8 Friday, November 18, 2016 brooklintowncrier.com Those Accursed Orange Traffic Cones Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby mulcahyr@whitby.ca Want to know when we will see the removal of the traffic cones over the bridge at Baldwin Street and the 407? So do I! This is one of the most commonly asked questions. (Yes, my lucky husband hears it every week in the hockey dressing room) And I understand why. It's causing traffic turmoil. This is, however, not a Town of Whitby project. We are continuously asking the MTO for updates on this and when the cones are coming down. We are told weeks and then watch while no progress is made. It is frustrating but I assure you that staff and council are continuously asking. The positive side is that the bridge further up Baldwin Street seems to see continuous work. This again is MTO, but at least we are seeing work being done. In the meantime the Town of Whitby project that is complete is the service improvements along Cassels Road. I thank everyone for their patience during that project. Here's a shout-out to the residents of Aster Crescent, Carson Avenue, Dodge Drive and Queen Street who attended a public meeting at Town Hall a couple of weeks ago. The meeting was in regards to the proposed infill project at the north end of Queen Street on Baldwin Street. While it hasn't yet come to Planning, this was a great opportunity for residents to express concerns to both us at council and the developer and builder. This is how municipal government works. While I live in the community and have heard them first-hand, the meeting gave the rest of council a better understanding of the project and of the community's con- cerns. We won't see this come back to us until approximately the second quarter of 2017, but the large turnout and well thought out comments have been documented and won't be easily forgotten. Thank you for caring enough to take the initiative to both attend and speak. Mark your calendars for Thursday, December 1st, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. to visit Council Chambers at Town Hall for another important Open House. This is about Whitby's Official Plan. It's difficult to engage people in this process as it's not like the aforementioned project that has a direct impact on your own street. This though is the backbone of what our entire community will look like. It will shape the community for years to come and is structured by conforming to the Region's Official Plan and the province's policies. The project has been underway for some time. There will be a final opportunity for input in 2017, but we are getting near the end of the process before we submit it to the Region for approval. In the meantime, I shall continue to pursue the traffic cones problem. Just remember: when you're cursing them out, you're not alone. I, too, have mumbled expletives when I drive by. Hopefully no one can read my lips. A Month for Procrastinators Blooming in Brooklin By Ken Brown This November weather is a procrastinator's dream. I've been very slow at cleaning up the garden. Being able to do it in my shirt sleeves instead of my parka has been delightful. Some of that procrastination has been dictated by the warm weather. I'm not about to rip good looking begonias from their containers until the frost has knocked them down. Dahlias are one of the most frost-sensitive plants in the garden and they all turned quite black with the first frost. The tubers have been dug up and are temporarily in the cold frame. They sit in that dry warmth so the soil around them will dry out and become easily removed. Once that's happened, I'll them put into cardboard boxes filled with shredded paper and store them in a cooler part of the basement. They don't go into the actual cold cellar because it can occasionally freeze, a death sentence for dahlia tubers. With the first hard frost, 95% of begonias are done and the leaves on the large hibiscus standard are looking pretty sad. I'll wait to see if they fall off. When they do, I'll cut that hibiscus back by about 2/3 and then bring it indoors for the winter. That's been my technique for the last two years and it's far superior to repeated spraying to stop any creatures moving in with it. The frost kills the spider mites and white flies that might be hiding on the plant. If there are no leaves, then there are no spots for the few survivors to hide. The woody part of the tree will happily leaf out again in a very short time. Another procrastinator's delight. We ate our first brussels sprouts last week; they were delicious. That's a good thing because they liked this summer's conditions and have produced a bumper crop. We'll be eating them boiled, roasted, shredded and in several other forms until Christmas dinner when they are a family tradition. The front porch still has several boxes of tulip and narcissus bulbs waiting to be planted. They'll be just fine as the soil is still relatively warm. I've planted tulips on New Year's Day and had them perform just fine, albeit a bit late. Take advantage of this wonderful late warmth and head to the garden centre where you'll probably find a great assortment of bulbs on sale. A great spring garden at reduced prices and with a minimum of effort. What could be better? The week's predicted warm weather will make it comfortable to dig in my planters and find the tubers the begonias have created. They'll get the soil dried and removed just like the dahlias and then stored in the same conditions. The hard part is trying to keep track of which colour each one was so I can pretend to care when I'm starting them up again next March. Many of those wonderful begonias produced a mass of seed as well and it's always fun to grow some of it and see what I get. The begonias are all hybrids so you rarely get something identical to the parents. Sometimes the new ones are better and you wonder why you wasted the time and effort. That's one of the joys and adventures of this gardening thing I do and love to share with you. Walk down Christmas Lane Children are invited to join in a community event full of decorations, lights and holiday spirit, all for free, at the Kids' Safety Village of Durham Region. This year, the business community and volunteers have come together to help celebrate the 22nd Anniversary of the Kids' Safety Village with nine magical nights for the entire family. This special event is open to the public nightly from Friday, November 18, to Saturday, November 26, from 5:30 - 8:00 pm and will include 26 miniature buildings and storefronts, holiday inflatables and projections all decorated in the spirit of the season. Kids' Safety Village of Durham Region is located at 1129 Athol Street in Whitby. Everyone is welcome! On November 18, 19, 25 and 26, enjoy a free hot chocolate from the Optimist Club, have fun creating festive decorations with Station Gallery volunteers, and meet members of Durham Regional Police in the police station, Durham Region firefighters in the village fire hall, and members of the Rotary and Lions Clubs. Visit the Kids' Safety Village Church with the original Journey to Bethlehem from Cullen Gardens and Miniature Village. Support the new Kids' Safety Village Fire Safety Smoke House Classroom project by donating your change. Register at: www. durhamsafetyvillage.com. For more information, visit: www.durhamsafetyvillage.com or call 905-668-9893 or email safetyvillage@drps.ca.