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8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, October 14, 1987 i ha Viewpoint by John B. McClelland (From page 5) serious about this proposal, those thoughts vanished in a hurry last Wednesday afternoon with the very polished and highly pro- fessional presentation put in front of the Scugog councillors. Essentially, the plans as submitted, call for a $25 million pro- ject with some 90,000 square feeet of new commercial space, a large restaurant, a fitness complex with swimming pool, four condominium buildings along the lakeshore (90 units in all) and a retirement apartment building of about 100 units. The whole thing will be called the Conway Development. This ain't no small potatoes. Just to give you some idea how big 90,000 square feet of commercial space is, there is now roughly 180,000 square feet of such retail (store) space in the downtown business core of Queen Street-Water Street and the Port Perry Plaza. "= In essence, if this new proposal gets the green light, it will add 50 per cent more retail store space to the Port Perry business core. Throw in a fitness centre, 90 condo units and 100 apartments and you have a major development, the likes of which this com- munity has never seen before. The sheer magnitude of the project left most councillors a little edgy. Is this community big enough for a project of this size, was the general reaction among the elected officials last week? And there are a lot of major technical questions unanswered as well such as traffic flows, sewage capacity of the lagoon system, the entrance off Highway 7A, the height of the condo buildings at five stories when local by-laws restrict buildings heights to three. Before the council even starts to address these technical pro- blems, they want a market impact study to determine if the com- munity is big enough for 90,000 additional square feet of stores without creating major hardships for the existing businesses. I think it is safe to assume this project is going to occupy a substantial amount of the council's time over the next weeks and months. The closing of the Flamingo Pastries plant, the unveiling of a mega-project. It was somelfow ironic that these two events hap- pened within 24 hours of each other last week. One hurts badly, the other may be a great asset for the community. It may also create hardship. It may be too grandiose for Port Perry, 1987. Change is inevitable. This community is in the throes of ma- jor change, has been for the past few years. The days of Port Perry as a quiet little hamlet, slightly off the beaten track where nothing much happens are long gone. In the case of the Flamingo plant, the decision to move is irreversible, and that's a darn shame because a lot of good peo- ple are going to feel disruption in their lives over the next few months. In the case of the Conway Development proposal, the Township council is going to be faced with some serious deci- sions in the near future, probably the most important ones these councillors have made as elected officials. We wish them well in the process. Likewise, we can only say to the people at Flamingo, hopeful- ly, most will be successful in finding other suitable employment. Hopefully, many of these people will land new jobs in the "immediate Port Perry area so they don't have to drive distances to get to work. As I said, it was a watershed week for this community. A plant that has been operating for about 20 years is no more and a developer is knocking on council's door with a $25 million proposal. Rattan & Gifts i 172 WATER ST. -- PORT PERRY SALE 1 ts uo « OCTOBER Next to Ives Florists) i: LD) (CE CEE || Ct) Running (Cag) | Cte) } Citizen) LQ) | { oJ ~% NOBLE ~ POWER CANACLEAN WASH inc Aan saan Orhan Diwpon = Restoration » Boats & Planes o Aluminum Siding « Farm Equipment Conta s Bana « Bros * Degreasing Reston + Stone « And Much Moe | ©® (416) ~~ | 987-4836 all tor Demonstratron & FREE ESTIMATES 25 Hart Blvd., Newcastle, Ontario LOA 1HO PHONE 416-987-4836 October 19 to 26 #'s Block Parent Week Once again in Ontario and across Canada, October 19 - 26 is being celebrated as National Block Parent Week. A block parent is any responsible adult, 18 years of age and over, who has been police approved, who is concerned about the well-being of all citizens, who volunteers his or her home as a safe refuge when a need arises. The displaying of the Block Parent sign in a window indicates that help is available should it be needed. Block Parents are known as "Safe Strangers." And even when there is no cause for concern, the sign acts as a deterent to potential offenders who quickly realize that the neighbourhood or community has its own safety support system for its citizens, and especially for its children. A Block Parent communi- ty is a caring community where residents are working together to provide a safe environment for its citizens. Today there are over one million such concerned citizens and "Safe Strangers' across Canada who will- ingly display their unique red and white window sign as an indication of their caring and concern and their availability to provide assistance. The Block Parent Program is organized on three levels: the Block Parent Program of Canada, Inc., the Ontario Block Parent Program, Inc., and the local Block Parent pro- gram. All levels of the program are Port Perry comes Emiel's Place - Thurs., Oct. 15 run by dedicated volunteers ang receive their financing from fypg. raising events and promotions donations from service clubs ang business organizations and few very fortunate committees may receive grants either nationally provincially or through their joey] municipalities. The program is supported by police and educators across our country. It is through the vita] co. operation of these groups with pa. tional, provincial and local levels that the Block Parent Program has gained its recognition as a Crime Prevention Program that really works. alive at ... Reference Canada helps Canadians find out what they need to know about the Government of Canada's programs iwi Department of Supply & Services Questions about Government of Canada Programs and Services and services, Your local Reference Canada branch will direct you to the appropriate government office that Ministare des Approvisionnements et Services can best answer your questions. All inquiries can be answered in English and French, from 830am.to430p.m.. | Monday to Friday. In Ontario call Ottawa (61319957 North Bay 1705V4/7h-4% Toronto 414 7 Toll-free Ottawa Hull region 0X Area ( ydes 05 807 BOO) 4¢ All other Ontari residents BX) 3K il "Canada