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B8 The Acton Free Press Wednesday Committee second storey on fire hall purchase recommended George Elliott spoke on the alternatives to demolition of Acton town hall Monday Following is the text of his speech As you know we are here to plead the case of Acton a Town Hall Bricks and stones cannot speak so we who re spect and appreciate that old building must do its pleading for it After all it is virtually the last historic public building left in Acton so many others are no more It is doubly difficult for us to night because we understand from press reports lhat we are pleading a lost cause It seems Council mind is already made up Kith respect to the building fate As Citi of though we must do what is humanly possible tosparc it from the wrecker hammer You arc all familiar with the consultant engineer re port and 1 would like quote from it the building is a par fine example of the tpc of common in southern Ontario during the late 1800 s the first and second floors of the building appear visually to be in good most the defective brickwork can be removed and replaced it crack locations there is one crack into the foundations which is forlunalt since small of under pinning rtm be here art no floor de flections in either first or second floors except a small area at the rear the stage the plaster is In quite good conditions generally the wood is in very sound condition All of these comments gest our Town Hall is still a good and potentially useful structure there are but they are repairable and due only ravages of time and changes building code specifications Why should we ketp Acton Town The Province has been concerned about vation of our heritage in Ontario This concern is ex pressed in legislation enabling municipalities to protect our heritage into the future I can put the case no belter than they did in a pamphlet entitled A re hi tectural Conservation and the Ontario which explains the intent of the legislation The conservation and pre servation of our architectural environment provide an im porta link with the past and a familiar bridge to the future and rt for tht past are in order to maintain a sense of place and historical continuity Newbuildingsand cations to existing ones are required by our developing culture and changing society However acknowledging Inis need is not sufficient reason for the senseless destruction of our architectural past Every community has buildings of architectural and historical significance All types of buildings and tures regardless of age may In smaller communities where fewer buildings exist the ones with special or historical character became even more ap parent Acton Town Hall situation seems to be exactly described by these statements The Ontario Heritage Act gives municipalities power to pro tect heritage properties from demolition Unfortunately it is silent as to how such pro perties can be protected when the municipality itself is the party threatening demolition It is my understanding that Council will shortly appoint an Architectural Conser vation Advisory Board under the terms of the Act to protect the heritage of Hills It is also my understanding that some members to be ap pointed to this Board see as their first priority designa lion of Acton s Tow n Hall as a heritage property That is if the Town Hall still exists Many alliens have come together to help in presenting our case for the Town Hall Older folk remembering its history newcomers to Acton in flight from city bedroom suburbs recognizing it as part of the richer community life they seek and young people who have never known it other than as a rather pidated building at the corner of Willow and Bower all have contributed ideas to the pre sentation of this brief It is understandable that older citizens would regret the loss of our Town Hall because it is filled with memories for them But young people have been expressing the most may at losing the building Why young people Many of them have never been in It why should they care what happens to the Town Hall They do care though In fact of them have signed a petition Adults sometimes despair that today youth care less about old values and past practices But young people know what is tant to themselves It is not old attitudes and outdated ideas they support but real and enduring ideals and things they can feel and touch Students today travel the world as we never could They see the respect and af fection other nations have for their old monuments They return to Acton and find the heritage to a past they can never know disappearing be fore their eyes No wonder they ore dismayed To destroy cultural or his things for any reason is a serious thing not to be done without sober and soul searching thought to destroy them for no reason is lism How can we is a society condemn the teenager who thoughtlessly tosses a stone through a school window when we with no more thought would pull down a historic building to make a parking lot We say he must learn history in school then we let him watch as we show our respect for that history by destroying it These are strong statements but re member we are pleading a lost cause This then is our moral argument for preserving Acton s Town Hall but we realize that Council has to make decisions based on economic and practical con siderations as well Let us consider some of these There ore three problems connected to restoration of the Town Hall for which a risers must be found These arc as follows 1 How would restoration of the Hall be financed How will the legitimate and demonstrated needs of Acton Fire Brigade be met if restoration takes place 3 How will the restoration be justified in terms of prac tical use of the Hall and Its day to day We have not had much time to look for answers but a number have come up for suggestion to Council These come from many Citizens and all have some merit There is truth In the old saying In a democracy all of us are smarter than any of us 1 Restoration financing Council would have to pay for demolition of the Town Hall about MO 000 has been estimated Let us use this money constructively rather than destructively Matching grants arc available from Wintario other grants are available from the Ministry of Culture and Recreation and the Ontario Heritage Foundation If there was a re creation component in the restoration eg Senior Citizens Little Theater Choral society etc other grants would also be possible a history funding in large part the things it wants by public subscription rather than taxation eg Community Center Lions Club Pool Band Hall This public financial interest would no doubt be available for a Town Hall restoration project A sum of is not much when an Indifferent house costs half that much and municipal budgets are in millions of dollars Money has been found in Acton before and can be again 2 Fire Brigade needs Acton Firefighters have needed more space for some time everyone recognizes that fact Their excellent and much appreciated services to Acton should be recognized by providing for their needs as quickly as possible Restoration of the Town Hall need not Interfere it is not ur gent immediately planning fund raising can take place over a period of several years Firefighters needs ore urgent Let us complete the second storey or the Fire Hall at once then and let us make its THE FRONT row of spectators for the special council meeting Monday night was Laura Wiles due to celebrate her birthday the next day She was one of about who wanted to see the town hall preserved The council chamber was packed with the largest delegation ever compatible with the Town Hall facade so that the two buildings compliment each other as they should The space lost on the second floor of the ire Hall by the presence of the Town Hall stage area could be gained back by making one of the windows in the stage area a doorwiy into the second floor of the Town Hall The Town Hall auditorium would then be available to the fire fighters if needed extra training space It is quite likely that in a restored Town Hall the auditorium would be made suitable for social events and that it could be licensed The firefighters could use it for such functions for themselves and their families Firefighter parking re quirements arc another pro blem Many citizens feel the present fast street parking arrangements arc excellent efficient and managed neatly by the firefighters Ap parently this is true most of the time but then are si oils on Fridays and days usually when It is cult for to find a parking space This is because spaces are used by shoppers in the downtown area We all know that firc- delays are a matter of life and death often so this is a serious problem ire potential solutions though The police station could be moved to another location lo free some parking spaces The property immediately lo the soulh of the Hall might be purchased perhaps with money slated for the Hall demolition and the area turned into a parking lot ex cluslvely for firefighters Perhaps it would be even better to use this space for off street municipal parking and forbid street parking adja cent to the tire Hall except for firelighters This would permit them to use their fast and efficient street parking procedure at all times with out worry about availability of spaces and yet not de crease the amount of pal parking available to shop pers The problem do careful investigation and thought The problem will not likely be and satis solved by turning the Town Hall into a parking lot i Justification of re ration It has been slated the Town Hall was out of use for years This is not completely true Thedownstairshasbecn used by Senior Citizens and Police The upstairs was used by the Band until ten years ago During that time the Band installed a furnace wiring for lighting and in for windows during the winter This material was all moved to the Band Hall when it was completed in I960 The hall was not used subsequently be cause lack of heal and lighting made ll unusable The Band was completely satisfied with the Hall while RACEWAY HARNESS RACING Post Time Thursday Evening 8p Sunday Afternoons Tr tort or Enactor Wagorlng Alt Conditioned Club starvation NOTICE OF SALE Town Owned Property The Council of the Corporation of the Town of Halton Hills invites sealed tenders appropriately labelled Tender for Block F Plan 132 to be delivered to the undersigned by Friday May 20th for the purchase of this residential zoned parcel of land That will permit a single family detached dwelling only The property has a frontage of sixty six feet on the south side of Mary Street and a depth of one hundred and twenty 1201 feet The highest or any tender will not necessarily be accepted Last date for receipt of tenders will bo NOON on Friday May 1977 Tenders will be opened at that time Bids shall include a certified cheque of 1 00 as bid deposit The winning bid shall bo confirmed by Council at their meeting of June 6th or as close thereto as possible The winning bidder shall undertake to complete a formal Offer to purchase form within 24 hours of being advised of award Such offer shall agree to a closing of no more than 30 days after receipt of formal offer to purchase Failure to comply with these terms is subject to forfeiture of deposit All other deposits shall be returned immediately signed offer to purchase Is accepted H Patterson Purchasing Main Strsoi South HILLS Georgetown Ontario announcement BUILDINGS LTD ALLIANCE BLVD BARRIE ONTAHlO i Farm Structure Buildings Ltd is proud to announce that Mr Gary Van Bolderen has become a partner in the firm and will be s representative in this area Mr Van Bolderen comes from a farming background several years of experience in the farm building industry and has graduated from the Ontario Agricultural College of With Proplan competent crews professional engineering written tees and Mr Van experience we are confident of our ability to solve your particular building requirements BEFORE YOU BUILD CONTACT GARY VAN Hamilton Re pre tentative ALGONQUIN ROAD HAMILTON ONTARIO PHONE 416689 IB ALLIANCE UNIT15 ONTARIO LAM PHONE 705 Free Estimates Plans Engineering Company Crews Written Warranties Competitive Rates No Commissioned Salesmen Custom Design Work Hip Roof Horse Barn 36 72 erected for Mr Mrs A Ronald In Caledon Ont Horse Stables Riding Arenas Dairy Hog Beef Poultry Equipment Storage Industrial Buildings Pre engineered Steel Renovations they were there and had no problems other than those created by lack of facilities As many as 50 to used the Hall at times For four years I spent two or three nights a week in the hall It never failed to amaze me that no plaster ever fell of the celling To what uses might a re stored Town Hall be put There are many possible and it is likely it would bo well used If It was available The police office should be moved toa more visible location with parking available The now vacant Dills Stationery Store with nearby parking would be ideal Their quarters in the Town Hall could be turned into a combined meeting room and municipal museum The Chamber of Commerce and the Agricultural Society have ex pressed interest in such a room Other groups would also likely be interested in a central meeting room The upstairs Hall should be restored so it can be used for larger meetings social events or small theatricals All of these could result in some revenue returning to the Town from rentals Al there Is a shortage of Hall space of moderate size in Acton The Band Hall is booked for most a year in advance and practical accommodation is limited to about couples The Legion Hall is too large for many groups The Town Hall auditorium would be ideal for groups of 150 to people In the not too distant future as Acton grows it is inevitable that there will be a Little Theatre group and a Choral Society Both of these re creational activities will re quire and be asking for suitable rehearsal space The Town Hull auditorium would be ideal for both of these activities The acoustics are excellent and except for lighting the Town Hall stage Is better appointed than any other stage at present in Acton The new High School facility will be excellent but it Is out of the way and will not be extensively available to outside groups because of demands on its use by the School The most successful Little Theatre groups seem to operate best in a rather in dependent setting and many of them generate a certain amount of revenue The Town Hall auditorium would be ideal for small scale theatrical productions as well as rehearsals In short we feel a restored Town Hall auditorium would be used fully if not immediately tainly in the near fulure In conclusion then we would like to suggest the following up a committee to investigate all aspects of re storation of the Town Hall in conjunction with the Ontario Heritage Foundation said committee to report back to Council as soon as possible Begin Construction of the second storey of the Fire Hall making it visually com patible with the Town Hall fa cade Institute street parking restriction immediately to in sure firefighter parking space availability Authorize Ihe Parking Authority to begin investi gating the purchase of pro perty to the south of the Town Hall for municipal parking ANDOR USE THE ENCLOSED DISCOUNT COUPON ON YOUR WALL TO WALL CARPET PURCHASE BONUS J J16 COUPON I I In addition to our everyday low prices this 50 coti I may be applied to 30 yds or of wall to wall Excluding remnants Limit one coupon per Coupon expires May 31 CARPET SHACK 320 STEELES AVE MILTON RIGHT NEXT DOOR TO SYERS CARPET CHARGEX MASTER CHARGE WE HAVE NO PHONE