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Editorial Comments More Growing Pains With new houses sprouting up everywhere in Scugog Township. the population is growing at a rapid rate, and with it come the in- evitable 'growing pains." One need not look much farther than downtown Port Perry on . + a Saturday afternoon to see that hustle and bustle has replaced the 1 more serene tranquility of a few years ago. Finding a place to park the car can sometimes be an exercise in frustration. The growing population over the last few years has placed a con- siderable strain on municipal facilities, especially recreation where ice time at the arenas is at a premium, and baseball teams of all ages are clamouring for diamond time. ; Public use of the library, the local hospital, even the Township streets and roads is increasing all the time, which in turn is pushing "up the cost. All of these are part of the growing pains that come when a municipality like Scugog Township suddenly becomes a very attrac- tive and desirable place to live. Last year, building permits for 189 homes were issued in Scugog and it appears as if that number will be surpassed in 1987. . : Coping with the ever increasing demand on services falls main- ly on the back of Scugog Township council members who are strug- gling to find the money to keep up with the demand, while at the same time trying to keep in mind that the number of tax dollars is not infinite. T-- aa -- CI -------- - ACID RIN = U.5.- SOVIE] EAVESDROPPING hatterbox by Cathy Olliffe Cc But there are other less obvious issues that are popping up in Scugog which may not be critical at this time, but could be in the next few years if present trends continue. Groups and organizations which rely heavily on volunteers are finding it more difficult to bring in 'new blood" to get the work done. Last week, we had a long discussion with a rember of a local parks board in Scugog Township who said already there are danger signs. oo Speaking of the organization which he has served with for the past decade or so, he lamented the fact that it's getting tougher and tougher to get people to volunteer for anything. Members of the board who have worked hard for a decade or so, are now wanting to step down for a variety of reasons: they have done their part, their priorities are changing, and they are getting older. > Unfortunately, he said, a lot of the more recent residents of the community don't have an understanding of the volunteer organiza- tions. They move here from a big city where recreation and parks facilities are provided by the local government and they believe the. ~ same thing applies here. They are in the habit of using the facilities without having to get involved in fund raising or the actual work to provide those facilities. =e "We seem to be losing the small-town atmosphere and thinking. where people had to pitch in and do their share or the facility simply would not be there,' said this individual. He even went so far as to suggest that all the work the volunteer board has done in the past is now a detriment. Better facilities mean increased cost for construction and -installation, not to mention maintenance. And better facilities mean increased use..He wasn't joking completely when he said in his particular community, they may have been better off a decade ago when the local park wds filled with weeds, the ball diamonds had no fence and just an old rusty back- stop that was falling down. He had a couple of ideas of how the problem might be address- ed. The first is to "'educate' newcomers to the community that most facilities depend on volunteers for year round fund raising and for. labour to build and maintain community park facilities. Recognizing the limit on tax dollars for recreation, he suggested (Turn to page 6) Port Perry (OL STAR ¢ | | : Ch = | 235 QUEEN STREET - PORT PERRY. ONTARIO i Phone 985-7383. PO Box90 LOB INO J PETER HVIDSTEN : Member of the Publisher 1nadan Community Newspaper ASSOcatior A sing ind Ontario Community Newspaper Association dvert Manager Published every Tuesday by the rt Perry Star C oO (1d Port Perry Ontar ) J.B. McCLELLAND Editor Authorized as second class ma by the Post CATHY OLLIFFE TE ent. Stlma. 4nd hr sash News & Features Second 35s Ma Registration Number 0265 Subscription Rate In Canada $20 00 per year Elsewhere $60.00 per year Single Copy 50° THE ROVING EYE Yes, I have one. ) Or rather, I will have one. A rolling, roving eye that could very well be focused on you. Through key holes and binoculars, I will spy. No movement, no matter how small, will escape the piercing, x-ray vision that I will be blessed with on May 6 and 13. For those two days only, I will have the Power of the Roving Eye, faster than a speeding goldfish, more powerful than an enraged pacifist, and noisier than Joan Rivers at a single bound (is that how. that goes?) Sanctioned by The Phantom's mysterious, team of Fitness Fiends, me and my Roving Eye will take on the Township, and do what no man has done before .... Stare at you. That's right. What's more, I'll also ask your name, take your picture, and probably hand you a pin or a button. But only on two conditions. May 6, a Wednesday, is Phantom Fashion Day, 24 hours set aside to wear nothing but fitness fashion (note to typesetters: please don't end the preceding sentence with "nothing" or we'll wind up with a bunch of nudists). Sweat shirts, track pants, jogging shorts, run- ning shoes ---- here's your chance to wear com- fortable, active clothing all day long. To school, to work, to the grocery store -- to wherever ---- wear it! The whole community will be doing likewise. : Just think, for one day, you don't have to wear a stuffy suit to the office; a uniform to the .restaurant; or a grease jacket to the garage. Dig into your closets and pull on whatever is "active" and comfortable. Phantom Fashion Day is a chance to let loose, as well as a warm-up to the upcoming Fitness Challenge Day on May 27th. May 13 (also a Wednesday) is a second warm-- up to the big event. Called "Vanish Your Vehicle Day." it encourages everyone to park their cars and trucks a block or so away from work, and walk the rest of the way. And if you don't work. do some walking anyways. The whole idea is to forget you even own a gas-eater for a few minutes (at least!) On both days. the Roving Eye will be in mo- tion, searching for fitness duds on May 6 and look- ing for people walking on May 13. If The Eye spots you (no if's about it). be prepared to smile, have your picture takbn, and receive a congratulatory pin. Once spotted by The Eye, you are also eligi- ble to compete in the Fittest People in Scugog con- test, with prizes for the Fittest Male, Fittest Female, and Fittest Family. Mind you. you don't have to look like Mr Universe to win. Winners -will be decided the democratic way, by voting. Anybody who par- ticipates on Fitness Challenge Day by doing 15 minutes of activity, can vote for their fave fit per- son when they register their activity. The Rotary Club will be setting up a special phone sytem for the day, so even if you can't make it to the voting headquarters in person, you can still register your activity and your vote, over the phone. What's more, The Phantom's Fitness Fiends assure me there' be plenty of prizes for the win- ners of the Fittest People Contest. So don't be shy, participate! BR De Participation is the whole name of the Fitness Challenge. Organized nationally by Participac- tion, the Challenge is only one (the biggest one!) of hundreds of events celebrating Canada's Fitweek, May 22 to 31. First organized by the City of Saskatoon in 1983, the Challenge featured 50 communities and 65,000 people. Last year, 204 communities partic- pated, with more than 2.6 million people! It works this way: Communities challenge other communities and the winner is the place with the highest percentage of people completing: at least 15 minutes of heartbeat-raising activity in one day. The idea is to get absolutely everyone in a community doing at least 15 minutes of activity ---- that gives a 100 per cent participating rate! Last year, St. Johns, New Brunswick had the highest percentage with 88! This year, Peter- borough has challenged the eastern champs, and it looks like it's going to be a tight race. But who wants to worry about those places when Port Perry has been challenged by not one, but TWO communities. It seems we're so popular both Newcastle and Ajax have Challenged us, and I know, and I know you know, we can beat the bloomers off both of them! All it takes is 15 minutes of activity by ab- solutely everyone in Scugog. Everyone!! Whether it's walking or swimming, playing tennis or jog- ging, do it! Do something! Even I'M going to take part, and I'm about as fitness inclined as Granny on the Beverley Hillbillies. A goat could out-run me, no kidding. But, regardless of my condition, I'm going to participate bétause, hey, | KNOW we can win this thing. Scugog has more community spirit than any other town I know, and I have no doubt we wil' all work together to prove it. So mark May 27 én your calendar. as well as May 6 and May 13. Remember, The Roving Eye will be watching. And I hope it likes what it sees'