www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday July 18, 2007 - 11 Mayor should reconsider plan to add six new arenas All of us want Oakvillians to be more physically active and have a great quality of life, which will make us competitive by attracting and retaining the best people. The new Vision in the Strategic Plan 2007-2010 is "To be the most liveable town in Canada." Most liveable also implies sustainability and listening to the citizens. According to the Oakville Beaver, July 11, Mayor Rob Burton's hope for the end of his term in relation to arenas is to be able to say, "I promised six and I delivered six." This is not sustainable nor listening to the residents. He might have made commitment to interest groups in order to get elected, but his mandate is to do what is best for all residents. The Beaver reports that according to "the Town's official projections, Oakville will need 2.4 new ice surfaces by 2011." In addition to this data, in the last household survey done by the Town as part of the Master Plan of Parks and LETTER TO THE EDITOR Recreation, when a representative sample of all residents were asked for the facilities where the Town should invest more, arenas came out in 15th place. Nevertheless, in the first six months as mayor, Burton has led the Town to purchase the Twin Rinks by Ninth Line, which did not add one centimetre of "new ice" and now wants to build 250 per cent more arenas than what the Town's official projections recommend. The Beaver reports that four pads on North Park would cost $32 million, so the six that the mayor wants would be $48 million (not including land), this corresponds to $815.93 for every household in Oakville. This is not the mayor's money, it will be the residents' property taxes and development charges, which is why it should concern everyone when the mayor states: "I don't believe that I'll be building excess capacity." It is not "I" but "we", and it contradicts the consultant's Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the official projections, and the residents' will expressed in the Town-wide household survey. In the Town-wide survey, four of the top five preferences are related to outdoor activities: bike lanes, outdoor ice rinks, parks as open spaces (sport fields are separate and not as requested), and trails. These are facilities that are used by all residents, regardless of gender, age, background, or conditions. Almost all public investment is good, but since resources are limited, it is necessary to set priorities. I would suggest to the mayor, in order to comply with the residents' wishes and the new Oakville Vision "to be the most liveable Town in Canada" as well as Halton's "Naturally the Best," to create at least two complete trails (good pavement, signage for cars, cyclists and pedestrians, crosswalks in white and crossbikes in blue, separate areas for each mode, etc.) from the east border with Mississauga to the west border with Burlington along Lakeshore and another along Upper Middle, and then four north-south, from Dundas to Lakeshore, including safe crossings of the QEW, which would be along Ford, Trafalgar, Dorval, and Bronte. That would be the minimum grid necessary to begin creating the conditions for Active Transportation to play a role. The good news is that two-thirds are done, the bad is that without the other one-third it does not work. We wish the very best to Mayor Burton and only hope that he will do what is best for all residents. We will accompany him to fulfill the Strategic Vision and Objectives, as long as he listens to all the residents. "We" are in this together; let's build Oakville as good as we know how. GIL PENALOSA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WALK & BIKE FOR LIFE PET rofile P FEATURING ... HOLLY Holly is the anti-dog, more cat-like than dog. She enjoys a good nap followed by a meal and another nap. For a Lab, she's very small and almost red in colour. She loves sunbathing in the yard while napping or eating (see a trend here?). She loves her brother Woody the Springer and doesn't leave his side. PRODUCT REVIEWS NUTRO TARTAR TREATS I love these cookies. Not only do they taste amazing, they help scrub away tartar, fight plaque build-up and freshens my breath! RAWHIDE SHOES Not only do these keep me away from the real shoes in the house but they taste alot better and last me a long time. FLEECE JACKETS This is my Favourite article of clothing. t looks so great on m nd keeps me warm ose cold nights. Store Hours: Mon. to Fri. 8am-8pm, Sat. 9am-5pm, Sun. 10am-5pm Family Owned and Operated for Over 33 Years 905-257-4611 Corner of Trafalgar & g 4002 TRAFALGAR RD. Burnhamthorpe