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THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2010 2 Library budget increased by $422,000 River Street entrance approved - Plaza and reading deck on hold ACTON FOODSHARE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Will Take Place on: Thursday, May 6, 2010 at 7:00 p.m. Queen St. & Churchill Rd. South, Acton Public Welcome Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celeb ting the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Celebrating the past, building the future. Acton Town Hall Centre 2:30 p.m., Saturday, April 24, 2010 19 Willow Street North, Acton Entertainment and light re eshments Please Join Us Open House Your Hometown REALTOR Call me for a Complimentary Home Valuation KATE BANKS Sales Representative, B.A. www.BANKonBANKS.ca Bus: 519-853-8467 Dir: 416-997-4161 Fax: 905-877-0702 By Frances Niblock Town Council approved a $4,142,000 budget for the new Acton library that includes an extra $353,000 to cover significant and unexpected costs related to the site, and $64,000 for an entrance facing River Street. The items will be funded through the Special Infrastructure Levy Reserve. Plans for a $328,000 plaza and a $30,000 read- ing deck were deleted from the proposal, but Council approved spend- ing $5,000 to study if there is any community interest in fundraising for those items. Several library boosters urged Council not to make any cuts to the proposed plans, including Actons Sydney Weaver, an am- bassador for We Care (an Easter Seals Organiza- tion), who said it made her sad to read that some of the proposed library plans might not be built. From her wheelchair at the podium, Weaver, 9, said shed been looking forward to an accessible library. She said it made her sad to hear that some of the wonderful plans might not be built because of the budget. It is important for me to go to the library and get books and enjoy the programs that are offered, like every other kid. With the new library, it will give me the independence I should (have.) But not just me, anyone that is fa- cing challenges, Weaver said adding seniors with walkers and mothers with strollers will also be able to get into the new facil- ity. Havent we waited long enough to make the Acton library more accessible to those that face challen- ges? Weaver said. Former Acton Council- lor Norm Elliott, a library board member and a mem- ber of the Friends of the Library group who said he was speaking as a private citizen, urged Council not to kick the proposed $328,000 plaza out of the budget because it is im- portant to the integrity of the project. He said it was unlikely that there would be a lot of support for fundraising to pay for the plaza, pro- posed to be built on the site of the existing library building. He said it would most assuredly cost more to build the plaza sometime in the future. I know the problems youve got with capital budgets but in view of the extra costs. I think it is something that is manage- able, Elliott said. Speaking in favour of the additional $353,000 for retaining walls and to meet accessibility stan- dards, $64,000 for the River Street entrance and $328,000 for the plaza, Acton Councillor Jon Hurst said they are com- pelled to support the projects. Hurst said people expect to be able to park on River Street and use the bridge to get to the traditional entrance to the library to avoid the traffic conges- tion, and almost chaos, he predicts on School Lane if there was just one en- trance at the back of the building. Do we want to save a bit of money now so we can spend more later? Hurst asked. Mayor Rick Bonnette said while he supported the River Street entrance, he was betwixt and be- tween when it came to the proposed additional money for the plaza and reading deck. The bottom line is that this is a good news story Acton will not be short- changed, Bonnette said, noting that without the Federal and Provincial funding that will cover almost two-thirds of the cost, the new Acton li- brary might not have been built for another four or five years. Acton Councillor Mike OLeary said it was very important to retain the River Street entrance, but he had real difficulties supporting the $328,000 for the plaza, designed as a landscaped area for chil- drens programming and a place where people could sit and read. He also sug- gested that some of the additional money be found in the $166,700 contin- gency funds. Acton Councillor Clark Somerville, who noted that 60 per cent of the total cost was being funded by the Federal and Provincial gov- ernments, said the project has been gifted to us. While all councillors supported the addition- al $64,000 for the River Street entrance and the $353,000 for site work and accessibility, only Councillors Dave Kent- ner, Moya Johnson. Clark Somerville and Jon Hurst voted in favour of an addi- tional $328,000 for the plaza. LIBRARY BOOSTER: Actons Sydney Weaver, 9, an ambassador for the We care Easter Seals Foundation, appealed to Halton Hills Council on Monday night to approve funding for the new Acton library a facility that will be accessible to anyone with a handicap, seniors using walkers and moms with strollers. Frances Niblock photo