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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, June 26, 2015 | 6 With the upcoming Pan Am/Parapan Am Games -- July 10-26 and Aug. 7-15, respectively -- just around the corner, it's time to be inspired, and to let it show. Oakville stepped up Tuesday as the Pan Am/Parapan Am Torch Relay wound its way through town and to a Town of Oakville-hosted community celebration in Centennial Square. Granted, the Games are not the Olympics, but they are close -- and they're coming close to home, which is a huge bonus. It's not necessary to book travel plans and accommodations, and nance the same, to get in on the action... it could be as simple as paying regular ticket prices and commuting to a destination in the GTA... including neighbouring Milton and Burlington, which will be hosting cycling and soccer events, respectively. Much has been said about the Games' and the commuter headaches and the assorted spinoff bonuses and concerns (from increased tourism to security). But now it's time to talk about the Games. Where will they be? How much does it cost to attend an event? Do you have your tickets? Which Oakville athletes are we cheering for? Who else is a contender? For those who are suffering from Canadiana apathy, or just a lack of need-to-know info, it's time to wave the ag. We have no doubt that with Canada Day in the offing we'll be ready, and then some. "You get to see the sports. Not just on TV , you get to see them live. If the tickets are not too expensive, I'm going to go see fencing... just because I really like pirates and stuff. They use swords, and I know they use swords in fencing," said Andrew Kelder, 8, of Oakville, at Tuesday's celebration. He's right. "It's how it brings the community together to share in a common goal," said Maggie Kerr, 17. She's right. "It's not the Olympics, but people are warming up to it and as the weeks go by, people will start to get excited," said Sharon Van Beilen, whose daughter Tera swam at the 2012 London Olympics and will also represent Canada at the Pan Am Games. She's correct. Children, and adults, can not only cheer our, and other, athletes, but see that dreams are not unattainable, but doable, according to Sharon. Not only is Donovan Bailey -- an Oakvillian who was once heralded the World's Fastest Man -- an ambassador for the event, we will have lots of athletes in the Games. Oakville will be represented by Oakville Aquatic Club swimmers Zack Chetrat, Evan White, Dominique Bouchard and Tera Van Beilen; triathlete Kyle Jones; sailor Lee Parkhill; Burloak Canoe Club paddlers Adam van Koeverden, Brady Reardon and Mark Oldershaw; kayaker Kathleen Carole Fraser, who trains at Balmy Beach Canoe Club in Toronto; volleyball player Dan Lewis; and soccer players Kinley McNicoll and Adam Bouchard. The Pan Am Games features 49 sports and several thousand athletes from 41 countries in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. They run July 10-26. The 16-sport Parapan Am Games for the physically challenged run Aug. 7-15. Visit www.toronto2015.org or insidehalton.com for more information about the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games. And after July 1, don't put down the ag, keep waving it. It's time to cheer Editorial S C H O O L ' S O U T "Connected to your Community" 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 General Inquiries: (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4440 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 Volume 53 | Number 51 The Oakville Beaver is a division of Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Vice ­President and Group Publisher of Metroland West Regional General Manager Halton Region Editor in Chief Advertising Director NEIL OLIVER DAVID HARVEY JILL DAVIS DANIEL BAIRD Managing Editor ANGELA BLACKBURN RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director Business Manager Director of Production Margaret Wilson's Grades 3/4 students and Jessica Klassen's Grade 4 students stampede out of Montclair Public School's main doors yesterday (Thursday) on the last day of school for Halton District School Board students. Classes will resume in Halton Tuesday, Sept. 8 after the summer break. | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) SANDY PARE MARK DILLS MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager Director of Distribution A resident's evaluation of the Downtown options Oakville is at a threshold. This fall, council will decide the future of Oakville's cultural hub. The Town has done a good job with its numerous background studies and public consultations for the Downtown Plan have been excellent. At a public meeting on June 24, the Town indicated that it may, subject to council approval, tear down the Central library, gallery, pool, and theatre. The plan is to replace them with two large new buildings: a high-rise apartment building and a large new theatre building. The library would be moved to the old Canada Post of ce at George and Church streets. The existing theatre has been criticized as being too small and poorly equipped for fancy productions. The theatre has a seating capacity for 499 people. The push is on to replace it with a theatre seating 750. The Town believes that with continued population growth, there is demand for a large new theatre. No demand surveys have been done to back up this assertion that I am aware of. Groups and individuals involved in theatres, I believe, have lobbied the Town for a large new theatre and the Town seems ready to satisfy their needs. I am not opposed to a larger, new theatre building, but I am opposed to a new theatre building on the wrong site, at a busy downtown intersection where it will detract from the wonderful ambience of downtown Oakville. The Town's assertion is that a large new theatre building will attract more people and add to the buzz of downtown. But the nature of theatre buildings -- large or small -- is that most of the time they are devoid of people and activity. When a performance is on, the theatre building generates sudden intense activity with concentrated car traf c around the building. For downtown Oakville, it's the wrong buzz, at the wrong time, and at the wrong place. The plans for the new theatre building at the northwest corner of Lakeshore Road and Navy Street are sketchy at best. All we have so far is an architectural rendering of a theatre building that will dominating a busy downtown intersection. see Resident on p.7 Letter to the Editor CHARLENE HALL KIM MOSSMAN Circulation Manager Proud Official Media Sponsor For: Canadian Circulations Audit Board Member Recognized for Excellence by Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Proud Official Media Sponsor For: The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 5046 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington ON L7L 5Z1 or via email to ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone 416-340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline.