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O jiji"/.. C Tr* 4 . Th e Oakville B ^ fT A A N S ftM tS .'O N ftl O N L Y J e ^ h s » C c w w u tm ty G o o d V ib e s , a n d a ll t h a t ja z z \ tzu ^ [ g jt a f e 's For the finest in CUSTOM UPHOLSTERING call Baier's. WINTER TUNE-UP 5 9 % M akers offineupholsteredfurniture. `g s w g f t g ? AMetroland Publication Vol. 38 No. 14 A rts & en te r ta in m e n t W E D N E SD A Y , F E B R U A R Y 2 ,2 0 0 0 2333 Wmroft Road, U ni 7 o y r v g < (between Bn.nnc& Thin! Line) QLfcr I ` ^ Q O l 52 Pages 7 5 C e n ts (plus GST) A rt policy aim ed at controversial exhibits T o w n d o e s n 't w a n t r e p e a t o f `U l t r a - M a x i - P r i e s t ' B y S a n d ra O m a n d SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER new policy governing art in and around town buildings controversies, like the one that erupted last October over an exhibit in Town Hall, will not occur again. Town Clerk Judith Muncaster, who was instrumental in developing the new Art in Public Space policy, denied, how ever, that the policy was created as a result of the October incident. She said work began on the policy in June as a response to the expansion of Town Hall. "We will have considerably more public space, and we feel that to manage these spaces in the most optimal man ner, we need a set of procedures and guidelines in place," said Muncaster. Previously, art was displayed in the Town Hall through an informal agree ment with the arts work program. Replacing that agreement, the newart jaoiicy is designed to integrate art into the community and covers everything from the management of temporary exhibits to the purchasing of art objects. M uncaster said formalizing the process and establishing policies and guidelines is strictly a matter of good m anagem ent and will ensure a u n i f o r m approach is taken in future years. "Most towns and cities have art policies," said Muncaster, citing Ottawa and Nepean as examples. A rtist T a m a r a These poliz e ta S a n o w a rcies, like the one M a k n a n :c r e a te d Oakville now has, provide c o n tr o v e r s y detailed guidelines on selecting what is shown in town buildings. The guidelines emphasize that the display areas are not galleries and people of all ages have access to them. (S e e `P o lic y ' p a g e A 5 ) Jennifer Ryerse helps stock the kitchen at the Salvation Army homeless shelter. Photo by Barrie Erskine O verwhelm ing donations mean h om eless shelter will feel cozy By H o w ard M o ze l OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF While the ignorant might assume that Oakville is too affluent to hive any homeless, Salvation Army volunteers preparing the first-ever local shelter are all too cognizant of the sad reality. So, too, are those enlightened residents who recently donated everything from fridges and stoves to bed linen to help get the temporary, short-term emergency homeless shelter on its feet. This, says a gratified staff, reveals that understanding has become action. "We've seen the power of people coming together in love," said volunteer Judy Anscomb. According to volunteer Beverley Greenham, the pub lic response to their appeal has been nothing less than "overwhelming." This, she explained, will make the place as comfortable as possible within the constraints of a severely limited budget. "Everything, isn't classy bi^ it's all clean sheers,", she said. "It beats sleeping on the street." The 10-bed Old Mill Road facility, formerly Grace House, accepted, its first residents last week. Administered by Halton Region, the Salvation Army will tend to the day-to-day activities of the two-month pilot program. Tenants - from Oakville only - could include abused women, the working poor and adolescents who (S e e 'F a c ility ' p a g e A 4) N o r t h e a s t b u t w h e n s c h o o ls w ill t h e y n e e d e d , b e b u ilt ? D o g 's b a r k i n g a le r ts fa m ily t o h o u s e f ir e Six occupants of a Rebecca Street home safely escaped a Monday morn ing house fire after being alerted to the blaze by their dog. According to Deputy Fire Chief John deHooge, the call came in around 5:40 a.m. and when firefighters arrived at the scene (2150 Rebecca) the struc ture was "fully involved." "There was heavy smoke and flames coming from the garage," said deHooge. "But they managed to knock it down quickly." Smoke and fire infiltrated the bed rooms, which were directly above the garage, and the fire department's ther mal imaging camera was used to deter mine whether anyone else still remained in the house and whether any nagging heat sources needed to be extinguished. The family cat perished in the fire, however. Two vehicles were also destroyed. Fire Prevention investigators combed through the scene, paying par ticular attention to the garage, where they believe the fire started. According to deHooge, an electrical cause or any thing suspicious has been ruled out, so the cause will go down as undeter mined. Total damages were estimated to be in excess of $225,000. According to deHooge, a smoke detector in the basement of the house was without a battery, prompting him to remind all residents to check their alarms and maintain them in working order. Halton Board presents options...but no promises B y K im A rn o tt SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Northeast Oakville needs' more schools. That's the conclusion of a six-month long study by the Halton District School Board. On Monday, the board unveiled a number of possible options for housing the growing population of students in the River Oaks, College Park, Iroquois Ridge and Uptown Core areas. However, all 11 of the possible options outlined require the school board to find enough money to build new schools in the north. `T his is all premised on at least two new schools in the area," admitted board superintendent of education A1 Grey son. The scenarios call for the construc tion of a River Oaks school, to open in September 2001, as well as a new school in Iroquois Ridge North, to open in September 2006. The cost of building the two new schools is estimated at $12 million. Beyond the school construction, the scenarios outline the reconfiguration of existing schools and the movement of students from one location to another. The board held an open house at town hall on Monday to collect public input on the various options. While many parents, especially from the River Oaks area, were pleased with what they saw, some were skeptical about the board's ability to find the money for a new school. Rob Lloyd, who has a son due to enter kindergarten next year, said he was mainly concerned that the River Oaks school be built. `T h at's basically all I'm concerned about," he said. "As along as they fol low through with their intentions." New provincial funding guidelines have restricted the board's access to money for building new schools while excess pupil spaces remain in underuti lized southern Oakville and Burlington schools. After a lengthy and highly emotion al public consultation process last year, trustees voted against closing any schools in the region. However, new housing developments in north Oakville and Burlington have created a pressing need for new schools in the area. Seven elementary schools currently service the northeast Oakville students. Five of them are over capacity, and this year Montclair Public School has nearly twice the number of students it was designed to hold. (S e e `N e w ' p a g e A 2 ) today's paper Editorials....................................... A6 Focus..............................................B1 Entertainment ............ B5 Homes & Gardens................ ...C 1 Classified....................................... C5 Business........................................ C8 Sports.................................... . . . . D 1 Automotive .........................D6 Spedd S upplements: Home delivery: Hy t Zeis, fieri Home Partial delivery: M a y , L ittle Caesars, MJM Ueats, Cashway, Business Depot, Scholars Choice, Photo by Barrie Erskine Oakville firefighters continue to mop up, following a fire at a Rebecca Street house on Monday. Canadian Publications Mail I Product Agreement #435-201 [TER SALE · Sheepskin Loth Coats <V I PeterW atson M I N V E S T M E N T S /o RETIREM EN T PLANNING SPECIALISTS Free C o n s u l t a t io n 8 4 2 -2 1 0 0 52c .r 9 .y ? 2! 1 CtiiJrii KiPiPri g > - 5 0 OFF