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10 Stouffville Sun-Tribune | Thursday, September 15, 2016 | O Fax: 905-640-8778 Classified: 1-800-263-6480 OPINION COLUMNS reader asks a question the way readers do in 2016. On Twitter. "What ever happened to the wine bar that was supposed to open this summer in Silver Jubilee bldg? #Stouffville," queried N.A.T. @emelmom She is not alone. "That's the same question council is asking. Wish we knew...," responded Hugo T. Kroon AKA @CouncillorKroon. In case you missed it, the property at Main and Market streets, which once housed the post office and then the Silver Jubilee seniors' club, was sold for $515,000 to a numbered company, according to a media release from the town last October. (Stouffville Brewing Company, which has since moved on to Ajax, had been interested in the property in the downtown core, too. Town councillors had concerns. Now known as Falcon Brewing Co., its brewing facility in Durham Region is to open this fall.) SMC Project Realization and Management announced in January it was the lucky bidder for the property. The wine bar would open in June, according to our story. That didn't happen, obviously. SMC officials yesterday said they'll have an update on the project next month. In fairness, private businesses can do what they want, when they want. They own the place. Plans changes. So do finances. And readers ­ including municipal councillors ­ can be curious. It's their town, too. So can newspaper editors. Canadian Tire moved to its current site on Hwy. 48 nine years ago. It's former location, on Main Street next to The Lion of Stouffville, remains a large, vacant lot. The Stouffville Country Market was sold to a development company in 2009, but Publisher Dana Robbins General manager Shaun Sauve Regional Editor-In-Chief, Metroland Central Joanne Burghardt 580 Steven Ct, Newmarket, ON L3Y 6Z2 www.yorkregion.com 905-640-2612 DISTRIBUTION 1-855-853-5613 Director, Advertising Maureen Christie Director Creative Services Katherine Porcheron Director, Distribution Mike Banville Regional Director, Finance & administration Phil Sheehan Editor in Chief, York Region Lee Ann Waterman Managing Editor Jim Mason jmason@yrmg.com A You've got questions ­ we hope to have answers Crosswalk kids are all right en years and counting. It was back in 2005 that, on the spur of the moment, I walked into the office of WhitchurchStouffville's works department and enquired if a school crossing guard position might be available. "Not at present," I was told, "but perhaps soon." The "perhaps soon" occurred sooner than I expected. First came two days of training under the watchful eyes of Karen Norton and Elwood Pattenden. Then 10 months of replacement work, substituting for absentees. And later my very own site, Millard Street and Glad Park Avenue where I currently serve. Despite the fact I initially received several "slaps-onthe-wrist" from my former supervisor, I painstakingly accepted these criticisms, some deserved and some not, as part of the learning process. Admittedly, on two occasions, I felt much like throwing in the towel, but am now pleased I reconsidered. For it would quickly have ended an enjoyable part-time career. This includes smiles from dozens of children every morning, noon and afternoon; words of encouragement from like numbers of parents and grandparents and positive gestures from bus drivers, truck drivers and motorists. With a courteous balance between senders and receivers, it can be a friendly world out there. From the end of June to the beginning of September I was surviving on tenterhooks, considering the possibility I might be moved. While shifting crossing guards from one site to another is not uncommon, the fact my current location is only two streets distant from where I live, the conve- T Off The Top with Jim Mason continues operating under a series of two-year reprieves. The market is a 64-year-old Stouffville institution that will some day be history. (This is Year 2 of the most recent extension.) It's not the same place it was. Back in the 1980s, before widespread Sunday shopping was legalized and flea markets were an oddity, cars were backed up from the Tenth Line facility through downtown Stouffville every weekend. Think Blue Jays' traffic after SkyDome lets out. But it's still worth a visit, especially with the demise of the downtown Stouffville farmers' market. The produce, poultry, Crocs and electronics will be gone, replaced by a retail plaza and more homes, perhaps? You can probably say the same for the entrance to Stouffville, Main Street just east of Hwy. 48. Many of us drive it daily, not giving it a second thought. But a newcomer has fresh eyes. "That's your welcome mat?" he said, slightly paraphrased. "Some welcome." It, too, will change. The boarded-up houses will be bulldozed, no doubt. The unkempt lawns ripped up. It's just a matter of time. Jim Mason is editor of The Sun-Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @stouffeditor Roaming Around with Jim Thomas nience of travel couldn't be better with three applicable choices ­ drive, bike or walk. I've done all three. More importantly, however, is the enjoyment gained from becoming acquainted with so many wonderful kids and equal numbers of incredible parents. Over the past decade these ageing eyes have watched dozens graduate from wee girls and boys to young ladies and gentlemen. Seeing is believing. And seeing was believing the first day back. Over a three-hour period, 1,476 people, (adults and students), crossed this intersection including 713 in the morning; 57 at noon and 705 in the afternoon. So none was kept waiting, a works department employee assisted at two of the busiest shifts. And the following three days as well. What once was labelled Stouffville's "crazy corner" remains "crazy busy" but not "crazy hazardous" thanks to town council's decision to make the intersection a fourway stop. Advertising Manager Mara Sepe msepe@yrmg.com Thoughtfully, the mayor has requested town residents nominate six individual seniors and six groups of seniors "who represent our town and do amazing things in, around and for our community". The 12 winners will each represent a calendar month. Nominations should be submitted to: mayor. altmann@townofws.ca or phoned to: 905-640-1900 (ext. 2227). Recipients of this honour will be announced at 3 p.m., Sunday, during a Seniors Appreciation Month barbecue and corn roast hosted by Justin and wife Jenny. The location is the Altmann family farm, 5601 Bethesda Rd. Police chorus coming A detachment of police are coming ­ the York Regional Police chorus to Stouffville's Parkview Village. The 36-member male choir, under the leadership of founding member, retired Supt. Lowell McClenny, will perform Oct. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets ($12), are available at two Parkview reception offices, 12140 Ninth Line and 123 Weldon Rd. The police chorus recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti, chair of the York Regional Police Services Board attended the event held at Oakview Terrace, Richmond Hill. In congratulating the choir on their achievement, police chief Eric Joliffe said: "Your songs have brought warmth to the cold hallways of hospitals and nursing homes and your voices have been the highlight of many premier events." The Parkview Village concert Oct. 17 will be yet another exceptional experience. Jim Thomas is a Stouffville resident who has written for area newspapers for more than 65 years. sbrown@metroland.com Circulation Manager Sabrina Brown York Region Media Group community newspapers The Sun-Tribune, published every, Thursday, is a division of the Metroland Media Group Ltd., a whollyowned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. To speak to a customer service rep: 1-855-853-5613 Delivery inquiries: customersupport@ metroland.com Delivery issues? LETTERS POLICY All submissions must be less than 400 words and include a daytime telephone number, name and address. The Sun-Tribune reserves the right to publish or not publish and to edit for clarity and space. E-mail jmason@yrmg.com Calendar nominations September is Seniors Appreciation Month in Whitchurch-Stouffville. The proclamation was recently declared by Mayor Justin Altmann. And supportively received.