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www.independentfreepress.com Winners announced for juried art show 50 cents (+GST) THE INDEPENDENT Parenting special section Page 16 Vol. 130 No. 7 8-pages Wednesday, May 2, 2007 44 Pages Circulation 21,220 Halton Hills' award-winning newspaper INSIDE It's a dirty job, but someone's got to do it Take one three-year-old, a shovel and biiiiiig pile of dirt and you have instant fun. Tyler Reid, of Georgetown, was one of the hundreds of residents who turned up at the Robert C. Austin Operations Centre on Trafalgar Road Saturday to dig in to the free compost piles available. As part of Earth Week celebrations Halton Region offered free wood chips and compost to the public, 1,400 discounted trees, rain barrels, environmental displays and even a colouring contest for the young ones. For more see page 3. Tom Regehr's survival story Page 3 Jaguars outgun Bearcats Page 18 Editorial 6 Entertainment 13 Calendar 17, 20 Sports 18, 19 Classifieds 21-23 Photo by Jon Borgstrom Future recreation plans unveiled CYNTHIA GAMBLE Staff Writer Halton Hills residents got their first look at the blueprint for the future of recreation in this town over the next 10 years when a draft Strategic Action Plan was unveiled at two public meetings last week. Only two-dozen residents attended the meetings held in Acton and Georgetown, Wednesday and Thursday. The draft plan has over 100 recommendations including more space for seniors and youth centres, more trails of all types, more arenas, increased public/private financial partnerships and a Gellert Community Centre expansion. The meetings were to gauge public reaction to these recommendations to date and to ask for comment before completing the final draft for council approval, likely sometime in June. "What we really want is reaction... did we miss something or are we recommending something that really won't work in the community," said Todd Brown, Principal Planner with Monteith-Brown Planning Consultants, the study team leader. "When we look at other communities we have worked in, this community was very good in comparison to them," said Brown. "This community has been doing a lot of forward thinking-- a lot of the (recreation and parks) policies that are in place are very progressive. We have identified some areas where some additional improvements could be done over time, but I think they're at the leading edge of many of those areas. The community really has done a lot of good things and it's just a matter of trying to keep that going." The draft plan was crafted after input from focus group workshops, individual interviews, community group surveys and a telephone household survey of about 385 residents. The last time a similar review was done occurred in 1994. "So far what have you told us," Brown said referring to the public input. "Our residents desire high quality facilities and services, space is needed for seniors and youth programs, trails are considered to be a high priority and important to the community, pursuing partnerships with different groups is seen as valuable ...and you see an expansion potential at the Gellert Community Centre." In the next 15 years, the Town's population is expected to grow by about 500 to 1,000 people per year-- 65,000 by 2016 and 70,000 by 2021. See BLUEPRINT, pg. 5 LIST WITH A PROVEN PERFORMER ·Same Great Community Website ·Brand New Technology FRIDAY... The annual Candlelight Tribute and Silent Walk to honour local war veterans will be held tomorrow (Thursday). See Friday's edition for full coverage. For breaking news go to: www.independentfreepress.com APPLE We handle all insurance work. GEORGETOWN CHRYSLER Auto Glass® The Power to SurpriseTM BUY ANY NEW OR USED OFFER ENDS VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A... MAY 7/07 THIS WEEKEND ONLY Fri. 9-9, Sat. 9-6, Mon. 9-6 Come See The Difference $ 314 Guelph Street (Hwy. 7) ·Truck Accessories ·Upholstery ·Heavy Equipment Glass ·Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 2,000 SHOPPING SPREE · 7 day Exchange Policy · Loyalty Card Included · Canada Wide Lien Search & Accident/Police & Insurance Reports See dealer for details www.sandrabrianceau.com 905877-5165 (905) 873-1655 1-866-364-0697