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w L i" 'V frfrf fir -fir » 1 H ? é Is 1111 m y 4|K ^bSÇz* ^ <ty v' v'V' V kz • SINCE 1854 • AMALGAMATED 1999 WITH CLARINGTON THIS WEEK • Pressrun 21,900 40 Pages Wednesday, May 9, 2001 The pick of the OHL Sports, page 13 : Optional 4 week delivery $5/$l newsstand ii-fuel Vo I vos Wheels Pull out Bowmanville man killed in crash TODD MONTGOMERY Memorial service. today for Bowmanville man. Two die after motorcycles collide off-road BY JENNIFER STONE Staff Writer SCUGOG - A memorial service is being held today, Wednesday, for a Bowmanville Bowmanville man who was fast- tracking his way through training to become an auto mechanic. Todd Franklin Montgomery Montgomery was one of two people killed as a result of an off-road motorcycle accident late Sunday Sunday afternoon. Mr. Montgomery, 20, of Hobbs Drive in Bowmanville Going by the book on library hours Council checks expenses before committing to seven-day service BY JACQUIE McINNES Staff Writer BOWMANVILLE - Plans to open the Bowmanville main branch library on Mondays has been put on hold until council can get a clearer picture of the long-term financial implications. implications. After recommending a budget budget increase of $49,000 to pay for staffing to open the main branch on Mondays, council decided to take a second look and is requesting a report on the "long-range strategy for service levels in all Clarington branches, branches, including cost implications." Mayor John Mutton says, "We've got to know what the ongoing operating costs will be. • "There are going to be increased increased costs over the years. You can't just take it as year-by- year approach. It's good the library library will have a chance to put everything in front of council." In a memo to council last week, the mayor noted it would be prudent to "identify future operational service levels... and the cost of these anticipated service service levels," before proceeding with the opening. H e noted the costs could escalate if the. same level of service is planned for all four of the municipality's municipality's library branches. At the budget meeting on April 30, Mayor Mutton told ft /SoX. -- y ONTARIO'S DRIVE CLEAN ACCREDITED TEST & REPAIR FACILITY *An nnicial imil k or the Province of Ontario used under licence, Whitby - Oshawa BJ n n d a 1 1110 DUNDAS. ST. WHITBY, LOCAL CJII5) 666-1772 r-ioraxm www.hondal .com was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, in which police say two off-road motorcycles collided head-on. A 32-ycar-old Mississauga man, Ulrich Fuller, was taken by air ambulance to Sunny- brook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto with critical injuries, injuries, and died late Monday morning. Police say the accident happened at about 5:20 p.m. on the dirt extension of Murphy Murphy Road, near Mosport Park, north of the Clarington boundary. boundary. The two motorcycles were "on a trail of loose sand on a curve in opposing directions" when they crashed, says Staff Sergeant A1 Mack of the Durham Regional Police Clar ington Community Office. The DRP Traffic Management Unit is investigating the collision, collision, and is trying to determine determine whether alcohol was a factor. Rick Martin, another rider who was on the scene soon after the accident, said a large group of bikers in the area tried to help the two injured men, administering CPR and even removing the tailgates from trucks to try to carry them out of the heavily-wooded heavily-wooded area. "We all did the best we could under the circumstances," circumstances," says Mr. Marlin, a Kirby area resident. "There were a good 20 people having their heads together and trying to do the best that they could." Emergency personnel were unable to resuscitate Mr. Montgomery, say police. Both riders were wearing helmets at the time of the collision. Police say the area where the accident happened was difficult to access. "The (DRP) officer drove as far in as he could, then ran a mile to get to the scene," says Staff Sgt. Mack. The area is popular among off-road bikers, and police have stepped up checks for alcohol alcohol and proper documentation documentation in recent weeks, says the sergeant. Mr. Montgomery had been riding for six years or more, says his mother, Jan Montgomery. Montgomery. She says Sunday's 1 councillors the cost to open the branch the extra day would increase increase significantly once the new library building is completed completed in 2003. Librarian Cynthia Mearns noted at that time it could cost an additional $75,000 a year to open the library library on Mondays when the new building opens. At last week's council meeting, meeting, councillors Jim Schell and Jane Rowe both expressed strong support for the seven- day opening. "It's absolutely archaic not to open Mondays," said Conn. Schell. "We should always have been open on Mondays." He said he supported the idea of a long-term strategy report but felt the library should be allowed allowed to go ahead with the Monday opening. Council voted to keep the $49,000 in the 2001 budget in case it decided to proceed with the opening as planned. In the event it votes to cancel the seven-day opening, the money will be directed to costs associated associated with the main branch opening in 2003. Yesterday, Mayor Mutton said the library report will likely likely come to council at the Monday, Monday, May 14 council meeting. He says he believes council will likely support the Monday opening at that time. However, he adds, it was important to get the entire longterm longterm picture in front of council so it can make an informed decision. decision. "The municipality's external external agencies have to be accountable accountable to council," he says. Inside lilt Statesman WHERE TO FIND IT Editorial Page 6 Sports 13 Classified 19 GIVE US A CALL General.. .905-623-3303 Distribution 905-579-4407 Death Notices 905-683-3005 Sincerely Yours 1-800-662-8423 Web site durhamregion.com jbobbitt@durhamregion.com FAX 905-623-6161 RON PIETRONIRO/ Statesman photo Maple Festival music BOWMANVILLE - Maple Festival and All That Jazz, held in downtown Bowmanville Saturday, included music by Dan Parker, a member of the Backstabbers Country String Band. collision was "just a tragic accident." accident." Mr. Montgomery, a former Bowmanville High School student who had recently moved to Bowmanville from nearby Orono, was about two- thirds of the way through his service technician apprenticeship apprenticeship for automotive at Durham Coilegc, and was working at Lothian Automotive in Oshawa, Oshawa, says his mother. "He'd always wanted to work as an auto mechanic," she says, noting noting lie had "crunched the time down considerably" in the four-year course, and was going to finish in just two- and-a-half years, before con- See MEMORIAL page 5 Firefighters have their hands full Clarington battles several grass, barn fires CLARINGTON - Clarington Clarington Emergency Services personnel personnel had their hands full Monday afternoon, battling a number of grass fires and a bam fire. The fire department was first called to Concession 1 and Morgan's Morgan's Road, between Newcastle and Newtonville, to battle a 10- acre blaze just before 1 p.m. Seven fire trucks were on scene, and firefighters fought the blaze until just after 3 p.m. ' Soon after, fire department personnel were again called out to a hedge fire on Varcoe Road in Courtice. At about 4:15 p.m., they were on the road to a burning bam on Concession Road 4, between Elliott Elliott and Stewart roads, north of Newtonville. Damage is estimated estimated at $10,000 and cause of the blaze is still under investigation. Another grass fire, reported just before 4:30 p.m. on Mill Street South in Newcastle, kept firefighters busy until about 7 p.m. Having this many grass fires at this time of year isn't unusual, says Captain Pete Lomax of Clarington Emergency Services. He says the blazes can be caused by a number of factors: people burning brush; camp fires; and sparks from trains. So far this year, "there's been nothing malicious. malicious. It's just typical grass fire season." Tuesday's rain, and more showers predicted for later in the week, is "definitely going to slow it down," notes Capt. Lomax. "Usually by the middle of May, end of May, grass fire season will be over," he says hopefully. Educators laud after-school news JANET ECKER 'We're going to broaden the rules.' Minister's announcement could bring back extracurriculars BY JENNIFER STONE AND MIKE RUTA Staff Writers CLARINGTON - Ontario Education Minister Janet Eckcr is loosening up some of the iules in an effort to encourage teacher participation in extracurricular activities. ■ And while local educators are cautiously lauding the move, some say the government had little little choice but to implement some of the recommendations put forward forward by a hand-picked Provincial Provincial panel on extracurriculars. 'They were in a bit of a catch- 22," says Patricia Bell Métivicr, local president of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association. Association. "They put this panel in place. If they weren't going to follow what they said, why do it?" Ms. Eckcr kicked off Education Education Week Monday in Pickering with a number of education-related education-related announcements, including a plan to broaden the definition of "instructional time." The announcement announcement also includes a further further $50 million to help school boards address local issues. Some of Monday's announcements, announcements, including the teaching time change, closely echo the Minister's Advisory Group on Co-Instructional Activities, See ECKER page 5 m irrtjuummteCifluapegau asu a r s varia; :arati; ng pi IS IWlipWil "Af • V vj.in'iaMKfflflHBl MflMWHMMUllliSSISkf 1 ■ , "X 'w M , 1 I : EXTRA Latte Pizza IfîtoPPiMES it Ml f I ■r. .. 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