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Downtown or east Plan Board puzzle Actons downtown core is a puzzle for council Now planning board wonders what should be done to stimulate business either there or at the towns eastern end In an animated discussion Thursday planning board members plunged into the topic when Councillor Bill Coats said perhaps it was time someone in town came up with a positive statement on the downtown core Someone in the past must have thought it was worthwhile keeping since it Is designated a on the official plan he told the board Without favoring anyone someone should have the guts to say whether the town favors developing the downtown area or the eastern end of town Coats said Two merchants he knows refused to make improvements to their businesses downtown because they dont know where the business core of the town is going to be situated and no one in official circles is giving them any guidance We cant force anyone to locate there downtown replied board chairman Sid Saitz The trend today is to shopping plazas Personally I am in favor of the eastern end of town being developed but the initiative must come from private developers just as in the downtown Guessing game Its a guessing game for merchants now said Coats Suppose we had not given permission for downtown businesses to expand What would have happened Lets tell the merchants what we want Lets say one thing or the other- develop to the east or encourage development of the downtown core I agree with Councillor Coats said his colleague Norm Elliott We havedone very little planning We have a problem in the downtown core We face urban renewal in the area Many stores have been closed and a plan could give council some directions But it Is also true we cannot direct the location of business and personally I feel business thrives with competition not protection We can recommend but we have no power retorted We can plan but we cant force any one to locate where we want We arc strong or as weak as we want to make ourselves answered Elliott If we dont plan ahead even the three members of council cant go back to council with any planning board policy The initiative must come from private developers the chairman disagreed We have done the planning required And now we are making plans for annexation Pressures We were still reacting to stimulus from other sources insisted Elliott And now we are talking about annexation because of pressure from developers who want to be within the borders of Acton Council asks direction from the planning board and wont do anything till they get it declared Coats Councillor Coats Is right declared Lou Bonnette but we cant plan the downtown core unless we have the insight into the feelings of the merchants and come up with some well founded ideas I recommend we have a special meeting with the merchants listen to them and hear what they think The downtown core has been the backbone of this town for yean I couldnt consider or vote on any planning until we hear from them Chairman said the subject had been studied so often and merchants had let people knowhow they felt about the downtown when interviewed by the Free Press He reminded the board that there already was a conceptual plan of the town which the board had tried to use for guidelines Id like to get the whole feeling before any decisions arc made reiterated There are things we can do about parking in town too suggested Coats And Elliott agreed that perhaps the board should come forward with parking recommendations The mayor concluded it was a serious matter but noted many blinds were being closed on downtown stores without prior consultation with the board or council He saw no way of looking into the future and predicting the towns needs Weather outlook Sunny Year No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY AUGUST 1972 Twentyeight Pages Fifteen Cents Arena unsafe in high wind says engineer A charge by professional engineer Alfred Chan that the Acton arena is structurally unsafe during periods of high winds and his estimate that it would cost in the neighborhood of to stabilize the building almost knocked the wind out of members of Acton Parks and Recreation Committee Thursday night A member of the firm of Morrison Miller and which has handled preliminary engineering for the recommcndcd we committee since the multiphase had a safe building reconstruction program to we been told BOLL EMPLOYEES work to clean up the Thursday morning Cement from the spilled when the wall of a silo collapsed flattened a garage beneath the tower Photo by Pink Flour mill silo collapses Workmen escaped possible injury Thursday morning as the wall of a at the Acton Flour Mills collapsed Uttering the ground with targe chunks of camera and spreading hundreds of of grain across the mill yard Coowner of the mill Jtm helping employees load grain into trucks for temporary storage said the silo was full No one could offer a reason for toe accident though former owner D H Lindsay did peculate on the possibility that could have Employee was most shaken by the collapse One minute he told the Free Press Just one minute before the I was standing right tare He Indicated a spot where larg chunk of cement lay cowered with grain of grain that stretched from the base of the silo into the creek I heard a loud bang and came running around here be said as bis eyes followed the golden path to the gaping hole with pieces of cement hanging by the steel rods that once reinforced the struc ture The walls of the silo were about six inches thick solid cement Coowners Jim and Fred Kee nrho was not present at the accident bought the mill earlier this summer from Lindsay Mr Lindsay estimated 1000 bushels were lost in the collapse began in 1970 Chan recently completed a structural study of the west wall This led him to recommend that the committee consider reinforcing It against the wind before installing new cladding Parks committee decided earlier this summer to at least have the the west wall which abuts the community centre building repaired after town council chopped their budget request for arena renovations from to Previous phases of the reconstruction program already completed included shoring up of the south wall in and reinforcing of the east wall at the back of the building last year Call meeting It is expected representatives of the engineering firm will attend an emergency joint meeting of town council and parks committee this week to further explain the situation which some members believe is serious enough to consider dosing the arena down for part of the hockey season Chan said Thursday night that because the buildup has been standing for years doesnt mean it will always stand up He said wind analysis was not included in his Arms original report on inadequacies In the building because they were not asked to do a complete study of the building We were assuming the building was structurally sound in the original report Chan told the committee The engineers explanation failed to convince vicechairman Councillor Orval Chapman who charged that the firm goof in its study tonight Chapman argued In spite of arguments about whether or not the committee was short changed In the engineering study Chan didnt hesitate to emphasize that the building is unsafe Hypothetically not as an engineer for us but just as an engineer would you say the building is unsafe asked committee member Barry Inscoe I would say so Chan replied You would put this In writing that the building Is unsafe Chapman asked Oh yes the engineer replied Both walls recommended installation of a crossbracing system on the west wall to protect against wind adding that the east wall which was shored up last year should also be reinforced against the wind When you talk about the whole building resisting the wind the In Page CORP BOB ARBOUR New corporal New Corporal for Acton been with the detachment of theOPP Is Bob years and his promotion to Arbour He replaces the late corporal became effective Corp Ray Mason August 14 Corp Arbour began his duties here last Wednesday He has permits Building permits Issued in Acton for the first seven months of total the Free learned this week Major part of the permits were for two apartment buildings town houses on Main St S and new homes built by Heritage Homes on Churchill Road S and along Wallace St There were permits issued including for three industrial alterations and commercial changes of This included the new medical clinic on Queen St and renovations to Highway Garage after the fire which gutted the interior during the winter Twelve swimming pool permits worth were also Issued during the first period of A of he went high school In Windsor For five years he operated an ambulance service in Chatham with his brother who is still In the business He then took OPP training Most recently he has been living in Tlllsonburg After being with the force Tor five The latter part of could see and half years he was placed In another large building permit of the twoman with building continuing at ment at Port Burwell milea Acton Meadows subdivision and away He continued to live in the houses on Main St S as well until coming here as more apartments He also worked with the forces at London Port Stanley and Port The total value of permits In Franks 1972 could well exceed any Corp Arbour is single plays previous year in Actons history baseball He enjoya by a large margin travelling Acton entry in Grey Cup parade They gave us a price to make the building safe Now they come back and say yon need as he looked at the pile Acton Centennial Commission it busy looking Into the possibility of an Aetna entry into the Grey Cup parade In Hamilton on December advertising Actons Centennial Commissioner Jack Carpenter scratching his bead for on how to raise the needed for a float in the parade and the possibility of Acton bringing the town band which would be another BOO It would give us nationwide exposure on TV Carpenter points out and give us a chance to show off our centennial flags with a large color party Hes willing to listen to suggestions on bow to raise the money or accept donations which would enable Acton to have complained Committee member Diane agreed with Chapman and surprise that wind analysts was not part of tbe code when the arena was first constructed We should have at least known about this In 1970 c Hugh Patterson chimed in Councillor Peter Marks reminded his coueagaes that In all honesty the firm bad reconune repairs to the entire building be done a at one tune But if wed have done all tjpf THE TOWN COUNCILS gas house gang had plenty of bench Usher Bill Hugh Patterson Harold John strength for Friday nights seven inning exhibition diamond Norm Elliott Peter Marks Chapman Pat duel with the Coffee House Freaks but youth won out Left to right cheering their first batter Mayor are Grant and more pictures Cotes