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GeorgetownActon Wednesday Feb 9 1983 Wit Acton Single 30 par Canada Ken Bellamy Don Ryder Hartley Coles Director of Advertising Managing Editor The Acton a one the Printing and Ltd include The News Aurora Banner The Emerpnte Bum pi on The Burlington Post The The Guardian TI Indaoandanf Tha Hamilton Wentwonti Thomrull Economm Son Milton The Nmj The Economrst and Sun The Champion The Newt The Newmarket Eta The Beear Oalnrtle Beaver Week Weekend The Rchmond Thorn Liberal The Scarborough Mirror The Tribune The Woodtxidoe EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT Editor Gord Murray Edtun rWan Murray Sport Robin Paul Nolan Chart Darkroom Nancy ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT Adverttstng Manaoar BO Cook Kit Davy Susan Advancing Carolyn Art am BUSINESSACCOUNTING OFFICE Offica Jean Clteuiatton- Dan McGiSowav Council should review reserve fund uses New Georgetown Coun cillor Phil Carney is right It is time Halton Hills coun cil reviewed the idea of hav ing a hefty reserve fund earmarked for a single pro ject a future municipal complex with a view to possibly using the money to pay for needed projects which otherwise wouldnt be done this year because of tough economic times Last week Carney who in his few short weeks on coun cil has sounded very much like a friend of Acton in voicing support for the pro posed arena handicap ramp and urging action be taken to repair the dangerous Holmesway PI ditch situa tion told his colleagues that the in the reserve fund belongs to the tax payers and should be spent on projects taxpayers have requested projects which will benefit the taxpayers Carney used the rink ramp and dit ches as examples of pro jects which could be fin anced from the reserve fund there are undoubtedly equally worthy projects which may not go ahead this year because of a short age of tax revenue and pro vincial grants in each of Halton Hills other three wards The reserve fund was established in for the municipal complex and since then developers lot levies have gone in it- In the past councils have bor rowed from this fund from time to time but the money has always been paid back The last council borrowed from the fund for the LibraryCultural Centre in Georgetown and intended to repay the fund with pro ceeds from the sale of some Town owned land in Georgetown Now this coun cil may not repay the money it may turn the pro perty into a parking lot Councillor Ross Knechtel is correct when he says this would be wrong since money from the reserve fund hasnt been used to pay for other projects the citizens have been request ing If the reserve funds can be used in effect for more Georgetown offstreet park ing then why not to fix the Holmesway ditch problem Or why wasnt money taken from the reserve fund to pay for the new furnaces at the Acton arena which were substituted late in the year for the handicap ramp Wed support Carneys suggestion that the reserve fund be reviewed even if it wasnt intended for the complex It would seem past coun cils have merely main tained the course set by the 77- council simply kept funnelling the lot levies into the reserve fund with no consideration of spending the money on the numerous programs and projects re jected annually during the budget process as too cost ly So far as we can recall there has been no public re view of the fiind and its pur pose since it was establish ed If council has con sidered spending money from the reserve fund on projects which werent affordable in any of the past six years such a move was contemplated behind closed doors There have been repeated warnings from councillors that this year will be tough that service levels will have to be reduced and projects postponed because of shrinking revenues the province and property taxes Possibly using some or all of the reserve fund would give the budget com mittee more room to oeuver when it plans the Towns spending pro gram Some councillors will argue the reserve fund was set up for a specific project but that was a commitment made by council six years ago and isnt binding on this body That old commitment doesnt preclude a review now Some will suggest it should be kept for an emergency and keeping part of the fund for a rainy day does have merit But is needed for an emergency Others will say the money must be saved for a com plex that consolidating the Towns departments under one roof will save the tax payers money Hopefully- the space needs and cost saving study now underway will answer these questions The bottom line in our view is that while council is having its space needs re viewed it should also review the role of the reserve fund GM Back issues From the editor s Give Joes job to Darcy by Gord Murray Free editor Ive long been an admirer of so I was delight ed to read one Toronto pundit predict that the former Ontario Treasurer may Just make a pol itical comeback by seeking the Tory leadership This writer Richard Gwyn of the Star explained Darcy and Peter Lougheed have become close friends in recent years since McKeough left public life to head up Union Gas The author admitted things were iffy and has denied any Interest in Joe Clarks old Job but Gwyns argu ments did make some aense He suggested wont contest the leadership out by not going to Alberta friend Joe he left the door open to put in his own leader ship candidate McKeough I must admit when 1 wrote about the possible lineup for the leadership post last week I never even thought of The mention of his name brought back memories of the first and only leadership convention Ive ever attended It the 1969 Ontario Tory race where Bill Davis was crowned at Maple Leaf Gardens as John Roberts successor I went as an observer and had a ball There were lots of people after the Job Bob Welch the Lawrences Bert and Alan Davis and a few others I cant recall at the moment and a young Mun icipal Affairs minister named McKeough Darcy was sort of the John Turner of the Liberal leadership race which Trudeau had won a couple of years earlier Young personable not In the cabinet all that long and not holding a senior portfolio He was in there just to become well known and powerful in the new leaders future cabinets For both men those leadership races had come a few years too early Like Turner made a big splash in the race Both men fin ished a much stronger than exp ected third and became power brokers at the convention And they are still a lot alike Both partly because of their strong leadership bids rose to high profile cabinet posts and gained great popularity Theyve both gone back to private life and yet never closed the door on public life or been forgotten by their sup porters And most remarkable Turner and McKeough managed to survive holding the political grave yard posts of finance ministers Neither was hurt politically by holding the post even their blund ers in the post arent remembered by many And I cheered for both of them In their campaigns for leader As expected Davis won but sur prisingly commanded delegate strength and as the con vention wore on so did Alan Lawrence who wasnt expected to accomplish anything either waved my McKeough sign vigorously chanted his name etc Later I was to gain even more respect and fondness for the man Two years after hed come third at the convention I was In grade 13 geography I was one of the star pupils at the top or very close to the top of the class in this course all through high school History and geography were really my only to academic fame while I was attending Port Hope High School was even the president of the geography club the schools largest club mainly because we trips life Anyway the top students in grade didnt really take a course that year we did a thesis The topic I was handed by the head of the geography department a man named Walter who had a tremendous background for teaching the course the new notion hatched by McKeough of regional government Back to Walter for a moment hed worked for Industry all over the world and been a senior urban planner with the province before going into teaching In the twilight of his working life He and I were quite close I loved to hear him talk about how governments should run and how towns and cities sh ould be planned He urged me to become an urban planner and I might have chosen that path had It not been for the fact you had to take math and I didnt have the prerequisites to get into an urban planning program You see there were no credits in those days you either passed all the courses in a grade and moved on or you repeated them all Well I was close enough to passing math at the end of grade that the school offered to let me advance to grade if I did one thing promised not to mark math as an option ever again I was relieved to have an escape from math Well I didnt become an urban planner took journalism instead But Ive never forgotten Walter Creswlck or the nun he suggested I watch closely at the Tory con vention Darcy McKeough When I did the thesis on regional government I read reams and reams of reports on the subject I thought it sounded absolutely great It made so much sense on paper McKeough waa this brainstorms chief architect and I thought he was a genius Of course that was before I saw how It really works at least how regional government works In Funny it never mentioned Continued on page cotes- siaw otto spots a winner in Kevin Parker Otto Jelinek this ridings Member of Parliament has been grabbing lot of Ink lately well prime lime television with the Tory convention in Winnipeg and hit role as one of the chief prop onents of a leadership review Then of course be ha been the announcer on the CTV network for the Canadian Figure Skating Cnampionthlps from the Maurice Richard arena in Montreal Personally I preferred tatter role to the former Hes a announcer with his experience as a skater He under- toe figure skating world but its another story in the political fold a politician be has been linked to the right wing of the Tory party which figure Joe Clark and his supporters were Just marching the party down a different path to a brand of socialism similar to the liberal He been In the forefront of of the Liberals and been able on occasion to cere a or two any good MP should do However Otto In eagerness to embarran the alio hu nasals fat any with eases ants at the which makes him lock sillier thin the target I think he has done it again in his attack on the metric system where he and a Urge group of Conservative MPs turned out to open a service station would sell gasoline at the pumps in gallons Instead of litres Now it is no secret that many people are upset because the metric system has been intro duced to this country Many of ua prefer the old system which we can all understand Some of us old doga axe averse to new trick However it seems to me that with all the problems facing this country such a unemployment Inflation and the Crow rates to name a few those MPs could have been better occupied than killing a metric dragon In some Ottawa service station Surely they are smart enough to know that that country cant bare two different seta of weight and measures They only further the changeover with their on retaining the system I know I know Thej say they the forced protesting t of tl They nee what ever system they think best What a crock Think of the mess this country would be in if everyone could pick and choose what sets of weights and measures tney are going to use Some of them are so as to think that it is a French plot to convert from gallons to litres although most of the rest of the world uses the metric system I admit every time I pull up to the gas pumps I do some quick mental arithmetic to see how much I am paying for a gallon And it gives you the creeps especially when you are old enough to remember when you could fiU your tank up for Bt surdy MPs have better things to do than that kind of silli ness It is no wonder Joe Clark bad to keep his eyes on his back There are assa lurking to snatch Ms leadership mantle from him in his own party But I dont want to be too bard on Otto He baa been a coo- a UP He often appears in Acton to let us know hes alive and kicking to cue we havent either read about him or arent watching the news on TV or the figure skating Last Sunday I was watching the figure skating cbampkoshlpa to see now well Parker and son of Ernie and Vera Parker now living on Line at Campbellville address was doing Kevin was described as a Kitchener skater but Otto reminded the viewers he came from Acton A nice touch I thought because Kevin started his skating career down at the Acton arena and grew up here Naturally any skater with Kevins ability had to go elsewhere to get the coaching and instruction to compete in the Canadian championships Ive followed his career with much interest I thought his fourth place finish at this years championships might well have been second if the judges had been more thoughtful In the snort performance In any event It was apparent even to this biased observer that Kevin Parkers skating Is much more mature this year He has the earmarks of a champion if be can get the breaks and the politics in skating circles dont force him into professional ranks It was obvious Otto this and be certainly conveyed it to viewers The advertising c has attracted ao many shoppers to the Hide House in Acton has a ripple effects with other businesses who take ad vantage of the opportunities but theres at least one person who wishes direction to the Hide House were more explicit Frank who operates a service station at the western entrance to Acton on Highway says shoppers are often confused by directions on a sign on High way It directs motorists to go ahead and then head for the CN tracks He points out the tracks also cross Main St and many motorists end up looking for the Hide House on his doorstep Sometimes says Frank it means as many as to SO trips outside to the pumps to give directions Some of the shoppers are so illmannered they dont even get out of their vehicles Most dont buy any gas Frank notes he soon loses his cordiality after a Sunday of giving directions And you cant blame him He does it on an artificial leg Perhaps the North Halton tourist Association could held him by erecting a tap with a map just a thought years ago February 1 Indusmin Limited of Acton pro poses to restore the 115cre aggregate mining pit by using shredded compacted and baled garbage as fill A company spokes man claims there should be little environmental problem with the plan Acton Planning Board is recommending acceptance of a re vised plan for the Kill housing development The board had originally objected to the high population density in the proposal on account of difficulties in provid ing water and sewage services to the residents Acton Postmaster McKeown had his hands full this week as the new postal code came into effect across Ontario years ago February lt3 Committee of Adjustment turned down a request for variances on Longfleld to allow the con struction of a twostorey apartment building when Glen- lea ratepayers attended the committees Monday night meet ing Tom spokesman for the ratepayers presented a petition signed by 145 surrounding area residents opposing the building Hockey star Maurice Rocket Richard made an appearance in Acton at the annual Lions Club Sports Celebraties Dinner Friday Acton Chamber of Commerce board of directors met at Knox Presbyterian Church and ap pointed six committee chairmen tor 1963 Membership Committee is headed by Orval Chapman Civic Rev A McKensie Retail Fred Gordon Industrial JB Wood Agricultural W Carnochan Pub- j lie Relations and Publicity HJ 50 years ago February 1KB The school board reviewed methods that could be used to save ratepayers money It was shown that during the past two years High School teachers salaries had been reduced by and in the Public School by Further economies are to be studied At the annual meeting of the Duke of Devonshire chapter of the Mrs WM Cooper was elected regent Mrs S Blow vice regent Mrs WJ Gould second Mrs P W secretary Miss P Smith treasurer Lakeside chapter regent is Mrs WD Robertson first vice regent Vida second Muriel secretary Mrs J Stewart Treasurer Pearl Wallace George Angel of Stratford now has the post of Freight Agent at Acton station 75 years ago February Mr Thomas Moore town clerk passed away In Guelph He I commenced teaching school in and became principal of Acton Public School in 1B78 succeeding Mr John Ross at a salary of and free residence He held this position 25 years exerting his moral influence throughout the community He was an active I member of Methodist church as elder trustee and Sunday School IS years He was a veteran of the Fenian Raid of 1B66 although his company only got to Toronto He was a member of the library board from its organization in IBM His place In Acton will never be filled At the ladles hockey game last Wednesday night when the temperature was well below j frown The piles of snow on Mill St should be carried off or at least levelled 100 years ago February IS ISH The drifts have been bad In the vicinity and have necessitated the pulling down of fences and making roads through the fields It fa expected that the applies- of Eden congregation for one service every Sabbath win be granted Rev Mr Strachan at present conducts two service and a Bible dsss in the church each Sunday Council accepted the tender of for caretaklng of the town hall and lamplighter Knox church Is Instituting lb en velope system for the payment of money Many evils result from public dancing and professing Christians should not destroy Ibelr Influence by psrtidpaung Georgetown Herald