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Region erodes sense of belonging Elliott Municipal building expansion 1981 The Liberal Task Force on Regional Government was told Acton wants out of its marriage with Georgetown when the Force held a meet In Milton Wednesday night Norm Elliott speaking on behalf of the for Action Committee said his committee warn directing opposition to the regional government concept vio lently opposed Actons role within the He told how the town lost its status as a town and claimed the people in Acton lost con trol of their destiny under re gional government and Acton marriage to George town Elliott said the province said in the beginning that community of interest was very important but he in sisted no such quality does or ever did exist between Acton and Georgetown Were told that we arc continually being balled out of bankruptcy We don t be lieve this to be the case but we can t get figures to sup port our case and Darcy refuses to hold an Inquiry that would provide the figures Elliott objected strenuously to having local decisions made by people who don tllvc In the community Noting that Hills is on the of requiring a headquarters building Elliott said he was afraid the system would be come so entrenched nobody will be able to do anything about It We don t want to be told that we are off we want to be shown how we fare better when we have to pay a share of everything that is done in other communities NORM ELLIOTT Officials make statements but they won back them up with figures There has to be some kind of auditor general who would monitor expenses under regional government or soon it will be out of con trol We can make sense the accounts now We could before Then we looked at a financial report and said we are spending too much here or there but now you can tell Financial statements run a year and a half behind be fore they are available to the public Task member Jim Bradley suggested there were two ways to go under a re gional setup Either coun play the back scratch game 1 vote for this if you support that or ail of the major decisions are made on the basis of civil servants re ports because the elected people can t possibly know the problems In all areas of the region Elliott suggested In re sponse that parochialism t necessarily bad If a local councillor lsn t going to fight for a local issue who the Hell will not the regional council he said According to Elliott the de gree of accountability had de creased since regional government He reviewed a recent uprising in Acton when Hills Council wanted to demolish the old Acton town hall The old building Is of historic significance and Is the vestige of Actons past They wanted to demolish It for parking The whole sen mozzle would never have happened under the old tern The feeling of belonging Is being eroded We reed roots We t the nuclear generation we arc said to be More on the Liberal Task Force meeting Inside The town has set a target of 1061 for a major addition to the Trafalgar Road Kills administration building A plan adopted by Hills building committee on January 17 will see set aside from lot levies each council reviewed various methods of financing the With the assistance of expansion and the way lot Treasurer Ray King and levy revenues are projected Planner Mario VenditU the Engineer Robert Austin committee chaired by Coun said the staff realizes It will Peter and take time to arrange enlarge- made up of all members of of quarters and advised against staging the project In the town will be examined aspects of the overall because it would be more Austin said the staff would costly and would prove like to have a committed date such as more parking land disruptive to town operations for the addition so money can scaping and fencing will have The only really pressing start being set aside this been taken care of before the accommodation need is for year addition lakes place and this the planning department He informed the committee will reduce the end cost Rental of offices somewhere that some of the smaller Continued on Pago 2 NUrM ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY JANUARY ThlrtvSJxBaflWFHtwCemi Paper drive for Christian school The first monthly news paper collection will be made February In Acton The collection Is sponsored by the Georgetown District Christian School with the proceeds going towards Christian education Thl collection has been held In Georgetown for some time with tons collected last month At a ton one day work can be quite bene ficial to the school Because the school Is not government financed the in relies on tuition donations and fund raising drives to support itself There are students in the school of whom some are from Acton Twenty five families in the school attend church In the Baptist Presbyterian or other denomination Papers can be dropped at a collection box at Hills Furniture and Appliances in the Beckers Plaza For larger pickups phone This collection will be held monthly Extension to October to seek town hall restoration funding A year extension will be take exception to the government they t given the Acton Town Hall suggestion we Indicated we pay the taxes The water restoration committee to would participate in the nut and road give members time to deter financing costs would astound you The mine what funding may be Tom Hill said he took ex water mains were so old they available on a pledge basis to the paragraph broke when the roads were The recommendation to about Sizeable financial constructed council was approved support I going to be Councillor Marks said I Monday night by Halton Hills very blunt he said If hove a high regard for finance and administration people in Acton had to pay George Elliott but the public committee everything that has been done must realize he talk The committee had re- themselves since regional for all the people In Acton quested an extension In a letter last week The Ontario Heritage Foundation had deferred decision on a grant for the restoration of the old town hall until the municipal ity showed some financial interest in the project as the owners of the building The committee had previously Snowmobile tail ends with damaged cruiser A 19yearold Erin youth has been charged with hoped to fund the restoration negligence following an with grants but without incident on Churchill municipal funds Jan which resulted in Councillor Peter Marks damage to a police cruiser started off council discus Constable Tom headed toward the officer by saying I suggest we reported that he and Con officer injury give the committee a year stable Wm followed a but the cruiser was damaged extension and Inform them snowmobile through various machine finally stopped It flipped the Regional Policeman said Const advised the youth to stop but the driver righted the machine and to October 1 Mr Marks said they should be gives time to see if they can get consider able financial support Emotional support is one thing and financial something else They re not going to beat their head against a brick wall if they don get support Mr Morris said that would make it an election Issue with that time limit is a lot of dough mm en led the mayor on the estimated cost of total renovation I not sup per that much money After a discussion about just to review when we extending the deadline to the find how much the public are end of the year the com willing to put up Mr Marks mlttec decided it was crowd stated ing election time which this Mr Hill said If you don t year would be In November mention finances I II go along so Mr Marks the date with an extension WW study land Mr Morris said he agreed with the extension of the deadline but warned against giving false hope We have to decide if the town hall is worth saving and I be opposed to but that might not do any good said councillor 000 is less than five per cent added Mr Marks Mayor Hill said they would give false hope If they promised to review the financial situation and said JJZw they could another council SCREAMING PANS THREATEN to bury specially hired bodyguards Monday at the Acton High School What was all the excitement about Ba world unknown musical group were performing one of their rare live concerts and commit The Royal Botanical Gar we will consider reviewing streets in Acton in an attempt Damage to each vehicle dens will work with our financial position sub sequent to a report from them on the success of their pledge campaign Council had designated the building a site last fall and in their letter to council which appeared in last week Free Press the Town Hall committee stated The designation of the Town Hall by council was an in dication of Interest and resulted in funds being granted to cover some of the costs of the feasibility study Refering to this designation councillor Peter Morris said I take exception to the one the one that to stop the vehicle When the was estimated at Music festival in 50th year The North Halton Music The festival will be May Festival will observe It s at the Bennett School year this spring About 1 Acton Executive members students are expected to very pleased that Earl participate and there will be Clark agreed to be the ad a special memento for each judicator this year He Is a one of them music consultant j j The music for the classes Meeting last Wednesday the executive of the North tafare SiJSLh festival date says the designation of the Although participation has town haUls an indication of been good the organizers Interest by council It did not wavs hope for even more schools indicate to me what they are There will be a contest for and entries In the golden saying We got the impression the design for the program anniversary year we needed to do this so they cover open to any students in Gary Bateman Is the new could go ahead with their grades seven and eight president of the festival with study and they should be There will be a presentation Doug Mogwood first vice- made aware of this of 10 to the winner at the president and Howard Allen Russ Miller added 1 also festival Secretary treasurer Hills engineer Bob Austin and come up with some rccom for the future of the wet area in cemetery Council asked the gardens provide some Leslie La king said that while a preliminary exam ination of the area in winter would be useful the main must await the ap proach of spring He said he would be in touch with Mr Austin at the appropriate time so wc may have the ecstatic girls could not wait to see their idols in person Also it is rumoured the group paid them well to put on the show of support More on banana day on Youth Pages inside today s Free Press Town renews Y lease The town of Hills will renew their lease on the front part of the Acton CA at an Increased rent of monthly if council Therent has been upped from the previous the recreation department in the arena asked the ad ministration committee chairman Bite your tongue Gray said it was impossible out of the a The committee agreed to a and suggested the only five year lease with year right of renewal The increased rent will be paid re troactive to September when the lease expired but the town will no longer pay the insurance on the building Gordon Chapman finance lion they could think of was the use of a classroom In one of the schools Miller said the town could probably rent commercial space cheaper to keep an Acton office Finally the committee hrough Its outreach Pro- benefit of his personal know Lam edge respecting the natural water patterns of Replying in a letter dir i GUESS WHO APPEARED AT Acton High School Monday No it is not Elmer the safety elephant For the real identity of the mysterious visitor see inside pages Vimans seeks Bower access The engineering depart access for the two businesses ment will look into ways of onto Bower was dropped allowing Viman Arts and when the town rejected the Crafts and Station House idea of making Bower a one liotel access onto Bower way street from Wilbur to Avenue Mill Monday Hills works Councillor Us Duby sold he committee heard a request was surprised Chandra from Vljaya Chandra for realize he would need access access for shipping and when he made Improvements receiving for Vimans onto to his premises Bower Avenue Currently He said access onto Bower deliveries are made off Mill was a deep concern because Street of traffic hazards it would He said because of present modifications to his building suggested a shared and other Improvements he for the hotel badly needs access onto and store might be the an Bower Deputy engineer Ted Chandra sold If Bower Is said the Idea of made a oneway street It won t be hazardous to have access He suggested trucks Jamming up Mill Street making deliveries of hazard Councillor Pat chairman of the board agreed to renew the said the Y has no plans to and will leave It to the use that part of the building recreation director to look for and has no objection to the space for the summer town subletting a portion to be the Halton Regional Police found and any alterations He said the has been costs borne by the regional running on a break even basis police the committee indica the past few years and has led they felt the town and the been unable to do any rcnova police can be accommodated He said a major catastrophe occurred in December when a new fur nace had to be installed at a cost of Mayor Tom Hill said the police want to share the building and claimed that would make the paying of for a building for three people feasible Otherwise we would have to go somewhere else Recreation Director Glen Gray pointed out if the police take two thirds of the town the engineer study the one way traffic on Bower proposal again said one way traffic on Bower was a great concern with many residents and observed trucks are stopping engineer Robert Austin said traffic on Mill Street and many residents have ex causing safety problems He pressed valid objections to said an exit onto Bower Is no the idea more dangerous than Mill Austin said Viman s space accommodation has Street with truck traffic problem is being looked into be found for four summer He said when the town and a report will be coming to recreation staff members rebuilt Bower the curve committee who direct the playground should hove been made wider Councillor George Maltby day camp and and wondered If the hotel and wondered if the business had youth development programs Viman a might like to give the considered relocating but area town land to improve the Chandra rejected this saying curve so access could be he has moved once and has allowed his business set up the way he Mayor Tom Hill suggested wants it now What would happen if council decided to close the Acton office put Chief Mick Holmes in the fireball and Town looking at cost of i plowing major sidewalks THERES SOMETHING very special about a country store There are of them In this area and Jennifer Ban took a tour to chat with the owners Donna and Tom Manes operate Manes Country Mart near Brookville a new venture for the Acton family Baby Janice is the daytime assistant More pictures and story on page 1 The town Is going to Invest gate costs of plowing snow off sidewalks In both of Hills urban areas Monday Halton Hills works committee debated sidewalk snow removal and directed the engineer to Investigate the situation and report back The committee received a letter from police who are concerned about students Permits drop 4 million in 77 The value of Hills building permits issued In 1977 hit their lowest point In the past four years The 3 million total for 1977 is million less than and million less than 74 The sharp drop In house building is evident with 322 homes built in in in and in 77 In contrast Industrial permits have not varied a great deal with million In million In million in and SI million in 77 In the past four years swimming pools have been built In town The demand may be tapering off since had only permits com walking on the road between received at the meeting from breaking the law but can do new walk t shovelled next Maple Avenue and Edword a resident who Is concerned nothing about It because side- winter the town will still have 1 Street on about snow covered side- walks are plugged with snow problem Police warned there could walks Mrs C Thorogood be a serious accident in which explained police have gone a child is injured because on Into tho schools telling the north side of Delrex children to walk on sidewalks between Maple and Edward because it is illegal to walk on there Is no sidewalk Children the road where a sidewalk Is are walking on the road four provided She feels this Is Councillor Peter There is real roncern in r2 noted a sidewalk Is planned regarding Boulevard is Delrex between Edward because so many children are and Maple and engineer walking on the road Coun Motel Robert Austin confirmed he cUIor Marilyn staged nill has set money aside in his said way to do started soon will proposed sidewalk budget for Austin noted the town has and five abreast bad situation since the tho new walk priorities in sidewalk Anolher letter was also children know they are Pomeroy observed if the Continued on Pago 2 way cost an estimated according to the permit issued last month