town. There naln't nor dead frogs herel Elath LUchiontal Own.r/oporator Baby Shock * Kide Space To1 the edltor: The recent article concemlng the lack, of a downtown merchanW asscation ta plan speclal events ta bring Chrstmas shappers to downtawn Whtby brought a suddon revelatianta me. I have Ived ln Whitby continuously sinco 1953 and have had th. prMvlege of being Involved wlth the powers-that-be tram lime t lime ln the evoIupn af Whitby durlng the past 42 yèars. Myafflce has alway been downtawn. 1 have beon Invaived ln the Chamber of Commerce and Jaycees. I have supported the. OBIA wlth my assessment My wife and'I have mantalned aur home here and have ralsed ourchildren ln this great plc ta lve, work and play.. I have a vested interest in the suniivaioaidawntawn Whitby, but it Is no langer centred an the four corners, the intersection of Dunidas and Brock. The downtown cor. of any community is based on the location of its gavernment. City hall ln Taronta, Lastman square in North York, the city centres of Pickering, Scarbarough and Misissauga are al examples. hl daes not need ta be dead centre, but it must be dawntown. Oshawas is close enaugh, sa is Port Perrys. When I1 came ta Whltby, town hall was a black sauth of the four corners. The ather institution that used ta mark a town centre and meeting place was the post office. Whitby's was at the four corners. Post offices are really no langer relevant so I shaîl dwell on the town hall. When I was a youngster, Whitby's town hall moved ta the southeast corner of Dundas and Henry streets (the present main Mibraty). In retrospect, this was already far enough away ta provide little support for the renewal of the traditianal downtown. In adulthood, I jained wlth many athers over the years in trying ta revive the downtown. Much positive wark was done; many warthwhile projects were undertaken. Some indMvdual entrepreneurs became enamoured of the opportunity the downtown presented anddid their best ta bring fresh Ie ta the area. But 1. remember thae there were people ln power tram lime ta lime wha envisianed the establishment of a new town centre an Rossland Road, long befare the tawn hall moved there. lncluded in that vision was the remnoval of Brock Streets designation as provincial Highway 12, a matter that was suoeesstuliy reslsted by the downtown merchants ai the time. Thickson Road was ta be Hlghway12a Thase visionaies have had their way. Rossland and Garden streets is the new four corners. Rt is fot surprtslng that when a motorist exits tram HlIghway 401 iBoc Street h. or sho may miako an immediato rI ht tum toa aoees Gardon Street conce the raliway bridge le ompieted, WUD be a four-lane thoroughfaro ta the new centre of Wh Rb. leisno accident that tho plaza atthe northwest corner of the four corners Is named WhiIby Town TIhatisl, where dawntawn Whltby has gone. That Is why the spark of renewal ln the tradlitional cors has nover rosuted In a firo. This doos not moan thet ail Is lbst for tho traditianal downtown. What it doos mean ls that ,iR has ta, understand IhatilR Is no longer the centre ai WNhy.ft has Io define a now klentity and work ta achieve that ldontity. Frankly, tho attempts ta spark a renewal by albwlng the building of projects such as the Whltb Corparato Contre were proaly mistakes. The seat ai govemment is a mile north; the contre of corporate actlty, a mlle south, and a mile easl. The Town has permltted the bulding of a substantial amount of seniors housing ln the traditional downtawn. Recreatianal faclities for seniors, parks and medical tacllies To the edllor: I have been foîlowing the debate over the -condition oaiWbtby's downtown and plans, such as tho winlor carnval, la try Io revive IL This debate continues ta tako place among at relatively few groupe who, while they certaly have legimate concems about the cost of ths DBIA and appearances ai favauritlsm bsdon* business loation, etc., are perhaps mlsslng the larger Issue because they are prsoled by their disagreements wi*h ecbother. Uc. it or not, they must realize tha the great majority of Whftbyites have mnoved hors tram elsewhero (w bought a new houshors four ysars aga, after living ail my lite ln Toronto) aid most ai us stilI work somoewhore elso (commute ta .Bay and K(ing overy day). W. are the peope who need ta ho encouraged ta patronize the downtown and thera must b. certain standards of appearanco, safety and typs af buinessea ln aider Io attract us. Anyone who bas vlslted, say, Unionvile, Uxbidge, Oakvilie or athsr suburban .communities wlII undorstand the point; these pae have attractive central bsness Ama that seem ta wark vsry well. Of course this comment begs a retoi, that if only the people of Whftby would came la the downtawn, ours 100 cauld be pleasant and prosporous. I have ta wonder, howevor, why aur local por«tians albow hlghways 12 and 2 la ho usod Ngýt-speod rautes through the very centre of town; why they allow strip clubs and varlous seedy stores ta open up; why tractor-trailers and dump trucks are permitted -ta crawl up aid domn through tawn, etc. I have nover had trouble flndlng parking, a froquentiy are centrally located. The ald downtown can b. a mooca for shoppn and browslng, a place for a mtlree ta spend lime snjoylng Ide on foot or ln a wheelchalr. >Main highways do not fit this Identlty. Pertiaps the 401 ramp at Brockç Street could ho closed and the Làkenidge/407 Interconnect oponed ta serve the west side of Town. Thickson's senves the east. Perhaps a north seivice road and the completion ai Manning Road could serve ta substanlially reduce traffic on Dundas' Street ln the aId cors amea. Howeve, I must bemthe planning ta those who are quallfied. But for anything ta wark, there il need to ho commitmnent by the aId downtown landowners ta a new plan whatever tmay ho, and that commitment must be preceded by acceptance of the tact that dawntown Whitby has mroved. tVs. not downtawn, just old town. Nigo1 Schilling WhItby ciled problom, which I think le a rekialv non-issue thai le holng used as an excuse for dsspalr. mhe cowntawn slmply does mio feel very Invitlng bocauseofa ceaseloss, nolsy aid dangerous trafflc couplod wth tho presence of too maiy rundawn, marginal operatins. Thors are numsrous fine shops in Whitby (which my farnily doos try ta troquent) but with the prosence of athers sucb as those montioned above, le iR any wonder that poople with young familes do not particuîarly like ta w*~ around in tho area? The vosted intereals mlght sparo a thought for these mators an which I woukl beliove a consensus could ho reachsd, and have Town coundi pass sorno b"mwsalmed isimply maklng the cmstrictmore hospRtbl Ila aie and podestrians; avoryone mldght ho surprdsed ta see oustomer trafftc pick Up from those efforts alone. (Oh, and how about tightor restrictions on smoking'as woII? A blu. cloud bangs ovor most ai 1he downtawn pubs -and' restaurants; wonderful places ta brlng the Icida). Pisas excuse moieif I sound I1ke a whindng ex-Torontanlan, but this le mealty. WNitby ls In many respects a suburb whose nowor resld.rts do nol have an Inhorent byakt l, or aven knowlodgeofai Is business.., aid the Town neoda ta recognize âhi féct Wilth Is historlc arcitecture aid compare sizo, th. downtawn' bas a greatnatural aulvantage that should aid could be oxploltd Y troatod wlth mars respect. Fi*, the Cher tawns montloned abave wuld probably ho happlat provide 50me advlce and Insightl nto baw they achiavod Iheir sucesa Have aur politicins dxaught to ask? Robe«I Jonston Whltby The -downtown has moved Make Ut more hospitable