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‘Thumbs Up’ to our fire department Dear Editor A huge “Thumbs Up” to our fire department! In late November we had a possible gas leak scare. The Scugog Fire Department was at our house within 10 minutes. The four firefighters had the expertise and equipment required to assess the situation thoroughly inside and out. Fortunately everything turned out fine. They told me to watch for dry traps in drains which sometimes trigger off a similar odour. Their knowledge and demeanour made me feel relieved and supported. I felt comfortable returning to the house with my concerns alleviated.They assured me that calling and not taking a chance was the right thing to have done. We are so lucky to have such a valuable service here in Port Perry. (Note: The fellow from the gas company took 35 minutes to arrive. He was efficient too and con- firmed everything the fire department fellows had told me). Our fire department needs to continue to be sup- ported by our new council! Elaine Gillingham Port Perry BIA responds to negative opinions regarding downtown Port Perry Dear Editor In response to the letter: “Port Perry - you have a problem”, written by Mr. Fred Cook in the December issue of Focus on Scugog, regarding his suggestions on how he believes the town could be improved. First and foremost, thank you for your feedback. We always like to know how members of the Port Perry Business Improvement Association are thinking. Indeed some retailers are feeling the pinch, and news of the departure of Tweed and Hickory was a surprise to everyone in town, however it bears noting our cover Anyone driving along Water Street, Port Perry after the sun goes down can't help but be impressed with the light display on the old gazebo by the lake. Decorated by the local BIA and Chamber of Com- merce to welcome the Christmas season, the landmark still adds a sparkle to cold winter nights. Photo by J. Peter Hvidsten 2 FOCUS - JANUARY 2015 that this decision was part of chainwide closures. While it could be said that this was not one of the few they chose to remain open, we do not have insight into all of their reasons for that, and should not see it as a specific result of this locations performance. As far as the suggestion that the town needs more advertising outside of our perimeters, that needs to be addressed on several fronts. First on advertising itself. The BIA works diligently to procure the best rates we can for business owners who are members. There is constant negotiating for co-operative advertising to help businesses afford to advertise more to help attract people to our lovely town. Since you mentioned advertising outside of our area, we will only mention the Curious Daytripper, On- tario Yours To Discover, Attractions Ontario, Pink Pages, Kawartha Visitor Guide, and Into the Hills. I myself advertise on an ongoing basis in East of the City and Splurge and have done Style at Home magazine and Arabella and the Toronto Star, which are national publi- cations. That being said, we do have to respect that rents in the downtown are not cheap, and a comment we often hear is that after rent is paid and wages, if businesses can indeed afford to hire outside staff, there is not much left for an advertising budget. The BIA is not solely responsible for promoting the town, this also falls on the township itself, as we are always encouraging. It should also be noted that our guestbook in the last few months has shown visitors from Scotland, Argentina, England, Newfoundland and New Brunswick, not to mention Burlington, New- market, and North Bay. The majority of building owners work very hard Please turn to page 4 Need garbage containers in the park Dear Editor I completely agree with Jeanette Fulford, re: “Own- ers should pick up their dog poop”, in the December Focus on Scugog. I would like to ask why all recycle bins, so conve- niently placed during the summer for our visitors along Water Street, have now disappeared, again? There are a few tin containers left in tthe park, which will be unusable for dog walkers once the snow arrives in earnest, since the park does not get plowed. Could not a couple of those tin bins, replace the decorative ones during the winter months, so we have a place to deposit our waste? This would also encourage the few people who are not “scooping” to do so, and give the scoopers the feel- ing that they are as important to the town as the sum- mer visitors. Trene Elliott Port Perry