Committee rejects gas station Whitby administrative commit- tee has rejected a Canadian Tire plan to locate a gas bar at Dundas St. E. and Bowman Ave. after debate over the traffic impact that would result. At the meeting, attended by a few area residents who had previously opposed the plan, councillor Gerry Emm disputed figures in a traffie impact study which showed that there would only be a six to eight- vehicle increase in volume on Bowman with the gas bar. "I fail to believe that," said Emm, who ultimately made a motion to reject the application, thus overturning a planning staff recommendation to approve the station. "You're way out on your figures," he told George Horning, of Marshall Macklin Monaghan,the consulting engineers hired to do the study by Canadian Tire. Emm said there would be "much more traf- fic" on Bowman because of the gas bar. Horning had indicated that the traffic estimates were made based on other studies of gas bars in On- tario and on current volumes along Dundas during peak hours of travel in the morning and afternoon. He noted that 60 per cent of those who would use the gas bar are already on Dundas "for another purpose" while the other 40 per cent would go to the station "as a matter of cour- se," meaning on the way to another destination. It was estimated that 375 vehicles would use the gas bar on a typical weekday. Ken MacDonald, one of the residents at the meeting, said drivers might not go back onto a busy Dundas St. after exiting the gas bar but instead would go down Bowman. "We can't make an intelligent decision based on this traffic report," he said. Entrance to the gas bar would be off Dundas and the exit onto Bowman. "This is the most inappropriate proposal ever put forth in Whitby," said John Townsend of Bowman Ave., noting that the area already had five gas stations. "Why do we need another one?" Townsend said another gas bar would only "irritate" an already "major traffic problem." Mayor Bob Attersley said, he couldn't agree with Emm's motion because other commercial developments, which might also bring traffic increases, could locate on the property without even rezoning. "We're leaving it wide open for something else to walk in there," he said, adding that Canadian Tire had proven to be a good corporate citizen. Councillor Joe Bugelli, acting as committee chairman in place of Marcel Brunelle who was ill, agreed with Emm and residents that traffic would be "aggravated" should the gas bar go in and so rejected the plan. He said it was his opinion that a gas bar would draw more traffic than other kinds of commercial development. Lorne St. Louis, a director of development and operations for Canadian Tire, said the company had made an offer-to-lease for the property for 40 years. But Bugelli said the zoning and agreement would also be longterm for the property while the ownership could change. Office closed on Monday The Free Press office will be News copy may be submît- closed Monday for the ted through the mail siot at the Thanksgiving Day holiday. Free Press door until 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 12. Deadlines for classified and Next weeks paper will be display advertising will be 5 published as usual, on Wed- P.M., Friday, oct. 9.,nesday. Seniors'needs are studied FROM PAGE 1 was unaware that patients were living in seniors' buildings and that he would look into the matter. Nancy Sheppard used the oppor- tunity to ask if there was any chan- ce of another bowling alley opening Mixed club in Brooklin.......... FROM PAGE I clubs. New clubs may be mixed while existing clubs will vote whether or not to include women. Jim Dimitroff said it.is unlikely that the Whitby club will vote to in- clude women, especially since the Brooklin club is now mixed. Vick expects the Brooklin club to do well in the community. "It's easier to run something like this in a community than in a town like Whitby." he points out. ex- plaining that participation in even- ts could be higher on a smaller community level. Several representatives from various levels of Optimist Inter- national, which supports,. in par- ticular, programs to benefit youth, attended the charter meeting last week. up in Whitby. In August, County Bowl on Byron St. N. was torn down to make way for a parking lot to serve the new medical building on Centre St. N. "Bowling is very important to seniors. Many, many people were disappointed. We have lost our only theatre and now the bowling alley. What else is there left in Whitby? Not too much," said Sheppard. Other concerns for seniors in- cluded learning the metric system; establishing a health and legal in- formation clinic; more hits shelters and more seniors' housing. Gary Adams, a representative from the province who is on the study committee, told seniors the suggestions will be considered. He said a final report, based on the study and the meeting, will go before council in a few months. W HITBY FREE PR ESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1987, PAGE 3 the WHITBY FREE PRESS will be closed on iThanksgiving Day Monday, October 12th, 1987 Deadline for all classified and display advertising will be this Friday, October 9th at 5 p.m. RutPie Re o ee f e T e.Sea LAAA A ok SteeFUR eFORign.i MARCRuEDIT CAR S ACCEPTE LAYAAY N U FRONY$1 Exclusive Alfred Sung Dealer for _Durham Region