Residents oppose Burns St. development Burns Street residents do not wanttheir street improv- ed through Centennial Park and are afraid it will become a "speedway". These views were voiced at a public meeting last Wednesday on the Rotary Club's proposal to develop Centennial Park as a passive park. Burns Street became such a contentious issue at the meeting that Bill Irwin, chairman of the Rotary Club Park Committee said the club might have to postpone development of the park until the street issue is settled. Recreation Chairman Bob Attersley told about 35 people present that council has made a motion to im- prove the existing road allowancethroughCentennial Park to a width of 28 feet with curb and gutter, "in time of need". He stressed that he per- sonally believed it is the intention of the town to develop the street as a local road only when the need arises, and the landscape architects for the Rotary Club were instructed to include,the road allowance in their plan. Former Councillor Gerry Cox asked that public hearings be held on the future designation of Burns Street and Councillors Attersley and Tom Edwards said they would convey his request to council. Commenting on a public works report which requests that Burns Street become an arterial road to link the east and west parts of the town, Councillor Edwards said, this report is not sup- ported by the planning director. "We cannot make Burns Street an arterial road with- out an amendment to the official plan", said Councillor Edwards, since the official plan designates Miller Street, an undeveloped road, as an arterial that would link Burns Street east and west by a route close to Highway 401. The officiai plan wants to keep Burns Street as a local road, frorn Brock Street to Henry Street, and Miller Street is not expected bu be built for 30 to 40 years, he said. Don Stock, a resident of Burns Street West, echoed the feeling of many of lis neighibours when lie said that the only way bu stop an arterial road along Burns Street is bu see that the street does nul go through the park. Co' ncillor Edwards re- Cont'd on P. 2 I~Downtown bylaw bas opposition A NIGHT OF NOEL COWARD Dinah Christie and Tom Kneebone, well-known entertainers, presented a program of Noel Coward and Cole Porter songs at the Peter Perry Award and opening of the County Town Carnival Friday. The performance was weil received by a crowd of about 150 people at Heydenshore Pavilion. Free Press Photo by Brian Winter Further decisions on down- town redevelopment were tabled till September 12 by council Monday, after a deputation claiming to repre- sent 50 per cent of the downtown businessmen objected to the town's proposed improvement area bylaw. Council has called a public meeting for Aug. 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the municipal build- ing to attempt to bring the various factions of the down- town people together. .D. A. Davidson, a chartered accountant inform- cd council that he repre- sented in excess of 50 per cent of the downtown people who were opposed to the project, and more than $600,000 worth of assess- ment. "We thought we had an undertaking from Councillors Attersley and Edwards that this proposed bylaw would go on the shelf" until a questionaire was circulated to all those affected by the proposed bylaw, he said. I don't know where Mr. Davidson got his idea that I was going to delay this", said Councillor Edwards. "We've had a number of meetings. We gave everybody plenty of time to respond. There are some who object, but there are a greater pro- portion of downtown busi- nessmen who want soinething done". Mayor Jim Gartshore told Mr. Davidson that the down- town committee would manage the money for the project and it would not be "mismanaged by thecouncil" as Mr. Davidson had been apparently quoted as saying in the Toronto Star. Mr. Davidson objected that the questionaire was not circulated for at least one month after the bylaw was read twice. Councillor Gerry Emm suggested giving a two-month extension for the merchants to respond to the bylaw, but Mayor Gartshore remark- ed: "It's unfortunate that the people who are now con- cerned didn't concern them- selves before. I know there were some who signed this (a petition presented by Mr. Davidson to council) without having a complete under- standing about this". When Councillor Bob Attersley asked how many had objected to the town, and Administrat or Bill Wallace said "eight", Councillor Attersley question- ed Mr. Davidson on how lie got the names on his petition. As a downtown businessman himself, Coqncillor Attersley said no one had approached him. When he was told there were 80 to 85 names on the petition, Councillor Àtters- ley asked where all these people were when the town had a public meeting on the subject. "You were up against pretty stiff competition; there was a hockey game", said Mr. Davidson. Mr. Davidson told the council that the group lie represents would like to prepare input into what the downtown needs. "We're all interested in making more money and seeing our businesses develop", he said. "Generally we want to see more people drawn into the Cont'd on P. 14 Altamae Eberlee wins Peter Perry Award By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer For the second consecu- tive year a woman has won the Peter Perry- Award as the outstanding citizen of Whitby. The 1976 winner, named at the official opening of the County Town Carnival Friday is Altamae Eberlee, who has spent many years working for social agencies in the Durham Region. Mrs. Eberlee was respon- sible for- the founding of Parents Anonymous, a telephone supportive service for parents who abuse or may abuse their children, and the Child Abuse Committee for Durham Region. Mrs. Eberlee developed her interest in the problem of child abuse when she was a social worker for the Oshawa and Ontario County Children's Aid Society from 1967 to 1969. She went on to become a member of the board of directors of the Children's Aid Society (now Family and Children's Services) in 1971, and has been chair- man of all committees except finance. In 1973, she conceived the idea of Parents Anony- mous and worked through the Oshawa-Whitby Social Planning Council to start the program in October 1974. She set up an ad hoc committee to arrange the program, and since its found- ing, has been chairman and co-ordinator as well as one of the eight volunteer phone answerers. Anyone who has abused their children or feel they may abuse them may call 723-6071 to obtain help and support from one of the volunteers, Mrs. Eberlee says Parents Anonymous receives about five to six calls a week from the southern part of the regon. Mrs. Eberlee's Parents Anonymous was one of the first such groups in Ontario. In 1975, Mrs. Eberlee and Steve Lurie, executive director of Mental Health Durham acted as co-chairman to establish a Child Abuse Committee for Durham Region. Mrs. Eberlee said she was concerned about obtaining better co-operation and understanding between social agencies and the legal and medical professions in child abuse cases. "It's not just a social, legal or medical problem; it's a combination of those three", he says. "We wanted to get better ways of detection and reporting". Since the committee was formed, the Durham Region Board of Education has enacted new procedures for identifying child abuse cases in schools, based on recom- mendations of the committee. Work is now proceeding on setting up a smiliar program for hospitals. Mrs. Eberlee co-chaired the Child Abuse Committee in 1976 and is currently a member of the committee. Through Parents Anony- Arsonist ge A 17-year-old Toronto youth has been sentenced to six years in penitentiary for setting fire to the Whitby Psychiatric Hospital barn last November. Thomas Logan will serve his sentence at the Penetan- guishine Mental Health Centre where he had been sent in May for assessment. A staff psychiatrist told Oshawa Provincial Court Judge Donald Dodds that he found Logan "incredibly immature" with anti-social tendencies that showed up in setting fires. The hospital barn fire resulted in a $200,000 loss. The doctor said Logan showed little remorse for his mous, Mrs. Eberlee has talk- ed about child abuse at high schools in Whitby and Oshawa, and helped students Cont'd on P. 2 ts six years actions in setting the fire, and was prepared to certify Logan as mentally ill to allow him to be sent to Penetanguishene. Judge Dodds was told that Logan's treatment would take anywhere from two to five years. Logan pleaded guilty to arson on May 20. He was an informal patient at Whitby at the time of the fire. The court was told he piled bags near some oil drums by a shed and the barn and set fire to them. The shed fire was extin- guished, but the barn was destroyed. Judge -Dodds sentenced Logan to six years in prison on July 18 r Frr F E SS Ài