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OPINION Everyone cherishes a fond memory. It can be any- thing from a favourite location to a beloved item. But things change. Perhaps not always for the better, but they change despite how much we may not want them to. Take, for example, the ongoing situation in Norval. The owners of The Carpet Palace, a rather non- descript building located at the main intersection (Hwy. 7 and Adamson Street/Winston Churchill Blvd.) have set in motion plans to demolish the century-old building. The owners, George Kanichis and Steve Klintsaris, would like to build a new building on the site which would blend well with the existing build- ings in Norval. They contend their store, which has been frequently hit by vehicles and has needed extra support beams to keep it from collapsing, is not save- able. However, a small group of Norval residents, includ- ing former MP Julian Reed and ex-Halton Hills Mayor Kathy Gastle, have launched a fight to save this his- toric building, whose demolition they feel will ruin the heart of the village. Poppycock. First, the building has not been deemed a historic property. Second Halton Hills Heritage, the body overseeing all historic properties in town does not consider this a historic property. Third, refurbishing a building that is in such poor shape currently, will not ruin Norval. Was the village ruined when fire destroyed the Hollywood Tavern several years ago? No. Norval was, and is, a wonderful community with a rich heritage. As well, do the owners of this building not have the right to determine its future? They have invested money in this structure, paid for its upkeep and improvements and been good corporate citizens. Do they not have the right to do with their property as they see fit, providing they follow all Town regulations? We understand the residents concerns, but this is not their fight. Palace retreat in order Steve Nease LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Dear editor, I live in Norval and was very glad when Halton Hills announced that they were going to have the GreenCart alongside the Blue Box. I talked with my children to inform them of what we were able and not able to recycle in the Green Cart/ Blue Boxes. When the first week arrived if they threw out something that would go in the Green Cart / Blue Boxes I would re- inform them of recycling and get them to put it into the Green Cart instead. April 9 was our first Green Cart pickup. After dinner our cart/boxes had still not been picked up but I thought due to the new company that had taken over that they were running behind and thought that they would pick up the next day (Thursday, April 10). When I arrived home Thursday the cart / boxes had still not been picked up so I called Halton Regional Waste Management to inquire. I was told there were more residents recy- cling than they had anticipated plus they had a new contractor and was told that our recycling would be picked up on Friday (April 11). On Friday when I arrived home from, again the recycling still had not been picked up, so I called Halton Region again and they assured me that everything would be picked up on Saturday. On Saturday (late in the day) my children and I watched a regular garbage truck pull up and, to my shock, all the recycling and green items that we had taken the time to carefully separate were thrown togeth- er into the back of the garbage truck and compressed. I called Halton Region to inquire why everything was picked up together and what was going to happen to everything that was compressed. The person I was speaking with stated she was not sure but she would have some- one call me back on Monday. Well, as of Thursday I was still waiting. How frustrating it is that I spent so much time getting the children to buy- in to the new Green Cart / Blue Box program only to have the Region not follow through with their end! Fortunately, this past week was much better. The Green Cart / Blue Boxes were picked up in the correct recycling truck instead of the garbage truck. D. Neilson, Norval Resident frustrated with start to GreenCart Letters to the editor must include an address and daytime telephone number. Unsigned letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 200 words and may be edited for content and/or length. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1 Publisher Ken Nugent Advertising director Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager Nancy Geissler (distribution@independentfreepress.com) ADVERTISING Advertising co-ordinator Jennifer Christie (jchristie@independentfreepress.com) Retail Sales: Jennifer Spencer (jspencer@independentfreepress.com) Brendan Louth (blouth@independentfreepress.com) Amy Sykes (features@independentfreepress.com) Andrea Lefebvre (alefebvre@independentfreepress.com) Real estate: Sue Spizziri (realestate@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds: Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) ACCOUNTING Rose Marie Gauthier, Michelle McEachern EDITORIAL Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) PRODUCTION: Mary Lou Foreman, Kevin Powell, Shelli Harrison, Dolores Black, Debbie MacDougall STAFF DIRECTORY Send us a letter! Phone: 905-873-0301 Fax: 905-873-0398www.independentfreepress.com Something bugging you? What do you think? Below are the results of our most recent online poll. For the current poll go to www.independentfreepress.com Do you support the provincial government's proposal to introduce a province-wide ban on the sale and cosmetic use of pesticides? Yes (47%) No (53%) The Independent & Free Press is published Wednesday and Friday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. THE INDEPENDENT & FREE PRESS 6 Independent & Free Press, Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Dear editor, Thank you for publishing the feedback regarding our GreenCarts. However, Katrina Dods letter about why she thinks its not worth the smelly hassle was disheartening, doubly so because she is a young stu- dent. A friend of mine revealed to me that his father also refuses to use their GreenCart for the same reason, and I imagine this reason would also partly account for the 15 to 25% of residents who say they wont be using them. There is a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, where people use plastic bags as toi- lets. Once theyve done their busi- ness, they tie the bag up and throw it as far as they can. There are also places on this earth where people actually live in a landfill, surviving on what they find while picking through the mess. Can you imagine what kind of smelly hassle these human beings deal with on a daily basis? GreenCarts, imperfect as they may be, are at least a good step to get peo- ple thinking about what we take from the Earth and how we give it back. Katrina, I hope you and your fami- ly find a way to reduce your waste and use your new GreenCart without too much smelly hassle. Sarah Walker, Georgetown GreenCarts a step forward to saving the Earth Dear editor, On March 29 the Georgetown Lioness hosted our 4th annual Wellness Day Fundraiser at the Gellert Community Centre. We would like to take this oppor- tunity to thank the vendors for donat- ing their time and talent, the Gellert for all their help, the local businesses who donated to our kitchen and door prizes and the community for their continued support. We look forward to seeing you all at our fifth annual Wellness Day in 2009. Irene Lloyd, Georgetown Lioness Club Lionesses thank supporters