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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, March 5, 2014 | 4 Residents can weigh in on Oakville Arena's future by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff Residents can voice their opinion on the future of Oakville Arena and Trafalgar Park at a public information meeting tomorrow (Thursday). The Town of Oakville is asking for public input as it considers changes that could transform the face of that area. Staff will present design options at the 133 Rebecca St. arena, including renewing or replacing the facility. Sessions are slated to run 3-5 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. "Based on collective input from the public, we have developed four design options that we're excited to share," said Nina de Vaal, Oakville's director of recreation and culture. "We believe these options reflect the wants and needs of Oakville residents and look forward to the valuable discussions that will help guide the final decision by council." Public consultation was held in 2012 through the South Central Public Lands Study (SCPLS) and the Parks, Recreation and Library Facilities Master Plan to determine residents' recreational needs. Community input showed strong support for keeping the arena, the Kinsmen Pine Room in the arena and the outdoor pool and sports fields at Trafalgar Park as a community hub. De Vaal said staff began working with an architectural firm last summer on the direction of Town council to come up with architectural design concepts for the arena site based on two options: renovate and refurbish the existing Oakville Arena or tear down the existing arena and construct a new one. She said staff also completed a cultural heritage impact assessment for Oakville Arena, identifying and evaluating its heritage attributes. The Town of Oakville is weighing its options for the future of the landmark Oakville Arena, which opened in 1950. It is Those findings will be presented at the one of only a few remaining from its era, complete with what's been pegged as a Hipel Truss roof, a distinctive design public meeting. common in Ontario communities from the 1930s to 1950s. | Oakville Beaver file photo Staying true to the feedback received from the community, staffers made sure none of the design options involved removing anything, added de Vaal. She noted how all design options include a single-pad arena and maintains the existing recreation amenities at Trafalgar Park. The redevelopment also looks at the potential of moving the Oakville Senior Citizens' Recreation Centre, located at 263 Kerr St., to the area because it has outgrown its current location, she said. Presentation materials are posted on www. oakville.ca. Residents who cannot attend in person are encouraged to share their input by emailing oakvillearena@oakville.ca. For more information, visit www.oakville.ca/ townhall/oakville-arena-redevelopment.html. Give Up To Give Students who participate in a student nutrition program show improved memory and focus, which can help increase grades by up to 15%. No organized hate crime in Halton continued from p.1 The region recorded 38 hate-related incidents in 2013 -- six of them fitting the police definition of a hate crime. The chief said that's a drop of 12 hate-related incidents -- including three hate crimes -- from a total of 50 recorded in 2012. The report said the number of hate-related incidents has fluctuated over the last few years. Numbers reached a high of 52 incidents in 2011 and were as low as 32 in both 2008 and 2009. Police define a hate crime as a criminal offence against a person or property that is motivated by the victim's race, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, gender or disability. A hate-related incident is any act, whether criminal or not, that expresses bias, prejudice, bigotry or contempt towards a vulnerable or disadvantaged community or its members. Graffiti and vandalism make up the largest percentage of hate-related incidents (57 per cent in 2013). Oakville had the highest number of hate-related incidents for 2013 at 18, including three hate crimes. Burlington followed with 11 occurrences, two of which were considered actual hate crimes. Halton Hills had one hate crime and Milton recorded eight hate-related incidents in 2013. The incidents took the form of two assaults (one in Burlington and one in Halton Hills), 22 acts of graffiti, five occurrences in which a victim was threatened, and nine cases of mischief. The service remains committed to addressing hate-related incidents, undertaking a comprehensive approach with victims and community partners through criminal investigation, intelligence analysis, victim services, safety planning, media affairs, education and our diversity programs. Chief Stephen Tanner Halton Regional Police Give a donation by March 1st to help kids in your community live free from hunger. Learn more at livefreecampaign.ca Sponsored by: Of the six hate crimes last year, Tanner said three involved violence or the threat of violence with police laying charges or identifying the suspect in two of the cases. The other three involved graffiti and charges were laid in one case. Police said making arrests for these types of acts is difficult as most appear to be random and committed by individuals not organized groups. Tanner said to date, no organized, hate-based violence has been identified in Halton. "The service remains committed to addressing hate-related incidents, undertaking a comprehensive approach with victims and community partners through criminal investigation, intelligence analysis, victim services, safety planning, media affairs, education, and our diversity programs," said Tanner, in the report.