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Page 6, Whitby Free Press, Wednesday, December 27,1995 The only Newspaper owned and operated by Whîtby residents for Whitby resîdents! MEMBER 0F: @4A CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION ISSN#0844-398X ONTARIO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION Pubsedery Wed Asbun yesy bya677209 Ontarul c. Box 206, 131 Brock St. N., Whitby, Ontario Li N 5S1 Phone: 668-6111 Out of town: 1-800-668-0322 Fax: 668-0594 Doug Anderson - Publisher Maurice Pifher - Editor Alexandra Martin - Production Manager Printed on newsprint with minimum 20% #W recycled content using vegetable based inks. t Viwon A cost problem c' il written materiaf, illustrations and advertising contained herein is protectied by copyrigl Any reproduction by any means for commercial p urposes without the express permission1 the newspaper is prohibifed and is a violation of Canadian copyright law. Reproduction fo non-commercial distribution should bear a credit fine to the Whifby Free Press. jht. 0f Downtown 'dem ise'y To the editor: We moved froni Toronto ta the Bowmnanvllle area some 15 years ago. At that Urne, we thought Bowmanvllle's main street (Hwy. 2) baked much the warse for wear. We often passed through Witbys four corners area and thaught It was very attractive, taking an some of the charm af Markham's Unionville. On aur f requent drives throughout Durhamn, we especlally notlced the ever lrnprovfng ambance of Port Peny, and, ln Urne, notlced that even stald aId Bowmanvllle's main street was belng Ofacelifted.0 W. moved ta Whltby a year ago and thlnk RIls a dellghtful communlty. However, we feel that the downtown area has bost a great deal af its charrn and, ln fact, many parts of Ik has taken on a very seedy, tacky appearance. 1 do not know the background of aur DBIA or the true depth 0f the apparent prablems concerned. Ail I percelve as a citizen 0f Whitby Is the rapid demise 0f aur downtown area. k wauld seemn that rather than try &id revitalize that most Important area 0f aur communlty, some polticlans and local business people are Àlîling ta give Up the fight and surrender lnstead ta the huge impersonal but convenient parking Placepazs which surround our, and most communities ln North America. These are the places that we have been led ta as being the most convenient places for us ta park aur cars so w. can easlly walk between the shops thaît seem toffer us the best deal for the lowest price. Why can't we do the same thlng ln okidawntown Whitby? It is because aur streets become clagged With cars (rnany of them belonglng ta dawntown Workers) parking ail day long on the few streets in the business area? Sa aur Town fathers naturally followed the same solution of many money-consclous politiclans -- tax the users. Put Up parking meters In every square inch of space avallable, hire meter malds ta patrol these areas and Issue tickets ta ail offenders ta further buitd Up our coffers. The only resuits from that "copy cat" solution has been ta force mnany would-be dawntown shappers ta lnstead-drive ta the large shopping mails Mhere they often have ta conduct their transactions in vey impersonal and In a kms knawledgeable atmosphere' than they mlght otherwise have don. had they instead deait Wlth a dawntown business owner. However, the mails offer ample,- hassle-fre. parking solutions. Once communies finally get poltcians who are wiling ta take the gamble of gettlng rid of those ugty, inslpi, useless parking posts, whlch clutter Up aur sldewafls, 'm certain that aur downtowns wiIl again become a revitalzed part of aur community. The resulting increase In business profits will not only replace (through taxes) the bost parking mater revenues, but most downtown businesses will once again have some spare cash to put back into the beautification of their property. With ail due respect, Whitby needs to get its downtown act together pretty quickly before it progresses further into becoming just another sleazy strip. BiII Stewart Whftby Downtown 'messagey To the editor: Recently you have published three articles concerning shopping locally. As a business person in Whhlby, I have had some aId and sorne new custamers mention these articles ta me. lndeed these, messages have made more people thlnk about shopping right here l n town. I wish ta thank The Free Press. Each new customer makes a difference. Elsa Edgs Elsa's Womien's and Chlldren's% Fathions By Paul Pagnuelo Ontario Taxpayers Federation Ho hum, here they go once again rolling out the old excuse that they don't have enough maney. To make Up for provincial transfer cuts of $858 milon over the next tvm years, many municipal polihicians are sending out trial balloons that services will have tobe slashed or elimlnated altogether, and that: citizens should brace themselves for higher property taxes and an onslaught of new user fees. How unimaginative can they be? Politicians can only spend a tax dollar once. But every time a dollar is wasted by them, R either deprives taxpayers of services they should b. igetting or ends up costing everybody more than they shouki be paying ln taxes. Municipal governments that talc about cutting services or raislng property taxes ta offset the culs ln provincial transfer payments don't have a funding problem. They have a cost problem. Typically, their unit oests for the required quantity and qualty of service are higlier than necessary because theVre above market prices. Athough the purchase 0of tangible goods such as road saIt, computers, etc. are routinely subject to competitive tendering, theïr most expensive cost element -- labour - is flot subject to the competitive market. As a result, labour costs tend to be higher than necessary because of waeslre ndbnft hc thse I te garnted utcme are above market archalc work rules thae Impede productivity, and excessive layers of management and forger than necessaiy staffs., The solution isn't better management, because manage- ment isn't the problem. The problemr Is no competition, and the solution - market costs - is somethlng that even the best manager can't produce in, a non-competitive environment. 1he. answer to any municipal poltician who is talking about raising propety. taxes or cutling servces is ta tell them to get their fingers walcing through the uYellow Pages.u The resuits will be dramatic. No cuts and no tax increases. In fact, better service and substantially lower Need outdoor one, To the edîtor: Winters here, and to my boyfriend and aur families that means outdoor Ice skating. Growïing Up in Whitby provided many skating apportunities: a large frozen puddle; R.A. Sennett Public School's outdoor rink; the municipal buiiding's rink on the front lawn; and John Brauwers pond. Where have ail these gane? Whitby is complalnlng of the lack of Ice-time for hockey, and other programs. My boyfniend and I both spent four years in Klngston, a dty with great junior and OHL hockey (Doug Gilmour, Kirk Muller and Don Cherry), yet Kngston doesn't have many more rinks than Whitby. What they have are great outdoor rinks used for exercise, hobby or sport.. There are boarded rinks, flooded tennis courts and free-form areas among the trees. Ai are heavlly useci. There are many places in Whitby that could do this - schools and parks with lights -and parking are ideal. If the parks department would approve and initially set Up some nnks, l'm sure ommunity groups and indMvduals would ensure their upkeep. Schools who have adopted a park could also provide caretaking. Larger rinks (such as lacrosse pads) could be* used ta pDrovide organlzed house league hiockey, pick-up hockey, hockey schools, ningette, or figure skating lessons. AIl rinks could be used by schools for gymn classes (hard to fit Urne in when schaols are overcrowded). Llghted rlnks could provIde family timne when Heber Down is closed and Lynde Shores is too dark. Rlnks that are safe and accessible for chlldren can provide hours of fun, without much expense, travel, or the fear of falling through thin ice. Outdoor rinks were once successful ln Whîtby, and are extrmely popular ln other cities. Let's bring them backç here. Tracy Veizal Whitby Homeowner pays To the edîtor: Re: -Town niled by proposed Wey revamp, Dec. 13, Free Press The issue 0f development charges (DC) is contentiaus due to the magnitude of the dollars Involved and the simple fact that it is the hameowner who pays, not the developer as is so widely misconstrued. The DC alone will add appro)dmately $124 ta each manth's mortgage payment for the average homeowner. The DC conslsts 0f $4,967 ta the Town af Whitby, $7,308 ta the Reglon of Durham, and $1,.789 ta the board of oducation, for a total 0f $14,467. This accounts for a significant portion of the cost 0f each new home. Aoeording ta the recently released Durham Reglon planning departrnent conmparative study of DCs across the Greater Metro Area, Whitby ranks $1,764 above the average. This is one factor that may explain the drastic drap in residential permit values in Whitby quoted on page 8 of the same issue 0f The Free Press - n$32 million worth compared ta $81 million in 1994.' Construction adivity in the residential sector is In a crlsls. The number of starts is at historically low levels and in real terms, accaunting for populaton growth, housing starts are at the lowest levels since World War Il. Residential construction Is a proven job generator and is a net gain for the municipalities. New developmnent pays its awn way and broadens the tax base. Other municipal jurisdictlans throughout the province have actually reduced or even waived the collection of levies in aider ta restare the benefits 0f this critical industry. Priar ta the June election, Mke Harrs stated that the nact must b. returned ta its original purpose 0f funding hard services" and committed "ta work closely with municipalties ta find cost savings which MiI make excessive changes on new houses unnecessary." R was the electarate 0f this province who elected the Premier, and now lts up ta each 0f us ta identify these savings in aider ta prevent the dream 0f home ownership frorn slipping away. Ronald D. Robinson President Oshawa-Durham Homo Builders'Association To the editor,...