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THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2004 THE NEW TANNER Own Kitchen might be the best place for good cup of coffee To the Editor, I had hoped my previous letter to your paper would have been my last foray into the 'Coffee War' but I had not realized the full extent of our addiction to caffeine. There has long been a persistent ru- mour that a certain coffee retailer puts something in their coffee to make it so appealing to the masses, and while I never subscribed to that theory, I'm having to rethink my position after reading some of the letters to your pa- per. Mr. MacLean covers sev- eral issues in his letter; therefore I will respond to them in the same order. He did agree that the initial deci- sion to keep the franchise out of Rockwood Ridge area was a sound one (I don't live in that area but I too agreed that the location was a poor one). I guess the question of what constitutes a "decent" cup of coffee in the morning is sub- jective but might I suggest Mr. MacLean drop by DJ's which is open weekdays from about 5:30 am or the Whistle Stop _ which also keeps long hours for a very decent cup of cof- fee. I apologize to those left off the list. Of course the most 'decent' cup of coffee might be found right in his own kitchen where he can grind his own beans and set the maker to brew a light to dark roast coffee suitable to his discern- ing taste buds! No, Mr. MacLean there are not apparently traffic con- cerns, there ARE traffic concerns which if you com- mute (more about that in a minute) you would see at any T.H. location you care to name from the inner bowels of To- ronto to small town Ontario. I object to having roadways I pay taxes to drive on used by anyone for parking lots and drive-throughs, which create huge problems at these fran- chise locations. If you look about Rockwood there is not one place where the road width could accommodate parked trucks and people turning in and out of the drive-throughs. It's not feasible or safe some- one WILL be killed if a franchise of any kind with drive through facilities ends up bullying their way into the middle of the town. The definition of commut- ing sir, is to go from A to B as rapidly as possible judging by the drivers I meet on the roads, not to go from A to C with a stop at, a T.H. store rings false. It's odd you never noticed any other stores in 2 % years of commuting. My point is, commuters do not shop, they drive. Your statement about com- muting from Georgetown to Guelph for 2 % years leaves me puzzled. You say you would have stopped for a cof- fee in Rockwood had there been a TH. store would you not have already purchased a coffee in Georgetown at the beginning of your journey and then another in Acton? By the time you got to Rockwood I should think you be looking for facilities of a different kind. Then of course you could reload again in Guelph. Yes, T.H. will hire some young people but probably just enough to cover those that lose their jobs at the other stores al- ready here. Of course I'd want my daughter working the graveyard shift at T-H. just as I'm certain you would, too. Let's hope Mr. McGinty keeps one of his election promises - that of reining in the powers of the OMB so that big corporations don't get to ram things down people's throats by repeatedly bringing issues to court until the small towns can't afford the fight anymore. If we take Mr. MacLean's line about the OMB then we should all pull up stakes, get rid of our elected council and play dead. Well -I'm not going to play dead. One way to head off this whole affair is for everyone who wants to see Rockwood retain its' small town charm is TO WRITE T.H.'s head office and let them know how you feel and how your feelings may affect THEIR bottom line. Everyone has power in their wallet/purse - don't let them forget that. Remind them every chance you get. Best regards, G. Scott Jamieson, Rockwood SS Certified Specialist in Orthodontics Dr. Edward Hisaki D.D.S., Dip Orth.,MSc. ORTHODONTIST Braces For All Ages 116 Guelph Street (At Maple) Georgetown Ontario L7G 4A3 Telephone:905-877-0145 Fax:905-877-1210 Email: drehisaki@aztec-net.com if : . ' Le Saturday Appointments are available | The Rockw Seven day shopping doesn't make Rockwood better place To the Editor, Re:"Gated Village of Rockwood" by Brian J. Gregory -- While I agree with your concept of the Gated Village in that some merchants would like to control who is allowed to open a business in Rockwood, I object to some of the lack of information and implications in your letter. Rockwood did have a Busi- ness Association that has advocated for and supported the enhancement of the vil- lage. Like any other organization, committee, club or municipality how- ever, not all members share the same ideas as the so called "moral majority" and at times wish to remain neutral re- garding some issues. My sister, Brenda Pettitt (co-owner of Saunders Bak- ery with Paul Holman) was approached by a member of Township council and said that she is "not for or against Tim Hortons" but believes it is inevitable that they will be a part of the business commu- nity in Rockwood. Your comment, "Should Rockwood remain decrepit, uninviting and a haven for merchants who would rather not open to residents and visi- tors on Sunday and Monday, yet feel comfortable in the - thought that people will flock to them even if they're not professional retailers who want to promote and grow their businesses?" angered me. I am assuming that you were referring to Saunders Bakery and the article in the Guelph Mercury on page A3 of February 16, 2004. Since when do you become a "professional retailer" by opening every day of the Rockwood LANDING Phone: 856-4950 = "The BEST Fish & Chips" in Rockwood and all surrounding areas. HOURS: Wed, Thurs. & Sat. 11:00 - 7:30 Fri. 11:00 - 8:30 week or having your business grow. Bigger isn't necessar- ily better in all retail operations and while opening seven days a week works for some businesses, it doesn't work for all. Some businesses are better kept small to allow them to continue producing their specialty items consistently, which in turn attracts their customers. Training more staff and opening more hours to cover Sunday and Monday will not necessarily be finan- cially lucrative for them. As owners of a business it is also their right to decide whether it is more important for them to spend time with their fam- ily on Sunday and take Monday to look after their personal business rather than possibly making a few extra dollars all the while helping LE Re ee Sar to attract MORE visitors to the community. Yes, Saunders attracts regular customers from out of town who continue to sup- port them knowing their hours of operation as well as tour buses that stop with loads of passengers as a part of their trip. Obviously something is working right considering the business has been in operation since 1914, and has continued with Paul and Brenda running it since they purchased it from the Saunders family in 1994. Task you, why should it be the responsibility of long- term residents or those already in business to revive the boarded vacant stores and buildings of Rockwood's Main Street? Maybe some of the residents in the subdivi- sions doing business from their homes could be utiliz- ing some of those vacant places and paying their share of the business taxes. Or you could check with the "out of town/absentee landlords" as to the rental fees they are ask- ing for their vacant spaces. Are you a "professional re- tailer" who might want to take the challenge and open a business in Rockwood to add to its vitality? Obviously the previous elected officials didn't put the gates on Rockwood as they were attempting to make use of the old firehall and get some revenue from it instead of add- ing to the vacant buildings in the village. They also had re- search conducted this past summer for an Economic Busi- ness Development Plan which will be presented with a discus- sion to follow at an open house March 8 at the Rockmosa Community Centre. While this letter will be too late to change the vote sched- uled for March 1", I do agree that it is unfortunate that more of those people not op- posed to the Tim Hortons didn't feel supported enough (or feared being heckled) to voice their opinions at the town meeting. Hopefully the comment cards and calls made to the Township coun- cillors (by those unable or unwilling to attend the meet- ing) will truly represent the sentiment of all interested parties not just the vocal few. Carol Death, Former Rockwood Employee/Resident But sill a Rockwoodite at heart BR O&ke6:9 S&S Four D's Pets Pets and Supplies 197 Main St. S Rockwood, ON. 519-856-4246 PUPPIES AVAILABLE Pekingese + Shih Tzu ¢ Border Collie cross 7 weeks +up -- 1st shots, de-wormed, vet checked Locally Owned & Operated ¢ By Dwayne Hitchcock