WIIITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, JULY 3,1985, PAGE 13 He 's "the driving force" of the downtown board..... Merchants praise Ed Buffett for efforts By JAN DODGE Free Press Staff Lilting sounds from a flute and guitar trio, wine and cbeese, and a guest speaker from award-winning Burling- ton were the ingredients for Oie first annual meeting of Oie Down- town Improvement Area Board of Management last Tuesday evening. -At Whitby Station Art Gallery members of Oie downtown board met to "Get to know your neighbour." Some came to learn, some to support, some te excbange ideas for Improvement, wbile oOiers came te enjoy Oie wlne and chee and get acqualnted. AI Tennant (Kitchens by AI) bad net been in- volved with the board before but he said, "It depends on tonlght." It was aIse a flrst ex- perience for Gisela and Rene Camrere (Carriere Coiffure), Monique McLean (Radio Sback), Muriel and Bernard Clarke (The Natural Measure), Weldon Cole (Durham Appliance Parts) and Henry Smits (Brooklin Sports). There were many supporters of wbat the board is doing, and in priular wbat Ed Buf- feas chairman is doing. "I've got te be suppor- tive," said Mayor Bob Attersley. "I'm also a merchant." Refemrng te Whitby atmospbere Jim Dimitroff (Jimnmy D's Photo Sbep) said, "We bave Oie only city that's a town. I tink this is a great idea for people te get te know each other. Eddie Buffett is doing a great job."1 "Ed is the real driving force. The rest of us are trying to keep up. Under bim I Oink the down- town will go," said Brian Binder (Photocopy Intake Management Services). STORY HOUR The Whitby Public Library will hold a story hour for children aged 6 te 9 every Tuesday from 2:30 te 3:30 p.m. from July 5 te 20 in the program roomn. It wil be an afternoon of stories, games and craf ts. Registration is limited and begins this week at Oie chldren's desk. For more infor- mation cail 668-653. ONE PARENTS' FAMILIES The Oshawa Capter of Oie One Parent Families Association of Canada meets every Tuesday at 8 p.m. at St. Andrew's United Chur- ch, 71 Simcoe St. S., Oshawa. The meetings are open te the public and new members aý re welcome. For more in- formation cail 579-7338. There was praise for Whitby, too. Sharon Hewson (Collections by Sharon) said local papers are too critical of the stores. "I feel the sbops and services we bave are quite superior. I like Witby and I love the people." Jo-An" Jordan, a freelance graphic artist, who bas designed two logos for consideration by Oie board said, "I prefer to sbop dlown- town. 1 would like to see more improvemnents. " A nuznber of mer- chants noted Whitby's four corners. What ideas do Oie merchants have for im- provemnent? 1"We need to get people unlted. Tbat's what this (wine and cheese party) is al about. We need unity in store fronts to make downtown look more uniform. It's easy said, but not easy down," said Larry Batherson (The Sboe Works Limited), treasure of Oie cdown- town board. Hewsen (Collections by Sharon) would like to see more sbops and bat- ter parking conditions. "My custemers get parking tickets right and left because it takes more than a haif hour to buy adress. 1"We need to get Oie feeling across to both the public and the mer- chants that we are a conimunîty," she ad- ded. Joe Ottenbrite (Ot- tenbrite Men's Wear) said, "We need to start at the front and work back into the store... .we should draw up plans of each individual store, one to conform with the other to create unifor- mity .. .to create a com- pletely different flavor, like Yorkville in Toron- There were sorne con- cerns as well. Ottenbrite said that heavy truck traffic in the downtown area provided a hazard to shoppers around the four corners. He said tbe Whitby four corners were unique and "could be a tourist attraction," if developed. Cole (Durham Ap- pliance. Parts) said there was a group of people wbo congregate witbin two or tbree blocks downtown who provide a nuisance fac- tor. "Some drink,- some curse and swear, one frightened a girl in my store yesterday ... 1 feel sorry for tbem, but they do bang around. " Cole said one of the reasons be bad just moved from a store which had a front step to one wicb didn't was because these people would collect on the step and customers were unwilling to go past. Wayne Owen (The Shoe Works) said that things such as bankrup- tcy sales which continue for a year and haîf "make the downtown look like a joke. " Owen said, "One of the board's functions sbould be to draw a downtown anchor store." It would attract business to the down- town area. What was the reaction to the speaker? "Carol Nixon bit the nail on the head. We could use more of that kind of outside ex- perience," Binder (Pbotocopy Intake Management Services) said. "She was very fair to raise questions about Oie possibilities due te population growth wiOiout making con- clusions," Bill Wallace, Whitby town ad- ministrator, said. Michael Boland, a lawyer witb Wm. G. Ir- win, said, "Her cem- ments were very general, she left it to us te figure out bow. " Reg. Coun. Tom Ed- wards agreed with Nixon that wbile physical changes are valuable, we must have a focus. "We must maintain a mental positive attitude of progress and develop- ment." Edwards remem- bered how the down- town board started. "I was instrumental in in- troducing the concept in 1972, in '75 we applied for application to the provincial government to cerfity and authorize the BIA, in '77 it became active. "Then, we had a budget of $10,000. There were a lot of vacant stores downtown and incurring further ex- penses, so a decision was made to go easy . "Now the board bas the CAIP (Commercial Area Improvement Program) grant money of one million for carrying out their program," he added, one quarter million is fromn the provincial government and it bas been matched by the mercbants and Whitby council who will put in WE1 JUST HOP "Bly '83 there were sgnificant changes in the attitude. There were a lot o! new people on the board with lots of new ideas. I rested on my laurels for one year to make sure they meant what they said," he continued. 'II can't say enough about the entbusiasm of the committee and especially Ed Buffett. Their enthusiasm bhas a ripple effect on the This gathering would not have been possible a year ago. I am honored to have been the bridge person between the committee and coun- cil." Centre Ward Coun. Marcel Brunelle, sum- med up the plans for the BIA. "lIt has happened because the merchants themnselves are becoming involved. The town is net imposing it on them. 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