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•T he IF P • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs d ay , A p ril 1 8, 2 01 3 8 4 Generations of Halton Hills Families enjoy their FREEDOM because of our local VETERANS You are invited to pay tribute to their sacrifices & achievements both at home & overseas Thurs. May 2nd, 2013 Our Silent Walk begins at 7:00 p.m. at the Legion Br. 120, Georgetown 127 Mill St., Georgetown Come & shake a veteran's hand. Thank them for your freedom. Candles will be available at the legion after 6:00 pm for $5.00 Keeping The Memory Alive 348 Guelph St., Georgetown You're Invited ATTENTION ALL CONTRACTORS Friday April 19th 12 - 5 pm Food • Prizes Vendors • Demos Sign up for free e-Offers and get the inside scoop on the best flyer deals! @ ® Just a few of our Featured Advertisers: your source for FREE coupons And many more money saving deals in our flyer section.{ { NOW AT BROWSE THE FLYER For those who haven't noticed, there's been a dramatic transformation going on at Acton Town Hall Centre. The last phase of the restoration/renova- tion, the Citizens Hall, is coming to a close, as the elevator is nearly completed and the clean-up begins to be ready for the May 5 grand opening. I was at the Town Hall earlier this week for an 'elevator inaugural' shot, where the four original committee members who de- cided to save the old landmark from demo- lition, and in doing so, started the restora- tion ball rolling back 1977, assembled in the elevator. Kathy Sanford, Stella Brunelle, Ted Tyler and Dr. George Elliott are the four founding members of Heritage Acton, who are still actively working towards seeing the project to fruition. From the outside, the new addition is a bit hard to visualize with all the scaffolding and construction materials in front. But once inside, I was blown away with the layout and downright classy design of the new addition, complete with an elevator to give handicap access to the second fl oor- and main hall. One of the faces of the clock off the old Acton Post Offi ce will grace the brick col- umn of the elevator, and some artifacts from Acton's history will be on display. It's my understanding the Acton sign from the old train station is to be hung there as well. Full handicap access is the big advantage here. Now all aspects of the building are ac- cessible to anyone in a wheelchair, walker, or someone who doesn't handle stairs very well. The committee members, under the leadership of Ron Birrell, have done an outstanding job making it happen. They've slaved for hours helping with the project, and now the focus is to get the place cleaned up and staged for the grand opening to be held May 5. With every project, there seems to be a core of volunteers who take care of the grunt work. Right now, I don't think they'd turn away any extra helpers. There is another need for projects like this-- money. As the Town Hall project is closing in on its culmination, there is a need for funds to fi nish it off. The committee has been working hard with both the physical work and fundrais- ing, but there comes a time when they re- quire a little fi nancial nudge to wrap it up, and throw open the doors to host the myri- ad of events that have started to take advan- tage of the beautiful facility. Campaign chair Kathleen Dills said any- one wishing to help fi nancially can take part in the Buy a Brick Campaign. They need about $100,000 to complete the hall. During the past year, the facility has been attracting numerous groups while John El- liott Theatre in Halton Hills Cultural Centre has been closed for construction. Local the- atre/musical groups like Georgetown Bach Chorale, Georgetown Little Theatre and Georgetown Globe Productions have taken full advantage of the stage in the main hall. Other events like the Absolutely Acton Speaker series and the Mayor's Masquerade Ball-- not to mention numerous concerts-- have also graced the fi ne old hall. But until now, there has been no handi- cap access, so the facility will be even better with the new Citizens Hall addition. Sunday, May 5, from 2 to 4 p.m., every- one is welcome to celebrate the opening of Citizens Hall. Organizers would love to have the fi nancial commitments collected by the time the ribbon is snipped. So I'm putting it out there. If you have a few extra bucks kicking around, and want to donate to the campaign, call 519-853- 5302 or email info@actontownhall.com, open your cheque book and Buy a Brick. When you see the fi nished project, it will make it all worthwhile. Lend a hand and 'Buy a Brick' Ted Brown money. There is no obligation with any fi nances here. I'm just asking that this building be put on the Heritage Register, which gives us 60 days to ex- plore all the stuff that has been men- tioned tonight...and in meantime this is out in the public that we're look- ing for a savior to come along, and there might be someone out there." Chief Administra- tive Offi cer David Smith warned that the Town would need to spend money on a structural engineer to determine the viability of moving the structure-- something that was not recommended by HHH's own conservation architect, Ian McGillivray. He stated in his re- port, "Moving the building of the site would have a negative impact on the building's heritage value and is not a good option." Johnson said HHH has money in its budget to hire consultants. Halton Hills council voted 6 to 3 to allow 60 days to investigate the possi- bility of moving the pre-Confederation part of the building only off the prop- erty to the Town-owned unopened road allowance on Union St., still vis- ible from the Georgetown train sta- tion. This decision, how- ever, needs to be ratifi ed at the April 22nd council meeting, when staff may present updated infor- mation that could change minds. Voting for the 60-day reprieve were Johnson, Mayor Rick Bonnette, and Councillors Jane Fogal, Jon Hurst, Bob Inglis and Dave Kentner. Vot- ing against were Lewis, and Council- lors Mike O'Leary and Joan Robson. Councillor Ann Lawlor was absent and Councillor Clark Somerville was chairing the meeting. Derelict Exchange Hotel evades demolition... for now Continued from pg. 4 Continued from pg. 5 Halton's regional transportation master plan and plans on how the community grows are based on the Metrolinx's projects being completed and the Province's growth plan for the area. Regional Chair Gary Carr said it feels like the rug is being pulled from underneath them. The Region is doing its part in attracting residents and businesses to Halton communities, but it can't continue to grow with- out putting the proper infrastructure in place, he said. Bonnette expressed disappointment because he said a lot of the Big Move projects are not necessarily new service for new population, but to service the current population. He complained about a lack of transparency in the plan, saying the costs of individual projects aren't bro- ken down. He also wonders if the cost of the Big Move has been underestimated and that's why projects are be- ing delayed. Committee members also expressed concern about the plan as a whole, strongly opposing the use of any investment tool that impacts Ontarians property taxes. They're worried, as well, that regional commuters will be paying for a disproportionate amount of Metrolinx's $2 billion annual regional transit expansion. Region worried about impact of Big Move on local property taxes Issue on April 22nd council agenda