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m tbe tribune wednesday january 2 1k2 3 council comments jim sanders i s it one board council is now preparing the budget for 1982 a major part of this has always been the community centre boards the recreation committee and arena the master plan for culture and recreation has recommended that these be consolidated under a parks and recreation board r tbe four community centre boards as they are now look after parks in stouffville ballantrae lemonville and vandorf each board is responsible for the upkeep and scheduling of their hall and other park facilities each board is made up of 5 residents and two councillors tbe recreation committee is responsible for reviewing the recreational programs and their budgets then presenting tbe budgets to council new programs are initiated as in dividuals or groups present them to the recreation committee the arena board sets the budget and policy for the arena these boards are all appointed and funded by council the culture and recreation master plan found that although the individual boards were hard working many were frustrated as they had unclear mandates and lacked overall coordination also there was a lack of communication with the public as to what services were available another major problem was a lack of central focus to our recreational services to overcome these problems the plan strongly recommended the formation of a single organization that could assist and coordinate the multitude of volunteers who are the bases of our recreational programs in whitchurchstouffville also this single board would be responsible for organization and development of all our parks and recreational facilities supply programs that are beyond the scope or interest of present volunteer groups and serve the overall recreational needs of all citizens we need this kind of structure to achieve the necessary coordination program development and communication a single board will cut through the red tape real or imagined that many volunteers face when they try to solve problems involving more than one committee without such a single parks and recreation board i do not believe our recreational programs and facilities can be significantly improved or maintained wht wrtbum ii established 1888 r vandrew p cook j advertising manager james thomas barry wwallace editorin chief nl f pubwer 1 editorial dept jim holt jim irving greg coates display advertising dept rod spicer bryan armstrong classified advertisingcirculation joan marshman office manager doreen deacon business office eileen glover national advertising representative dan poyntz 363 1 051 published every wednesday at54 main st stouffville onf tel 640 2101 toronto phone 3611680 single copies 25e subscriptions 31 3 00 per year in canada s35 00 elsewhere member of canadian community newspapers association and ontano weekly newspapers association second class mail registration number 0896 the stouffville tnbune is one of the metroland pnntmg publishing ltd group of suburban newspapers which includes the acton free press ajaxwhitbypickenna news advertiser aurora bannernewrnarket era aurora bannernewmarket era weekend edition the bolton enterpnse bramp ton guardian the burlington post the burlmton weekend post the etobicoke advertiserguardian the etobicoke consumer the georgetown independent markhamthornhill economist and sun the milton champion the mississauga news the mississauga news weekend edition the north york consumer the north york mirror oakville beaver oakville fnday beaver oshawa this week oshawa this weekend peel consumer the richmond hillthornhill liberal the scarborough consumer the scarborough mirror the woodbndge vaughan news i roaming around christmas tree sti 11 in use mi jm by jim thomas 6402100 3611680 editorials must halt false fire calls it cost the taxpayers of whitchurch- stouffville 7600 last year for false fire alarms this is ridiculous chief walter smith says so and so do we while the funds are no doubt available in the departments 81 budget such monies can be put to better use than running around town on wild goose chases these alarms are not mischief calls they come from the several business places that enjoy a free service hookup with the fire station through an automatic alarm panel the siren sounds immediately with virtually no delay on 32 occasions volunteers responded only to learn on arrival some mechanical malfunction had occurred apart from the expense there a risk involved travelling to and from the station could result in a serious accident for what also it forces at least two units out of service that at the same time could be required elsewhere if the stouffville fire department in cluded several fulltime men they could make the run without assistance however with the acception of the chief all are employed elsewhere and must leave their jobs again for what we trust the 1982 fire agreement will contain a clause placing greater respon sibility on those firms causing the problem theres no reason in the world why town taxpayers should cover such costs or fire volunteers should be put to this in convenience the feeding of winter birds has become a popular practice in whitchurchstouffville on a per capita basis i doubt if any municipality in ontario surpasses ours when it comes to coldweather handouts to our feathered friends during various trips around town im always on the lookout for backyard feeding stations for theres always a chance of fin ding something unique something no one else has thought about before the various types are interesting from the extremely crude to the very expensive but all serve the exact same purpose chickadees blue jays and grosebeaks dont consider the dollar value of a container but rather the quality of the food found inside because this is so important im con tinually reading up on the latest recom mendations some work but most dont its discouraging usually i buy the mixed seed at thirty- five cents a pound on occasions i obtain the custom packaged seed and mix my own however neither way works too well all we ever attract are house sparrows and starlings and we get them by the hordes but nothing really special sure all birds are welcome to our outside table even sparrows and starlings but it would be nice even once in awhile to see something a httle less common admittedly im envious of folks who continually attract species of birds we cant like cardinals woodpeckers goldfinches and nuthatches their count is no idle boast either for ive visited such places and wit nessed the results for myself whats so baffling is the fact they do nothing really different the same kind of feed and the same kind of feeder its aggravating while i havent exactly given up on feathered visitors ive turned my attention instead to fourfooted guests rather than the winged variety we now have two of the most beautiful grey squirrels on the block plus a halfdozen cottontails that venture forth around twelve for a midnight snack still we miss the birds and we intend to keep on trying even though our successtodate has been very limited right now were basing our hopes on a thing i learned quite by accident saturday it was during a visit to the home of noel and jean storry hwy 1a in uxbridge township that the subject of bird feeding came up jean explained that they too had enjoyed little luck despite the fact their property is within forty rods of an evergreen forest she concluded that the open space between their house and the bush area out back was too great that the birds wanted additional protection so noel being an innovative land of guy simply at tached a few sprays of spruce to the railing of their rear porch where the birds could feel more secure and its working jean says j they can see the birds but the birds cant see them everybodys happy and so am i for their solution is un doubtedly the answer to our problem the need for additional protection so on sunday neil and marylynn reclaimed our discarded christmas tree and planted it in three feet of snow next to the feeder to its branches they tied giant chunks of suet obtained free of charge from r the local iga now were all standing back and awaiting the result more sparrows and more starlings maybe more squirrels and more rabbits maybe those too right now even a common crow would be welcome at least it would be different fairs future in good hands the 1980 markham fair didnt make a bundle nor did it lose a profit of 9457 in a year when inflation was rampant and weather posed a problem would seem respectable certainly no criticisms in this regard were voiced at the annual meeting jan 13 nor should there have been for it was an ex cellent show that in spite of sometimes in clement conditions operated smoothly r the success of this or any other markham fair or any other program rests to a great extent on its chairman or president while theres a tendency to downplay this role he or she must provide the necessary leadership to assure the projects success in this regard uniorivilles dennis seeley was indeed a leader he handled issues tactfully yet with authority the und of authority that gained urn respect r in addition he had his finger on the pulse of the community creating a family fair atmosphere at a time when cost increases were threatening from every side he also pushed the theme of agriculture first at a time when total urbanization is crowding markham for room these strong points so manifest by dennis seeley are unlikely to change in 1982 for bill walker the newly elected president possesses many of the same traits energetic leadership and a strong focus on agriculture along with this hell be sup ported by a group of excellent officers and directors yes markham fairs futures in good bands this year and for years to come editors mail the bible is truth reader dear sir for board of education trustee linda carder to denounce the teaching of creation in our public schools is very sad is it any wonder hundreds and hundreds of parents are taking their children out of the system and enrolling them in christian schools mrs carder has a right to her own opinions but so do we she is our ser vant and shouldnt forget it to my husband and i the bible is truth from cover to cover we will not be swayed by those who endeavor to tear it apart or accept it piecemeal toying with the scriptures is one of the reasons our moral behavior is in a shambles today if the creation is indeed theory so also is evolution it too lacks scientific support and is continually being disputed even by scientists themselves we live in a very narrow society says mrs carder maybe shes right compared to our us neighbors however one need only look at whats happening in places like detroit and new york to discover that being narrow isnt such a bad idea 1 sincerely phyllis campbell rr2c1aremont dear mr thomas i read with interest the decision by town planning board not to approve the division of ten acre lots two five acre parcels on the bethesda road between concessions 6 and 7 what interested me most was the main reason given for opposing this application by residents shortage of water and poor drainage for septic tanks what rubbage if these folks are truly honest theyll admit they want only to protect their privacy thats really all that matters to them this home is my castle you peasants stay away councillor jim rae hit the nail on the head when he said that those living on ten acre lots like to guard them however in my opinion a lot of such size is ridiculous its a small farm for most five acres is really more than adequate when it comes to proper maintenance some day when cutting grass and pruning trees become burdensome chores theyll look back on their selfish attitudes with regret sincerely rnbykeene rr 4 stouffville dear jim news that stouffvilles longawaited dulverton development is soon to begin comes as a welcome announcement it means that present residents at long last will have help in sharing the rising municipal costs true there will be some initial expense in getting the growth program underway but the overall result will be for the good as the mayor has commented more than once we do not have the money for this or that project as we do not have a sufficient tax base slowly we can expect this position to change to those who would preach no growth no more residents we can only say that this is a selfish attitude they must remember that if those of us who were here even before they arrived had taken this attitude they themselves would not be here we cannot live in an island of isolation this close to toronto but with a controlled program we can make the growth work for the good of all sincerely ch nolan duchess street stouffville 9