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A HAND IS WAITING for Jess Graveline of Perry House Day Care as he heads for the cool waters of the day New BIA chairman By MIKE JOHNSTON . With the retirement of Ed Buffett as chairman, the Downtown Business Improvement Area (BIA) has not changed its goals, it has simply changed the means of reaching those goals. "My personality is more laid back than Ed's and I think that will reflect in the management style of the BIA's board of directors," says Rob Morton, who took over the position as chairman. . "The downtown needed Ed's commitment and his drive to get things done. He did a terrific job. But I think the development would have come anywày, just not as fast," says Morton, who has prac- tised law in Whitby for 15 years and is currently a partner in the law firm, Johnston, Morton, Burch·and Boland. Morton, 40, is a booster of the downtown. He was vice-chairman of the BIA for the past three years and is~currently president of The Station Gallery. With Morton's ascension to chairman, the board of directors will votre on a vice-chairman in September, says Morton. He says he likes what he sees in the down- town core, but "realistically" knows there are still a number of problems facing downtown mer- chants. "We have made huge strides but there is still a distance to go. "For years there was a mish- mash in the downtown, businesses didn't compliment each other." - a problem that still exists today, says Morton. Morton says the BIA must know which stores will become vacant and what business would be willing to move in and with it, attract shoppers. "We then marry the two." Comparing himself to Buffett, Morton says he does not have Buf- fett's "knee jerk reaction to pr- oblems. "Prior to taking a position on an issue and selling that to the direc- tors, I am more inclined to go to the care pool during the recent hot spell. Free Pressphoto Downtown plan approved.4-3 Whitby council gave approvai LO stage 2 of the downtown Whitby secondary play study Monday night despite the objections of three councillors and one resident. "We have a bit of more than we can chew. We cannot address all the concerns and issues in down- town," councillor Joe Bugelli told council. "Maybe whatwe should be doing is approving this in principle and address individual nooks as it. af- fects the neighborhoods," added Bugelli. His comments came after coun- cillor Joe Drumm attempted to change the recommended building height on a block bounded by John St. S., Ash St., Chestnut St. and Perry St. from three stories to five stories. "We spent $750,000 on a park in that area. Let's put people where the parks are." The study recommended the block be three storeys and be low density residential. Planning direc- tor Bob Short told council if the storey height was changed, the block would have to be changed to high density. Drumm said-he had·brought the issue.up on two occasions but his request was not addressed in the study. "Not everyone who had input into this got what they wanted," said councillor Marcel Brunelle, chair- man of the administrative commit- SEE PAGE 22 Summer fair begins An antique buggy show and a mutt show will be two new events joining some old favorites for this year's Oshawa-Whitby Fair to be held July 16 to 19. "We're trying to build a, little each year," says fair board vice- president Glen Cochrane of the fair which organizers hope will get a change of style directors and let all of them ex- press their point of view. Then make a depisign. "I don't thinkthat is a conscious change on my part, I have always believed in the softer sell ap- proach." But that soft sell approach may not be used when it cones to ex- pressing the views of the BIA. Morton intends to express the opinion of the BIA to Whitby council if an issue directly affects down- town merchants.. For example, he says the BIA is still opposed to the proposed Nard Developments Shopping plaza on Dundas St. W. The plan has been approved by Whitby council and is currently before regional council. Morton says the BIA will go to the Ontario Municipal Board if the plaza gets regional approval. "The BIA is not opposed to development. We want to make the downtown core as commercially viable as possible," says Morton justifying the BIA position. "If that (Nard) is approved, SEE PAGE 2 Correction ROB MORTON is the new chairman of the Downtown Business Improvement Area. Free Press photo It was incorrectly stated in last week's edition that an injunction was granted against Janber and Associates Ltd. and Durham Region by A-1 Products Corp. which alleged copyright in- fringement over a Durham tender for blue boxes for recycling. The action was, in fact, adjour- ned July 2, and on July 9, A-1 Products' motion for an in- terlocutory injunction was denied in Ontario Supreme Court. Costs of the motion were awarded to Janber and the Region and all claims against Janber for copyright in- fringement were abandoned. The Free Press wishes to apologize for the misleading statements made. bigger and better each year. "If we get more attractins, we'll get more people out." Cochrane is also hoping for agreeable weather, something the summer fair hasn't always received, to increase attendance. "That's the big killer --the ràin," he says, noting that the tractor pull, one of the biggest attractions, was rained out last year. Financing the annual event has been a continual problem for 'the board since the fàir was relocated from Oshawa's Alexandria Park to a 52-acre site on Garrard Rd. (just north of Conlin Rd.) in Whitby in the late 1970's. lMeanwhile, in- SEEPAGE3