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Vol. 75 · # 3 Wednesday, January 25, 2012 GST Included $1.25 Serving Kendal, Kirby, Leskard, Newcastle, Newtonville, Orono, Starkville and Tyrone since 1937 Older Adult Centre seeks parking resolution The parking issue at Clarington's Older Adult Centre will be dealt with in 2012, following a resolution by that Centre's Board. Almost from the beginning of the Centre's history, parking has been a problem at the 26 Beech Avenue property. The municipality purchased the Beech Centre from the Bowmanville Lions Club in 1998 for an older adult recreational centre. The property came with the assurance that parking would be made available when necessary, according to Angie Darlison, Executive Director of the Clarington Older Adult Association (COAA). As the social hub for its 1,566 members, the Centre is stretched most days with only 79 parking spaces. Lack of parking is causing members to stay away from some events, according to Darlison. Parking at the Centre was the major item at the COAA's latest board meeting, held on Friday evening. At this meeting, the Board passed a resolution requesting that the Municipality allocate funding in the 2012 budget to enable an engineered solution to the Beech Centre parking situation. Councillor Ron Hooper, Council liaison to the COAA, brought the resolution forward at the tail end of Monday's General Purpose and Administration Committee meeting. As the COAA Board did not see any funds in the 2012 Municipal Budget allocated to its parking problems, they felt compelled to force the issue by requesting Council deal with it in the 2012 budget. "When our Board Members saw nothing earmarked for the parking problem at the Beech Centre, they wondered if it would be deferred for another year," Darlison told the Orono Times. "We brought the issue to the table now so it would not be too late," she stated. Council begins 2012 budget deliberations this Friday. The resolution came out of mistrust by members of the COAA that Council is not willing to address the parking issue, Mayor Adrian Foster told his fellow Councillors at Monday's meeting. Darlison agreed with Foster's assessment, but added following Monday's GP&A meeting, "We are optimistic that this Council is supporting our Centre and our mandate and there will be a resolution to our problem." Last November, Council agreed to hire a consultant for $5,000 to look into the parking situation at the Beech Centre, and a report is expected in the middle of February. At the same November meeting, staff was instructed to look into the possibility of covering the Bowmanville Tennis Club courts - which are on Beech Centre property - with a material which would allow the courts to be used for parking during the off season. Councillors agreed to deal with the Beech Centre parking issue following the release of the consultant's report. Any funds required to deal with the parking issue will come from a reserve fund at the recommendation of the Municipality's Director of Finance. "We are committing some money to do something," Foster stated. "That something, and the amount of money will come out of those reports," he said. The intent of Council's decision is to give the COAA a sense of commitment from this Council, according to the Mayor. "They are tired of this thing sliding and sliding," he stated. Every Council since the Centre was purchased for an Older Adult Centre has been faced with the facility's parking problems. The Honour: MPP John O'Toole was given the honour of carrying the haggis as part of the 4th Annual Robbie Burns Dinner & Dance held at the Orono Town Hall on Saturday. Proceeds from the evening will support the Clarington Museums and Archives.