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Actons Red Cross officially born J Op ratio Regional Council Chairman for region 18 present Acton Red Cross chairraan Henry Kroes with the organizations charter at lis In augural meeting Monday evening at Christian Reformed Church by Helen Murray Six years of hard work culminated Monday evening with the official birth of the Acton Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society Local chairman Henry was presented with the Red Cross Charter by Mrs J Mlsstssauga Regional Council chairman for region 18 of which Acton is a part The story of the long haul to branch status to a bit confused as Kroes and Georgetown branch president Erica Thompson differ on who came to whom for help The result was the same in both books According to Mrs Thompson ap proached her organization for help in re establishing the blood donor clinic in Acton Kroes says they approached him From this developed six years of sharing funds campaigns equipment manpower and kinship Acton became a unitoperating service with its own volunteers It was the Georgetown members who were so helpful In Acton obtaining the charter said Reviewing the past year Alice Blood Donor Clinic chairman explained that with the four clinics held last year pints of blood were collected We would like to see higher she said Sponsors Richard Telford Optimist Club of Acton and A Mrs Schrelber praised Ruth Courtney of the Legion Ladies who looks after refresh ments for donors and Mary who turn her own group of volunteers who telephone donors Clinics in are scheduled for March 28 Juno September and December The Acton and District Red Cross branch has 3 routes to cover at campaign time the month of March Some volunteers knock on doors from Osprlnge to Speyslde east to the Fourth Line and west to the Townline seeking donations Last year they raised Mrs Opratka gave the volunteers some encouraging words She pointed out Red Cross volunteers devote half a hours a week to the cause In Ontario alone there are volunteers with over con tributing blood and another 300000 par tlclpatlng In the water safety program With this amount of she said should be encouraged Mrs Opratka explained that per cent of Red Cross workers arc volunteers with only per cent being paid for their services About branches receive the funds from the United Way she went on with about 74 depending on their own individual fund raising campaigns for money When I come to a place like Acton with all its volunteers I feel a renewed energy she said Words of congratulations came from Peggy Balklnd of the Acton Community Services Centre Connie Lieutenant Lome of the Acton Salvation Army Constable William Parry of the Halton Regional Police David Hall of the Optimists Vic of the Heart Fund Alma and Gloria Coates of tile Acton branch of the Canadian Cancer Society Bert ton of the Chamber of Commerce and the Halton Lung Association and Alma on behalf of the Lakeside Chapter of the IODE Films and slides were shown outlining the various services offered the Red Cross Society From watching the movie said Kroes I realize just how much we have to do and we haven even got started yet A certificate of appreciation was presented to Helen Murray by Mrs In ap preciation of press coverage by both Helen and Gord Murray in the past six years in The Acton Free Press Also thanked was Helen McLean formerly of Acton now of Milton who without her help we wouldnt have gotten anywhere claimed The charter reads On the application of Ontario division Central Council of the Canadian Red Cross Society by virtue of the authority vested In it does hereby constitute the Acton and District Branch of the Canadian Red Cross Society with permission and authority to use the Emblem and Badge of the Red Cross and subject to the objectives and bylaws of the society to perform all acta consisted therewith This Charter shall remain In force until such time only as it may be recalled by Central Council The charter signed by Honorary President Edward Divisional President Richards National com missioner Tellier and National president H An Inland Community Newspaper Out Hundred anil No ACTON ONTARIO WEDNESDAY JANUARY Sixteen cut Councillors vote selves 590 1981 wage hike The mayor and council voted them selves a raise at general committee Monday night The mayors salary will be upped from 15000 to and councillors will have an increase from to This pay hike apply only in By a system of comparisons to other indices their salaries will be raised each year based on the formula the cost of living Index The increase per yMr will be he lesser of the Canada Consumer Price Index the average percentage increase Industrial salaries and average percentage Increase of seven cate gories of town employees The categories chosen as a comparison are laborer facility maintenance operator secretary building Inspector town engineer public works foreman and heavy equipment operator This the same system used at Halton Region and the City of Burlington In addition regional councillors arc paid Councillors serving on various boards and are also paid usually on a per meeting basis The sole opponent of he raise Councillor Ross sold he would like more information and claimed no industry would approve raises without comparisons and more background Mayor said he originated the mo tion and admitted discussion about councils remuneration is always unpopular He said salaries should be reviewed after four years Theres no way anyone is going to establish what a council Is really worth he commented and said councillors pay ranges from up to The mayor warned councillors would take political flack and everybody you meet Is going to scream like hell Knechtcl attacked the system of yearly percen tage increases as well saying It is wrong to set sal for based What we hive time He claimed It is Irresponsible to pass a bylaw saying what council will make in the next five years Knechtel boosts Section 86 but few support tax reform If Initial comments are a good Indication it would seem theres little chance Hills council will opt for property tax reform through Section of the Assessment Act Monday night Councillor Ross presented general committee with the report his special review committee compiled during the late sum mer fall and early winter Four councillors and four citizens sat on the study group The committees report showed assessment would decrease for 3310 pieces of property in crease for and stay the same for All councillors praised the excellence of the report while said it couldnt have been complied without the fine work by committee members and town staff Section is often called market value assess but a more accurate word would be equalized assessment Knetchel told the councillors He explained under section the tax burden will shift around within classes of property single ly apartments Industrial farm etc but not between classes of property as would happen with Pure market value assessment If council doesnt opt for Section there will be over 3000 people In Hills still paying more taxes than in fairness they should be just because their homes have been built the province froze assessment early in the last decade He said Section down in theory result in the town receiving more or less tax revenue although there is sometimes a drop in tax revenue the first year because of assessment appeals The lost revenue Is regained the next year through a higher mill rate treasurer Ray King explained Queens Park started out in the direction of full market value assessment but backed off for both political and practical reasons explained Under pure market value assessment there would be massive shifts in the tax burden between classes of property because in the past decade the value of single family homes has gone up far faster than the value of other types of property Under the present form of assessment different factors are being used in each of Halton Hills three former municipalities to determine assessment hence three different mill rates Section allows for a reassessment of all property which hasnt been done In many years Assessment has been done at different times using different factors Currently new homes are winding up with much higher assessments Section brings market value and other factors into the reassessment Knechtel explained which gives the entire situation a sense of balance Instead of the huge increases and decreases In assessment which would be the result of pure market value assessment The same rules of assessment determination are applied for all properties In a class like single fami ly dwellings numerous rules which is the resident closed ranks behind Acton High School teacher Keith Black and his wife Rosemary when Halloas Board of Education threatened to fire him Many residents travelled twice to board meetings In to demonstrate support of he Blacks Sec on page and and pane 4 case now said We are Just saying we will use the same set of rules for every single family home Everyone is treated fairly using the same set of rules We arent doing that now Assessment now depends on when a house was built so some ore pay ingonamore expensive basis said if Section Isnt adopted then the town must be prepared to tell people who are assessed on the newer basis why they are paying more He said it would be easy to maintain he status quo but there will still be a lot of people who will know they are paying more than In fairness they should be He asked how council was going to explain this unfairness adding It cant be done because there Is no answer why people with homes built since assessment was frozen should pay more when the town could easily correct the problem Continued on page Parents protest kindergarten age The provinces decision not to give grants to board of education children In kindergarten next year who were born In January or February of 1977 has sparked a protest in Acton Queens Park has a policy on its books stating that only children who have reached age five by next December 31 may enter kindergarten this Sept ember However both the public and separate school systems have a long Btanding tradition of allowing pupils who have reached their fifth birth day by the end of February to enter kindergarten the previous fall The province has told both boards If they continue this policy they wont receive grants for those students While firm decisions havent been made yet it would appear both boards will comply with the province direction and change their school storting birthdate deadlines effective next school year Janet Fleming CobblehlU baa asked all par ents of children affected by this change to contact her She says are of eight children In local nur sery schools who are facing a third year in that type of education suspects are more Hills separate school trustee Irene Mc- says she knows of only one child In Acton who wont be able to go to St Josephs this fall be cause of the age deadline but she has only heard from one family Protests over this regulation change are gather ing steam In Burlington and Milton Mrs Fleming says she is setting out to try and determine how many children in Acton are affected so this information can be passed on to Trustee Arl Bruce We need to know the numbers involved here she said Shed like to see parents of these children get together and discuss how we can approach the Continued on page Ted Harden Eden Mills Is off to the Senior Olympics in New York where he will compete In four speed skat ing events This year he hopes to skate 1500 metres In less than three minutes Seniors Oly Other games people play by Eric Elslone Ted likes to win Hesbeenthatwayfor much of his years Hes got at least one more win in mind to skate race his way over met res of ice in less than three minutes Teds chance comes next week when the Eden Mills resident will compete against the clock at Lake Placid in New York State during the 12th Annual International Senior Olympics Thi3 is the fifth year Ted has participated in the senior Olympics He and his wife Evelyn usually compete however a bad fall will likely prevent Evelyn from skating time though she will make the trip says Ted The senior Olympics offer chances for people to compete in world class conditions Seniors Is a bit of a misnomer in the phrase senior pics for though many of the or so competitors age a number of younger men and women from to years also compete the linage conjured up by the word senior does not ring quite true In the phrase senior the second half certainly peals sharply because those seniors race on the same oval Ice used in the 1932 Olympic Games the very soma slick Eric sped on to his five Olym pic gold medals last year Speed skating Is the only event offered In the east according to chairman Alex White of South New York he soys In Los Angeles and many summer com petitions running swimming cycling are held there Skiing is held on the mountains of Washington or Oregon Senior Olympics is competition not recreation although participants enjoy themselves Senior citizens take it extremely seriously according to White Some skate year round and on outdoor rinks They want those medals gold silver and bronze Ted already has some third place medals plus some ribbons Ive played sports and been com beat too bad Most people like to win sayB And Ted is like most people The speed Bkatlng is an extension of another activity which thoBardens enjoy pleasure skat ing Ted and Evelyn often are found by friends who also take to donning the blades in North York Scarborough and Stratford Some people go drinking every night some dancing some play tennis says Ted This is what we do Since early December however Teds had more in mind than pleasure skating There are the games Most of this winters days finds him practising his stride on the old mill pond not far from his Eden Mills home He used to operate and own the mill which fire gutted a year ago and the mill pond In the morning Ted shovels snow off the 125 metre or so oval hes got on the pond After lunch he laces up his 17 inch long blades for yet another practice Gluts gilss sounds the keen steel keels in the frozen mill pond surface Teds goal of breaking the three minute barrier for 1500 metres means he must propel his pound five- foot eleven inch frame round the circuit every seconds for 12 times Even on a windless day fabric of his blue track suit ripples away from his body as he goes into a turn If Ted is to beat the clock he has to shave 26 7 seconds from his 1980 time In to the metres Ted will compete in the the and 200 metre races Stamina is the big difference between speed skating and hockey skating according to Ted The stride and turning are different and there are no quick stops In speed skating You go and go In hockey a player skates up while a speeder leans forward so theres not much of you catching Asked If he thinks he Is getting any better Ted says he doesnt know For him the practices are to build up endurance Instead of skating for five minutes see If one can last minutes He says he sprints for two or three rounds while hes at it In any skating its the legs that count Ted says that his are much different than when he first practised nearly two months ago They dont Teds optimism about this years games shows up when he again of those legs After staling for a whllo he says I find I have a lot more ginger in them