Ontario Community Newspapers

Whitby Free Press, 3 Jan 1990, p. 1

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* *- ............ .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .... . .. . .. . . .. . .. . . B9REVIEW -89 REVIEW à 89 RE VIEW 89-REVIEW.89. REVIEW. ............ ........................... ...... .......... ...... Councillors look bak, look ahed. With'yet another record estabi- ished last year- for construction basod on building permite issued, 1989 capped a décade of signifi- Cmt;Wthin Whitby. Arthe eighties' aiso, saw much planning and discussion of Town. projects, -that wiii get undçrway in the nineties, says Mayoýr Bob Attersley, presenting the challenge for council moin- bers to p raciefisal responsibi- litywhilo carryinig out such pro- Attoruiey notes.the large in- crasn Whitby's tax assoss- ment base the McGraw-HIUE Ryerson Mt. announcement of a relocation to Port Whitby froin Scarborough, the announcemont of the hospitai expansion, and iaunch of the fundraising cam- paign, the Lynde Shores plan approval, the go-ahead on the new recreation compiex and bus transportation improvements as postive aspects -of the'1989 -yoar m which %more happened than I Wne erets the shutdown of -the- Cobi Foods plant, he sy redeveiopment, whether. indus- .-trWialotherwxse, wiiitakeplaoe. on te prpery in the nineties Hie recognixes that lhousing reprosîentd most of Whitby's grwtýh ^in 1989 as it did in previous year, and the 1989 resdenialgrothevon srr isedhim, yet he iays, 1thinkw got the best deveiopment in Dur- h..R.gUn, as far as mixed.» Hlowever, he points out one notable excep~tion - "variable-pri- cedhousin,--»whichis how he descrbes aff dable housn. "Nobodyr is building apart- monts,» says Attersiey, blamin govornment contrl or that area ofmiactivity. Ho expeets growth te, continue in the muoetios, even if siowly at flrst, and says development is welcome in Whitby as long ïas itrs Ugoo-d growt. "Yoù can't keep Whitby smail. You cant put a fonce around it.» An.engineering study, expec ted te ho presentefe theTown and Region early this year shouid recommend-how-te extend services te Brooklin, opening the door te significant devei;opmkent there. "I think Brooklin may go ahead of Seaton,» says Attersiey, referring te the huge deveiop- ment proposein Pickering. -As for taxation and budgets in the nineties, the mayor says council wili be able te manage te limit budget increases in day- to-day operating expenses, but it mayb more difficuit te Pay for the numerous projects ahead in- cluding the seniors' activity centre expansion, the recreation comple;, a now-firo hall expan- sion of the Town's works yard and the museum/archives/ theatre plan for the Contenniai Building. "We've got some heavy capital exponditures ahead," says Attersley. The Town usod deben- tures to pay for part cf the flrst phase cf work On the roc com- pie bt the mayor appearod site. And lie teols the-'Roion should take control cf recycling "operate it as à. dopartment cf public works,» as the prograni may have_,grown toc largo for those who began it and who now direct contre oporations. Attersiey says.lho wiil emphas- izo, "a ulean Whitby" this year as hoe wgs war orx litter, as pro- mised late iast year. »And, whilo rocognizing that holi is stili probabiy alono among council mombers'te hbave such a viewiho maintains that Whitby shud bocome a city te adopt more cf an «image" and «clout," and, together with Oshawa, te, givetho e .ou Mir prof ile. East ward councillor Dormis Fox says his concorn with con- tinued growth is that his ward may not hé ahle te handle high density development. 'Tm net opposod te 'density, but is tho finfrastructure ado- quate te handie it?» ho says, referring te, supply cf hydroëec- trie power and oxisting ods. .'7d like te see tràf problems addressed bofore we go. ahead with..,.Mor -density,,,develcp-, mont.», Ho aIse notes -that ser- vices te go te Brooklin will go up Thicksoni Rd, "but I hope net at the expense cf the east ward.» Ho, says 'developers, for the Most Èart, respect, tho environ- mont in which they work as they are now aware that onvironinont is cf some concern te tho comn- munity. But Fox feels that, ovor- ail, the Wbithy community %i not invoived enough in environ- mental issues.» Foix sâaslhowaits assurances, "from scientific sources," that no hazards are posed by leachate froin the waste disposai bori at Lasco, and the temporary dumnp for which Lasco just recentiy applied. Fox, 1k tho mayor, says the Town showed fiscalropnb- ly in 1989, as the Town prtio of the ta i ncrease was below the. rate cf inflation. Yet lho notes, "Taxes are far too, hgh in Whitby but I don't know what an ho Aone about it.» Dospite the roc. comiplex and the threo community schoci pro- jecta (Pringie Creek, flellwood Glen Dhu) now in his warc (Palmerston is the other) hoe feois the est ward stili needa an indoor facility, such as a com- mumity hall or arena. "ce surfaces are needed there Man robbed in restaurant A Whitby man was injured and robbed cf about $1,000 in a restaurant washroom last week. The 37-ya old victimi was hit with a be bottie and required SNOWFALL and onowplows ahnost gle 'Creek plaza parking lot'.laat I buried this Volkswagen in the Pria- week. sSott L.url..Fr. Pphoto and pools," ho says, repoating what ho stated during campaion- in¶ for his flrst crack at munici- ploffice in 1988. Whiie Cebi's shutdown was the ubigs tdsapointment cf 89-, Meraw-illandAtlantic Pagn were positive deveop- montsJeowas aiepleased that his efforts contributed te, more hiring at tIi Whitby fire dopart- ment te, more adequately serve the Whitby population, together pians for another firo hall. Yot ho said the LaSoPCB ieak, a matter now before the courts, was "inexcusable. .. "Vie can't have mon going in there and fighting fires and net knowinj what they're up against, says Fox. A iire ordinated effort bet- ween business and the recycling contre wrouid improve recyling in- the region, ho feels. «To ho successful, you have te have in- dustry buy the produets.» And ho says that Region control cf the recyclinq centre could p ose pro- bloms since there could bo n efficieýncies gif "YIou ashow poiti- clans te, run it. Rathor, ho siays, have poitical represen!tatives froin ail munici- palities join representativos fromi busness and industry on a board te, oversee recycling programs. Hoeati aintains, as does councillor Lynda Buffett, tat council and committee agendas should ho made availabie eariier te the public and press. TOM EDW1AIWS ]Rogional councilior Tom Edwards also feit that failure te, establish traffic nieasuros was a shortcoming cf 1989, noting- that another. corridor such as Man- ning Rd. is needed te ' improve the east-west flow. Ho said it couid ho Burns St. or, although the idea was previously rejected, a ono-way systom. - 'Wo haven't corne toegrips iwith. it,» ho says. «We don't have a comprehen- sive road construction proFam,» ho adds, notin, in particular, road worksnoeddin oldor sub- divisions such as West Lynde. Ho says the Town's local un- provement policy intrcduced in 1989 was an attempt, but oppsi tien te it led it «down the drain.» Edwards rememibers when an east ward community's residents paid te have road work done, and the result was that "Those sub- divisions look botter now than they did beore.» Edwards says failure te final- ize expansion plans for the seniors activity centroas well as Plans for the Centennial Build- mg was anothor more negative as .ctof 1989, insofar as council Ho said hoe preferred one cf the four alternaives for seniors centre expansion but that plan was héld up wÏben discussion about the relocation of the lawn bowling facility came up. "The consultative process is unwieldy,» says Edwards. Ho says a final decision on expansion should be made by bud et time, although «we need the 5ough todo it.» And at the regional level, Edwards is concerned that the decision on waste management did net go boyond a five-year period. Ho aise sees many poitive accomplishmients à 989, such as the approval cf the firatphase of the rec complex, plans for Port Whithy development, iniproved recreational areas such as soccer fields te 'enable the tewn te, "catch up» te what is needod, the conipletion cf the Fairview Iixlge renovations at a- total coat cf $9-million over the past nine years ("Vie got a rosi standard- boarer in the town of Whithy»), approval cof the .911. emc!rpicy. systemi, improvements te, the d% ntwn('Were a long way froin complote, but we!)roettn there'), and noar-c empletiono sterin sewer ropair i n ity Edwards 'says that .Rego "teck a stop backwards» wen the. Pickering landfl site d'al with Metro only mot the regios needs for the next f ive yoars. Ie says improvements have te o enceuragod in recyclig Pro- grams, and a more coordinated eéffort within the Greater Toronte Area might more effectively pro- cesAnd refine- recyciable materials. Ho aise feels the Regilon should assume control cf local rocycing progranis since, "despite the good intentions,» the scope is ncw tee large for thosee originated the progranis. ROSS BATTENf North ward councilior Ross Batten sees the decisiQn te hegin the tewn officiaI plan roview as one cf the most significant hy counil in 1989. HeBays the review was «ever- due,» and will ho "1critical te, the Town over the next few years» as, it layaeout development and nIn- developinent patterns, and tr le plnfor the ninetiesajd beyon. oHeadmits, howev r, that 'Traffle is stili a prbl1n and will always ho a Problem.» Batten saY.9s the '89 Towvn budget process aIso led te diiciÙs- sien cf Town projecta for the next 20 years, a guide Ithat will help in future financing cf such pro- jects. Among the projects which were decided were the rec facility and -new lire hall,, both mnii- tioned. by Batten as. important issuesinuthe past year. Batten says the Cobi' announcementwas a "bit of-a blow, -but we could -end u~ with somethinu better' there. The

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