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i- 2 The Canadian Statesman, Bowmanville, Wednesday, June 15,1994 Section Two . . K' _ ÆêÉ-$rJi . Assoc. Publisher - Richard A. James y Editor - Peter Parrott "8-Sharon McMullen, Yi2*# : :i i f... -n mo v" ■" ' Publisher - John M. James • _ , 'mmS- Plant Manager - Donald J. Bishop .Rick Patterson, L ' -■ . '■« m ■ Former Publishers piK; • ■ • Rev. W. R. Climie, 1854 -1878 • M. A. James, 1878 -1935 ■r e fporw W Tames 1935 -1957 * wOItc n. lames, l7JJ * Iw/ FrC J " J --- I Pft ' X : V Advertising Editorial I : BîpSl-;S:EËi wÊÊsÈÊÊÊt ^fhçe , .- • vX 1 .'>N-. ."'.'X y ' . . , Angela Luscher, Junia Hodge, : 'B : -, ■' ' ' _____ Reassurance Needed That Hospital will be Full Service The Durham Region acute care study seems to foresee no major changes for Memorial Hospital Bowmanville. Services such as the intensive care beds, and the maternity ward would remain. And, if anything, there is the likelihood that out-patient clinics and same-day surgery would experience some growth. In Bowmanville's case, there would seem to be little departure from the status quo. However, if there is anything which might make Clarington residents uneasy about the study, it may be the fact that the area's hospitals are being looked at in the context of a single health-care system. One cannot help but wonder, when reading the study, if there is ah underlying suggestion that local hospitals such as Bowmanville's will eventually be seen as playing a secondary role to the lafge, regional hospital in Oshawa. If that is the case, then there would be some strong reservations from the Clarington community. It seems to us that the community likes the idea of a local hospital offering a full range of health care services to its residents. And that's what we want to keep. Fortunately, the acute care study seems to indicate Memorial Hospital will see few changes. But, can we be absolutely sure of this fact? When Durham Region District Health Council makes its final recommendations on the acute care study, perhaps there should be a paragraph reassuring Clarington residents that we Will continue to hâve a full-service hospital. Time to Make Better Use Of Education Facilities Christmas came seven months early for local public and separate school boards. , i The boards learned last week of approvals for three new schools serving students in the Clarington municipality. These include a new Catholic high school in Bowmanville, an entirely new elementary school for the growing communities in southwest Bowmanville and a new catholic elementary school for Bowmanville. Funds are also earmarked for a building to replace the aging Newcastle Public School. Ontario's provincial government has earmarked approximately 21.9$ million for these four projects. Local boards of education won't see that money immediately. However, the commitment for funding means the school administrators can proceed with the planning for these schools and actual construction might be completed in about three years' time. It's not an immediate solution to some of the overcrowding problems facing the schools. But, in these cash-strapped times, it is about the best that any school board can hope for. It is also good to see that in the planning of new schools, educators are seeing school facilities as being more than just classrooms for day-to-day learning. Schools are, increasingly, taking on a multi-purpose role. This makes a considerable amount of sense. Since schools represent such a large outlay of cash, it is inefficient to see them sit idle during evenings and weekends. The new elementary schools will each have facilities for child care centres. Such centres use a part of the school building, but are run by the community on a non-profit basis. They are being included automatically in most new schools. In addition, Clarington Ward Three Trustee Bob Willsher has raised the possibility that a new school in Newcastle Village might become the home of a library for the village. At present the local library branch in Newcastle uses rented premises. It remains to be seen whether the municipal library could become part of a school complex. But, it would be hard to ignore the advantages of combining a community library and school facility. A joint-venture with the municipality to include a library in Newcastle Village's new school is certainly worth looking into. With a little imagination, it's possible to foresee other potential uses for school facilities. Some of these uses already apply to some schools. But, it's logical for virtually all schools to become focal points of their community. School premises could be used for sports groups, youth organizations, clubs, evening school classes, seniors groups, arts and crafts exhibitions and even churches. Such community use of school facilities has the advantage of eliminating the need for duplication of facilities. Community use of schools should protect the buildings against vandalism, since they are in use more hours of the day. Finally, the rental fees associated with community use might offset some of the costs of the buildings and their maintenance. And, it goes without saying that the quality of life in a community is enhanced if it has various groups doing their part to make their comer of the world a better place to live. The principle of schools being utilized by responsible organizations outside the educational field is well-established. The rest is up to the community. Aside from getting the maximum use of school facilities by making sure they are open to the neighbourhood, there's only one further way in which the efficiency of school buildings might be improved. Continued on Page 3 Me and my Mad Vac come sweeping through town, Watch out!, you broom-pushers or HI mow you down. Mad Vac cost you your shirt. Watch it stink up the air while I clean up the dirt. What do you think of the Royal Canadian Legion's stand on the wearing of headgear in its club room?. And You Said O O O Audrey Bate Bowmanville "It is a hard and fast rule in the club room. Veterans should be treated equally." Duane Russ Norm LeBlanc Bowmanville Bowmanville "They've taken a "They all fought in stand, but it's kind of the war. Did they dis- discriminating criminate when fight- though." ing side-by-side?" Margaret Coombes Bowmanville "I agree with what the Legion is doing. The Legion has been here a long time, it's their club." Next week's question: Do you think the Chairman of Durham Regional government should be voted into place by the public?