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mm Larry the HERALD MAY II 1M7 Home Newspaper of Hills TWENTY EIGHT PAGES The fullsize paper reaching more than homes In of Iocal Untied Stetluorkrrs of America on Ihe pkkel line Diuton Canada Ltd In Acton DISPUTE OVER WAGES COSTOFLIVING Sfeelworkers strike About 120 of of United Steel Workers of off tile Job at Diiston Canada Ltd in Acton at noon to nek contract prop sail They hue been Ihoul a contract nee 1 when a two red The employee wen in legal strike position m Si ndiy but the strike was postponed until the management get together for more talks it a m Mon lay The st blocks pre Jack ttilker told Monday are a cost of I clause eh in the last wmp wanli to exclude from new Mr si the has proposed in cents per hour increa in wipes while the company has offered five per cent The union is also seeking wage parity for the workers in the plant The men rate is from per hour the women sis from to per hour The union also wants a one year contract The union has proposed a lead hand trilnmg rate for employees a change in the holiday structure and a dental plan Mr Walker said the company offered on Monday morning a 100 per cent dental plan fully paid semi private hosp sick benefit and a five week vacation after years Mr Walker stressed that the union is still open to negotiations with the company at Canada Ltd recently gave 19 workers notice of layoff Mr Walker said The on executive went to the membership to if they would take a four day work week in lieu of having 19 members laid off and the vote was 100 per cent in favor of the layoff which included the 19 who were to be laid off The workers thought it unfair to work at tower rated jobs Company president Tom Shields said Tuesday that he had no wish to discuss negotiations with this newspaper He sold he had no idea when talks with the union would begin again A rumor circulating on the picket line Monday afternoon Indicated that the com was In no hurry to make an early because lis export licence had expired and one would not be forlhcom until sometime in June Mr Shields said there was no truth to the rumor Acton townhall saved from wreckers ball Gray guarantees beds if petitions supported By WARD George Gray chairman of the board of health guaranteed if he received pop ular stipport backed by he would crack a freeze placed on nursing homes in October 1975 Gray guest speaker the United Senior Citizens meeting in Stewarttown Monday said the Georgetown hospital board has approved an addition to the hospital using hospital lilies and that hospital admins trator A Morns took the resolution to Hills council which approved the unanimously Two week go as board of health chairman Gray present the regional board of health with the proposal for a nursing home which was unanimously I la lion Region endorsed the proposal on May and though should be and dried by now Health Minis Dennis TlmbrUl said the district Health Council must approve the proposal ind if they do Gray then needs numerous petitions to present to the minister Petition sheets are available In easily accessible public places such as the Herald off stores In the Market Place the Community Centre in Acton and will be distributed soon in many stores Fred Spires member of Ihe has collected names on his petition sheet Anyone over IB is eligible to sign and name address and telephone number is required on ihe sheets The government has placed the freeze on nursing beds in an effort to reduce health costs Mr Gray said I would not object so strongly If the northern part of Hilts had any beds but we There are nursing beds In the southern part of the region but only 10 beds in Acton which arc not even being used Mrs Kelly who Is using the beds for a rest home facility is negotiating with Maple Villa Nursing home In the southern part of the region he said The difference in the region is discrimination and I going to fight it he said When asked If the election would hold up any plans for the nursing home he said this was the best time to ask the cabinet minister Any minister I bump into I ask he said By MAGGIE HANNAH Herald Staff Writer Act on has saved its old Townhall provided it can find funds in Its own pocket to pay for the restoration project Hills council changed Its mind about a demolition order at a special meeting Monday A delegation of more than GO Acton area residents backed by pel It ions bearing signatures and a number of youngsters bearing signs with slogans like Down with the NEW packed council chambers for the meeting Council reversed its decision on the basis of a brief pre sented by George Elliott on behalf of Acton residents Council decided that consult engineering firm Alan Associates be asked to prepare the specifications for adding a second story the existing Acton Fire Hall that a citizens committee be ap pointed to coordinate fund raising activities through all provincial government and private sources to pay for the restoration of hall and that Hills parking authority be requested to report on alternatives putting a park ing lot on the site of the old building When he felt thai council had belaboured the point of how the project would be funded Just a bit loo far a former Acton councillor Ted Tyler told council that Acton had never asked to pay for anything for them and it you re so concerned about that give Acton back to its citizens When the applause and cheering died down Mayor Hill that he d be willing lo accompany Mr Tyler lo Queen Park to talk to the powers that be and get Hills split back up the way It used to be In his brief Elliott said that money to finance the restora tion of the building could be found through grants from the ministry of and recreation and the Ontario Heritage Foundation as well as by public subscrip tion He urged that council spend the 0 reported to be the cost of demolishing the turc in a constructive rather than a destructive manner Councillor Miller quickly pointed out that accord lo engineers the demolition costs would be to not MO Elliott went on to say that while the Town Hall Hon Is not a matter requiring Immediate action Acton fire fighters need for extra space Is pressing He urged that work on a second story to the trenail begin at once with an attempt to make Its facade compatible with the townhall He contend that by converting a window at the rear of the stage area into a doorway the auditorium of the would be avail able to the firefighters if they needed extra training space Since parking space for the firemen la also a problem Elliott suggested that the Town purchase the adjacent property south of the Hall and turn it into a parking lot exclusively for the flrefight era The alternative would be to make It a municipal parking lot and forbid on street parking for anyone but firemen In justifying restoring he hall Elliott den ed that It has been empty for years Acton Citizens Band used the of the Hall until the bandhall was completed in 1966 hesaid During those years no plaster ever fell off the celling though the whole vi the siren went off This he felt gave further to the citizen s con lent ion that the budding is structurally sound By moving the police office to a more visible location such as the vacant Dills Stationery Store its quarters could be turned Into a combined meet room and municipal mu scum The Chamber of Com mercc and the agricultural society have both expressed Interest in such a room he said The upstairs of the Hall could be used for larger meet social events and small theatricals all of which could return revenue to the town in the form or rent Elliott paint out that there la presently a shortage of licensable space in Acton and the townhall auditorium would be ideal for groups of 150 to people Wnrd2Coun Patterson pointed out that the farmers in my ward haven got the bucks to pay for this project and wanted to know how the Acton citizens hoped to fund the restoration Elliott pointed out the grants available to them and repeated his belief that money for the project could be found in the Acton area W Pat McKenzic from Ward 1 remarked that the Hall had just sat there so long now we re really going lo have to hustle to find an excuse to preserve it He estimated that restoring the building would cost MOO 000 That one mill for years over all of Hits or five mills for lOyears In Acton he said McKenzle also mentioned a report made to Acton council 10 years ago which said that since Ihe building facade was made of soft bricks the entire structure might require re- If repairs were under taken When Mayor Hill pointed out that the Heritage Foundation will grant onethird to the cost or funding the restora lion only if the uses of the building can be established Elliott assured him that people from the organization had at ready seen the building heard the plans and approved them in principle Although he could not state a specific time period when fi gures on the cost could be brought lo council he pointed out that the Heritage tlon Is experienced in this work and could probably steer the Acton citizens in the approp riate action with the greatest speed In trying to substantiate claims that the building Is worth preserving Elliott from the engineer report to council which said that the building is a particular A per cent increase in the regional tax levy will increase the mill rate taxpayers in Hills face this year At a meeting Thursday that was lo cut but actually added dollars regional councillors voted lo accept a operating budget Of that total is lo be raised from the municipallt M the COLD READING There was plenty to rend at the Georgetown University Women Club used book sale Saturday at Georgetown Market Place However stiff breeze and cool temperatures made browsing less than pleasant and tending the counters a fight against frostbite Pictured above wearing gloves is Karen Morris getting ready to sort through a slack of books The regional 1977 mill rate in rural Acton 12 10 in rural Esqueslng 10 in rural Georgetown 34 in urban Georgetown 82 In urban Acton and 10 in rural Hill portion of the 680 the region needs to raise Is Si 370 Milton is Is and Burlington Is The stormy meeting was marked by personal attacks of councillors on each other One of the most unruly of the councillors was public works chairman Jack Itaftla Yet his behavior off for despite complaints to the chairman Mayors Mary Mun ro and Harry Barrett and Councillor Carl Erikscn Mr Itaftls managed to regain two of four staff positions for his department that were cut at an earlier meeting Council defeated a motion by Mr that would have sent the budget back to com for a further eight or nine per cent cut to reduce the increase lo per cent from percent He was supported by Mayor Harry Barrett It is not responsible government to a 21 per cent Increase when the local Increases arc kept to seven per cent Mr I- rikscn said Council also rejected an ad ministration committee re commendation that would have moved from the capital reserve fund to the operating budget a move Mr Morrow had previously con demned The capital reserve fund which Is to keep the region solvent from the first or the year to when tax dollars start pouring In after the bud get is approved Is back to WOO A capital budget of 14 B90 for was also approved Of that total is for Hills for Mil ton for for Burlington and for the region The capital budget also In eluded a fiveyear forecast which outlines where future capital spending is likely to occur but which may not nee AH the items in the forecast are subject to cuts and the budget is characterized as flexible However It fore casts spending 692 bet ween and 1B81 Of that total 105 would be in Hills million In Milton Ml million in Oakvllle million In Burlington and Ml 3 million in the region e bottom line for taxes Hills council has to officially pass a bylaw to approve new tax rates but treasurer Hay King gave finance administration committee a preview Monday For Georgetown Is the mill rate On an assessment of a tax payer bill will be That up 10 from 197B when the mill rate was five per cent lower at and the tax was The Georgetown mill rate comprises Tor town purposes 4 for special area charges such as crossing guards garbage collection and street lighting SO for tor 19 for secondary for purposes and for sewers The commercial Industrial mill rate in Georgetown Is 103 For Acton 92 Is the residential mill rale On on assessment of the 1977 taxpayer will huvo lo fork over 20 more than In 1970 or a total or 12 per cent increase Breaking down the Acton mill rate Ihcr la to the town for general purposes 38 for special area charges for education 33 for elementary for dary to Halton for general purposes and for Acto Is up 11 points for 1976 On an average residential assessment of taxpayers will pay more than In 1970 or mill rate Is made up of 32 for the towns general pupose 23 for education for elemen 31 for secondary and 10 for general purpose The m ere lal In dustr I mill rate is Is 117 For that pollen of north in Hills the res den to II mill rate In 1S77 Is on Increase of paints over For an average residential assessment of taxpayers will get a bill Tor up MS over 1970 The mill rate comprises for the town general purposes 38 for education 79 for tary for secondary and 16 for the region general purposes The commercial industrial mill rate In Is 7B Mill rales Tor the business improvement areas In Acton and Georgetown are not In eluded in the above figures Besides regular mill mate taxpayers In the special lighting areas of Glen Williams Stewart town and will have 1 and 1 respectively tacked on to their lax bill Commercial industrial 1 taxpayers In those Tour areas will have 91 182 and 2 extra on their tax bills respectively fine example of the type of architecture common in south era Ontario during the late the first and second floors of the building appear visually to be good order most of the defective brick work can be removed and replaced at crack locations there Is only one crack Into the foundations which is for tunate since only a small a mount of underpinning maybe necessary there are no floor in either first or second floors except a small area at the rear of the stage the plaster is In quite good condition generally the wood Is In very sound condition Both Councillors George Maltby and Roy Booth were of the opinion that there was no need to rush with the demoUi order So long as work went ahead on facilities for the firefighters the was not a matter for immediate decisions Acton citizens deserved at least a month to look into ways of saving building they said Council decision to wait for further meetings was unanl Region mill rate up 21 per cent ACTON MERCHANTS CONCERNED OVER LOITERING YOUTH Problems caused by young people loitering on the sidewalks of downtown Aclon emerged as the chief concern or the Acton Business Association at a meeting Wednesday Themerchant s complaints about youths frightening and Intimidating customers have prompted the assorts tlon cleanup and security committee to contact police about the possibility of making regular patrols downtown Don Lindsay an association director related an Incident that took place a week ago which the association agreed exemplified the problems to be confronted immediately Mr Lindsay reported he notified the Acton detach of the Regional Police after customers began complaining to him about youths blocking the sidewalk in front of his Mill Street store The young people he said were indiscriminately drinking beer and swearing loudly but had dispersed by the time a constable on the scene minutes Last summer there were six or eight windows broken downtown Mr Lindsay said By the way things arc starting this year there could be a lot more trouble Although fellow merchant Mike Klnal reported that the police have started occasional patrols on foot through the downtown care the feasibility of regularly scheduled patrols others pointed out remains questionable Paul Nielsen noted that District 1 Police Superlntcn dent Floyd Schwantz recently told the Acton Chamber of Commerce that two more constables would have to be hired before regular patrols could begin The cost however is prohibitive The security committee chaired by Alma Swetman was advised to investigate the reasons why the young people are hanging around downtown and if possible to suggest other places and activities that could draw their Interest Mr Lindsay notcdlhatother towns he had visited recently arc kept clean of litter and similarly the sidewalks arc free of such groups of bums Core program is defined Board of Education did Its work of approving a previous meeting minutes in a 60 second procedure before getting to the heart of Thurs day meeting an of core curriculum In the region elementary schools As meeting was on the first Thursday of the month a day trustees usually hove off and the caretakers have the board offices to themselves some of the trustees wandered in late and others dldn quite make It at all Bruce Mather superintend ant of program and Grant principal of Pine- view School presented tees about 10 persons in the audience and four reporters a definition of core curriculum and how it works In schools Mr Mather said core has two definitions boards and the Ministry of tion Core is the skills and knowledge within every sub ject that are essential while the ministry defines it as a group of mandatory subjects In grades nine and ten How ever tho ministry sets across the board policies which are flexible and contain the res ponsibilities of schools he In where core curri urn development has been taking place since 1973 all elementary schools have core curriculum in all subjects but Health and that will come on stream In the 78 school year stated Mr Mather Mr outlined for trustees the various steps In volved in Implementing a core curriculum at the classroom level and revealed some pie programs developed by classroom teachers Strategies lo test the effectiveness of un core curriculum are being developed bo point cdout Before coffee break and a final question period trustees had time to attend any three or four seminars on the arts health education language arts and mathematics in rooms decorated with paintings of young students The meeting adjourned at ID