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Page’ 4— Halton Hills This Week, Wednesday, December 16, 1992 Borotsih Wedding Porteous - . oe vd Mr. and Mrs. Ray Porteous of Bethany, Ontario and Mr. and Mrs. Dennis Borotsik of Georgetown, Ontario are pleased to announce the marriage of their children Craig and Deborah. The wedding took place on September 26th, 1992 at Bethany United Church, Bethany, Ontario. me oi Qnvited To Our 1993 BRIDAL FASHION SHOW at the Georgetown District High School z Sunday, January 17, 1993 12:30 to 5 p.m. Your Host: Elizabeth's Fashions & Bridal Boutique Showing: The Jessica McClintock Bridal Collection, Alfred Angelo, Partytime Fashions, etc. ‘One lucky Bride in attendance will win approx. ‘$2000 in avian & shal certificates. also be door prizes! FREE TICKETS for Brides and a Guest below displaying the asterisk*. Exhibitors... 211-Unit 7 Guelph St. & Charles St., Georgetown 205 Delrex 2 Mountainview Aa Ss, bg] The Fane Way Grown Theropot fee, ae Sok Mary Kay Cosmetics e Wain a8 &, eae 16 Cleaveholme Dr., Georgetown Disc Jockey Please register early to avoid disappointment! Any furtber inquiries please call 873-1470 Town's fiscal restraint makes seniors centre a 1999 item Local Georgetown seniors are politely pressuring the Town of Halton Hills to provide a communi- ty seniors centre. Currently Georgetown seniors are still working for the designation of a temporary facility. A prelimi- nary forecast of the town’s 1999 capital budget includes a permanent Georgetown seniors centre with the twinning of the Alcott Arena. For many Georgetown seniors that’s simply too far away, and they'd like to have a facility in the meantime. Councillors Gail Rutherford, Al Cook and Ron Chatten meet with seniors monthly to create a liaison between seniors and the town. The Seniors Recreation Centre Committee has been in existence for three years, said Georgetown and District Seniors Association president Les Mellish. “We're certainly working towards it (a centre),” agreed Gail Rutherford. “A lot of opportunities have presented themselves , but nothing ae panned out, which is unfortui «if he seniors had said they wanted the Biway location they’d icp be in there by now...it was their choi Rutbertcd was referring to an earlier proposal by the town to pur- chase the old Biway building on Main Street before Young’s Pharmacy relocated there. Rutherford said she thought it was an excellent choice at a reason- able price, central among the downtown merchants, with accom- panying parking and lots of space. The proposal included a plan to renovate the building and give seniors the upstairs and rent the basement to social service groups, Rutherford said. She added that maybe seniors were afraid “they’d get shoved in the basement,” and Milton's centre serves more than 400 As Halton Hills seniors work towards creating community recreation centres (one in Acton and one in Georgetown) for those over the age of 55, it is interest- ing to compare a successful seniors centre in a neighboring municipality. Milton has had an active seniors centre for since April 1988, with a 65-plus population almost 600 less than in Halton Hills based on Region of Halton figures from 1991. “It’s most definitely success- ful,” said coordinator Robin McPhail. “Many of the seniors say it has added to the quality of their lives. They say, ‘I don’t know what I did before the seniors’ centre.’ I hear things like that constantly.” The centre is funded by the town as a temporary facility and leased in the Royal Canadian Legion building. This year 427 registered seniors paid $8 per year to enjoy the facility and its many programs and special events. This year the Milton Senior Citizens’ Recreation Centre cost a total of $82,780 to run. Revenue was $46,711, which included a $30,000 provincial grant from the Ministry of Community and Social Services. That left the Town of Milton and taxpayers with less than half the cost at $37,569. reassured that that was not the case. But Mellish said that any loca- tion has to come with a financial price tag before the association’s members can vote on its ace] tance. The Biway building didn’t meet acceptance, as there were no design ee “ eee to conceptu- alize the loc: Recreation Sal Parks director Tom Shepard said the problem was visionary, “When the seniors looked at the Biway store they saw a Biway store,” Shepard said. “When I looked at the Biway store I saw a seniors centre...We couldn’t afford the money to make plans. The Biway was reasonable for a lot of reasons.” The location was rejected by the seniors, who felt that there wasn’t a concrete game plan, Mellish said. “There’s no secret that they’re working for a new facility,” Shepard said. “They’re not pre- pared to take anything less than what’s the best for their use. The seniors agree that they would like a new facility eventually but have been trying to find a tem- porary location for two years. “To renovate a building is very, very expensive,” said councillor Al Cook. “You'd have to renovate it to today’s standard. It’s almost as expensive to build one. “(A seniors centre) is an excel- lent thing. It’s very much needed - we’re all getting older. I’m in favor of it 100 per cent. If we’re going to do it, let’s do it right the first time.” Temporary facility would satisfy anxious seniors Continued from page 1 facility in the longterm, but say they would be perfectly happy with a makeshift location in the interim. “A location with the twinning of the Alcott Arena in 1999 is too far away,” Mellish said. “We’ ve got to do something in the meantime.” The Seniors Association has been looking for a temporary location for two years, Mellish said. A Georgetown seniors centre is included in the town’s preliminary capi- tal forecast for 1999 as an extension of the twinning of the Alcott Arena. And that, of course, is based on financial resources at the time. Georgetown seniors might see the turn of the century before they see a facility with their name on it. “It’s a matter of where the council has decided to spend its money,” Mellish said. “We’ve adopted a persuasive attitude - not too aggressive but very persistent. It’s an expense...it’s not going to provide any revenue for them, and that hurts.” : The cost of a seniors centre is shared by the municipality and the mem- bers. Seniors raise funds and pay nominal membership fees. Traditionally, provincial funding is applied for by the town to help subsidize the centre. For three years seniors with the Georgetown and District Seniors Association have met monthly with three town councillors. The Seniors Recreation Committee (with councillors Gail Rutherford, Ron Chatten and Al Cook) brings the town and seniors together to discuss strategy and pos- sible sites. Milton, Oakville, and Burlington all run successful seniors centres. A 1988 Georgetown Seniors Centre Survey conducted by present coun- cillor Gerald Rennie is being used as a yardstick to indicate the local demand for such a facility. Out of 600 returned surveys, 94 per cent approved a future centre with 89 per cent expecting to use it. Acton seniors granted site Acton seniors are excited that they will soon have a seniors recre- ation centre - their very first. The old fire station on Bower Avenue will be renovated to meet occupancy standards and the needs of the seniors. Town council gave the nod of approval to using the building last year. Currently Toronto architect Simon Davis is working on three conceptual design plans to go before council -- tentatively -- in the spring. Simon Davis was cho- sen from 26 submissions, said director of Recreation and Parks Tom Shepard, and has “extensive experience” is seniors’ buildings. The design study was budgeted at $40,000. The town is picking up half the tab, with the other subsi- dized by a grant. Although it may be possible for Acton and area seniors to use the facility in stages as it is renovated, full occupancy won’t happen for about three years, Shepard said. “It’s just great,” said Vic Morris, chairman of the Acton Seniors’ Centre Facility Committee. “We're excited about it.” Morris and other Facility Committee members toured area seniors rec centres to glean insight into successful centres and goals for the Acton location. They visited centres in Ancaster, Burlington, Oakville, and Kitchener. Morris said that the Burlington centre appeared the best because of the spacious lay-out and good facil- ities. He found that all the centres are thriving. “Everyone’s gung ho.. active and enthusiastic,” aid. The Acton seniors have also been helped by a $23,116 Horizons grant in September from the federal gov- ernment’s Department of Health and Welfare. Morris said they submitted a wish list to the federal government in April when applying for the -really Morris ant. “Everything we asked for was given,” Morris said. The money will provide the centre with chairs, card tables, a sound system, kitchen equipment, and other equipment. The nucleus of the centre will be Acton’s Golden Age Club. They plan to extend an invitation to all Halton Hills seniors to use the facil- ity when it is ready. Morris said that he believes the Acton seniors are further ahead than the Georgetown seniors in their quest for a seniors rec centre because they found a building that already exists, even if it does need refurbishing. “It’s much less cost than startin; from scratch with. a new facility,” Morris said. Council will eventually approve one of the architect’s design plans, based on available funding.