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THE GEORGETOWN GEMINI WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7, 1996 LETTERS Towntrak ... To the Editor: Towntrak is more than dangerous, it is positively hazardous to inept municipal administrations and council- lors, as Finance Director Nancy Bardecki suggests. It is the only report which compares municipal per- formances, something these private fiefdoms abhor. How dare Towntrak re- port, for instance, that Halton Hills increased the Town's salaries 7.8%/annum, 1988 RECYCLE! Peter Zions Construction Ltd. A Family Building Tradition since 1964" oe Home Improvements C Mire tem eeXeeO mE elite Build ACTON PRECAST fete) Nectar LIMITED | @ SEPTIC TANKS & WATER CISTERNS I PVC SEWER PIPE WELL TILES & CULVERTS TRANSFORMER BASES STEPS & PORCHES. BYARD & PATIO PRODUCTS ACTON ' 853-1529 Twiss Fuels + Shell Fuels & Lubricants * 24-Hour Burner Service + Hot Water Heater Rentals + Energy-Efficient Testing + Installation 878-6380 Unit 15, 32 Steeles Ave. Milton to 1993, when the nation was in a salary holding pattern. The Financial Information Return (FIR) is Municipal Affairs' effort for consistent municipal reporting. The Database manager, Frank Guzzo, has all the checks and balances to ensure integrity and consistency in reporting before accepting the data. Exactly the same informa- tion is reported for each mu- nicipality and the reporting methodsare exactly the same, grocery store arithmetic, no mysteries. The good Finance Direc- tor'should stop shooting her- self in the foot. The informa- tion is in the public domain and she should wake up to the need for professional analysis and ranking. The tax paying entity is the residence, not the house- ROBERT NOBLE LTD. SEPTIC PUMPING », @ High Pressure Drain Cleaner 390 uSepticshouldbe .7¥. pumped every 3 years = 4 trucks, radio equipped to serve you 20 Years Experience R.R. #1 Acton 853-0500 hold, and the only sensible denominator. Towntrak scores 34 such performance parameters and then ranks the towns against and average and the benchmark perform- ance for the sample. Town- trak also looks at trends over five years to anchor the analy- sis. Towntrak is a powerful Benchmarking service. Ad- ministrators and councillors are affronted in having their comfortable fiefdom ex- posed. It must be traumatic and hazardous for lousy perform- ers, people who come 78th out of 94. But it won't go away until something posi- tive is done in managing this Town, instead of being man- aged by the Town. Bill Hyde Harold Street CONSTRUCTION WEAR PARTS Fax 856-9860 Excavator Teeth ¢ Adapters Blades ¢ Ripper Teeth Tel/Fax: (519) 853-1424 279 Mill St. E., Acton G. Scotr MALcoLm | CONSTRUCTION INC. Home Improvements & Renovations *~ 120 Elmore Dr, Acton DINING ROOM Living ROOM DOUBLE GARAGE L 3 2 MAIN FLOOR PLAN 1213.5 $@. FT. MASTER BEDROOM BEDROOM GAMES ROOM i Le UPPER FLOOR PLAN 1011.5 $Q. FT TOTAL FLOOR AREA 2225 6a. FT. a A fashionable stucco exterior with TYNAN DESIGN LTD. 13659 100th Avenue Surrey B.C. v3T 2K 4 Plan No.U-955 Te-Brdete: 2225 SQ.FT. | Enore (seo ee aaa 0 LETTERS Love the Gem! To the Editor: When I saw your first edi- tion I was quite impressed. Congratulations on making the decision to focus on this community entirely. The cov- erage of our town news was comprehensive and informa- tive. Information was pre- sented in an exciting and re- freshing style. It was also encouraging to see the local business com- munity respond with adver- tising. They obviously see the Gemini as an important com- munication tool for their own requirements. Heritage Masonry 'BS Ne ¢ BRICK & STONEWORK Omer aaa t) CALL: 853-3397 LET US BUILD YOUR DREAMS" a gable style roof and arched fea- ture windows is sure to be a wel- come addition to the streetscape. And, at less than 36 feet wide, it will suit the increasingly narrower lots available in today's market. A good sized living room boasts a feature window and cosy gas fire- lace. The dining room is partially open to the living room creating a more spacious atmosphere for en- ertaining. The cook in the family will enjoy a gourmet style kitchen with an efficient "U" shaped work area, a work island and a walk-in pantry. The den, separate from the main traffic areas and close to the main bath, would make an ideal guest bedroom. Upstairs, the games room pro- vides ample space to accommo- date a variety of games or exercise equipment. It could also be used as a fourth bedroom. The master bed- room features a four-piece ensuite. Plans for U-995 may be obtained for $440 for five complete sets of working prints and $39 for each additional set. Allow $15 to cover the cost of postage and handling (add 7% GST to plan total plus postage and handling). Please make cheques, money orders, Visa or Master-Card authorizations payable to Acton Tanner HomePlan of the Week, P.O. Box 150, Acton, 853-1629 ON, L7J 2M3. a DENNY'S INSURANCE 50 YEARS EXPERIENCE Home = Auto * Business = Travel 853-0150 ¢ 15 Mill Steet West -- Serving All Your Insurance Needs f- Life « Mortgage Ins. » Group = RRSP HALTON HILLS ELECTRICAL CONTRACTING RESIDENTIAL + COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL + RURAL POLE LINE WORK 24-HOUR SERVICE, NEWWORK AE SEWING RSTALLATION. i MAINTENANCI eat 53-2572 73 NELSON CRT. PROP. -- LYLE PRUETER | | -- High Efficiency Furnaces |_| --Full Gas Service -- Electronic Air Cleaners -- Humidifiers -- Electric to Gas Change-overs CALL DEAN 856-9494 LUMBER, PANELLING & PLYWOOD, PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL, HARDWARE, HAND-TOOLS, PAINTS, STAINS, WINDOWS, TILES, DOORS, TRIM & SIDING "Everything you need to do the job right." FE cathertown Lumber Inc. in St. North + 853-197 I'm sure you have made plans to deal with the compe- tition, who one suspects will take strong and lengthy meds- ures in order to recover ad- vertising revenue, nottomen- tion product loyalty. We hope that those who advertised in your paper will not fall prey to the short term gains the competition will surely offer in order to recap- ture lost market. I'm sure they accept that for price fairness to exist there must be compe- tition. Competition brings stability and balance to our economy. They are the seeds of prosperity. The business community is expected to take a demonstrable lead in fostering competition. Itmust do so now. It will be very interesting to watch the changes which will occur in real community reporting literally before our 'very eyes as both papers jockey for prime position. The entrance of your paper into the market actually her- alds the emergence of two exciting social/economic forces that are coming in to play. These forces are posi- tive. First--the Geminiisastate- ment of a bold entrepreneur who is saying the market- place has had enough of the results of corporate down- sizing. You have correctly recognized that the economic pendulum is beginning to swing away from the impact of downsizing. The market is saying that more choice is required. While downsizing may be good for the balance sheet in the short term even- _ tually the market place will look for better service. It will look for quality. This means more jobs, more cash flow and more economic stability for our town. Thisis certainly not revolutionary but it cer- tainly is evolutionary. Bravo to the Gemini for seeing and acting on this opportunity. The second natural force at play here is that you are responding to a distinct so- cial/economic market seg- ment. You not only recog- nize that Georgetown is dis- tinct, you actually develop that idea. There is consistency in your coverage -- one is left with the clear impression that this is not a paper that is put together by some faceless individuals in some remote area with a few spaces left for local inserts -- one feels your interest in being part of the town. You accept that Georget- own is not Acton and Acton is not Georgetown. In fact you seem to accept that there really isn'ta Halton Hills even though our municipal, re- gional and provincial politi- cians continuously try to con- vince us that there is such a place. The Gemini willhelp dem- onstrate to these politicians that the Halton Hills experi-_ ment is acostly failure. It has been expensive particularly in terms of the social unique- ness of Georgetown. We are in danger of losing our natu- ral identity and replacing it with bland. The Gemini is a clear af- firmation that Georgetown has never wished to partici- pate in such waste. People want to have roots in their community. They want to belong to something" that has substance. We hope your paper helps lead the dis- cussion for the eventual dis- solution of Halton Hills and the restoration of legally in- corporated towns of George- town and Acton. While many ofus will ben- efit from your new and wel- come presence in the short term -- there are however many more long term ben- efits, specifically a stronger and healthier community for our families. I strongly sup- port the entrance of your pa- per into our town and hope that many others see the value ofcompetition and offer their support as well. Bravo and bon chance! Alex McKee Georgetown Thanks, Ruth! To the Editor: What a wonderful surprise for me to receive the first copy of the Gemini last Wednesday! Truly it is our own Georgetown paper. I congratulate the pub- lisher and editor for his fore- sight. I wish you well, Paul Nolan, in your new under- taking. Yes, we are one region, Halton Hills, but I agree with you that Georgetown de- serves its own weekly news- paper. A Senior Citizen, Ruth Forgrave P.S., Incidentally, I live at Cote Terrace on that "sensi- tive street," having traveled itsince horse and buggy days. I am really interested and concerned about the restora- tion of our old Main Street. Something On Your Mind? Tell It To The Gem! Write a Letter to the Editor and drop it off to Personal Secretarial Services, Unit 47, 360 Guelph St. (inthe Knolcrest Centre). Or fax itto 853-5040.