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10 - Orono Weekly Times Wednesday, March 31, 2010 A sad ending for an old building by Maggie Savage The almost-half-a-centuryold Port Hope Travel Centre (401 East, just east of the Hope/Clarke Townline) has a closure date set and is ready to rebuild. For 47 years, the building has always served travellers food, rest and great service. In 1963, the spaceship-like building started out as a diner, then a Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and for the past 25 years, it has been a Wendy's, Tim Horton's, Mr. Sub and an Esso gas station. This is known to be one of the busiest 401 spots in Canada. 25 years ago, when the Employees from the Travel Centre work their last few shifts before the closure. Employees at Mr. Sub, shown from left: Katrina Reynolds, Christine Black and Liz Bowen. building was taken over by HMS Host (Food Service Company), they leased the building for 25 years. Now the lease had ended and there is no way that it can be extended, due to the age of the building. Management of the plaza wanted to wait till the Trenton location was completed, in October, to reduce the amount of driving to find gas on the highway, which is already 157 km. Although travellers can still get off in the towns after Port Hope, this causes problems for the truckers who depend on highway rest stops. Parking will be an issue for the truckers because they cannot pull off or park anywhere they want, they need the highway stops. Not only are travellers and truckers affected, but over 200 employees are now jobless. Although employees that have been at the Travel Centre for many years have seen the closure coming, many newer staff did not expect this. For the past ten years, the Travel Centre has made many dates to close but never followed through, this time they are serious. A letter was given to the entire staff in early February, stating that the official date of closure is Wednesday, March 31st at 2 pm. All employees are terminated, they will not be rehired, but they can re-apply when the new building is complete. That letter brought much sadness to employees, knowing they would have no jobs and they will miss the friends they have made at the Travel Centre. "It's not the job that will be missed," said a current employee, "It's the people we got to work with." On Saturday, March 27th, management of the Travel Centre planned an on-site Open House, to spend time with current and old employees. Everyone was invited to say goodbye and wish everyone good luck as they go on to find new jobs. "This is the best group of employees on the highway," said General Manager Lorraine Barth, "I hope most of you will come back when we re-open." The new Port Hope Travel Plaza is to be completed in 18 months; the new building will still have a Tim Horton's and a gas station, while adding a Burger King, a pizza shop and a small art gallery.