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Quorum concerns Failure to attain a quorum for a recent special meeting is the latest indication of a widening rift among trustees of the Halton Catholic District School Board. Director of Education Lou Piovesan said last week's failure to meet quorum marked the first time in his 25 years the board couldn't conduct its business due to poor trustee turnout. While the hastily called March 27 meeting was short on agenda details, all nine school board trustees were sent notice of the meeting at least four days in advance. The special meeting was called by board chair Al Bailey (Burlington), who wanted fellow trustees to receive a legal review of their roles and responsibilities. Bailey believes a recent board decision may have violated the board's own policies. At the centre of this gathering political storm is a pilot school uniform project planned for this fall at two Halton Catholic elementary schools -- St. Gabriel in Burlington and Guardian Angels in Milton. While Bailey has accused fellow trustees of ignoring policy in order to push the pilot project through, Burlington trustee Bob Van de Vrande disagrees and is very frank about his decision not to attend last week's special meeting. "We can't continually be asked to revisit decisions that have been made. I don't see any point for the meeting. I don't see any point in (resuming) it," Van de Vrande said. Of the nine trusteees elected to the board last fall, only Bailey and Oakville's Alice Anne LeMay and Ed Viana showed up for the meeting; at least two more trustees were required to conduct official board business. Four of the other five absent trustees-- including Halton Hills' Rosanna Palmieri-- said they had prior commitments, while Milton's Rev. David Wilhelm never returned a reporter's calls. Regardless of their differing points of view, trustees owe it to students, parents and fellow trusteees to attend meetings-- if only to uphold their position. The sudden absence of two-thirds of the board's elected officials seems suspicious, and in Van de Vrande's case, a difference of opinion does not justify skipping a scheduled meeting of the board he was elected to serve. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Mayor asked to help in fight against hydro (This letter was originally sent to Halton Hills Mayor Rick Bonnette. A copy was made available for publication). Dear Mayor Rick Bonnette, After having read your response to the "Town wants $$ for hydro corridor twinning" in the March 14 Independent & Free Press, I was deeply concerned and disappointed. Every individual who is involved in the decision of whether this project goes ahead-- both provincially and municipally-- is paid by tax dollars from families and businesses impacted by the new hydro corridor, and yet these same taxpayers have no input into the decision. We are one of those families-- not just a piece of property for you to collect taxes, but homes that will be impacted by the new hydro corridor. Our home is where we are raising our three children and we chose this neighbourhood based on the school and community spirit. I hope the industrial/commercial land, although important, does not take priority over homes and families. Have you visited or even driven by the area that will be impacted? Have you put a human face to the "numbers impacted"? Would you like to have hydro wires as your neighbours? I hope you have answered "yes" to all these questions before sending your response letter to Hydro One. Being passionate about my neighbourhood and my home is what I believe helps build a community. I hope that our mayor has this same commitment to the families in his community and this will be demonstrated by your actions in this matter. I would like to know what avenues and options are available to the voting families in our community that are affected (as it is much greater than the 63 homes indicated in the reporting) to oppose and stall this project. I would also like to know, as our mayor, what action you intend to take as our representative to act on our behalf. We will be contacting the Ontario Power Authority and our provincial member of parliament as well. Sheena Smith, Limehouse Community member Humane Society appreciates generosity Dear editor, On February 24 the Upper Credit Humane Society celebrated the grand opening of its new thrift store located in the Moore Park Plaza. We were delighted to have Mayor Rick Bonnette and his rescue greyhound Lucy on hand to officially open the store with a ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by the presentation of a certificate wishing us success in our new location. The mayor, in turn, was presented with an official T-shirt and Lucy with a bright pink bandana. We wish to thank all those supporters who joined us Saturday-- both those who we have met before and those who came in for the first time. You all helped contribute to an amazing day that exceeded our expectations. Many thanks to the following businesses that graciously donated cakes, donuts and refreshments-- Tim Hortons Guelph St. Georgetown, the A&P grocery store on Sinclair Avenue, and Marc's Value Mart, Main St. Erin. On behalf of everyone at the Upper Credit Humane Society, may I say how this community continues to impress us with its generosity. Wendy Jones, volunteer, UCHS Tost remembered for dedication to hockey Dear editor, I believe it is important for our town to know of the loss of Bob Tost. As a close personal friend of the family, I know of the sacrifice and hard work Bob dedicated to our town with his work with the Georgetown Minor Hockey Association. His efforts will not be forgotten or surpassed. We, as citizens, have suffered a great loss. Remember Bob the next time you see a puck dropped and give a simple, "thanks" to this fine man and not forget his heart and devotion to the game he loved. Douglas Turner, Georgetown