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PAGE 10, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 1976, WHITBY FREE PRESS Despite financial restraints Recreation department movin g on park development By BRIAN WINTER Staff Writer With inflation and tight budgeting, the Whitby Recrea- tion department has had to cut back on its park develop- ment this year, but this does not mean that its staff will be idle. "This will be a year to stop and catch up to ourselves", says Recreation Director Wayne DeVeau. "It is a good time to concentrate on a master plan being devel- oped for parks in co-operation with the planning department". "This is no small project", he says. "and it is difficuit to assess how much time it will take. This period gives us time to stop and reflect and look at where we're going down the road. We have to determine what the need is going to be and how we are going to finance these projects. A five-year forecast is being presently reviewed by the staff committee". Despite financial cutbacks, Whitby is likely to get some more tennis courts this year, providing the debenture financing is approved by the Ontario Municipal Board, says Mr. DeVeau. There are plans to con- struct two tennis courts at Palmerston Park, and three tennis courts adjacent to the Brooklin Memorial Arena. Another project will be repairing the Brooklin arena parking lot at a cost of $45,000. "By the end of May we will have air conditioning at Heydenshore Pavilion. It's out for tender now", says Mr. DeVeau. "With this we hope to ificrease rentals in the summer months". As part of the same program, Whitney Hall in the Iroquois Park Arena was air conditioned last year. A number of projects left over from last year are also being completed, says Mr. DeVeau. One of these is lighting for the Peel Park soccer field to be installed by mid-May. Another carry-over from last year is the completion of the baseball diamond at Iroquois Park. The possibil- ities are slim that it will be playable this year because of late OMB approval, says Mr. DeVeau. Mr. DeVeau points out that the town's service clubs are very active in park development this year, and this is "a good healthy sign". The Jaycees have nearly completed a master plan for a children's play and exercise area and tree planting in D'Hillier Park, the Whitby Kinsmen Club has indicated it will install some new play apparatus in Kinsmen Park, and the Brooklin and District Kinsmen Club started at the end of April to develop a park behind the Brooklin fire hall. The recreation department has worked closely with the service clubs in planning their projects, and will be meeting in May with the executive of the West Lynde Com- munity Association to discuss how the association can become involved in further development of Central Park. The recreation departnent hopes to install new lighting over the lawn bowling green on Brock Street South adja- cent to the senior citizens centre, with the assistance of a New Horizons Grant, says Mr. DeVeau. According to Mr. DeVeau, one of the biggest needs apparent in the ·town is for softball diamonds that are playable. The Whitby Minor Baseball Association and Whitby Girls' Athletic Asso- ciation have become very active in the past year", and by next year we're going to have to get something", says 'r. DeVeau. "I don't know how we're going to do it, unless we get some service club support", he says. The problem, he points out, is that the school yard diamonds are not designed for the type of gaine played by these associations, and require special treatnent to be playable. With the assistance of the minor baseball association Mr. DeVeau hopes to put new topsoil on dianonds at Blair Park and Brooklin this year to cut down dust. One'idea Mr. DeVeau has is to inove the fill out of Iroquois Park if the costs are not too prohibative, and use this soil to improve park areas throughout the town. More flower gardens in Centennial Park and along Dundas Street to give a good view at the entrances to the town are anong Mr. DeVeau's anticipated projects,and there are plans for widening the turn lane at Heydenshore Pavilion and providing some landscaping in front of the building. In West Lynde's Central Park there are plans to change the direction of the tennis courts and heighten the fence, as well as providing a water fountain; and more soil around the play apparatus installed last year. Mr. DeVeau hopes to resolve the problems sur- rounding the provision of a park for Ashburn this year. The money is set aside for purchase of land, he says. Despite the tight money and budget restraints, Mr. DeVeau indicated there will be plenty going on this year as far as improvement of parks is concerned. Whitby Arts Director Linda Paulocik and Whitby Psychiatric Hospital Administrator Milton J. Fisher examine a mural depicting Whitby as a pleasure spot between Toronto and Oshawa, which was unveiled last week in the Ontario A dining room. The mural was co-ordinated by Toronto artists Jerome McNicholl and Will Kennedy as a workshop project. Free Press Photo Workshop pro ject Whitby Arts mural unveiled at psychiatric hospital A large mural depicting Whitby as a pleasure spot between the'cities of Toronto and Oshawa, was unveiled in the patient dining room of Ontario A building at the from Anderson Collegiate assisted in making the mural. The mural, a relief in acrylic paint on asbestos board panels, depicts Toronto's city hall and CN tower on the left Paulocik, Whitby Arts Direc- tor, and Milton J. Fisher, administrator of the psychia- tric hospital, were on hand for the unveiling. Whitby Psychiatric Hospital and Oshawa's shopping centre last Wednesday. and city hall on the right. Tow n The mural was produced In the centre are a sailboat as Whitby Arts Incorporated and lighthouse representing fers workshop project, co-ordi- Whitby harbor, a train, nated by Toronto artists Highway 401 lined with cars, Jerome MeNicholl and Will and a lighted sign representing Kennedy. Seven Whitby Brock Street. artists, David Levy, Ann The projeet wascompleted Syme, Ruth Read, Pat Ellis, in two days, in co-operation With sprmg in the air,wlat Dan Reid and two students withi the hospital. Linda better time is there to start a garden plot, says the town recreation department. The town counil recently ip approved the designation of 30 plots of land 25 by 50 feetc, located adjacent itothe police building on a first-come, first-served basis, at $15 each for use you need for a smooth fro i May 15 to Oct.-15. pool start-up The town will be responsible this season. for the initial tieiaing of the land and staking ont the plots, ysays Mr. DeVea, and is to U R PL tacurrently making arrange- Our store is ments wita the region to conveniently ocated supply water at the site. "This is a pilot projeet for in your shopping area. Whitby residents oly", says Mr. DeVeau. STARLING POOLSie lie said, and the first 30 1645 Dundas St. W., Whitby people who applyinwriting to the recreation department The4plots6will be assessed a plot r-number. About 20 nquiries have been received to date says Mr. DeVeau. mets wit thoe wregion1t using the garden plots will be plantdng both flowers and vege erblecs. A ox, jKik