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BY ANGELA TYLER Christmas came early last Thursday for Heritage Acton. Following a lengthy applica- tion and waiting period, they received a tel- ephone call from the Trillium Foundation that they were to be given a $75,000 grant for their continuing work with the Acton town hall and old fire hall "Relieved and pleased that our efforts were Starting to pay off." said Kathy Sanford, treas- urer of Heritage Acton, in regards to how she felt after receiving the call. _In 1977, with the Acton town hall on the brink of demolition, a group of locals began a Save Me campaign for the century old build- ing. The group saved the Town Hall from demo- lition, purchased it from the Town of Halton Hills for one dollar then took on the task of restoring it. Sanford noted the group raised over $350,000 through fundraisers such as the Actario lottery and government grants. While supporting local le, Heritage Acton was able to restore the main floor, basement, the bell tower and some of the upstairs. Until recently, ASSIC (Acton Social Services and Information Centre) occupied the main floor. Earlier this year, the Canadian Mental Health Association acquired the space. In 1997, Her- itage Acton acquired the old fire hall (which is attached to the town hall) from the Town of Halton Hills. Sanford was a key factor for the group's successful application to the Trillium Foun- dation, which is supporting community projects with grants, The application process started last fall and was submitted at the end of December. "It felt like a lot of years (work)," Sanford said. However, the hard work paid off. On Saturday, committee members assem- bled in the basement of the town hall for an emergency meeting. Unsure of the reason: they soon received the official news of the grant. The group's next focus for the heritage building is making the upper floor useable. Following that they are looking into the pos- sibility of an elevator, restoring the stage on the upper floor and then focusing on the old fire hall. IT'S WORTH THE DRIVE ILLAGE Rent-A-Car DAILY * WEEKLY MONTHLY 286 Alma Street, Rockwood What's Inside Pastor Tom Cullen is leaving Acton Baptist Church after 11 years here. The popular Acton pastor had a strong community bent. See Page 3. A bride only last J Susan Lindsay is battling a rare brain disease in a U.S. hospital. See story on Page 10. g to Acton and tickets are on sale. See Pages 8 and 9 for the story of the big top. PUBLISHING ON WEDNESDAY The New Tanner will be published on Wednesday, April 19 next week to compensate for the Good Friday Holiday. Advertisers and news reports are required by Spm on Mon- day, April 17. Regular Thursday publishing will resume the following week. Newstand price: 40¢ + GST s Local utility will still supply Meeting on skateboards Anyone who would like to see a Skateboard park built in Acton is invited to a commu- nity meeting next Wednesday (April 19) at Acton High school. The Kinette Club of Acton, Halton Police and the Youth Centre are looking into the possibility of a develop- ing a skateboard park in Acton, and are looking for publiccomment. "This is the first step and we want to know if there's in- terest in an Acton skateboard park, so we want skateboard- ers, parents and others to come to this meeting and let us know what they think," Kinette Club spokesperson Nanci Chiasson said. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. i a P.O.W.E.R. PLANTERS: Students from Robert Little school helped plant trees and shrubs near the Legion last Thursday as part of a millennium project of the north Halton environmen- tal group, P.O. W.E.R (Protect Our Water and Environmental Resources. The planters in- cluded, back: left to right: Parent Debbie Schlieper, Linda Pearce (teacher), Debbie Price and parents Rob Vermeulen and Chuck Larose. Middle: Lindsey Christie, Maja Vermeulen, John Cullen and Cheryl Thurston. Front: Erica Mills, Emily Bent, Alex Mason, Jeffrey Somerville, Willie Poirer, Jennifer Essiembre, Lauren Simpson and Meghan Fox. Centre: Eric Schlieper. * ' ed es School buses are vandalized By FRANCES NIBLOCK The New Tanner Downtown Acton merchants have been asked by their BIA (Business Im- provement Area) to document concerns with on-going littering and vandalism problems in the core. "It's not a new problem, but with the warmer weather there are concerns that the problem will get worse," said BIA general manager Janis Fread said follow- ing the BIA's annual meeting last week. Fread says they will take the mer- chants' concerns to Halton Village Con- stable Bill Riddle, and Councillor John Day, the Police Services Board representa- ua and are hopeful something can be ne. Fread, who has been doing some his- torical research lately for another project, said the vandalism and loitering problem 2000 Mazda Protégé SE is not a new one. "You read back through the archives and they had trouble at the turn of the century with ruffians vandalizing the downtown, so it's not a new problem, but that doesn't make it acceptable either, Fread said. In response to the weekly reports of vandalism, Councillor Clark Somerville, council's representative on the Acton BIA, has a few questions. "Where are the parents? Why are these young kids on the street?" Somerville said, adding that kids need to be taught some civic pride, by somebody. "I'm hoping that we can come up with a plan that will work. Now, with more peo- ple talking about the problem, maybe we can come up with some workable solu- tions," Somerville said, noting there's been about $5,000 damage done by van- dals at Prospect Park this year alone. Blend out of the crowd. Last Thursday night, two Acton broth- ers, aged nine and 14, were turned over to by their father after he discovered they'd vandalized 11 buses at Tyler Transport, causing at least $6,000 dam- age. The nine-year-old can't be charged and the investigation continues into the older brother. Somerville applauds the father. "Maybe if more parents did what he did, kids would think twice about the senseless vandalism that seems to be oc- curring more often in Acton." Tyler Transport spokesperson, Angela Tyler, said they've had a "con- tinual problem" with senseless vandal- ism, including the theft of four vehicles. "Tt (the vandalism) increases the cost of doing business and is a waste of our time and energy. It's frustrating," Tyler said. power Deregulation splits up Hydro Halton Hills Hydro has some good advice for hydro consumers who find the de- regulation of Ontario Hydro and the local break-up of Halton Hills Hydro confusing - "don't do anything. You don't have to switch." that slick sales people will be knocking on local doors at- tempting to sell hydro power. "It's an energy market now," declares Halton Hills Hydro's general manager and chief engineer Dan Guatto. Halton Hills Hydro is a pri- vate company now with four components, headed by Halton Hills Energy Inc., the company that looks after maintenance of the hydro lines, etc. is Halton Hills Fi- bre Optics Inc. while a third division which is now inac- tive is called Halton Hills En- ergy Services, Inc. The catch is you soon will be able to pick your own elec- tricity retailer. Anyone who'd like to can buy and sell en- ergy by applying to the On- tario Energy Board for a li- cence. Much like what hap- pened when natural gas was deregulated. Halton Hills Hydro ea be supplying power only to those who Secide not to buy from these retailers. You don't have to switch companies. If you don't switch you will continue to receive electricity from your Continued on Page 2 Finance the 2000 Protégé Don't blend in. Get in to the new Mazda Protégé. The Eurostyled exterior sets it apart. Interior OptiSpace design makes the 2000 Protégé the roomiest car in its class. With a host of standard equipment which includes Dual SRS Airbags, 1.6L ZMD 4 Cylinder engine, AM/FM CD Stereo, 60/40 split rear seats, and tilt steering, the 2000 Protégé helps you ride i style and comfort. *Up to 48 Months Or Purchase From Get In. Be Moved - Be Someone Different. Not Someone Else. *plus Freight/PDE and taxes 519 853-0200 + 905-453-8965