The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, December 12, 2013 | 12 For more news, visit www.oakvillebeaver.com Residents bring wish list to budget talks by David Lea Oakville Beaver Staff Santa Claus is not the only one being asked for goodies this holiday season. Oakville's 2014 Budget Committee met last Friday to hear from residents and local organizations that pleaded their cases as to why certain projects should be included in this year's budget. No funding decisions were made with the requests set for further discussion at today's (Thursday) budget committee's deliberations. Friday, councillors first heard from Pine Grove Public School Grade 6 student Andrei Adam, 11, who asked that a basketball court be built in R0012448869 Furnace Diagnostic Service only No additional charge for evenings and weekends $ 9 locations to serve you better www.aireone.com A+ RATING 905-849-4998 49 reg. $99 Nautical Park. He argued the court would keep area children busy and active and serve as a social hub for the community. He pointed out there are no other basketball courts in the immediate area with the ones at Queen Elizabeth Park Community and Cultural Centre (QEPCCC) being booked the times he tried to use them. Adams said the QEPCCC courts must also be rented. Town staff noted there is room in the park for a basketball court, but said it would cost $50,000. Ward 2 Town Councillor Pam Damoff suggested the possibility that a fundraising campaign championed by Adams might be successful in raising the needed funds. Oakville's Director of Parks and Open Space Chris Mark said letters had been sent to residents living around the park and the re- sponse to the idea of a new basketball court had been largely positive. The committee also heard from Leon Hawes of the Oakville Cycling Club who called on the Town to spend the needed money to accelerate cycling infrastructure growth projects outlined in Oakville's Transportation Master Plan. Hawes said the interest in cycling in Oakville is growing with the Oakville Cycling Club currently consisting of 397 people with 1,500 new bicycles sold at local cycling stores every year. He also said traffic congestion in Oakville is growing and cycling might help alleviate it. When asked what project Hawes would like to see accelerated the most, he said, the construction of cycling infrastructure along Speers Road (multi-use trails) and Rebecca Street. see BIAs on p.14