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oo vehaa TT OA IE 4139 14409 12 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, July 24, 200 "Scugog"s Community Newspaper of Choice" "MA tire ees SY At Beautiful blossoms adorn gallery RIK DAVIE/PORT PERRY STAR Anita Mazzarolo was just one of the many Pine Ridge Garden Club mem- bers who had flower arranging down to an art in the second annual show by the club at the Kent Farndale Gallery. Come see CHEVROLET OLDSMOBILE CADILLAC 852-3331 12800+263-2000 Jao JUARE PIZZA, SUBS °c &WINGS &0 Water Soy 905- 985- 8448 FOC PPOPPPPO TP O0P009000000000000000000000PP PRP RI IPORIRPITPTIITPIPIIPTITIECIES CAN'T MEASURE UP TO BIGFOOT Act li NOBODY BEATS BIGFOOT Merchants demanding more police presence From page 1 One witness report said that when the youths were confronted and asked to leave the parking lot in front of the restaurant, a fight broke out. The witness report, which was filed with police, further states that a woman got out of a vehicle that was passing by and jumped on Mr. Lamont as he strug- gled with the youths. The woman, described by several witnesses as "very ,. large", was also charged by police. As a result of the police investigation, police charged three male young offenders and the mother of one of the youths, who cannot be named to protect the identity of the youth. All face assault-related charges. Rick McCoshen, owner of Rick's Barber Shop, said the problem of youth vandalism and intimidation is not new to the plazas on Water St. "They intimidate people, and there are older tenants of the buildings here who tell me they have been spat on," Mr. McCoshen said. "It affects business, and what's worse is people are afraid. People should not have to be afraid." Mr. Lamont said business owners in the area want the problem of youths loi- tering and intimidating passersby dealt with. "We know the police up here face a manpower problem, and we understand the limitations they face," Mr. Lamont said. "Senior brass and local politicians had better listen to the cops up here who are saying they need more men." Mr. McCoshen said local businesses may take it upon themselves to hire pri- vate security officers, or move, if prob- lems continue to mount. "If cost is a factor, and it usually is, then tell us what we can do to help," Mr. McCoshen said. "We want to work with the police and solve this." Mr. Lamont said police took 20 min- utes to respond to the report of the swarming, which left him battered and bruised. Insp. Deitmar Schoenrock of 26 Division in Port Perry said he sympa- thizes with the business owners, and recognizes the existence of a problem in the area. "What we want is foot patrols in the downtown areas of all our larger towns," Insp. Schoenrock said. "As usual, manpower is a problem, and | would encourage these citizens to make their concerns known. That is how the budget process is altered to solve these things," he said. "l would welcome a meeting with (the merchants) to talk about short-term solutions." In a related incident the same night, two youths became involved in a fight at the Port Perry Plaza on Hwy. 7A that resulted in both crashing through the plate glass window of a barber shop. One youth had part of his ear severed, and the other required stitches to close a gash in his leg. Sources close to the story are specu- lating that there could be a tie to increased youth problems in the north and an increased availability of crack cocaine in the area this summer. Police street crime units and the drug unit are targeting street level dealers in an effort to slow the flow of drugs in the north. For paid an & Great hat VON units undergoing servicing audit VON branches here and across the country are participating in a process that will improve THINK BIG THINK BIGFOOT iy THEY TRY... BUT THE COMPETITION JUST AAA ZEA NEE AL NE EE EEE AE AEE ERE NNNNERENNINRINNRERNNNNIRENRRINNENNENRNERFNYEY RN the quality of care and services it provides to Canadians in over 1,300 communities. As an organization committed to quality improvement, VON has volunteered to undergo an external review by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA). Using national stan- dards, the CCHSA will identify the home and community health care provider's areas of excel- lence as well as areas requiring improvement. "VON is committed to * Butter Flavoured pooping Corn y our clients and to pro- viding them with the highest standard of qual- ity care," said Ambrose Hearn, president and CEO of VON Canada. "We aré very proud of being the largest, non- profit, charitable Home Care organization to par- ticipate in a national accreditation process and of taking the first step in our ongoing qual- ity improvement pro- gram." VON aspires to become accredited by November 2001. rata BIGFOOT. Bion 54 $90 Yocom CLE SSIC %1699 ER ao vi i Sas Mil