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8- The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 29, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Town meets to hear what you think By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Gather 20 residents into a room and ask them their thoughts on priorities for Oakville, and you hear about some interesting pet peeves. One man wants the Town to tackle untrimmed shrubbery overgrowing sidewalks. Another thinks the Town offices should be open until 7 p.m. at least one night a week. A woman suggests Oakville should do a better job of enforcing recycling. Other residents suggest better road maintenance, more regular ward meetings, and even a twoterm limit for town councillors. Beyond the individual causes however, a number of common themes started to emerge during the two-hour long meeting held by the town on Monday night. Residents are quite sure they "I think we'd be better off giving away all the buses and just hiring cabs to take anyone who wants to go anywhere." Oakville resident don't want to pay more taxes. They're also a tad skeptical that the town needs all the services it currently has, let alone any new ones. There is general agreement that services need to be regularly reviewed, to ensure they remain both necessary and cost-effective. Oakville Transit takes some particular hits, with several residents complaining about empty buses driving around town. "I think we'd be better off giving away all the buses and just hiring cabs to take anyone who wants to go anywhere," says one man. "It would probably cost half the price." "I want less services and I want to pay less for them," added another man. The message on taxes probably won't come as a surprise to town councillors, and nor will continuing concerns expressed about the town's growth. For years, residents have been expressing unhappiness about the fast pace of development in See Pet page 9 OAKVILLE - Celebrating 150 years! MEETING DATE: Sept. 6, 2007 - Central Library, 120 Navy Street - 7 ­ 9 p.m. Oakville residents are invited to participate in a public consultation to provide input that will help the Town achieve its vision of making Oakville the most livable town in Canada. Residents are asked to come prepared to discuss a number of topics including: · Ways to enhance our accountability · Ways to enhance our natural environment · How to continuously improve our programs and services · How to make these programs and services fiscally sustainable Your participation is important and this process provides you with the opportunity to get your opinions heard. To accommodate as may residents as possible, we ask that you attend only one of the two sessions. To reserve a seat, please contact Nicole Wedgerfield at 905-845-6601 ext 3163 or nwedgerfield@oakville.ca prior to the meeting. This performance data is used to assess how well the Town is delivering and improving municipal services. MPMP also allows municipalities to share and compare performance data to make municipal services even better. To find out more about Ontario's Municipal Performance Measurement Program, visit the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website at www.mah.gov.on.ca. 2006 Performance Measures Now Available Online The Town's 2006 performance measures are now available on www.oakville.ca/performancemeasures.htm. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing requires the Town to provide its Municipal Performance Measurement Program (MPMP) data for eight core municipal service areas, specifically: · Transit · Roads · Fire · Local Government Administration · Water Resources Management · Parks and Open Space · Recreation and Culture · Oakville Public Library The following service will be available on Labour Day (Monday, September 3, 2007): · Zone Express from 8am-8pm and · Regular fixed-route service on Routes 14, 19, 24 and 28 Have a safe and happy holiday weekend! For more information: Ph: 905-815-2020 E: transit-info@oakville.ca W: www.oakvilletransit.com Notice of Road Closure: Monday, September 3, 2007 To accommodate the Oakville Half-Marathon, Lakeshore Road West will be closed between Third Line and Fourth Line from 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM on Monday, September 3, 2007 (Labour Day). Lane restrictions will be in effect for the remainder of the race route (see map). The cooperation of all motorists is requested. For further race details, please consult the event website at: www.oakvillehalfmarathon.com or call 905-949-1910 ext. 235. Lake Ontario N is holding a heritage tree hunt and heritage tree photo contest. A heritage tree is a community treasure. Many Oakville trees deserve recognition for their great beauty, their ecological importance, and their place in history. Community groups, individuals and families are encouraged to nominate and/or photograph trees or groups of trees that are outstanding in age, size, character or rarity. Nominations will be accepted until September 17, 2007. Winning heritage trees and photographs will be recognized at the Mayor's Heritage Tree Awards Ceremony on October 15, 2007. Complete contest details, rules and nominations forms are available at: www.oakvillegreen.org The Oakville Great Heritage Tree Hunt To celebrate The Town of Oakville's designation as The Forest Capital of Canada for 2007 by the Canadian Forestry Association (CFA), Oakvillegreen Conservation Association in partnership with the Town and CFA