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TA ekend e IT.II~1'CL~A 781 MAIN ST. f12 MLTON 87047M A Metroland Community Newspaper Vol. 138 No. 87 Fniday, December 26, 1997 28 Pages 75e (GST included) I Special iC ouncil wants doser I ~ look at property deal V Kal. A JL a 5v BRAD REAUME The Champion The RCMP and Town counicil bas deferred consid- Santa Claus made eration of allowing a second bouse on their fourth annual an Eigbtb Line property pending a Christmas viait ta the broad investigation. patients and staff of Property owner Tony Martins built Milton District a new borne on the 15-acre parcel, Hospital Tussday counicil beard st week, witb the rnorning. Santa hand- promise that an existing borne would ed out candies 1 be tom down upon cornpletion of .con- patients Ilke 78-year- struction. aid Don Martin, who He bas flot tom down the borne and also enjoyed another now wants to use it to bouse farm thrili of trytng onl belp, council beard. Neigbbours Mountie Sgt. Len advised counicil that anotber building Lanza's Stetson. on tbe pmoperty is alresdy used for that Photos by purpose. GRAHAMPAINE Council heard Mr. Martins fais an GRAHAMPAINE additional 125 acres in anotber loca- tion. He operates an intensive mnarket garden from the Eigbtb Line location, according to senior planner Anne Bouck. Mr. Martins bad previously applied to operate a slaugbterbouse, Ms Bouck said. She added Mr. Martins bad applied for a landi severance in 1991 and appeaied to tbe Ontario Municipal Board, but neyer scbeduied a bearing on tbe matter. Halton' s besltb departrnent is con- ___________________________________________________________________ cemed about operating two bornes on Laughter. criticism at board's final meeting By TIM WHITNELL SpeciaI to The Champion A lot of serious, sincere words, sorne laughter, almost a few tears, a couple of thinly-veiled digs andi one overt blast of cniticism essentially summeti up the cornments of trustees as the Halton Board of Education met for tie st tirne. The 17 public board trustees wbo showed up st week for the final meeting of their often-turnul- tuous, three-year termi said their thank-yous or good-byes before the usual 60 or an audience mem- bers, many of them teachers. Three of the trustees - Sheila Fiook, Debbie Maticlew and Ethel (Gardiner - will retumn to duty early next year as elected members of the new dis- trict achool board. The recent teachers' strike, the subsequent board 'grievance against the teachers' unions, the various conflict of interest legal fees' debates, controversial school closures, lengtby budget talka, sometimea ativersariat contract negotiationh with teaching groups and general pbiosopbical differences on education were tbe wellspring of many of the trustees' final cornrents. Board chair Linda Glover, a four-terrn trustee, spoke last. Sbe concluded tbe various boards she served on succeeded for the moat part despite trying circurnstances like reduced govemment funding. "Most changes we rnade were good for kids, despite tbe expense," said Ms Glover, wbo then went on a chronological joumey of mostly crises in education during bier tenure. "We got 300 (staff) hired witb govemment belp, then came the Social Contract and we managed to get tbrougb it witb five per cent teacbing staff reductions then the sbifting of costs to local taxpay- ers anti scbooi boards took the blarne." Tim Kingsbury of Milton was perbaps the moat upbeat trustee, beaping effusive praise on board admidnistrative staff. 've worked for seven differ- Cnt companies and our staff are sirnply the best I've dealt with. You know I think we have the best financial mmnd on tbe pianet and tbe best (educa- tion) director in tbe country," bie said of senior board officiais Wayne McNally and Dusty Papke. One trustee wbo openly slamrned the board was Burlington's Sandy Van Harten, who noted she wasn't going to speak but feit compelied to do sn. "This is the rnost mean-spirited board in the province. It was not my intent as a member of tbis board to basb anyone. I've bad tbree kîds go tbrougb this board." The longest serving trustee, Halton Huis' Dick Howitt, congratulateti Ms Glover on a "job well done in trying times." Mr. Howitt added levity to the wrap-up proceeti- ings by offering bis own Top 7 reasons - Bill 160 reductions sbrunk a potential Top 10 liat, bie joketi - to look forward to life after being a trustee. Two of bis more satiric observations were: No. 5 - "rime to focus on real estate closinga ratier than on school ciosinga"; No. 1 - 1I witl be alte to sleep with rny favourite teacher (wife) witbout baving a conflict of interest." water services only meant for one. In addition, Mr. Martins was flot assessed development charges for the new borne because it was expected to be merely oeplacing tbe first house. Ms Bouck suggested a ternporary use bylaw be adopted to shlow for tbe use of tbe original house. However sbe said that use wouid have to wait until the regionai bealth departmnent provided clearance on the water issue and some deal was struck on developrnent charges. Council beard full development charges would be just over $ 10,000. Councillor Bian Penrnan wanted to know bow rnucb of tbe property is currently covered witb buildings. According to Ms Bouck about 10 per cent of the 15 acre parcel is covered. A solicitor representing Mr. Martins said bie was arnenable to tbe tempo- rary use a rrangement. It was evident from bis comments that the issue of developrnent charges would bave to be negotiated.Councillor Rick Day said bie wanted some resolution of the - development charges issue befote pro- ceeding witb tbe ternporary use bylaw. Mr. Penman said otber issues sbould be addressed, sucb as a con- cern about the perception left witb res- idents wben the bouse rernains stand- ing despite an agreernent. Fmi N U Grade 5 students can send away for f ree skiing and snow- boarding passes to Glen Eden. The 5th Grade Ski and Snowboarding Passpori Program is offered 10 introduce chiidren - and parents - to winter snow sports. The prograrn wiiI begin January 5. Cati (905) 677-2055. 327 Brenta Sk S. Midou LuTI4 Dr. Jo-Ann McKinnon 875-1322