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4 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2006 BRUNCH BUNCH: The fruit salad was as popular as the homemade deserts at Sundays Acton Community Brunch as members of T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) helped the Acton Kinette Club stage the monthly brunch at the arena in exchange for a share of the profits. Frances Niblock photo FAX: 519-853-1559 379 Queen St., Acton ON L7J 2N2 ??????????????????????????????????? 519-853-1553 Prices per person and subject to change without notice, vary with travel dates and are for new bookings only. Cerain conditions & restrictions may apply. Limited number of seats at these rates. All terms and conditions relevent to these flights amy be found in the 2005/2006 Conquest Winter brochure. NEW THURSDAY FLIGHTS ADDED FEB 9-APR 27/06 FLORIDA ??????? ????? ??????? Orlando ONE WAY FROM $79-$399 Taxes $119.03-$141.43 St. Petersburg/Clearwater ONE WAY FROM $79-$399 Taxes $119.03-$141.43 Ft. Lauderdale ONE WAY FROM $69-$399 Taxes $119.03-$141.43 NOW AVAILABLE Customized Florida Vacations Flights Hotels Car rentals ???????????????????? ?????????????????????? An interactive presentation and design workshop on the modern world of skateparks and action sports Designers for the Three Musketears Skatepark will be present to answer questions on the new skatepark located at the Acton Arena and Community Centre. Hosted by the Town of Halton Hills and Acton Sports Action Park (ASAP). Location: Acton High School (21 Cedar Rd.) Date: Thursday February 9th, 2006 Time: 6:00 to 9:00pm ???????????????????????? Now loan policy for local groups By FRANCES NIBLOCK The New Tanner Community groups such as the Acton Agricultural Society may be able to build projects like a new fall fair building in Prospect Park with the help of a new Town loan policy. Councillors voted to amend its Municipal As- sistance Program Joint Capital Management Policy to include provisions so the Town can loan money to community groups, that meet stringent criteria, that want to build facilities on Town-owned land. A request from the Acton Agricultural Society for third party capital financing a loan led to the new policy framework. At a recent Council meet- ing, Society spokesman Dave Dautovich explained that because their build- ing will be constructed on Town-owned land, financial institutions wont grant them a mortgage and they need a Town loan to proceed. A staff report said the loan program must as- sess the overall merit of a capital project and limit financial risk to the Town. The existing joint capital project-management policy includes evaluation criteria, but new more extensive financial criteria will be added to the policy to re- duce the risk to the Town, that may borrow large sums of money over a long pe- riod of time on behalf of a group. During debate on the loan policy, Regional Ward 3/4 Councillor Jane Fogal drew attention to concerns raised by the Rotary Club of Acton that Town money means the Town takes over control of the project. What I didnt see here was anything that says that the community was still involved in the project in the construction phasethe Town is not only going to be financially involved, were going to run the show, Fogal said, asking staff for some comfort concerning community involvement. Terry Alyman, the direc- tor of recreation and parks said they would encourage a community group to be as active as possible that is in essence, the whole nature of the joint capital manage- ment policies. Because of the financial risk, if you will, to the Town, it is written in more stricter terms to make sure theres certainty in terms of who is ultimately responsible we want to ensure projects are built to Town standards, Alyman said. Mayor Rick Bonnette, who called the Societys plans to replace the old arena in Prospect Park vi- sionary said the loan policy is necessary so taxpayers and the Town dont face the extra costs of new fa- cilities. Questioned by Acton Councillor Mike OLeary about the ownership of a new facility built on Town- owned land, Alyman said the Town would not have a lot of control over a build- ing, but the operational risks would rest with the commu- nity group that built it. Acton Councillor Jon Hurst said the loan policy is a unique opportunity to address the requirements that the Agricultural Society has, and also to provide additional recreational facilitiesits a win-win situation for us, Hurst said. Since 1992, The Town has collaborated with the community on various joint ventures in Acton includ- ing the Acton Rotary Park; the leash-free zone park in Acton and the soon-to-be built skateboard park. The financing of the proj- ects has included subsidies, fee waivers, donations and sponsorships. Council is expected to formally approve the new policy at its February 6 meeting.