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PAGE 4 MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1985 WHITBY FREE PRESS Publihed every Wednesday whitby .whitbyBILL MCOUAT FIA Fr*-\ FmX by ..M. Publishing Communlty EdItor and Photography Inc. T Phoe -66--6111 VALERIE COWEN The Free Press Building, Advertlslng Manager 1311 Brock Street North, eodCasMi Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher • Managing Editor P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. econ Nas5Ma1 P.(> Box206 Whiby, nt. Registration No. 5351 The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby iresidents for Whitby residents. Let's rise to the occasion this Christmas lt's been a frantic week here at the Free Press. Puting out two newspapers in one week is a little bit like being flung into a five day wash cycle and certainly more than a few of us will still be reeling from the effects this evening, long after our Christmas issue has been put to bed. Christmas is a frantic time of year for almost everyone. There Is always so much to be done and so little time In which to do It but somewhere in the midst of all the season's chaos - the desperate bids to find that perfect gift in a frenzied sea of like-minded last minute shoppers, the tortuous planning for the family get-together, the wrapping and cooking and then still more shopping - something of the magic of Christmas still manages to prevail. It Is wonderful to see the way people, generally a rather surly and difficult lot, light up at Christ- mas time. Total strangers exchange greetings in the street, pause to hold doors for someone lad- den down with packages and step aside to let another take their seat on the bus, the very seat they would have guarded with their life in any other month but December. It is, in Its way, a kind of miracle the way the idea of Christmas has taken hold and it is a comfort to know that Ideas can still have real meaning in an age when world events appear to have a life of their own devoid of any ap- preciation for the common will. Whether we believe in the birth of Christ or in the birth of the idea of Christ, Christmas is a light of hope, a chance to believe that we can ail rise to something better and bigger than ourselves. These are good times for Whitby and the Region of Durham in general. A report released last week by the region's Health and Social Services Com- mittee indicates' that, for the first time in ten years, the number of people collecting welfare during the month of November declined over the prevlous month. The statistic is a signal, accor- ding to Social Services Commissioner Doug Johns, of economic confidence and growing prosperity in the region. This confidence has led to record sales for the retailing industry which is a sure Indication that there will be a lot of happy families nestled in their homes this Christmas. By the same token however, Mr. Johns said that the retail boom has brought with it an increase in prices which will mean an especially hard Christ- mas for everyone on welfare. Although there is a benefit increase slated for January, it will arrive too late for these people, most of whom are vic- tims of circumstances and not perrenial users, as some politicians have painted them recently. Mr. Johns said welfare benefits In most cases barely cover the cost of rent and many have to rob from their food budget to make ends meet. Buying Christmas gifts will be out of the question. In the spirit of Christmas, the Whitby Free Press asks you to consider putting a little something aside for those who have not been quite so for- tunate this year. There 1s still time to purchase food or toys and there are a number of local groups who would be glad to accept your donations and see that they find their way into the hands of those who need them badly. Most of our local churches are collecting and, distributing food and gifts as is the Salvation Army. Please consider making that extra bit of effort to help en- sure that someone else can have a Merry Christ- mas too. From ail of us at the Free Press, we wish you ail a very Merry Christmas. Letterstothe Editor To the Editor: The recent column by Michael Knell concer- ning the proposed move of Lynde House to Cullen Gardens con- tributed nothing to the debate. All he con- tributed was one more opinion and a wealth of misinformation. What is sorely lacking in this debate is solid facts to support the move. The agreement of the Society with Loblaws back in 1972 to move the house is basically irrelevant. Back then, Loblaws had plans for a shopping plaza and wanted the house off the property. Since then their plans have changed (indeed their whole corporate strategy has changed) and the need for the house to be moved disappeared. Loblaws is as much in default for not enforcing the agreement as the Historical Society is in not moving the house. The actual ownership of the house is academic as Loblaws is still willing to let the Society have it. To say that the Society did nothing to fulfill its agreement with Loblaws is also un- true. When the Society acquired the bouse in 1972 it investigated a number of sites but received little cooperation from the council of the day. It petitioned council, various foundations and the public for funds without much im- mediate success. Un- doubtedly they could have done more but when Loblaws dropped its plans for the proper- ty, the urgency to move declined and the house fell into a sort of limbo. Over the intervening years, Mayors and Councillors have assured the Society that "they would look out for the Society's interests" and the Society quite appropriately felt that it would eventually acquire the property. It was this ten years of limbo that have been most damaging to the Society. Faced with the immense job of trying to run a museum in a gradually decaying building and unable to get capital im- provement grants from the province because they didn't own it, the Society sought council's support in 1982 to negotiate with Loblaws for the property. Not only would council not cooperate but the Society was threatened with the cancellation of its municipal grant if they approached Loblaws on their own. At about the same time the province began a program to upgrade community museums by imposing a set of gradually more rigorous standards which would have to be met to continue receiving a provincial operating grant. To meet these standards the museum needs capital funds which neither the town nor the province or the federal government is prepared to provide to a building whose future is not secure. Thus the Historical Society became caught in a vice between the town administration and the senior levels of government. This dilemma has squeezed the very heart out of the Historical Society and has resulted in the current impasse. On the one side are those who have chosen to follow councillor Brunelle in the hopes of a brighter future at Cullen Gar- dens. This is clearly at odds with provincial authorities. Unfor- tunately Brunelle is not a very convincing spokesman as he admits to little interest or knowledge of history. On the other side are people like myself who are getting en- couragement from the province to keep the house on its present site. In fact the two sides are not that far apart. The one side admits that "no-one wants to see the house moved" but feels that there is no alter- native; the other side says that all alter- natives must be in- vestigated and if they are proven non-viable, they would then support such a move. The Ministry of Citizenship and Culture supports the latter position. The acting head of the Museum Section of the MCC states in a letter to me that "a feasibility study is essential before such a move is contem- plated". Such a study is long overdue and is made especially urgent by the current situation. What better way to clear the air of innuen- do, opinions, misinfor- mation and acrimony than to engage an out- side consultant, an ex- pert in historic buildings and museum operations to take an unbiased look at the options. The Ministry of Citizenship and Culture is prepared to provide half of the money. Among the questions that such a study must address is operating costs. The Architectural Conservancy has put forth a detailed estimate for annual operating costs at Cullen Gardens of $87,410, far greater than any estimates of projec- ted revenue. Those who support the move deny this figure but have put forward no estimates of their own. It has unfortunately become the conven- tional wisdom that Lyn- de House is presently in a poor location with lit- tle tourism potential. From more than 20 years of interest and in- volvement in the heritage movement, I can say categorically thet its whatyou haveot that its what you have to offer not where you are that brings the tourists. Len Cullen understands that - he built his attrac- tion on a piece of pasture on the 4th con- cession, not exactly an ideal location. Besides, by any criteria, a location on a major highway with about four million people within a 50 mile radius and only a few miles from an at- traction drawing half a million a year has to be See page 8 Santa's helpers