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air Town Hall? SECTION TWO Wednesday, February 5,1986 AIDS Victim Speaks to Rotary Club ■ ■ Inside the auditorium in the second storey of the Town Hall. The once impressive hall has fallen into disuse and disrepair. With the balcony, the auditorium seated about 500 for theatrical performances and film presentations, presentations, but now the stage is dust covered and the large windows have been sèaled with insulation. The plaster ceiling, with its decorative mouldings, has mildewed and here collapsed, exposing the bare boards in the Town Hall's auditorium. Other maintenance problems plague the old building. Crack? have appeared on the exterior as well, and extensive renovations are needed to restore the Town Hall to its former grandeur. AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) is perhaps the number one health problem confronting the medical community and the public at large in the! eighties. Bowmanville Rotarians were given a particularly acute insight into this devastating disease by guest speaker James St. James at their meeting on January 30th. Jim is a member of the AIDS Committee of, Toronto, and is himself a victim of AIDS. by Diane Pickett "I have AIDS." That statement, statement, with all its implications, implications, must be one of the most difficult things for anyone to say to even their closest friends and relatives. relatives. But to Jim St. James, a 31- year-old Toronto artist and actor, the importance of educating the public supercedes supercedes any qualms he might have about speaking to groups of strangers about the disease of which he is a victim. Jim is a member of the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT), and as an actor is well-suited to public appearances appearances on behalf of the committee. Although he was diagnosed diagnosed as having acquired immunodeficiency syndrome syndrome in March, 1984, he is still well enough to travel around the province offering offering his insight into confronting confronting and struggling against AIDS. His friends have not been as fortunate. In the last two years, seven of Jim's friends have died. Six more are now hospitalized. There have been 166 known cases of AIDS in Ontario, 85 of those victims are still alive, and it is estimated that by the year 1990 there will be 17,000 AIDS sufferers. ' Jim spoke recently at a meetingoftheBowmanville Rotarians, and he said that while the statistics are frightening and the seriousness seriousness of the problem cannot be underestimated, there is no reason for general public public panic'. AIDS is a virus. It attaches attaches to white blood rolls in the blood stream called T-helper cells. T-hclper cells act as an alarm to the body's immune system to fight certain .types of infection. infection. With AIDS, the alarm system breaks down and the body becomes particularly vulnerable to a rare form of pneumonia (found in 50 per cent of AIDS patients in Canada) and Kaposi's sarcoma, sarcoma, a cancer (found in 25 per cent of AIDS patients). As there is yet no cure for AIDS, all doctors can do is treat the illnesses contracted contracted because of the weakened immune system. Jim has undergone chemotherapy to treat cancer and is also on a regular regular program of a new experimental experimental drug called interferon. interferon. However the future looks grim. Up to this time no patients patients have recovered from AIDS. All members of the medical profession can do is buy time for their patients. patients. The AIDS virus is transmitted transmitted in blood and semen. Having sexual relations with an AIDS victim, or using shared intravenous needles, are the most common common means of becoming infected infected with the AIDS virus. More rarely, the disease is carried through blood products to a transfusion recipient. But the chances of getting AIDS from a blood transfusion are very small -- about one in 500,000! There have also been cases of babies born with AIDS, the virus having been passed to the fetus from an infected mother. Jim emphasized there is no evidence that daily contact, contact, such as shaking hands with or eating food prepared prepared by an AIDS patient is dangerous. And even. though the AIDS virus has been found in the tears and saliva of patients, no-one has been infected with AIDS from these body fluids. He told the Rotarians that he spoke to them on behalf of his friends, and all the men, women and children who are fighting AIDS and trying to overcome all the ignorance and prejudice that surround the disease. The AIDS Committee of Toronto is at the forefront of the battle in Ontario. A prime goal of the committee currently is to raise funds to establish a hostel where AIDS victims can receive care that is appropriate and die with dignity. Formed in 1983, the organization has grown with the problem. There are 10 full-time employees, employees, 15 on a board of di- ' rectors and over 200 volunteers volunteers like Jim. Being informed and knowleagable about the disease is important to Jim, but he stresses that its not just a matter of reciting facts and figures. He talked about his family and the support they give him, he, spoke of the difficult task of telling his father that he had AIDS. Jim also talked about his friends, those who have died already and those whose condition is deteriorating deteriorating as they lie in hospital beds. "It's not just statistics," he said, "it's us, me and my buddies." The courageous young man undoubtedly shocked a few Rotarians with his revelation revelation on Thursday, but all left the meeting with a better better understanding of AIDS and perhaps even more compassion for its victims. A historical centerpiece since 1904, A. R. Denison's Denison's Town Hall at Church and Temperance streets in Bowmanville is the most imposing edifice in town. The fine old Beaux Arts building has been recommended for designation as a his- by Diane Pickett Heritage Day, on February February 10th, is a day for us all to look around at the symbols symbols of our past. The beautiful beautiful homes, churches and commercial and muncipal buildings that dot our town and provide a link to more gracious times. In Bowmanville, and perhaps in the whole Town of Newcastle, there is no building which exemplifies this so well as the Town Hall. A centrepiece in the community community since 1904, the To\yn Hall on Temperance Street embodies past and present, and perhaps the future. Plans to create a new civic centre are now underway and the old Town Hall may In the past year, Ontario residents may hâve wasted thousands of dollars on get- rich schemes involving real estate. Promoters - mainly from the United States - have been preying on people's dreams of wealth by marketing programs on how to make fast money in the real estate market, says A1 Coleclough of the Ontario Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations (MCCR). "Unfortunately, a lot of people are falling for these schemes, spending hundreds of dollars each to get into courses or buy instructional packages," says Coleclough, Registrar of Real Estate and Business Brokers for MCCR. "They aren't likely to get any return on the money they invest." The programs have been widely advertised through fast-paced, slick television campaigns which tantalize viewers with testimonials from people who claim to have made fortunes in real estate, The lengthy television commercials are set up to look like feature programs. Their main purpose is to get people to attend free seminars held around the province. The evangelist-style salesmanship, typical of the TV spots, continues aj, the seminars. Participants are urged to sign up for courses or buy tapes, books and other materials. The audience is repeatedly told they could all get rich if they follow the advice contained in the promoters material. "The astute ones drop out at that point," says Colecough. "The less astute believe they only have to buy all the material the pitch man is offering and they'll make a fortune." Most of the schemes are based on buying real estate dirt cheap and selling it for huge profits. Some programs suggest ways to find "distress sales" - houses that have to be sold quickly for various reasons. The courses teach how to take advantage of the desperate home owner. The registrar points out that many of the American concepts taught don't work in Canada. , Many plans also promote the purchase of property with no cash down payment, a practice Coleclough calls "highly risky at best." "In most cases you can't buy a house without a cash downpayment," he says. "The other advice these promoters give is just as impractical. Houses aren't often sold cheaply in Ontario. Sure, maybe there are one or two great legitimate deals out there, but now there are hundreds of seminar graduates after those few rare deals." According to Coleclough, the schemes don't appear to be illegal, they may simply be a "waste of money" and they teach largely "immoral" practices. "Some of these people are saying, 'Go out and find the little old widower who doesn't know the value of his property, then take advantage of him.' They're teaching hundreds of people to be immoral, if not downright dishonest. But even if you're willing to take advantage of desperate people, there still aren't many opportunities for making a fast buck in real estate." Although the promoters are experts at rousing greed in a crowd and are smooth talking sellers for their courses and books, there is one glaring flaw in the sales pitch, Coleclough sàys, "If it's so easy to get rich in real estate with no money to invest and no risk involved, ask yourself why these people are standing on soap boxes throughout the province instead of relaxing on their yachts," he says. "Then put your money back in your pocket and walk away," torical site, and may well be an important part of Newcastle's future as well. With extensive repairs it could be incorporated into a new civic administration administration complex. But, it might also be demolished to make way for a more modern structure. well be renovated and incorporated incorporated into the new complex. February marks the Town Hall's 82nd anniversary, it was officially opened on February 24th, 1904, and was built in the previous year for a little more than $12,000. A prominent Toronto ar- Denison de signed the building in a style known as Beaux Arts. The style takes its name form the Ecole de Beaux Arts in Paris where architects architects fo the late 19th century century were taught to design buildings based on Classical Classical and Renaissance prototypes. prototypes. ' This style became very popular at the turn of the century in North America, particularly for public buildings. The Town Hall in Bowmanville is the only building in town in the Beaux Arts style and its exterior exterior has changed little over the years. The facade of the building building is symmetrical with the center portion slightly recessed recessed between projecting end bays. The brick on the lower storey gives the effect of broad horizontal bands, known as "horizontal rustication" rustication" it makes a pleasing contrast to the plain brick on the upper storey. ' The recessed portion of the second storey has three large windows set between projecting bri'ek pilasters, which creates the Classical effect of a columned portico. portico. The large cornice with its rectangular brackets, the semi-circular pediment, pediment, and of course the bell tower, contribute to the feeling of massive dignity, in keeping with the' building's building's public function. Perhaps surprisingly, the bell tower, cornice, and the band between the first and second storeys are made of galvanized tin that has been painted white. An earlier building would have had such details made of stone or wood. The detailing over the windows and the decoration decoration around the front door are made of stone, and the scroll shaped brackets which support the balcony over the door are particularly particularly good examples of stone carving. Until fairly recently, the Town Hall functioned as a home for the library, an impressive impressive civic auditorium, and the local jail. The jail cell in the basement now serves as a storage vault for the municipal offices on the first floor. The Bowmanville library was housed on the first floor of the Town Hall, from its opening until 1957. By far. the most impressive impressive feature of the Town Hall, is the second floor au- Ministry Warns of Deals Involving Complex Real Estate Investment chitect A R __ Ribbon Cutting Officially Opens New Car Wash ditorium, although it has now fallen into a state of disrepair. Over the years many a musical comedy or film presentation presentation has been enjoyed in the 500 seat hall by the Town's citizens, but now it is used for storage and its entertainment function has been replaced by the auditorium auditorium at the Bowmanville Bowmanville High School. Its grandeur has certainly faded. The ceiling with its plaster mouldings has mildewed mildewed and in parts collapsed collapsed due to lack of proper maintenance, and the huge windows have been covered over with insulating fabric. The balcony sits empty, the veneer on the seats is peeling peeling in places and the wire hat racks under each seat are bent and rusty. Although the curtains are still hanging, the stage is dusty and a sheet covers the piano. Unfortunately, the obvious obvious deterioration ofthe second second storey hall is not the only thing wrong with the building. Cracks have appeared appeared in exterior walls and extensive renovations are needed if the Town Hall is to stand another 80years. Newcastle's L.A.C.A.C. has, on several occasions, recommended the Town Hall for designation as a historical site. It has housed the muncipal offices offices of Bowmanville and now Newcastle since 1904 and with the exception of Central School, is the only old public building left in Bowmanville. Town Council has not responded responded to these requests, presumably waiting for a decision regarding a new, civic administration complex. complex. It may well prove more cost effective to demolish demolish the old Town Hall and build something new in its place. So take a good look this Heritage Day at. the dignified old building at Temperance and Church; it may soon become, well and. truly, part of the past. / / A long line-up at the new car wash on Baseline Road was held up for a few minutes on Saturday morning for a ribbon cutting ceremony officially opening the new Bowmanville business. Mayor John Winters performed the honours with owner Bob Stevens at his side. al)c (tamvtmm Blalcaman