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"Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, February 6, 2001 - 7 Question of the Week... Will the tax hike | . Hans Buscher In cigarettes Yes, money would be the big reason. encourage you to | don't smoke much quit smoking? anyway and Id qui for my health. Bart Walowski Tom Barnes Yes and no. It's No. If you're going another initiative to to smoke, you're quit. going to smoke. Michelle McLean No, because it's an addiction, so you won't stop because .of the price. Kim Fry No. You'll quit when you want to. If you don't want to quit, you won't. on b: how. of a high-ranking regional official who's on vacation in Florida? = + = Don't ask a J-school grad. an They must be nurtured and made to grow, like tiny . plants, They must be led away from danger, like small chil- dren. They must be scolded and trained the proper way to. do unpleasant things, like érrant puppies. pe They are rookies, and as such are prone to make naive mistakes, be victims of subterfuge, and commit errors of omission. . : a Or commission. "Four, five years in you've become more seasoned. After eight or so, you're a veteran: By the time a decade of service rolls around, you're a lifer. © "And a curious way to spend one's life it is, observing py a helChonestly, ©: CT Ton ei en I r thrill is there than working long and. * tha y that is:something- desig- Butwhat greate J- hard'an a coutordered publica: but capable Be Re is or your having told the an sh y'll threaten to ste you, and prosecute you, and and break you, and then rn you out of town on a rall; it can be creating a s f substance fore the sun is up, and being compelled set the truck as it arrives from the printing plant, all those pages with ink still reeking, and picking up that day's edition, to see what you have wrought? ~~~ ~~ Honest to God: Those are moments that can define your life, and what you are. Rk ~~ You.must care, give a damn, and beyond. You have to love that paper, identify with it to the point where it is such a part of you that it never, ever leaves your mind. When you're on vacation, lying on a beach in Mexico or whatever, you're wondering what's going on back home, what they're filling the paper with. You wake in the middle of the night with ideas to pursue, or to remember tasks that must be performed or to realize with a shock: "Oh my God! | "can't remember if | changed the dateline on the front pagel" ort the periphery, not allowed tobe hare perivher withthe A stand by your work, to ou know you've gotit yu do make mistakes, especially a dozy t page typo, or identifying.a man in-a lady's name, or assigning some junior of mayor, you have to live with it, and omewhere, someone's having a terrific laugh nse; and that they'll be looking just that much mistakes in next week's issue. ) «comes, and you get things right, and good, and golly, there's no better job and ) vorid. Day in and out, week in The local newspaperman. on Friday marked his final Perry Star, a title he has inction for a quarter of a cen- n the print shop at the paper, ng every aspect of the newspa- 1g a reputation as a forthright, com- g member of the community press, 0 publish a newspaper of quality, ogrity. | Pete for almost seven years now, ally impressed with his enthusiasm es this damned paper, the way one ; strived to make it the best in the country. There's a wall of plaques here s testament to that commitment, and more than that; there is the recognition in the community that for "so many years, Pete was The Star, and that The Star So, throughout last week, Pete packed the innumerable items in his office, and moved them - where? ~~ .. Upstairs. He's in the office upstairs, working on his vari- ous projects. He's still doing our Remember When historical feature. ~~ "He might tell you that it makes no sense to let the top floor of the Star Building go unused, but we all know what's really going on: Even if he's not the owner any more, if he's not slinging cameras and banging keys and working to deadline, it's comforting to be in proximity to it all. Because once you're a lifer, you're a lifer. This is not an obituary. But it occurs to me that most of us would like to be remembered, | think, by the same epitaph: A decent guy, and a hell of a newspaperman. Like Pete. oo 'The council table By Chris Hall | SCUGOG FACES THE FUTURE Scugog Township is poised to take a huge step forward in 2001. Cutting costs and delaying com- munity projects has become the sta- tus quo here in Scugog over the past few years. Year after year, and council after council, our township represen- tatives have put off much-needed projects, upgrades and repairs in order to keep costs to the taxpayer low. And, for a few years, that seemed to be the right way to do business. Now, however, Scugog Township seems to have strayed a little from its traditional course of action. What's in the plans for this year? How about a new out- door pool? The township's been without one now for almost three years, and the idea is being given some serious consideration by council members, including Mayor Doug Moffatt, who's never been shy about giving the project his full endorsement. As well, after a year of convincing councillors a skate- board park is needed, and yet another of bickering over a location, Unity Park should become a reality for 'boarding enthusiasts, hopefully by mid-summer. Soil tests have been done (and this time, it looks like things are going to proceed, unlike the Curts St. location) and designs are being drawn up, which will lead to con- struction of the park near the Scugog Arena as soon as the ground thaws. | Continuing with recreation, one can actually see now . the interest among councillors in a second ice pad for the Scugog Arena. Nothing is certain yet, but in council's declaring the need for another sheet of ice as the township's most pressing recreational need in an effort to collect funds through a grant program - and by putting in place a plan to start socking away cash for such a project - residents can see that the effort is there on council's behalf. Discussions have also been held on a new municipal building for Scugog. Construction of a new $2 million headquarters for the township isn't going to happen this year, and most likely not next year either, but it will happen, just as renovations to the Port Perry fire hall have finally occurred. And, to council's credit, they promised recently that -funding for new municipal offices will not come directly out of taxpayers' pockets, via the levy system. Council has stated openly that they're seeking corporate partners from the community, in an effort to ensure property owners aren't on the hook for a brand new building. As for the actual operation of the municipality itself, township staff now find themselves using cutting-edge technology to get their jobs done. Thousands of dollars have been set aside to purchase new computers this year for staff, and more money has been socked away for tech- nological upgrades. Scugog Township will have a new website by the end of this year; most employees have their own e-mail address; and the township now has voice mail, a common convenience (to some) in many businesses, but just recently implemented here in Scugog. For the first time in years, council is investing money in the things the people of Scugog want, while still finding enough cash to cover the needs of the township. Unity Park is the only for-sure thing in 2001 and beyond, but at least township councillors are looking jowarls the future and preparing to take a big step orward. a ------. a. IS