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ee rode J WEE MER NE TE Se ER BY 8 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, February 14, 1989 Letters A really bad case of the February Blahs for this writer! To the Editor: It is definitely time for the "February Blahs", so please allow me to air some of mine. Blah! - To the confusion regar- ding the solution to the hazards and dangers of U-turns at the foot of Queen Street. It seems to me that the least expensive and most effective answer would be (1) posting ""No U-Turn" signs at the approaches to the intersection and (2) create a "STOP" for any traffic approaching from the Lakefront extension of Queen Street. This would mean two by- law amendments but would be far, far cheaper, quicker and more effective than creating any turning circles or other roadworks. . Blah! - To the ice fishermen, haphazardly (and usually all day) at the foot of roads leading to the Lake. They create dangerous pro- blems, parking at intersections and restricting visibility, and fur- ther limiting manoeuverability in icy or snowy conditions. They leave pop, beer cans and bottles, paper cups, hamburger con- tainers and dump the contents of the ashtrays where they park. They leave garbage and debris on the Lake so that, when we go to put our dock in in the Spring, we ALWAYS run the risk of stepping on broken bottles, etc. And, worst of all, they leave their fish huts, or parts of their contents, on or in the Lake so that boating is an ex- pensive hazard in the summer. Every single year we "harvest"' sundry flotsam from the Lake as six-feet square boards (a hut floor or roof?) to two-by-fours, sheet metal, coolers, wooden boxes and metal pails. Blah! - To the tearing down of the Old Creamery. Granted it is not what one could describe as a beautiful monument, but it is a small and significant piece of Port Perry's past; could it not, like the outstanding and beautiful professional buildings on Queen Street, be given an exterior facelift such as was done with I.G.A. with such pleasing results, and renovate only the interior? Blah! - To plans for yet more strip plazas, mini-malls and the like. We are in dire danger of Port Perry becoming standardized, bland and conforming to meet everyman's stereotypical idea of who park their vehicles a result of the ice fishing, from ANY small town, ANYwhere! We're at it again! It's renovation time at the Star. Almost every couple of years for the past quarter century, we've had Nick Rensink and his boys drop by the office to do a little ripping and tearing as more room is needed. Nick's association with the Star began back in 1963 when my parents purchased the local newspaper, and began immediately to modernize the building and equipment. I'm not too sure just what the first renovation in- cluded, but | have heard tales that it may have been putting in a "real" washroom (there was a chemical toilet in the basement in 1963), and converting an old coal furnace to oil. | can clearly remember my dad telling me, the first winter after purchasing the Star, they would have to stoak-up the coal furnace Mon- day moming and it would take the entire morn- ing to get warm. In fact, it was so cold in the shop after a weekend the printing machinery would not even turn-over for two or three hours. When | arrived at the Star in 1967, there was still a considerable amount of the building untouched. The backshop looked much like it must have fifty years earlier, with plaster lathe falling off the 12 foot ceilings, the walls covered with Sears calanders dating back to the 1950's. The smell of ink and paper greet- ed anyone who passed through the modern- ized front office to the "backshop" where the real work was done. Well all that has changed here at 235 Queen Street. Twenty five years of renovat- ing has seen us move offices from one side of the building to the other, install staircases, re- move the elevator (yes, we had an elevator), refurbish the front, build additions on the back, the side and on the top; move out old equipment and install new, lower ceilings, im- prove heating, add air conditioning, etc., etc., it has come to the point whenever | call Nick on the phone, he says "what are you go- ing to move now?" He and the boys have put in so many walls, and then removed the same a few short years later, they are no longer us- ing as many nails. They know il won't be long until we change things again. Rick Larocque has been around doing our electrical almost as long as Nick. In fact when he first started doing jobs here at the Star he was an apprentice electrician with Ken P. Mur- ray Electric. Rick always did our work, so when he went out on his own some time ago, we just kept calling on him. iRandom Jottings by ]. Peter Hvidsten I'm sure Rick couldn't even tell you how many miles of wire he has run through.the skeleton of this building. Talk about rambling, when | started writing this | was just going to mention that we were in the midst of a 'minor' renovation. The work crews converged upon the production area last Tuesday morning, building a couple of walls, and removing another. At one point | counted six men out in the confined production area tripping over each other, but they each knew their job and it was done professionally and quickly. The interesting thing about all of this is that over the past 25 years, Nick has not changed a bit. He says he has mellowed somewhat (and | supposed | would have to agree), but there are still surges of the old Nick we have known for SO many years. He still rants and raves at his workmen (one of whom is his son Jan), there are still a few of those unprintable Dutch sayings that Nick can bellow so eloquently, and there is still that frus- trated look when things are not going as fast as he would like to see them go. Yes, Nick has changed. He doesn't work 10 hour days being a contractor and then go home to milk 40 Holsteins anymore. In fact, he is even known to grab a power nap after lunch before coming back to work. But Nick has been working as hard or hard- er than anyone | know for over forty years now, and he has earned a right to start taking it just a "little bit" easier. He has recently built himself a new home on his farm of many years, and he and his wife Jannine are now enjoying some of life's mod- ern conveniences. ' Good for you Nick. Enjoy every minute of every day, because you deserve it more than anyone | know. "By the way Nick, what are you doing next week. There is another wall that | think we should move!" IN CLOSING Had a post card arrive at the Star a couple of weeks ago from Shirley and Howard Garvie who are now living in Japan. They write "thought you might like to know your anniver- sary issue travelled all the way to Japan. We enjoyed reading both the history of the paper and recognizing names from our years at P.P.HS." it's always nice to hear from former resi- dents, thanks for the note Shirley and Howard. Port Perry is unique: Small in area but big in heart and com- munity spirit. All the wonderful efforts made by our merchants and professionals over the past ten years, to refurbish and restore the main street to give us a quaint, beautiful and vibrant cen- tre, while maintaining an at- mosphere of old world country charm and character should not be dissipated and diluted by the imposition of "convenience' or fast-food outlets. Enough! We have enough! Blah! - To the development of the Highway 7A/Conway area! I realise it is too late to stop the plans, but can Council not, in some way, impose some restric- tions and control on the proposed construction so that any buildings would not destract from the sur- roundings? An excellent example of good land use and pleasing development is the condominiums near the Library. No one would argue that they do not fit in well, and they were planned with respect for the character and nature of the Lakefront area. Cannot similar standards be set for the Highway 7A lands? In any event, whatever else is planned for that area, the consultant would be well-advised to allow the bulk of the land for parking; any residents, shoppers or visitors to the place will not be able to exit onto the highway, into what is already a huge and confusing mess of traffic. And, finally: Blah! Blah! Blah! - To the latest go-around by the Ministry of Natural Resources in its itch to do 'something' with the 400 acres of their land at the top of the Island. We went through all of this fifteen years ago, when the brainstorm was to "Install 300 campsites, with appropriate hydro and hygiene facilities to provide everyone with the oppor- tunity to visit and enjoy the beau- ty of the natural surroundings and abundant wildlife in the area" (quoted from presentation by M.N.R. at the time). Anyone who knows the area also knows that it is reached cautiously and with respect (cars have to drive slow- ly because of the bumpy approach road).True there is g boat- launching, a pebble "beach'"', natural surroudings and plenty of wildlife (the fur and fowl variety). People can visit the area and ac- tually enjoy peace and quiet and a sense of really being "away from it all". If the area is struc- tured, manicured and formalized (there's that conformity and stan- dardization again!) what will happen? First the natural state: will disappear, next there will be an influx of people (and possibly wilder life than before) expecting "facilities" - and what about the ducks, geese, herons, racoons, muskrat, beaver, deer, etc.? They will high-tail it to a place where they can enjoy peace, quiet, natural, undisturbed surroun- dings, of course! Port Perry has grown enor- mously over the last ten to fifteen years. Please don't let us allow it to become yet another confusing, characterless, bland and predic- table satellite mini-city. Let's hold on to the small town, family com- munity, beautiful and quaint, that we have, and let's make sure that others respect the unique charm that makes living here such a pleasure. Sincerely, Vonne Haigh, R.R.3, Port Perry. Thrilled about our local hospital service To the Editor: I recently gave birth to my son in Community Memorial Hospital. Many of our friends were surprised and/or amused that we would travel all the way to Port Perry with such megahospitals as Oshawa and Ajax just as close. I could not make them understand that what I was looking for was the fine in- "dividual care and concern that I knew I would receive at Port Perry. As expected the care I received from all the staff from the doctors down to the cleaning staff was, in a word, terrific. (Turn to page 9) Conservation danger (From page 7) : establishing standards for conser- vation practices and resource management. Guardians of huge natural preserves, their respon- sibilities have included the protec- tion of lives and property through flood and erosion control; forest, fish, and wildlife management, and outdoor recreation and public education services. Their con- tribution to the quality of life in Ontario cannot be understated. Yet our conservation authorities are in danger. A recently released government report, '"'A Review of the Conser- vation Authorities Program," proposes reforms which, if im- plemented, will dramatically alter their current structure and financing. Local autonomy in pro- gram and administrative struc- ture would be lost; and services we have come to take for granted jeopardized. The Ontario Progressive Con- servative Caucus is greatly con- cerned that bureaucratic conve- nience is being given precedence over the individual needs of con- servation authorities. Your readers should be made aware of this Review, and how changes to the Conservation Authorities Program could affect their lifestyle. . In working towards a sus- tainable society, conservation authorities are our first effort at linking conservation of the natural environment with respon- sible economic development. Pro- posals to change such a successful system must be brought before the citizens of Ontario for con- sultation and approval; we cannot afford the repercussions of hasty amendments. 1 urge all of your readers to join with me in ensuring that the quali- ty of our Conservation Authorities Program is maintained; so that in the future, our children will see the Nature that we enjoy today. Sincerely, Jim Pollock, M.P.P. Hastings-Peterborough, PC Natural Resources Critic be AA un WEG. i iG Sain Ca Lael SR all SARK RI So J CCC COO) "+