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Reader saddened by loss of `small-town' cinema Dear editor, Okay, I can kind of understand that maybe the teen who wrote about the town needing a movie theatre didn't understand that theatres are a private business and the town can do nothing about building one. But for Mr. Scolieri, (Feb. 2 letter) who I am assuming is an adult, I'd think he'd know better. I don't think the town can afford to keep a cinema like Milton's going with our population. As for there being too many grocery stores, I agree, but my taxes don't pay for them. And it's funny, but since I moved to Georgetown almost 10 years ago I have been going to the movies right here in town. Its the Cinemas 3 theatre which I have always enjoyed going to. The owner and the staff are a wonderful group of people and I am saddened to see in a recent issue of The Independent & Free Press that it may or may not be opening again. I am sure he has done his best to keep the newest movies coming, which cannot be cheap, but I fail to see the citizens of this town coming to enjoy them close to their own homes. Yes, it isn't fancy but it's a "local" business that this teen and Mr, Scolieri could have helped stay in business and employ local people. I have also been to Brampton on occasion for a movie that wasn't playing in town but I try to help local businesses as much as possible. In the age of DVDs it can't be easy to run a small-town cinema. One thing I find is that at the Cinemas 3 if people are acting out and disrupting the movie that we have paid to see the staff is more than will to let them know this is not acceptable and sometimes ask them to leave. This may not be acceptable by the teens and their parents but for those who paid our hard-earned money to see a movie it is appreciated. This brings me to the second point of Mr Scolieri's letter as he wants a Home Depot. You do realize that there is one and a Rona too, just 10 minutes down the road at Hwy. 401 and Winston Churchill? And we do have a local business called Home Hardware that I go to. Maybe Mr. Scolieri might also want to help this local business, with great service, stay and help continue to employ local people. Remember the town cannot build these things-- they are private businesses and I don't think our tax dollars should pay for them. As for the Cinema 3, if you do close Mr. Edwards, I will be truly sorry and saddened and thank you for your wonderful service over the years. Debra Hayes, Georgetown shopping in the larger centers. I don't believe that opening a newer, more modern, movie theatre is going to impact the way the town is perceived, other than to bring it up to date. I don't know if any of the writers who criticized the opening of a new theatre have ever been inside the old one. I was one of the people who did attend the show on a regular basis. The seats were uncomfortable, the floors always sticky and gummy bears were affixed to the screens in increasing numbers. It was never modernized, nor was it refurbished in any way. I do not like to travel to Brampton just because of the traffic and how much it has become like Toronto, so when the new theatre opened in Milton I was happy to have a place to go and watch a movie that was up to date, clean, comfortable and within driving distance. I can't see that having a new modern movie theatre in town is going to detract from what we have in the town but only bring us up to date. Georgetown is no longer a small town; we have Brampton on our doorstep and we only continue to grow, it's not going to stop. Once the new stores open in Georgetown South fewer people will have the need to travel to the downtown core. I believe Georgetown South is a logical place to build a new theatre. When Georgetown was a "small" town there was no McDonald's, no Wal-Mart, one high school and five public schools. There was one arena and two grocery stores, there was no Georgetown South and Canadian Tire was where the Carpet Barn is today. The show was beside the Salvation Army. There were 12,000 people. The changes to the town have made it better. The changes, had they not been made, would have crippled the town's economy. With all these changes Georgetown is still one of the best places to live and raise your family. A new movie theatre is not going to threaten this way of life but only add to it by having us spend our money here and not in another centre and by making it more convenient for an individual or a family to enjoy a movie in comfortable surroundings. James Scarlett, Georgetown ...others say town is `no longer small' Dear editor: I cannot believe some of the narrowminded, self-righteous people who live in this community. I am referring to the attacks on Mr. Scolieri regarding his recent comments in your newspaper about a new theatre in Georgetown. Heidi Noyes, in a follow-up letter writes "it is a pain to drive to Brampton or Mississauga to see a movie" but would trade that for a safe and close-knit community. Russell Foster, in another letter, describes Georgetown as "a good oldfashioned small town". Chris Gougeon states that he would like us to "support local businesses". Belinda Quinlan tells us in another letter that we "cannot enjoy small-town life and expect to have big-city conveniences at the same time." To these people I say that I have lived here for 30 years and it is not a small town. In fact, it has not been a small town for over 20 years, long before, I am sure these 19th Century hypocrites arrived here. Nor is it becoming any safer to live here. Just ask the Swiss Chalet staff or the Mac's store that have been traumatized by robberies or the stabbing at Cedarvale Park-- and this is all in the past couple of weeks. Every issue of this paper seems to reveal some violent crime in our community. Even large stores or franchises, employ or are owned by, local residents. They are trying to earn a living like everyone else. The managers and staff come from right here in Georgetown-- maybe your kids; maybe you. Can you imagine what the economy of this town would be like without WalMart, not to mention Canadian Tire and McDonald's? But I guess these whiners were among those who opposed Wal-Mart coming into town 10 years ago-- but now, no doubt, are regular shoppers there. You don't have to be small to have the small-town appeal. Just look at Streetsville or Port Credit-- small, distinct communities within a large city. Just look at Norval and Glen Williams. If any of these fine, upstanding citizens are that distraught over the closing of the cinema, maybe they should put their money where their mouth is and buy it. They would be doing the people of this great community a wonderful service with their selflessness. They might also find out just how difficult it is to run a small business in a competitive market with too many narrow-minded consumers. Georgetown is growing and, like it or not, it will continue to grow, and with that growth comes more industry, more retail, more choice and more revenue for the town to build more facilities that we can all enjoy. If Heidi, Russell, Chris and Belinda wanted to live in a small town, they should never have moved here because if it wasn't for them and thousands more, Georgetown would still be a small town. But I don't have the right to tell anybody where to live or where to work or where to shop. It seems though that some people think that they do. To them I say that, although I respect their opinion, they can all pack their bags and continue to move north or west to a real old-fashioned small town-- maybe one that hasn't heard about cars or electricity. Maybe Mr. Scolieri and I can help all of you pack. Conney Tunney, Georgetown ··· Dear editor, I've heard a lot lately about the recent closing of the movie theatre. It is an unfortunate thing, but I think this would be a great opportunity to have a little upgrade on the whole movie theatre situation. I'm not asking for a "big box store", or a "modern movie theatre", but a convenient-sized one like the one we had but with maybe a little modern twist. Recently I've read the letters to the editor and seen what a bunch of whiners Georgetown has--"A theatre? Get out of town", "Bigger is not better", and "Box stores not wanted". I understand what you all want, but it's 2007 people, what do you expect? Everything is high tech and almost every house has a flat screen TV. Now if a movie theatre is too costly, how about a pool hall? They don't appear too modern and they're convenient enough to place right here in Georgetown. And parents, I know that after getting the kids to school, driving to and from work and cooking dinner, driving your kids to Brampton or Mississauga to watch a two-hour movie isn't really on the to-do list. What I'm saying is a few modern conveniences never hurt anyone. And a few more clothing stores wouldn't either. Brianne K. Shirt, Georgetown ··· Dear editor, In response to the letter(s) `Call for new theatre brings many responses'. A new theatre? A Home Depot? Yes, both could be considered a `disruption' to small-town life as many residents see it. However, a town with four grocery stores, a Wal-Mart, a mall, a Zellers and a slew of strip malls does not necessarily meet my definition of a small town. Yes, Georgetown has a charming downtown historic area and offers residents a small-town feel, but the reality is that it is similar to a number of different suburban communities across the country. Instructing people to "move to (or back to) Brampton or Mississauga" isn't exactly a sign of a `small close-knit community' to me. I would like to ask the many people who expressed their outrage at the suggestion of a new theatre or even a box store what the real reason behind their outrage is? Call me crazy, but I think perhaps the motives for such spirited responses may be a little darker than even those who wrote them would like to admit. Shawna Wood, Georgetown ··· Dear editor, I just wanted to respond to all the letter writers who find fault with opening a new theatre in town. I have lived in Georgetown all my life, gone to school and worked here. I have seen Georgetown grow from a small town to what it is today. If you want to see a small town then look at Acton. Georgetown has become a bedroom community with people traveling to different locations to work. I would say a great number of these people do their big