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by Cathy Olliffe It was "a Really Big Shew". That just about sums up the fervent excite- ment that has swelled up around the town of Port Perry in the past week or so, when movies stars, camera crews and a whole slew of Hollywood types sent shops on So NE Teen hearts melt for Matt '""Isn't he handsome?" "Doesn't Queen Street look great?" '""Can you believe how good the Standard Trust building (substitute Re/Max, Port Perry Pet Shop, Pine Ridge Sports, Becker's or any other store on the main drag) looks?' The comments flew thick and furious as the 1950's . straight days. Queen Street and a house on Bigelow reeling on a Twilight Zone trip back to wv All for the filming of Columbia Pictures major movie release, '"The Arm". Locals talked of nothing else for five "Did you see Matt Dillon?" SAR what seemed like the entire population of Scugog Township gawked and reveled in the changes brought about by "The Arm'. A There were negative comments, of course. A few merchants were worried about lost business. complained about not be- ing able to park in front of stores. (continued on page 8) So ! a LL 'Vol. 120 No. 43 Tuesday, September 23, 1986 Copy 35° 48 Pages Council hears proposal for autistic group home A residential home for five autistic teen-agers could be operating by the end of November if Township council agrees to a re- zoning of the piece of rural proper- ty on Regional Road 57, east of Casearea. At a public meeting into the re- zoning held Monday afternoon in the Township council chambers, representatives from Kerry's Place, a non-profit organization, outlined the kind of home that would be operated there. Susan Repa, a program director, told councillors that there would be no more than five autistic teen- - agers (12-18 years) living at the home. She said there would be three full-time staff during the day and two staff members at home through the nights. : Ms. Repa said that along with th residential setting for the young peo- ple, efforts would be made to give them a vocational training. The property in question (known locally as the Bolahood Farm) has 116 acres and a large farm house. Ms. Repa said that the autistic teen-agers would attend school in Durham Region during the day, and part of the program would consist of small-scale farming like vegetables, Change may cost A move by the Conservative government to trim the federal deficit has made Scugog Township council see red. The reason is the plans to charge municipalities for radio licences at the same rate as private radio operators now pay. Scugog now pays a flat rate of $100 yearly for the licence covering the radios used by the Township Works Department. Works superintendent Ron Mac- Donald told council Monday morn- ing that if the proposed rate hike comes into effect, the Township will have to pay $2500 for its radio licences. And that just covers the Works Township money Department. The Fire Departments would be faced with similar in- creases. "Who knows how much it will cost the Durham. Region Police," said Mr. MacDonald. The federal government plans to start charging municipalities at a rate of $36 for each mobile radio plus $24C for each base sation. Wtile members ¢f Township council agreed the federal govern- 11ent must do something to trim the nutional debt, several stated it should not be done at the expense of the local mill rate. Councillors voted to send a letter of protest to Conservative MP for Durham-Northumberland Allan Lawrence. a few chickens and small animals. The residential home, if approv- ed, would be known as Scott's Place. The organization, with funding from the provincial government, current- ly operates several similar residen- tial homes for autistic péople in southern Ontario. Mark Irwin, the executive direc- tor of the organization told council that if the re-zoning is approved, the home would be in operation after some renovations to the interior and painting the outside. He cited the end of November as a likely date. In response to a question from council, Mr. Irwin said there are no plans to add other buildings or ex- pand the house for more residents. Ms. Repa described autism as a disorder that affects the ability to understand and communicate. She said that because autistic people often have greater difficulty com- municating, they may develop social and behavior problems. Township councillors expressed no strong objections to the proposal, but a decision on the re-zonirg will be made one way or another in the near future. Two residen.s who live close to the property told the meeting Monday afternoon, their concerns were put to rest after talking to the people from Kerry's Place. The two residents wanted assurance that a privacy fence would be constructed along the driveway leading from the Regional Road to the farmhouse and that there be no public sign put up in front of the property. Another resident who lives on the (Turn to page 2) LY --" --- wg - - - i wl a ll 1 lll ltt ecc i lis ll ik so be ais ify Thrills and chills were the order of the evening on Thursday, when the playground equipment at Greenbank Public School was officially opened. While parents and dignitaries made speeches, the kids present simply had fun. For story and more photos, see inside. Co 1