WHITBY FREE PRESS, PROGRESS EDITION WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19.1986 PAGE 5 FROM PG. 2 Fireplace Plus offers every liesure need Heatilator brand fireplaces. Heatilator plone- ered the heat cir- culating concept back in 1926. Because of the rapid rise in fuel costs of the past few years, wood- stoves have become a dominant force in the wood- burnlng market. These controlled combustion prod- ucts were a great Improvement ln ef- ficiency and are capable of reducing home heating costs by as much as 50 to 75 percent. Not only is this new breed of wood- stove more ef- ficient, but also smart In appearan- ce offering glass doors and gold, brass or nickel trim as well as built-in fans. Some also have maintenance f ree porcelain finishes in several colors. Aside from Heatilator, Fire- place Plus- also represents such companies as Elmira Stove Works, Vermont Castings Inc., Bis Fireplace and their lines of wood- stoves. Fireplace Plus In order to offer can also arrange for the complete in- stallation of . a woodstove or fireplace and will try to assist those customers who want to do the Job themselves. their customers the best possible ser- vice, Fireplace Plus keeps up-to-date on the latest develop- ments in the wood- burning industry. The Fireplace Plus Is a member of the Canadian Wood Energy Institute, the Wood Heating Alliance of the United States, the Better Business Bureau, the Canadian Federa- tion of Independant Business and the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. Located at the corner of Burns St. and Hopkins St., the Fireplace Plus is open from Tuesdays to Satur- days to serve its customers. Rapid growth the hallmark.of Hydro Commission 1985 marked the end of an Era for the Whitby Hydro Electric Commission as two of It's longest-serving Commissioners retired from public life. Albert Randall, with 32 years and Dr. John H. McKinney with 15 years of service to the community decided it was time to step down. Not that the commission is left without experience. Both chairman Gerald Cox and vice- chairman Bob Cawker, with nine and 21 years service respectively are still there to guide the utility and newcomers Wayne Beaten and Bill Lawler have already shown that the town's utility will be well served in the public's interest. Rapid growth of the utiilty was again the hallmark for 1985 as the Whitby Hydro saw 736 new customers added during the year and already in 1986 more than 200 more customers have been connected. Load growth reflected this as the winter peak load increased by eight percent to 74,725 kilowatts. The utility's power bill, of cour- se, has not been Immune to this growth. The latest monthly bill from Ontario Hydro for purchase of electricity stood at $1,540,0001 Despite this rapid growth in the town, the growth ln employees at the Whitby Hydro Electric Commission has remained modest. Staff level for 1986 stands at 33 full-time employees as com- pared to27 ln 1980. The growth of the town in recent years and in years to come will necessitate the construction by the utility of a new Municipal Substation to meet the in- creased demand ln the town for electric power. The new substation, the first to be installed since 1975, is in the planning stages with anticipated construction in 1987. The new station and associated feeder lines will increase the capacity of the electric system by approximately 20 percent. Electric rates are always a contentious issue but the commission is proud of it's efforts in the past to keep local increases at or below the level of increase charged to the utility by Ontario Hydro. This is no small feat as the utility's cost of power represents almost 85 percent of total utility costs. The result has been to keep the local electric rates among the lowest in the province despite the rapid growth in the town. The commission is proud of its em- ployees and their contribution to the Provincial Association of Electric Utilities in serving on technical and managerial committees which keep the Ontario Utilities on the leading edge of expertise in the Electric Utility Industry. The Whitby Hydro Radio Watchout Program, the Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and St. John's Am- bulance First Aid training for employees are continuing efforts on the part of the utility to better serve the community. M M MAKERS OF PRESCRIPTION AND NON-PRESCRIPTION PHARMACEUTICAL PRODUCTS ARE PLEASED TO BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF WHITBY'S DIVERSE INDUSTRIAL PROFILE 111 CONSUMERS DRIVE WHITBY, ONTARIO 1 (416) 668-3368 Sandoz Anca 1