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Delays Would Cost Jobs and Money, Councillors Warn Town Pleads for Darlington Representatives of the Town of Newcastle pleaded for continued construction of the Darlington Generating Station during a meeting with provincial officials in Toronto last week. In its presentation to the province's Select Committee for Hydro Affairs, the municipality asked that the $4 billion project at Darlington be allowed to proceed on schedue. Ward one councillor Jasper Holli- day warned the select committee that increased unemployment would be just one of the side effects caused by a delay in construction. He estimated a delay could also cost Hydro $25 million. Newcastle's comments followed an announcement last month in which Ontario Hydro said it would cancel construction of the Wesley- ville Generating Station east of Newtonville. A decision on the fate of the Darlington station is expected this Monday. In an effort to influence Hydro's decision in Newcastle's favor, town councillors made their presentations to Queen's Park Friday, March 2nd. Representing the Town of Newcastle were Ward One Council- lor Jasper Holliday and Acting Mayor Keith Barr. They were accompanied by Durham East MPP Sam Cureatz. Councillor Holliday made the main presentation before the com- mittee. He fielded questions from committee members and Councillor Barr also made some comments. Councillor Holliday pointed out that the Town of Newcastle neither solicited nor encouraged the Darlington project "but was prepar- ed to accommodate and deal with Planning Director Resign s The Town of Newcastle's Planning Director, Leslie Kristof, has resigned after being with the town for less than a year. Kristof, 55, has accepted a position in Ottawa, working for the federal government's Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation. He has said he will maintain his position with the town for a month if the town so wishes. A graduate of the University of Toronto, Kristof began working for the town May 15, 1978. He succeeded Jack Milne who resigned in late April 1978 because he felt he wasn't suited to the job. Milne was the town's planning director for less than two months. Prior to joining the town's plan- ning department, Kristof worked with a Toronto-based consulting firm. Before that he worked for the Ontario Housing Corporation. After graduating, he took a job in Belleville's planning department. A third member of the planning department, George Howden, resigned in August to take a position as senior planner in Windsor. Recommend Removal of Town Bridge The town's public works commit- tee will recommend to council at its next meeting that the Bailey bridge on Jackman Road be removed and that a portion of the road be closed. The bridge provided access to the Bowmanville Landfill Site which was closed in 1974. Since then, Jackman Road has become a local road providing access to Scugog from Regional Road 57. The temporary bridge was loaned to the former Town of Bowmanville in 1970 by the Ministry of Transpora- tion and Communications for a three-year period. Three extensions have been granted since. Director of Public Works Jack Dunham told committee members Tuesday the town has asked the Ministry if it could buy the bridge but the Minis- try has said no. It wants the bridge back for structural repairs. Mr. Dunham said it would cost approximately $400,000 to build a new bridge and in view of the amount of traffic which uses it, this would not be practical. As more development takes place in the area the possibility of erecting a single or two-lane structure at this location could be considered said Mr. Dunham. the impacts providing that the town was not adversely affected. On this basis the town has spent a great deal of uncompensated time and effort to provide for the expansion of our community to provide the housing and services hard and soft that we believe are required for this project." A delay in the construction of the Darlington Generating Station would have the following impacts: increase unemployment in this area; reduce the electrie energy that could be used for electric heating which, by the way, needs promotion; cost Ontario Hydro approximately $25,000,000 to halt construction when it has already cost Hydro approximately $54 000 000 in capital expenditures; and adversely affect the Town of Acting Mayor Keith Barr (seated) and Durham East MPP Sam Cureatz are holding a fistful of cheques worth just under half a million dollars. Keeping a watchful eye on the money is Town Treasurer Klaas De Groot (left). The cheques represent the first installment in Wintario funds for the Orono and Newcastle arenas. They were delivered to the Bowmanville Town Hall by Mr. Cureatz last Thursday morning. The cheque for the Newcastle arena totals $240,000 while the cheque for the arena in Orono is for $243,254. When cheques were presented last week, Councillor Barr thanked Mr. Cureatz and all others who worked towards making the funds available to the Town. Set New Guidelines for Transfers of Principals The Northumberland and Newcastle Board of Education believes that the transfer of prin- cipals is good for both the school system and principals. At its regular meeting in Cobourg last Thursday, February 22, the school board adopted a transfer of principals and vice principals policy. The policy is the board's first official guideline on the matter. During the formation of the guidelines, consideration was given to seven briefs presented to the school board in January by mem- bers of the community. The opening statement of the policy asserts that the board believes definite benefits accrue to the individual and to the school system when there are transfers. Newcastle and the Region of Durham. On the other hand, argued Councillor Holliday, proceeding with construction would: permit the use of waste hot water for heating the proposed 300 acre greenhouse pro- ject which would save our province approximately $1 billion U.S. per year in imported garden produce, Urges Support For Refinery Northumberland Durham MP Allan Lawrence has urged renewed support for the construction of a proposed $100 million uranium refinery in Hope Township. Mr. Lawrence called for the area to present a united front in order to convince the Trudeau government that the refinery is needed here. The federal MP was commenting on a recent report by a federal environmental and review panel investigating three potential refin- ery sites. The panel's report on the Hope Township site as well as suggested locations at Blind River and Sudbury was released last Friday. The document stated that all three locations investigated by the panel would provide a suitable home for Eldorado's uranium hexafluoride refinery, However it is still up to the federal government to select one of the three locations that were studied by the panel. In a statement released following the report from the environmental panel, Mr. Lawrence said that since the panel has indicated the new refinery should be built and that all three sites are equally acceptable environmentally, environmental factors cannot be used as an argument against building the refinery in Hope Township. "This means the Port Hope Area is stili very much in the bail game," Mr. Lawrence said. "The areaamust now present a united front to convince the Trudeau government that - because of economic and employment considerations - the refinery is more needed here than in the north." "And, so far as Eldorado Nuclear Limited is concerned, it is much more sensible to locate the refinery close to its existing plant at Port Hope. " Mr. Lawrence said he is dis-, appointed the panel could not come forward with a forthright decision that the/ Hope Township site was superior to the other two in northern Ontario. BIG DAY - The annual Community Fair this Saturday from 2 to 4 at Bowmanville High School should again see a packed house because there are 26 booths expected to be in operation. The popular event is sponsored by the Mothers Association of lst and 5th Brownies and 3rd Guide Company. NEARLY MADE IT - Peter and Paul Kowal and their wives return- ed on Saturday after 17 days away from home in Florida. While in Tampa, somebody stole the licence plate from their car and they were quite worried. But, they drove the 2,000 miles home without being stopped, pulled up across from the Licence office here and one of the regional boys in blue pulled up behind them to find out why they had no plate. They are on the job, those regionals. BILL WHO? - Newcastle Regional Councillor Bill Clarke tried to buy his new licence sticker last Thursday at the licence office, but they wouldn't take his cheque. He was desperate because he was already a day late, so came to The Statesman office to see if we could help. For- tunately, somebody had paid a bill so we were able to fix him up with the necessary cash and took his cheque. They don't take cheques at the licence bureau unless they are certified or they know you very well. ENTERPRISING - Greg Muscat of Around the Clock Janitorial Service has launched a unique service that could have considerable appeal. For a fee he will look after your home while you are on vaca- tion. He'll check your home daily, take in the mail, water the plants, and make certain everything is in order. He'll even steam elean the rugs and wash the windows, but no pets. Quite an idea. His phone number is 623-5382. It'll save you bothering the neighbors and relatives. It neyer rains but it pours, and we don't mean teddy bears! In addition to being a handicapped child who walks with a leg brace, five-year-old Kimberly Beaudry is presently suffering from the chicken pox. For- tunately the itchy little devils didn't show up much in the picture to spoil this photogenie young lady's appearance. WithHandicOps by Donna Fairey They say lightning doesn't strike the same house twice but Mrs. Harold Beaudry is a Bowmanville mother who knows different. Two of the Beaudry's five children were born with birth defects. Joanne, now 16 and Kimberly 5, were Spina Bifida babies. In layman terms, Spina Bifida is a birth defect where the spine is divided in two and results in a hole in the back. The bone which forms a circle around the spinal column is not complete. Along with the lack of vertebral bone development, there is also a lack of develo ment to the spinal nerves as welI which control the legs, bladder and bowel. It is one of the most common birth defects and occurs in varying degrees of severity. Dr. Sylvester, Bowmanville Rotary Club's Crip- pied Children's committee chair- man, stated that almost all Spina Bifida-victims are paralyzed to a degree, if not totally. There is no known cause for the condition and it is not curable. It has been established that the defect occurs around the second or third month of gestation. In an interview recently with Mrs. Beaudry she stated, "There have been times when you get mad and ask, why us? But then I thank God that my children are not more seriously affected than they are." Turn to Page Two Local Block Parents Need More Volunteers By Maureen Corkery The Town of Newcastle's Block Parent program is in danger of collapsing due to a lack of committed volunteers. Chairman of the Block Parents, Janice Slocombe, said in an inter- view Friday the program may be abandoned as early as May if, by then, volunteers have not come forward to work at the school level. The Block Parent program was formally organized in the town in January 1977 to provide pr9tection for children who are sick, hurt or in trouble when their parents aren't around to help them, especially on their way to and from school. At present, there are 298 Block Parent homes in town. These homes display the Block Parent symbol in their front window which means a concerned adult is home and is willing to come to the aid of a child if needed. More Than Signs The trouble in Newcastle, pointed out Mrs. Slocombe, is that the program consists of displaying signs and nothing else. The operation of an effective program entails much more than this, she said. Ideally, there should be a commit- tee of four to co-ordinate the Block Parent program in every school. The committee's job is to hold various fund raismg events and purchase relevant educational material for the school. Members should make themselves known to the principal and teachers. "It's difficult to keep teachers and principals interested in the program and motivated to include the topic in their lessons if no one connected with Block Parents ever shows up at the school," argued Mrs. Slocombe. The school committees should also be responsible for making the children and their parents aware of Turn to Page Two LIBERTARIANS - Word comes from Peterborough that we'll probably have a Libertarian political candidate here during the federal election. No doubt more will be heard in the near future about their aims and objects, but their motto is interesting: "The person who does not choose to be free may soon not be free to choose." MENNONITES - Some interesting paintings by Peter Etril Snyder, are on display until tomorrow at the Palette Art Gallery in Oshawa Centre. Mr. Snyder lives in Waterloo where many Mennonites live and has recorded their unique life style on canvas. GOOD RESPONSE - More than 45 per cent of the questionaires sent out a few weeks ago by Memorial Hospital have been completed and returned. The returns have provided not only basic facts but many suggestions and comments that will prove helpful to hospital officials. The data is now being processed and a full report will be made later. They are delighted with the response. FEELING BETTER - We are pleased to report that Councillor Ivan Hobbs is now feeling better after being rushed to hospital last week, early in the morning. Apparently he had a bad reaction to some medicine he took for a cold and there were some anxious moments. Hopefully, he'll be back in harness shortly. NEAR FUTURE - On Monday afternoon in the House of Commons, Allan Lawrence MP asked Alastair Gillespie, the energy minister, when a decision might be expected concerning the site selection for the Eldorado refinery. Mr. Gillespie replied that the subject would be dealt with by cabinet very shortly and he expected a decision in the near future. Political pundits around this office feel it won't come until after the upcoming federal election. Why offend two areas and make one happy when you can keep them all hoping? And voting your way? Bits And Pieces %- . - »MWF