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Georgetown Acton Wednesday Juh21 TELEPHONE Founded In 1975 Pittohed every by Metrotand Printing Ltd at WAm Acton Telephone 5191 Smote cop each SXOOin Ken Bellamy Publisher Don Ryder Director of Advertising Hartley Coles Managing Ed tor ft lid group newspaper includes Au Pickering New Awora Banner Era The Guardian The on Poll The on Weekend Pom The EtobKofce Advertiser Guardian Tha Geofoe own Mar I ham Econtmai and Sun The Champion The howi MiuwMgi News Weekend Edmon The North Mb or Beaver Friday Beaver Tha Weak The Weekend The Thornhid liberal Tha Scarborough Tha Mew Advancing a accepted on the condition that the event of error ha portion of advertising apace by erroneous together with lor saarure not be charged For out the balance ha advertisement be pad Cor at the appfacable rate the event of a error good a Srves at a price goods or services may not be sold toted Tho Ons EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor Cord Murray Editor- Helen Murray Sports Dan Darkroom Peter MB ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Haul Sain Manager Cook Sales Susan ClaasKied Advertising Advertising Sale Hap Dan Poynu 363 BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Office Manager Jean SheweS Number CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT Manager McArthur Prom the editors desk by Murray Some weeks when I arrives council I get a feeling of deja vu I glance over the agenda and am sure the business about in be discussed by the town fathers and mothers has been dealt with previously Municipal business and thus the news has a tendency to be rehashed many limes before it is finally settled Sometimes it seems issues are never settled In recent weeks that been the case with noise bylaws and liquor permit requests for the Yugoslav Centre the controversy surrounding overnight parking financing agreements for Fourth Line reconstruction location of arcades etc Now don t get me wrong while I become as frustrated as anyone with the slowness of government I not suggesting council drags Its feet on a regular basis or that every decision can or should be made quickly and de finitely At the sometime can appreciate the complaints of readers who become weary about opening the paper on a weekly basis and seeing the same topics threshed out even for months on end Of course short of not covering the news from council I m not sure what we can do about it Believe me some times we become as tired of writing the same old stuff as you do of reading it Democracy is more often than not slow and thus our coverage of municipal political Issues must plod right along Which brings me lo the subject of this week column The most long drawn out issue I ve covered during my eight plus years as a scribbler In the Acton area has to be the town hall issue which produced more differing opinions con sumed more news column space has taken up more time at not Just council but also public meetings and a subject which readers have become more sick of reading about than the town hall I certainly cant imagine what it is As with all prolonged debates or issues which produce many many views as time goes by it becomes more and more difficult for editorial writers to formulate an opinion You begin to see so many slants on the subject and hear so many views it winds up being almost too complex too boll down into a brief to the point and clear comment You wind up seeing validity in virtually every point of view That certalnlv been my problem with the town hall This problem unique to Journal It the dilemma councillors must face regularly And like politicians reporters must be prepared to change their minds as new views and facta come to light or circumstances change Not having been raised here I haven t strong attachment or dis affection for that matter towards the town hall The town hall is supposed to be some what unique historically part of the roof to be specific but I don think that reason enough to preserve it I ve talked to enough people in town and researched the history of the community enough to know though that the town hall has played a pivotal role in the social and political life of Acton On that historical basis It warrants preservation Many past and present leaders of Acton life are tied to the building So many decisions affecting the coin unity development were made within those walls It was quite the spot really a beehive of activity in years gone by before it was allowed to decay I don t think the town hall Is a work of architectural beauty but neither do I think It such an eyesore or so ugly that it must come down I do believe the town hall has a role to ploy In Acton future development and can be put to good use for public washrooms a seniors dropin public meetings etc It can fill a need which the old Stone School because of its lo cation never could I was concerned about the now de funct notion of using grants and local Grants come from our pockets so in my view in a time when restraint by government Is paramount tax money t be spent on the hall or anything else I think money from lotteries should be used to finance government programs which produce jobs reduce the prov deficit or the provincial tax bite And obviously in these very troubling economic times I don think council should be spending on any major pro jects 1 like to think that if the library cultural centre In Georgetown was coming up today and not a couple of years ago council would exercise the same restraint Certainly they can demonstrate they are shying away from big ticket items like the town hall all over Hills by shelving all thoughts of building a central complex for the municipality until such time as the economy proves radically So I must confess I would have had problems with council spending plus of tax dollars regardless of source on restoration I used to think maybe a referendum on the town hall was the answer However in recent months end real that even this lsnt a valid solution to solving the Issue has sunk In Except for a few citizens on both sides of the question who feel quite passion about their views I don think the majority of citizens care anymore My reading of the most that mass of citizens who never say much of public consumption on any issue of burning interest Is hohum on he town hall Mind you this isn t a scientifically study based reading Just a feeling resulting from several years of listening to readers Most people don t care what happens to the hall as long as it doesn cost them anything it settled once and for all one way or another so they don have to hear or read about it any longer They t wisely vote in a referendum on the subject because they haven been interested enough In the past and won likely be in the future to delve into the pros and cons of restoration or absorbed the differing views And after five years of the town hall who can blame them If this all seems slightly confused it should I m confused when it comes to the town hall I ve heard so much and written so much about it I don know if I coming or going on the issue any more But I can t get away from this one nagging feeling in my gut about the town hall If it comes down a lot of hard work by some citizens will go down the drain And that sad If the vast majority don t care one way or another about its fate and It t cost any taxpayer anywhere any money but it might well be a plus to the community and there are some valid historical social and cultural reasons for saving it then I can t see what the real harm will be in letting the people who do are deeply about the building taking a crack at restoring it themselves Another couple of years with the hall standing won hurt anyone really The town need not commit to anything maintenance renting space not a thing except demolishing it if the supporters fall If in the far off distance of good economic times the municipality needs space and the town hall is still around then the councillors of the day can tackle the question of Halton Hills in volvement Until then it can be a private citizens project and remain that way forever if that what clrcum stances dictate In any event the issue is presumably drawing to a close this summer or fait so soon the majority will be nappy They won have to read or hear about the town hall anymore We all grieve The sympathy of this com mumty and district goes out to the families who suffered the loss of sons in the tragic drown ings at Fairy Lake The whole town grieves that two young lives should be snuffed out in a place where there s so much fun and recreation for the children of the community The circumstances surround ing the drownings are indeed strange and an inquest is necessary to sort out what exactly happened and recommendations on how to avoid future tragedies in the same place Fairy Lake has had many victims over the years but never in living memory have two lives been lost within an hour of each other The beach had been a popular place during the hot muggy days this summer and the water inviting for youngsters but it can also be a dangerous for young children even under the best of super vision C Drop parking limit Hills should drop its controversial three hour overnight parking limit in the period between April and October l The bylaw in existence for several years now has two purposes as far as we can tell One is to keep the streets clear overnight during winter to facilitate snow plowing and removal No quarrel there The second reason is to keep the streets from becoming parking tots This is a com mendable motive Few people want to see inoperable cars left on the street or parking on the streets 365 days a year etc However from day one the law has proved to be a problem for many residents especially in areas such as Kingham When he visited council last week Halton Regional Police Inspector Matt suggested there haven been any overnight blitzes since one officer gave out over 120 tickets in one night a couple of years ago However many have complained about the bylaw this spring and summer because there have been nights when it seems 50 or 60 cars are ticketed The vast majority of residents only want occasional parking this time of year Friends and relatives visit for a few days Where can they park except on the street It s a real hardship in where the municipality permitted townhouse development without sufficient par King spaces for two car families let alone guest parking Overnight parking regulations are also a problem in other areas such as Lakeview Glenlea and old Acton as well With so many two car families filling driveways the street is the only alternative to accommodate overnight guests Town staff should come up with alternate methods of preventing streets from becoming parking lots for a small and quit penalizing the majority of citizens who only want to park on the street occasionally After all who paid for the streets if it wasn the people who want to park on them now and again GM Our readers write Johnson wants probe Dear Sir Cher Rest Home In Acton Hills has received a lot of unwarranted adverse publicity lately not only In the press but verbally by malicious unfounded well spread rumors not one of which has been substantiated Regional staff can be said to have been inconsistent regarding square footage and allotment of beds etc It could he said that this Inconsistency has bor dered on harassment Chera Rest Home is a home nothing more nothing leas The doctor who ha visited the facility two or three times per wee for the lest fire years state It no better or no worse than any other facility in Acton one would dispute the fact that such a facility is needed In North Halton on that point council and staff are in Regarding lock or hasp breaking incident Mr Berlin the Regional Chief Administration Officer says he can t believe that all the staff members would he therefore he believes Cole did not break the lock or force entry into the medicine cabinet particularly as two people signed affidavits to that effect and the other three signed statements The only way to dear this mess up is for a of regional council to Interview those who are known to be runtortpreeders staff those present at the lock breaking incident in fact the whole rest home situation in Acton and that is the basts of my notice of motion for the next regional council meeting Until that committee reports no apologies are due to anyone William A Johnson slaw Weeds in the creek spoil the view by Hartley Cotes One of the most scenic spots in Acton is along the grounds of the Robert Little school and the public library The school creek flows peacefully by the lib rary under an arched bridge a favorite haunt for couples having wedding photos taken This week the grass has been cut and the grounds looked neat and Inviting but the school creek Is choked with weeds To spoil the picture someone had heaved a shopping cart in the water Pieces of flotsam and Jetsam revolved around It and at a small pool Just before the water ducks under the Main St bridge and dissolves into Fairy Lake a few hundred yards further downstream It Is an idyllic setting and one often visited by tourists and visitors who see the plaque which tells the story of the founding of Acton An inviting bench ringed by flowers invites people to sit down and enjoy a few minutes of tran quility Over the years many councils of the former Town of Acton recreation committees and the Acton tion Committee recognized this ax a unique setting and one which should be kept as attractive as possible Weeds have been pulled other years by students with grants the Town has bad a shovel in to scoop out the silt and give the bed back to the spring fed creek again The improvements last for a few months and then the weeds take over again We are wasting one of the beauty spots in A ton by letting the ap pearance of the creek spoil the rest of the picture It obviously Is going to need a study to determine how best to stop silt from coming downstream and ing along the part of the creek which borders River St The silt is good tilizer for weeds At one time there was a dam up stream alongside what Is known locally as The Free Press building The dam held back a large pond when I was a youngster and it was a summer oasis for swimming and fishing The dam must also have kept the silt in the pond because the school creek as I remember it had a gravel bottom It never looked like the weedfilled mor ass it becomes during summer months now The dam was broken by the fury of Hunican Hazel in 1934 As a community I guess we should be exploring the natural beauty of the set ting more than we do Others have done so and it adds to the image of their comments as a pleasant and attractive place to live Milton for one took their old mill Martin St and turned It into a scenic park almost In the centre of the downtown Just keeping the weeds down In the school creek would certainly add to the appearance of the library and the school grounds which are often ad mired by those who pass in tbelr cars and are left with fleeting impressions of tills community Back issues 10 years ago Julv The Liquor Control Board counc I s approval of their store in Acton staying open six days a week In July and August Approval was given Three Acton grandchildren had Happy day wishes for George an Sunday He celebrated till birthday with Bruce George and Susan McPl ail other members of the family and old friends and neighbors at the home Lovell Bros Meat Market Specials for this week 1 lb Sliced Bacon cents Fresh Linked Sausage cents lb cl Round Steak a lb and choice Rump Roast cents a lb Steve Van Fleet qualified himself for Eastern Canadian Finals at obi coke Stadium last week when he threv the Javelin 11 the furthest he ever thrown 20 years ago July 1962 The police radar speed recorder went into operation Friday and ac cording to police it is very sue Many people have been slopped for speeding already Canada newest largest and most modern fully automated quarry development came in for close scrutiny wl en a group of Esquesing Township Councillors and officials were per sonally hosted on a project tour by company president Frederick Specials at Ledger I G A this week Wieners l lb cents peaches cents a Salad Dressing cents for Jar Leg Lamb cents a lb and Lamb in a Basket roasts chops stew cents a lb Mr and Mrs Wilfred Coles of Church St Acton celebrated their ding anniversary on The wedding anniversary of MrsJ Tom Watson parents Mr and Mrs Fulton of Montreal was celebrated this week at home 50 years ago July 14 1932 Mr and Mrs John Russell are serving tl golden wedding on Tuesday July 19 will be at home to their friends from to standard time on thai evening Arrangements are getting nicely for the Community Picnic to be held in the Acton Park on Wed afternoon July followed by a street dance in the evening Specials this Friday Saturday and Monday at Nelson and Co Mill St Acton bag of Hour 17 cents lOlbsi of Sugar cents Clothes Pegs J cents Choice Blue Boy Coffee 1 lb for cents and 3 grapefruit for cents The Annual Reunion of the Clan was held at Park Mills on Friday July 1932 Miss Lorna Kennedy and Reld arc visiting with Mr and Mrs John Kennedy at Detroit for a week Misses and Mary Van of are visiting at Mr and Mrs G II Lantz 75 years ago July It 190T The statute labor of the past week has greatly improved the roads In the countrvside The funeral of the late Mrs Alex Mann was held from I he home of Hugh Mann Queen St Mr Mans came up from Toronto in his private railway car Athabasca The members of w strong headed by Acton Citizens Band took the morning train to Georgetown to participate In the demonstration there and won a silver cup in com petition The Messrs Beardmore junior and half a score of other young men have organized a club for Ihe erection of ft house and equipment for boating on Fairy Lake or 10 new boats will be purchased Some people attended Presbyterian church garden party at Mr McDowells years ago July The Georgetown people seem anxious tn have Mr Tolton build his mill there and talk of offering a Utile more than Acton Just lo get it Mr John Cameron is presently superintending the erection of four brick buildings in Acton including the town hall The merchants and clerks complain of the late hour at which some of thefc patrons arrive A good honest days work up to seven clock is all thai should be expected of any one Mr Thomas Moore school principal caught two foot long trout In Christie and Henderson Pond north of Bower Ave