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OPINION Get on the bus with Activan There may be no such thing as a free ride, but there is a good ride and that's what Town Transit Co-ordinator Don Clarkson is hoping to convince local seniors of with the local Activan service. Clarkson appeared before Town council recently to give them an update on the plans for the local bus service for the coming year. Clarkson is hoping to see ridership double to roughly 4,000 trips this year from the 2,200 last year. In order to hit that target, however, he has to sell local seniors and others with disabilities on the benefits of taking Activan. The regular fare of $2 per trip (or $3 if afterhours) is certainly a bargain in this day and age and shouldn't be an obstacle in getting riders on board. However, letting residents know the service exists appears to be the biggest task facing Clarkson, a challenge he appears eager to accept. "You don't have to be going to the doctor or going to the hospital for physio to take advantage of our program," said Clarkson. "You could be going to the seniors' centre to play bridge or do your shopping at the Superstore or wherever you happen to shop or even going to the movies. All we have to know is where you want to go and what time you want to return and we need to know that the day before, at the latest." Clarkson also plans to take Activan to a cashless fare system by the end of February. Tickets will become available at various locations around town such as the libraries or the seniors' centre. As well, service hours will be increased to accommodate some requests for transportation during evening hours and on weekends. To sign up for Activan simply call 905-8732601 ext. 2617 to register as an eligible user...then leave the driving to them. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Downtown `team' ready for sweeping changes Dear editor, Re: Core project requires patience (Jan. 31 editorial). I have a small confession-- I am not a very skillful swimmer, and certainly not while wearing a 50-lb weight! The other concern about asking me to swim is the weather -- it's too cold! No, I think at this time of year and, given the work that needs to done for the Georgetown Main Street reconstruction, I would liken the task ahead to one of our great Canadian sports...curling. In curling, the most important thing, aside from the weather, is it is a team sport. The Main Street reconstruction has a great and big team (it's not a `sink or swim' on my own). Team Georgetown consists of the Town of Halton Hills, Phillips Engineering, Aecon Construction, the BIA Board of Directors, the businesses of Downtown Georgetown and our loyal patrons. With a team like this, how can we lose? The other reason curling is my chosen sport for this project is, you have to keep your eye on the target and the whole team sweeps to get to the target. There is a weight, granted, but this weight glides on ice towards this target. The target will leave us in early summer with a brand new downtown. We are going to have to work hard to get there, but get there we will. We must consider this, as in curling, as bringing into Downtown Georgetown `sweeping changes'. I look forward to working with `Team Georgetown' on this project. We will have aches and pains along the way, but with the support of all, Downtown Georgetown will come through this as the winning team. Kay Matthews, manager, Georgetown Central B.I.A. Boulevard `mess' is hard not to like Dear editor, Re: "Sargent Rd. median is an unsightly mess", Jan. 19 letter to the editor. Mrs. McEachern, thanks for giving us all a good chuckle with your comment about an elephant perhaps being buried under the Sargent Rd. median at Mountainview Rd. That was a good one. When the Sargent Rd. Boulevard Garden began in the fall of 2004 it was indeed an ugly duckling with its landscape fabric covered by pea gravel. A bit of history-- the garden is a partnership of HOPE (Healthy Options for People & the Environment), TEAC (Town Environmental Advisory Committee), POWER (Protect Our Water & Environmental Resources), and the Town of Halton Hills, part of the Adopt-A-Boulevard program. In the summer of 2005, HOPE received Evergreen funding to develop a beautiful landscape of native plants-- naturally pest, drought and salt resistant-- and to promote biodiversity where a monoculture of dandelions, er, grass, existed before. Community members and companies generously donated time, talents and materials. Master Gardener Belinda Gallagher developed a delightful garden design, J.C.Duff donated three feature rocks and area residents, HOPE volunteers and WalMart employees have worked very hard during the three phases of planting. The final phase, in August 2006, saw hundreds of tiny thyme plants dug in on both ends of the median to become solid ground cover. Beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder but it's hard not to like the succession of blooms and the birds, butterflies and bunnies that now inhabit the median. In winter the stark beauty of tall, snow-capped plants attracting birds with their seed is quite beguiling. Seniors living on Sargent Rd. assure us they enjoy seeing the garden evolve over time. To enjoy pictures of the garden and its history, please check out http://sargentrdboulevardgarden.blog spot.com/. Kathy Dorbeck, H.O.P.E., Georgetown