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Rs - a eee "A Family Tradition for 133 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, October 5, 1999 - 11 Council wants talks over conflicting plans By John B. McClelland Port Perry Star Concerned that two vastly different community groups are both looking at the same piece of municipal property for their respective projects, Scugog council wants to bring everyone togeth- er for a meeting, and soon. The piece of land in question is a tri- angular parcel between Curts St. and the south baseball diamonds of Water St. in Port Perry. One group, the Scugog Shore Millennium Committee, wants to replace an open concrete drainage ditch with a series of ponds that will retain storm water and help filter it before it flows into the lake. This series of ponds is part of an ambitious and costly project to restore a stretch of the lakefront to its natural condition, and build a walking trail from the government dock in the north to the causeway under Hwy. 7A in the east. The other group with possible designs on the property wants to build a park for skateboard enthusiasts that will get them off sidewalks and parking lots in the downtown core. As both projects will not require the spending of tax dollars, and are consid- ered worthy additions to the communi- ty, Scugog councillors have given them support and encouragement. But the skateboard group, made up of parents and youngsters, has stated adamantly that the park must be in the downtown area. They want it close to shops where youngsters can buy snacks and cold drinks, and in a high traffic, well-lighted area for safety and to reduce the potential for vandalism. Council has yet to designate a site for the skateboard facility, although they initially attempted to steer the project towards land behind the Scugog Arena. The citizens' group has strongly suggested preference for a site at the now moth-balled Birdseye Pool, beside "the Memorial Library, but the piece of land along Curts St. has also been sug- gested. And when the Shoreline Committee learned that the Curts St. site was a possibility for the skateboarders, mem- bers were upset. In a Sept. 13 letter to council, com- mittee member Barb Karthein said it "was with considerable dismay" that she learned the Curts St. land was under consideration for the skateboard park. The letter from Ms. Karthein came under discussion at the Sept. 27 meet- ing of council, since there 1s apparently not enough land for the skateboard facility and the series of retaining ponds. "The available land is too small to do both our project and the skateboard park, and in truth the two are not real- ly compatible ideas," says the Karthein letter. It goes on to ask, "How can we make this a win situation, hopefully for both groups? We of the shoreline com- mittee look to (council) for guidance." The letter says the committee is will- ing to meet with council and the skate- board group to discuss its position on the land in question. Councillors agreed on Monday, but they want more technical data on whether it is possible to construct a series of retention ponds for the water that now drains into the lake via the concrete culvert from under Water St. Township CEO Earl Cuddie told councillors that it may be technically impossible to create the ponds in that area because it is virtually at the same level as the lake itself. Meanwhile, during the same discus- sion around the council table at Monday's meeting, another possible site for the skateboard park was mentioned. This is on a piece of municipal land on the west side of Water St. between the two small plazas which contain the Durham Arms Pub and Carmen's Photo shop. Mr. Cuddie told councillors that he and roads superintendent Ronn MacDonald inspected this site recently and concluded there is not enough available land before the steep slope westwards. That slope would need "one very large retaining wall," he said. Councillors agreed that another seri- ous drawback to this site would be com- plaints from people residing in the apartments on the second floor of the two plazas who would be bothered by the noise coming from a busy skate- board park, especially in the later hours of the evening. The politicians eventually decided that once more technical data has been collected on the viability of putting retention ponds on the Curts St. parcel, both groups will be invited to attend a meeting of the parks and recreation committee or council. The shoreline committee, which unveiled plans for its project earlier this year, is in the process of hiring a project manager and hopes to have the position filled early in October. want to hear about (0, TE CO OS NO What's up? If it's news, we 1t: 985-7383 Martin Short a) Feb. 28 Alex Shepherd a) CIBC b) Chartered Accountant 6. Annual Port Perry Star Nutty Chocolatier Easter Egg Hunt 7. Blackstock, Prince Albert, Manchester, Utica, Epsom, Greenbank, Seagrave, Nestleton, Caesarea 8. Scugog Shores Museum 9. Town Hall 1873 10. 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