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Friday, March 16 2018 3 Brooklin Town Crier "Proud to be a Brooklinite" Founded in 2000 and published 24 times per year. Editor, Richard Bercuson 613-769-8629 editorofbtc@gmail.com The Brooklin Town Crier is locally owned and operated and is a publication of Appletree Graphic Design Inc. We accept advertising in good faith but do not endorse advertisers nor advertisements. All editorial submissions are subject to editing. For advertising information, contact: 905.655.7642 Email: mulcahy42@rogers.com Next Issue: Thursday, March 29, 2018 Deadline: Friday, March 23, 2018 Take 10 of the 80-plus spots which are hardly used (10% usage according to a town employee) and make them free for, say, a half hour? This requires nothing more than a bit of signage and doesn't require waiting for Canada Post approval. As Brooklin expands, our cozy little downtown runs the risk of becoming a shadow of its former self. To encourage residents to visit the shops and eateries, those from beyond walking distance need to park somewhere. Street parking is limited. The municipal lot on Vipond would be a good deal more attractive if some of the spots were free for a bit. A few free spots won't make a dent in Whitby's parking income since the lot is greatly underused already. It would however have a positive impact on local residents who need to access the post office. A free period would give folks time to not only do their post office business but also perhaps visit a local business. Everyone wins. It's also one less kerfuffle. continued from page 2 Swimming to the theme from "Beauty and the Beast" that she'd picked, Mary Guy finished first in figures, routine and first overall at the Eastern Regional synchro championships In Ottawa. The 26 year old special needs athlete switched to synchro six years ago because, says her mother, she was spending more time playing in the pool when she was supposed to be racing. "She a pretty strong swimmer," says Darlene Guy. "She can go across the pool and back underwater." Special needs athletes in synchro swim alone. The next step for Mary is the Ontario finals in May in Etobicoke where she'll be using the same routine. Local Swimmer Wins Double Gold Alison Albrecht has spent of a lot of time in her job as Whitby's Supervisor of Parking Services fielding complaints. So when she set up the pop up at the Brooklin Library last week looking for feedback on local parking issues, she couldn't have been surprised at the comments stuffed into the plastic box. "There's been a wide range of feedback," she says diplomatically with a trace of a grin. "People are certainly upset when they have to pay for parking, no matter how cheap it is. "It's a utility," she goes. "As such, we want it to continue to be user funded." She adds that people don't often consider parking as a key issue when they move to an area. Often, they just tell her to fix it for them. Whitby has three full time parking agents and two part time as well as a contractor for evenings and weekends. One parking agent is dedicated to Brooklin. In her previous job in Clarington, she was one of those ticket agents and knows from personal experience how emotional it can be for people. Still, Whitby's initiative to hear what people are saying has been an interesting one. There have been similar pop ups at the Brock St. Seniors Centre, Celebration Square downtown, and at Brooklin's Christmas tree lighting event. Whitby Pop-Up Looks For Parking Feedback