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Orono Town Hall bowmanville library 163 Church street • • Bowmanville, Ont. L1C xz V $1.00 GST Included Wednesday October 5, 2005 Bargain busses to join the regional fleet While there was some dissension, dissension, the Region's Transit Implementation Committee did manage to get pre-budget approval for the purchase of two new buses. The demo buses were offered to the Region at a discount discount price of $439,000 each, with. a good delivery time. Buses normally cost $500,000 on average and take upwards of two years for delivery. Clarington Councillor Jim Schell spoke in opposition of the purchase at last Wednesday's Regional a number of low floor busses, Council meeting. "We are the Region will inherit 45 buying these buses because handi transit type vehicles. are buying these busses because they are a sale item..." ly developing a detailed service service plan. As part of the service plan, the consultants are also undertaking a ridership growth plan and asset management management plan which will establish the future fleet needs ------ --for Durham . Region Transit. Of the 168 busses the Region Region will inherit inherit from lower tier munici- plies on January January 1st; 40 are due for replacement, replacement, being they are 18 years and older. In addi- --Jim Schell Clarington Councillor ti on t0 con " ventional buses -- which include they are a sale item. I'm wondering wondering why we're not buying six new ambulances on spec, we might need them some time," he stated. According to Schell, it is premature to buy new buses till a service plan is complete and a service strategy outlining outlining the number and type of fleet needed, is available. On January 1, 2006 the Region of Durham takes over the public transit service from those lower tier municipality's which provide the service. The goal is to provide seamless seamless transit throughout the Region. The Region has retained a consulting firm that is current- Currently Ajax, Pickering, Whitby and Oshawa operate a public transit service. Ajax and Pickering amalgamated their service a number of years ago. Clarington's public transit service is provided by the City of Oshawa, on a contract contract basis. Clarington Councillor Charlie Trim said, "now is not the time to get cold feet, we know regional transit is going to be expensive. With the fluctuating fluctuating fuel price, the cost of insurance, the growth of our community, and the age of our citizens is increasing. It is all part and parcel of why we went into regional transit, and why we should stay the course." Trim added, "I don't believe that it's a federal government government submarine contract we're entering into." Girl Guides go door-to- door tonight Local girl guides will be going door-to-door tonight collecting non-perishable food items for the Clarington East Food Bank Thanksgiving food drive. Mr Liu was pleased with his crop of East Melon's this year which he grew in his garden behind the Sunny Restaurant in Orono. The East Melon which is a very pale green on the inside, is used as a soup base and in stir frys. ------------- "" " -* Residents monitor Oak Ridges Moraine Orono - On Wednesday, area residents shaped the design of a unique project that will engage citizens in detective work to study ecological changes occurring across the Oak Ridges Moraine. A number of our residents will be engaging in detective work to study ecological changes on the Oak Ridges Moraine. Last Wednesday, the public was invited to the Orono Town Hall for a "Monitoring the Moraine" workshop, put on by a number of Morain preservation groups. The project, called Monitoring the Moraine, will educate, equip and support volunteers to track municipal land-use planning decisions and their impact on local ecosystems. "Monitoring the Moraine" will generate a network network of informed citizens that are actively engaged in ensur ing that local land-use planning planning meets the spirit and intent of the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act and Plan. At Wednesday's workshop residents identified key issues that they feel need to be studied studied in their area, such as inappropriate inappropriate application of sludge and compost material, and MORAINE see page 3 Mini gator rides raise money for CIBC Breast Cancer Run In order to raise money for this year's CIBC Breast Cancer Run for the Cure, Marvin Stapleton, and Bernicco and Wayne Ililts of Newcastle put their three John Deere mini gators to work. The trio set up a course using pylons on the main street as part of the Evergreen Farm and Garden display at Newcastle's Fall Festival. Then, they brought in the heavy equipment--three mini gator children's ears. Parents were asked to make a donation to the Run for the Cure and the children (driver and passenger) were given the opportunity to drive the course! In all, a total of $450 was raised and donated to tin. cause. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.