r- - Council to vote Monday on... $6 million recreation complex On Monday night, Whitby council will vote on whether to proceed with a major $6.2 million expansion of the Iroquois Park recreation complex or to opt instead for a more modest proposal ringing in at almost a third the price. And if the proceedings at this week's operations committee ire any in- dication, it's going to be a close one. At Monday night's meeting, Mayor Bob At- tersley and committee chairman Marcel Brunelle were in favour of the $6.2 million proposal. Councillors Gerry Emm and Ross Batten voted for a motion which would see the town spend $2.5 million on a new arena with provision for sum- mer ice, swimming pool repairs and ad- ministrative office alterations. The $6.2 million proposal includes: a new arena with tem- perature controlled viewing area and con- cession, with provision for summer ice; a physical fitness area with running track and change room amenities; four squash courts; a temperature controlled viewing gallery ad- jacent to the swimming area; a multi-purpose room; administrative offices and swimming pool repairs. Financing for the major expansion could be accomplished with existing reserve funds, a Wintario grant and the continued growth of the town during the next three years, according to a town staff report. However, the same report states that the town may have to con- sider alternative forms of financing like deben- turing if the current rate of growth in the town declines. Both councillors Bat- ten and Emm expressed a concern that the town would be putting "all its eggs in one basket" if it were to proceed with the $6.2 million proposai and they feared that it might veto future recreational con- siderations in the nor- thern part of town. Mr. Batten said he had reservations about the extent to which the town should be held responsible to the com- munity for recreational facilities, although he conceded that there was "room for im- provement" in the existing facilities. The councillor said that only the new arena, swimming pool repairs and office alterations were a necessity. "We are strapped right now. We just don't have that kind of dollars," said Mr. Bat- ten in reference to the $6.2 million proposal. Addressing the ad- SEE PG. 3 Heart finale On Friday, the local Heart and Stroke Foundation will kick off the final week of Heart Month with a special offer at Jimmy D's One Hour Photo Service. Throughout the day, owner Jimmy Dimitroff and his staff will process one roll of colour film free for each donation to the heart fund. See story on page 14. Free Press Staff Photo Budget in at $12.9 million The annual Kinsmen Skate-a-thon was a smashing success Saturday when 385 local school children turned out to do their laps at the Iroquois Arena to raise money for cystic fibrosis. The Kinsmen hope to raise close to $4,000 for the cause by the time ail the pledges are collected, according to the event's chairman Charlie Rolland. Children on Saturday had to skate 200 laps of the ice surface in order to collect their full pledge credits and Mr. Rolland said the youngsters seemed to pull off the feat with little trouble at all. In fact they looked like they were having the time of their lives. Seen here with Kin- smen David Glover, Tim Burnwell and Charlie Rolland are skaters Shannon Ewing and her brother Clint, ShaneYakeley, Paul Geudet, Nicole Simpson and Penny Kirby. Free Press Staff Photo It was more than ten weeks in the making and started out as a "wish list" representing a 14 percent increase over the 1985 figures but when all was said and done. last Thursday night, Whitby council had whittled down the 1986 budget to $12.9 million, up 2.4 percent over last year. Described by budget committee chairman Joe Bugelli as a "bare bones no frills" document, the 1986 budget will cost urban taxpayers $10 more for every $5,000 of assessment - $5 for gar- bage pickup and $5 for general municipal pur- poses. In rural areas where residents go without garbage collec- tion, there will be a $5 increase for every $5,000 of assessment. "If you look across the board there is a seven to eight percent dollar growth in all depar- tments but that's been offset by a five percent growth in assessment," said Mr. Bugelli who applauded both the staff and his committee for bringing in only a 2.4 percent increase despite a 4.3 percent increase in the cost of living and a huge jump in the cost of the town's liability in- surance. Whitby council ap- proved close to $80,000 worth of grants to com- munity organizations last Thursday night, in- cluding funds for County Town Singers and the Whitby Brass Band but there was no money to be had for the Whitby Senior Public School Concert Band. In a rather dramatic display of oratory, Councillor Marcel Brunelle said the children should be en- couraged to earn the money on their own and at one point he became so exercised by the topic he puncuated his remarks by slamming the table with his fist. "If we go along with this, it's like throwing Whitby's liability in- surance premiums tripled this year and will cost the town in excess of $160,000. The budget is for- thright and workable, according to the chair- man and contains no hidden costs or provisions for deben- turing. Although he ad- mitted the town has a lot of work to do on its roads, Mr. Bugelli said council was not prepared to sink 100 percent municipal dollars into road recon- struction and main- tenance and more radical measures, such as local improvement levies, were not con- sidered. "We've maximized the dollars that are available under the provincial grant struc- ture," said Mr. Bugelli of fund's earmarked for roads in the town's $5.3 million works budget. By far the most ex- pensive department in the budget, public works' chairman Gerry Emm would never- theless have liked to see more money in the budget for local roads and sidewalks. "Sidewalks in the older part of town are a terrible mess and I wan- ted to see those money at children," proclaimed Mr. Brunelle. According to town policy, sports and cultural organizations are entitled to grants of up to $1,500 to help defray the , cost of travelling to special events. The Whitby Senior Concert Band, which won a first place finish at Toronto's Kiwanis Music Festival Monday, had requested a grant of $1,000 toward the cost of a trip to Mon- treal this spring. "The way it came out is what disappointed me the most - rather than the fact that we didn't get the money," said band leader Bruce Vol. 16, No. 7 Wednesday, February 19, 1986 24 Pages Whitby pitches in Council says no to school band p. I