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PAGE 8, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8,1987 whit by busines s *1 Resource team scrutuuizes downtown IOOKING OVER PEARSON LANES Lauer, Jon Linton, Alex Temporale, are members of the Heritage Canada Ed Buffett, Georgina Phillips and Resource team, (left to right) Stephen Cathy Fox. A tour of the chocolate By DONNA DONALDSON How do you get the caramel into the chocolate bar? Willem and Anneke Hellema know that secret. The owners of William's Chocolate Factory at 403 Beech Street in Whitby shared some of their secrets with km- dergarten students from Earl A. Fairman who had the pleasure of touring the factory last week. Hellema demonstrated his craft YOUNGSTERS LOOK ON as Willem Hellema sculpts an easter bunny. Whitby Urgent Care A Walk in Clinic NOW OPEN at 127 Perry Street, Whitby behind the Post Office Hours: Mon. - Fri. 6:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Holidays, Sat. & Sun. 10:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. 668-5872 ANNOUNCEMENT DR. T. E. FLOCK IS PLEASED TO AN NOUNCE THAT SH E WI LL BE PARTICIPATING lIl TH E WHITBY URGENT CARE CLINIC NOW OPEN at 127 Perry Street, Whitby 668-5872 factory to the group of hungry onlookers. "When you're working with chocolate, it's just like playing the whole day!" he said. He showed them how to make chocolate Easter bunnies, bon- bons, ngmerous designs, and of course, caramel-filled chocolates. Each of the children was given a sample of the caramel chocolate and an Easter chocolate on a stick as a reminder of their visit. Hellema imports his chocolate from Holland. It has no preser- vatives or artificial flavor. They have been selling their chocolate wholesale since April 1986 and have recently turned to retail. One specialty_ chocolate is im- printed with the ON Tower design and sold to majorTdepartment stores as well as to the Tower. "Next month will mark our first year in business. So far we can't complain. We hope our second year will be even better," said Hellema. Originally from Holland, the Hellemas movedd.~ Canada and relocated to Whitby in 1983., Willém, Hellema, %30, worked in the chocolate business in Holland learning the trade before he opened his first business there which he operated for five years. "In the early '80's the economy was hopeless there. We were still a going business, we had the oppor- tunity to move to Canada, we got our visa and left," he said. Coming from a family of bakers in Northern Holland, they have had a bakery business in their family for 12à'years. His brother is the fifth generation to be operating it. Hellema is the first in his family to begin a business in Cannada. "I"m flot eating mine yet, I'm saving it," said one kindergarten student after receiving his souvenir of the visit. The saving was onlv a matter of minutes. FURNITURE & UPHOLSTERY LTD. •ANTIQUES *NO-DIP RESTORED STRIPPING OCUSTOM 'REPAIRS UPHOLSTERY •REFINISHING A large selection of Victorian parlour furniture available 413 DUNDAS ST. E. WHITBY 668-5481 By MIKE JOHNSTON For three days last week Whitby was under close scrutiny by mem- bers of a resource team from Heritage Canada. The three days of interviews; tours and receptions will be the foundation for a course of action downtown Whitby should adopt in its ongoing efforts for revitalization. That course of action is expected to be completed and presented to the Downtown Business Im- provement Area (BIA) within a month and a half. "The report should tel us how we sbould market ourselves and what kind of image we should project," says Georgina Phillips, BIA manager ,and a member of the resource team. The. team, comprised of seven members, are part of the three- year Heritage Canada Main Street Program in which Whitby was recently selected to participate. The program's mandate is to assist the BIA in lifting the profile of the downtown area and revitalizing the downtown core. Whitby was one of 10 com- munities selected to participate in the program. Of the seven-member resource team, four were from outside the community. They were Stephen Lauer, regional coordinator for main street; Jon Linton, a marketing consultant' from Toronto; Alex Temporale, an architect who is design consultant for the team; and Cathy Fox, a community officer with the Ministry of Municipal Af- fairs. The three members from town include Phillips, BIA president Ed Buffett and councillor Tom Edwar- ds, representing council. "The members of- the resource team from out of town can provide objectivity," says Phillips. The team arrived in town last Tuesday and began with a tour of Whitby. Tuesday night a workshop meeting was held. . A need to create a focal point for the downtown and a "vision" in the downtown area were some of the suggestions that emerged from the meeting, says Phillips. On Wednesday, the team set up shop at the Bank of Montreal at the four corners. There, members of, the business community and residents were asked to identify the three main strengths and weaknesses of the downtown. While not too many members of the business community responded to the questions, many who visited the bank did. According to Phillips, the three ihain strengths of the downtown were its historic character, the quaintness of the stores and the personal service shoppers receive. "You could say that ail we need to do is enhance what already exists do*ntown," says Phillips. Weaknesses included lack of parking and lack of specialty stores. But Phillips says-this is an adver- tising problem, because, as she points out, the downtown has plenty of parking and specialty shops. "There is parking downtown, people just don't know about it," she says. As a solution to that problem, the BIA is working on a parking direc- tory to be handed out to residents. She also points out that there are specialty shops downtown - again an advertising problem, she says. On Wednesday, the team inter- viewed Town councillors and staff. Temporale, design consultant for the team, said they were received very favorably during the three-: day visit. He would not divulge 'ny; of the recommendations that-migh be contained in the team's report. While programs such as Main- street are vital to revitalizing the downtown, it also takes a financial commitment from downtown businesses. That commitment was given again this year as the BIA's budget,' for the second year in a row, has been set at $70,000. The BIA will also be holding promotional days once a month. The promotions get underway this month with an 'Eggstravagan- za' on April 18. That Saturday, downtown Whitby will be the scene of the Egg Olym- pics. A. fried egg breakfast will start the day's festivities. An Easter Bunny will be hopping around handing out eggs and demonstrations on painting eggs will be held. Phillips says the eggs for the day are being provided by the Egg Marketing Board. Region strike possible FROM PAGE 2 in the early 1980s and last for four of five days. In case of a strike, Stevens said the Region plans to man the plants. "It is obvious it won't be business as usual," said Stevens, "but we will carry out all our essential responsibilities." cent wage increase. Another six per cent total in- crease would be slated for 1988 if the two-year agreement was san- ction, making the total equivalent of a 19 per cent overaîl package. "This would have a huge impact on regional operating costs," said Stevens. he said he was not-at liber- ty ostate wat this actua monetary figure migbt be. He said there was "no way The salary structure of outside a possible of meeting the union's workers now ranges from $11.46 an proposal as we understand them. "- hour for a laborer to $13.90 an hour The union is requesting a 5½ per for a mechanic. Stevens says the cent wage increase and over three figures are extremely competitive, per cent in wage reclassifications not only in the Region, but.within for the majority of employees in the the province. bargaining unit. "There is a very sizeable gap According to Stevens, this would. between the two parties", said amount to the equivalent of a nine Stevens. He did add, however, "We per cent increase in 1987. In ad- want to see the matter resolved for dition, employee benefits asked for the sake of our employees as iwell would have 'a cost equivalentin ason behalf of thepublic and will total wages of four per cent or the take aIl steps to see the matter total equivalent overail-of a 13 per resolved."