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Seniors centre By Les Mellish In view of comments made by Tepresentatives of of municipal council that could be misleading, some seniors and the general pub- lic, the executive members of the Georgetown & District Seniors Association wish to state clearly and firmly what our attitude was in discussions with the Town con- cerning the property on Main Street formerly occupied by the Bi-Way store. Also, we wish to make clear what our present posi- tion is. Commencing in January 1992, the Town first offered to us the possibility of the use of this Main Street building as a ads loction for a seniors cer Due to eetttaaeer: there were no meaningful discussions around this. Then we wer advised that council had excluded any money for this from the bud- get. However, in May, shortly before our annual general meeting we were asked to poll seniors to find out if the location was accept- able to them as a permanent cen- tre. @ This we did at the meeting and after some discussion the mem- bers voted strongly to accept the location provided that: Structural and design consideration were appropriate, that suitable renova- tions were feasible and that finan- cial arrangements were accept- able. In two meetings with the Town in June we made repeated requests for information on reno- vations and costs. This information was not avail- able. We believe that in the period from January to June, if the Town was serious about this property being used as a seniors centre, Proper study could have been done and plans and costs could have been made available. Seniors had a right to know. ‘Their future, their money and the use of their name for government grants was involved. Also, surely the council would wish to know what it was getting; what it would Cost; and where the money was to come from before they would approve the purchase and makeover. During discussions, a dollar fig- ure was ventured to cover pur- chase cost and basic renovation. Based on this minimal figure, it was obvious that a new facility designed for its proper use would make better use of funds. However, inasmuch as these funds were stated not to be available it was mutually agreed this approach to a centre was not possible. And so the search went back to finding a temporary facility. The Association executive feels it was being manipulated and as things have transpired, we believe seniors have been used to take the blame for the failure of an attempt by the Town that was to help revi- talise the downtown area. Let us make this absolutely ~ Seucors for the Future is long overdue clear, the prime purpose of the Association is to get a seniors cen- tre. However, if in the process it helps some other situation, that’s fine, we'll go along with it so long as the needs of seniors are met. But please, don’t just use us. That is now water under the bridge, and the Main Street build- ing is being used for its proper Purpose, a store. Let us move on. I am sure all right-thinking and fair-minded people will recognize the situation for what it really is. We now have under consideration several possibilities for a tempo- rary location for a seniors centre. We should say that one that the executive had set its heart upon, the Dominion Gardens may, for one or two reasons, now that we have seen highlights of a proposal that the Town has in its hands, not be acceptable. Leaving this as it may be, the issue comes down to the fact that we think it is time now for the Town to seriously consider a per- manent centre and make specific plans for its realization in the near future. This Town is not all asphalt, concrete, bricks and mortar, and zoning, - it also has people, in case it had not been noticed. Seniors are a large segment of this population and everyone in the Town expects to be senior one day. Furthermore, there are other needs to be met A multi-service centre is need- ed; a large community hall is needed. If, as the Town suggested, well over a million dollars could have been found to turn the Main Street property into a seniors and multi-service centre, let’s really bite the bullet and either build or buy suitable property to house these community services. Now is the time for council to do itself a favour, seize the oppor- tunity to exercise leadership in this project and get it done. Since seniors are in the front line of this campaign, it is now time to become more visible and vocal. It is time to remind your representative that you are here and that you expect him/her to work on your behalf. A seniors centre is long over- due. It is largely the responsibility of the municipality to provide this for its seniors. This article will be in the hands of the Mayor and all Councillors before you see it in the newspaper. Please follow it with your own let- ter, or cut this out of the paper, sign your own name across it and send it to Mayor R.T. Miller, Town of Halton Hills, P.O. Box 128, Halton Hills, Ontario. L7G 5G2. Whether you are a senior or not, if you are in favour of a seniors centre, please respond. It now depends on you. Where there’s a will there’s a | executive director sien Soe hospital received a donatio an automatic} penanis tourniquet system, worth $9,700, from the Royal Canadian Legion’s Ontario Provincial Command Branches and the Ladies Auxiliary Charitable Foundation. The sys- tem restricts blood flow during surgery. 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