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Plazais approved By a vote of 14-11, Durham regional council last week approved a commercial plaza development on the south side of Dundas St. W., west of Cochrane/Annes St. Approval was given despite both Region and Town planning department recommendations against commercial development and opposition by some Whitby residents, including former Town mayor Des Newman. Oshawa councillor Mike Armstrong, a member of Region planning committee, said it was a "political, not gpanning decision" that had toe ma on the application by Nard Investments Ltd. Armstrong, who supported the plaza development, said the two-acre site was "not sufficient" for townhouses while a previous application for apartments on the site was rejected by nearby residents. Whitby mayor Bob Attersley, who voted in favor of the plaza, said Whitby council did not agree with the medium residential zoning recommended for the site by the Town planning department. He said it was "difficult" to put row housing on the site while neighbors favored commercial development. He explained that Whitby council had previously given approval "in principle" to the plaza application since it was the only other proposal for the site. Oshawa councillor Irv Harrell opposed the plaza because it "doesn't serve the best interests of Whitby." He asked why neighbors would "jump" at the first applicaion to be made after a previous application for residential use had been rejected. Whitby councillor Tom Edwards, who voted in favor of the plaza development, noted that three separate applications had been made for the site. He said he normally would have supported the objections to the plaza made by one resident, Bruce Langer of Palace St., but for "the peculiar circumstances" which arose in determining use alternatives for the site. Edwards noted that neighbors "didn't want people looking in their homes" when they opposed the apartment application. Edwards added that he would have preferred townshouses for the property but no such application was made. He also said he had "no fears" about the impact of the plaza on the downtown area. That concern had been raised by Whitby BIA chairman Rob Morton, in an address before council, and by Region and Town planners. Newman, who also addressed regional council, said the plaza may be small but has "enormous impact." He noted that there is now a commercial "merge" between Oshawa and Whitby and between Ajax and Pickering, but that the plaza 6 à ' à SEE PAGE 3 Animal control budget leaps 25 per cent for '88 A need to continue improving animal control service forced the Pickering, Ajax, Whitby Animal Control Committee (PAW) to approve a 25 per cent increase in its 1988 budget, says committee chairman and Whitby councillor Ross Batten. The budget for 1988 will be $291,625, to be split by the three municipalities on a population basis. (The 1987 budget was $243,950.) With a population of 47,271, Whitby's share of the budget will be $98,680; Pickering, with a opulation of 40,466, will pay 85,546. PAW took over animal control in the three municipalities in 1986 from the Ontario Humane Society when the society demanded a 48 per cent increase in that year's budget. The cost to the three towns in 1986 would have been $246,000 had the budget been approved. PAW's 1988 budget is $45,000 more than the humane society asked for in 1986. According to Batten, the $291,625 is still less than what the three towns would have been paying the humane society if it was still handling animal control. "I'm not interested in comparing the two. PAW is doing a 300 to 400 per cent better job than the society," said Batten. He said the takeover, which resulted because of the financial disagreeme, also allowed the three towns to keep track of exactly where every dollar is going. In 1985, the humane society had 12 employees and three vehicles. Batten says at various times only one of the vehicles was on the road and the three towns were never aware of the employees' duties. "Now we control and know exactly what they (employees) are doing. Before, they were working SEEPAGE4 Sports results j~jjjeeP4, 26> ERIN OULLAHAN, A Gr. 6 student at Area last week. Looking on is Mike Kathleen Rowe, gets ready to taste a Whitmarsh, an education teacher at gallfly larvae as part of a class trip to Nonquon. Free Press photo the Nonquon Conservation Education See pages 21 - 23 Henry high school awards DAMAGE TO THIS 1986 Hyundai is police are still investigating the cause. estimated at $7,000 following an ac- The other car involved, a 1986 cident at Brock St. S. and Dunlop St. Chevrolet, received $3,000 in damage. last Thursday. No one was hurt and Free Press photo