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2-Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, November 9th, 1977 Orono Weekly Times THE RUDDERLESS SHIP Like a rudderless shîp the counicil of the Town of Newcastle on Monday night bobbed about in the sea of hardknocks when the arena projects came up in the agenda. As the drama unfolded through îmported cernent blocks, walls that grow in the night, ice plants that create no frost, a committee that doesn't know it exists and a horse barn that takes over from a fire department, it seemed we were being presented with a comedy. Amusing as it miay seem, it is not. This is supposed to be a business and one that involves a total sumn of money far beyond our scope, $1,582, 180.00 and this amount is controlled through counicil making council directly responsible. 0f this amount $450,000.00 is expected to corne from citizens from within the area that the arenas are to service. These citîzens gving ot their hard cash can only expect that every caution is being taken to see that it is being spent to the best advantage possible. And let there be no doubt other monies whether through taxes, which there will be a considerable amount, in the end, through Wintario and other provincial grants must be controlled by a diligent council leaving flot, as in the past, loose ends flying in the wind. The Stevenson and Kellogg report which council paid well over $10,000.00 to outline administration policies clearly stated in two different paragraphs in the report that they were concerned over the arrangement for the construction of the two new arenas in the Town. Stevenson and Kellogg pointed out to council in a clear and concise manner that as public funds were involved council must have reasonable control of the projects. Counc. Don Alun on Monday night suggested that counicil should look into the matter with the engîneer and contractor. The Mayor said that council was not getting involved and would stay out. This is not good enough for who as a subscriber to the funds or taxpayer wants to live with doubts over the construction of these arenas and the expenditure of their money. This is not a nickel and dime business but one that involves well over a million dollars. Council must take a business attitude, have control and be aware as a full unit what just is going on. The presentf events do not particularly convince one that ail is being done that should. COUýCHICHIING CONFERENCE The annual Couchiching Conference usually gives many of this country's most prominent thinkers and decision- makers sometbing to chew on and leaves the rest of the country with more questions than answers. The 1977 conference, howeever, lef t many delegates facing such an array nf problemrs that they might well be pardonied for chucking it ahl up and returning to the vapid unreality emanating from our televîsion sets. Inflation, unemployrnent and économie growth are problems "beyond solutions by the institutions that we have now and the way they work now", Walter Pitman, historian and president of Ryerson Polytechnical Institute told the concluding session of the Thinkers' Conference at Lake Couchiching in Ontario. Canada is in desperate trouble socially, politically, economically, - and ail its probrems are interconnected, the concensus at Couchiching seemed to be. Pitman, obviously deeply troubled, said that this was the first conference in 46 years when "people were seriously considering that in fact we may be looking at the breakdown of the decent life as we know it." Without wishing to bcecynical, we must ask wby it look the thinkers so long to recognîze something that many elements in Canadian and Liternational society have known for years. The poor know it and so do deserted mothers. Indians have been aware for years that the systemn was unresponsive to their needs and so are trile victims of regional disparity in the Maritimes. Just ask any Cape Bretoner around Sidney and Glace Bay; the aged on fîxed incomes or the residents of rural areas eng-1ulfed by stupefying poverty. Go to Bangladesh or the Sahel area of Africa and ask the Bengalis and Desert Nomrads if the decent life has ever reached them. What about the vicetims of mercury poisoning in Japan and Nortbern Ontario? Has the systemn ever worked for tbemn? We sympathize wtb Dr. Pitman and the others at Couchiching and we don't have the answers either but the place to start, we suggest, is at a point wbere no person sbould bce etitled to the decent lîfe until ahl can enijoy its benefits. We are stili our brother's keeper. fromr the Office of the Cburcb in Society. RCMP SCANDAL BEGINS TO FIZZLE Over the past week or so the opposition in Ottawa has been quick to jump on a band wagon of what has been described as RCMP scandai. But just about as quick the band wagon is being vacated by the saine people, the opposition. We have little doubt, that at times somne illegal acts are done by any police force and files accumulate on certain inidividuals for a number of reasons with not the least being the protection of the person theinselves. Newcastle block before council MUonday evening Mr. De- Bruin of tbe Newcastle Cern- ent Block Company addres- sed council asking why bis, a local Newcastle company, did not receive the contract to supply cernent blocks for the Newcastle arena. In addressing council he stated that is price was competitive and he asked Counc. Gray to prove that bis price was too high. DeBruin also said he had been at one of tbe Newcastle Building Corn- rittee meetings and be understood that he would be supplying the cernent blocks for the arena. On this assumption he started pro- ducing cernent blocks for the project so he could keep ahead of the need. Coune. Gray referred to a letter in which the contractor $35,000 ADDED TO COST 0F NEWCASTLE ARENA (Continuedfrom page 1) extension to the wall remaini and that an extra room be completed at a cost of $9,000.00. Counc. Gray then asked council to concur witb a request from the Newcastle Arena Building cormîittee in which $3-1,000 was to be spent to make needed adjustments to the ice-maing plant so that it would be operative for the new arena. He said that it bas now been f ound that the old systern was in disrepair even though $6,000.00 had been spent in repairs in 1976 to the plant. He pohîted out that the cost of $34,000 would be reduced by $8,000 as the cost of a new chiller had been included in the original con- tract. Counc. Holliday asked who' made the first evaluation of the ice making plant to which he was told that Totten Sims and Hubîcki had. Counc. Gray said that the engineers had not made a complete inspection of the plant as they were told that the system had beenl repaired in 1976. Counc. Holliday then asked if the price quoted were competitîve prices. The Town Manager said he had phoned the engineer in this matter and was told that this was a change order and that the contractor was not obliged to get additional prices. Holli- day dîsagreed and said it was a new contract. Coun.cil tentatively approv- ed the $34,000 expenditure witb the Town Manager and engineer being given power to act upon the addition after contacting the contractor. Couac. Gray stated that if this was not done immoediat- ely it would hold up the construction of the arena two to three rnonths. The matter he said could not be left untl couincil met again. Mayor Rickard 'aid that public subscriptions would have to be ineceased by either $14,000 or $28,000 depending on the attitude of Wi.ntario. Presently the Village i s expected to raise $176,7G4 which could increase to as much ~i ý204,764,0O. As of last we"-' t., fund raising comn- mib ee haJ raised $18,000O(of whLch amount $12,000 had to be returned through their lottery has stated that the Newcastle blocks were not being used because they neither mieet the specifications at the lowest price. Gray said be has been unable to obtain the price being paid for the blocks now being used. He also saîd the committee bad agreed they would do ail they could to get the job for the Newcastle firm. Counc. Dykstra asked if Mr. DeBruin was given assur- ance he would get the contract for the blocks. In answering the question Mr. DeBruin said he was assured he would get the contract if his price was rigbt and on this assumption he started mak- ing blocks for the project. Counc. Dykstra stated that council must have the price nowý being paid for the blocks and lie asked if the Newcastle blocks met with the specifi- cations. DeBruin said the contractor was using. auto- dlay blocks which are cured under pressure while the blocks made by the Newcas- tle firm are low-cured blocks and must stand in the yard for 3o days. He assured counicil that his blocks were of the same strength as those being used and that in fact he had his blocks tested and they passed the test for the job. Mayor Rickard said he would take it upon himself to get the information from the contractor. He said if the, Newcastle block was compet- itive consideration should be given to use the Newcastle block. Counc. Gray said he bas tried for two weeks to get the price for the blocks being used and bas not been successful. He said the price for the blocks is 50 rnuch for beiing laid. Counc. Dykstra said lie hoped it was not too late to do something for the company xith the Orono building. Coune. Allin said it appeared that the committee was agreeable for the use of the Newcastle block but "was the contractor agreeable?". Mr. Ev. Jenkins, chairmnan of the arena building commit- tee, addressed counicil and said that the use of the Newcastle block had beein dîscussed and that they would do everything possible to see that the block was used providing the price was competitive. He said that discussion was three days before the contra signed. He also saic contractor had sai tbings were equal ti castie would get ti contract. "The next heard the price was il he said. Orono Weekly Times ORONO, ONTARIO(' PHONE 983-5301 ilORONO0 amu APRENA FUND For those who have flot yet been canvassed the fund raising commîittee would lîke to note that the canvass is continuing and everyone will be reached within the next couple of weeks. Canvassers are being asked to complete their canvass and attend at a meeting being held in the Orono TownHall on Sunday, November l3th at 7:00 p.m. Canvassers hnving problems completing their canvass are asked to contact Charles Gray where assistance can be provided, PLEASE ATTEND