Friday, September 25, 2020 3 Brooklin Town Crier Pinky, the world's largest chicken? Somewhere in Brooklin resides what could be the world's largest chicken. As of Sept. 17, the bird weighed a stunning 390 ounces. That's 24.375 lbs or 11.06 kg, far bigger than any chicken you'll ever see on your Swiss Chalet plate. (in the photo, compare Pinky with the standard takeout container your chicken fits in.) Pinky and his sister Blue were snatched up by their new Mom the day after they were born on March 17, more or less on a lark (a much smaller and less tasty bird). She brought them home to suburbia, figuring they'd last the typical 10-12 weeks a broiler bird reaches before being culled for dinner plates. But no, they grew. And grew. Till Pinky achieved his current weight which seems to have leveled off lately. According to his adoptive father, "They don't last too long. He'll probably die of a heart attack because he's so heavy or he'll break his legs. I'm actually shocked he's still alive." There's been nothing special in their diet to fatten them up either. However, life - no matter how short it may be - has been good to Pinky and Blue. The backyard shed where they've hunkered down in the summer is air conditioned. During the colder months when they first came home, they lived in a heated garage to which they'll return as the temperature drops, if they last that long. Evidently, cold chicken just doesn't cut it. Does Pinky go cock-a-doodle-do? Indeed he does. Each morning, when let out of the wee condo, he lets loose a few times, later on weekends. On occasion, he doodle-dos just for the heck of it, as he did during this story's research visit. Meanwhile, Dad has been busy taking videos and is considering contacting Guinness for world record documentation. When Pinky expires, he's planning to visit a taxidermist and have him stuffed, and not with the stuffing one normally expects. Q&A with John Romano by Regional Councillor Rhonda Mulcahy There has been a buzz lately about the closures of Town sport facilities as parents are attempting to plan their hockey seasons, or lack thereof. I used to be one of those sports moms who had to organize my life around the kids' ice time so I can appreciate the anxiety about the unknown during COVID. I thought it would be helpful to learn about our facilities and what we are doing. Here is a Q&A with the Town of Whitby Commissioner of Facilities, John Romano. Q. What town sports facilities will remain open/closed for the winter this year? Why? The pandemic is continuously evolving and as a result staff have been evaluating our ability to proceed with programs or open facilities safely while ensuring we have the necessary resources to maintain the buildings with the increased cleaning and sanitization protocols. As of today (Sept. 22) the Town has opened the fitness centre at the Whitby Civic Recreation Centre, the Anne Ottenbrite Pool and Arenas 5 and Desjardin Arena 6 at Iroquois Park Sport Centre. The Facilities Team is currently working to complete the installation of the remaining sheets of ice at both Iroquois Park Sports Centre and McKinney Centre. We continue to evaluate the need for the various programming spaces at Brooklin Community Centre and Library as well as Luther Vipond Memorial Arena (LVMA) and the pool at the Whitby Civic Recreation Complex. Q. Please explain why LVMA is closed. On August 18th, 2020, Town Staff met with the Ice User Groups to discuss their requirements for the 2020-2021 season. At this meeting staff requested the groups submit their requirements. As a result of the submitted requirements from all the Ice User Groups, the need to install ice at Luther was not required. Q. What is the threshold to open LVMA in ice time hours to make it financially break even? In order to offset the incremental cost of maintaining LVMA and make it financially viable, 45 hours per week are required. Q. Have all sports groups requested their hours? Have they been fulfilled? What happens if they need or ask for more? Staff continue to meet and discuss the requirements of Ice User Groups. It is important to understand that prior to determining where ice would be installed. Staff requested that our ice user groups provide their anticipated requirements for the upcoming season. Based on those submissions staff determine how much ice would be required and which arenas would allow for maximum efficiency of staff resources. As of today (Sept. 22) staff are able to provide all the requested hours of ice. Q. Is there another option(s) for LVMA usage this winter for the community? (I.e ball hockey, private rental etc) Staff will continue to explore opportunities for the use of LVMA this winter with the understanding any potential use would be required to operate safely and make financial sense while not increasing the burden to Whitby's taxpayers. Q. Why not open all pools? Gyms? Town staff are approaching the reopening of facilities cautiously to try and ensure first and foremost we can open safely adhering to COVID related regulations and implementing best practices. We also want to ensure that we can open facilities without increasing our operating costs and as a result the subsidy required from Whitby's taxpayers. These are big buildings that use significant staff resources and that consume large amounts of utilities and are costly to operate. Since many of the return-to-play regulations, reduced group or participation sizes have heightened requirements for cleaning and sanitizing as well as requirements for screening and contact tracing which also add to our cost to operate the buildings. Understanding the financial pressures we all face, it is really important that we open facilities without adding to the overall cost to the municipality and ultimately the taxpayer. Q. What happens to our costs if the province shuts down facilities? Depending on the direction, we would work immediately to reduce our costs by shutting down facilities much like we did in March. I will conclude by saying that I am sad about this situation and I have nothing but empathy for our sports enthusiasts, especially our young ones. There are no winners in this game of COVID. Here's a thought: It may just be the year to examine cross training for ice sports. We could see a run on fat bikes, cross country and downhill skis and snowshoes this year, so you may want to get yours in order. As with everything, we evolve with the status of the virus, so please check in with whitby.ca/coronavirus for updates.