Vol. 11 No. 4
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER COVERING NORTH DURHAM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Homes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . 18
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Council calls for public input on budget DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
GIVE WHERE YOU LIVE: Emily Brown (left) and Talia Beaune (right) are pictured above making their own contribution to Port Perry Hospital’s ‘Your Hospital, Your Future’ fund with some help from Dr. John Stewart. The girls, who were both born in the Port Perry Hospital and attend R.H. Cornish P.S., wanted to give back their community - and raised money by weaving crafts and asking for donations in-lieu of birthday presents. BENJAMIN PRIEBE The Standard
Meeting to determine future of Seagrave’s park BENJAMIN PRIEBE The Standard
SCUGOG: Seagrave residents will be given an opportunity to re-form their Park Board, and highlight their opinions on the Coryell St. greenspace, during an up-coming meeting this weekend. Ward 1 Councillor Betty Somerville has heard the call for improvements on the park, and will hold a meeting to decide the members of the new Seagrave Park Board, and any initiatives they may undertake - on Saturday, Jan. 24, at 10:30 a.m., inside the basement of the Seagrave Church. Councillor Somerville, as well as Scugog Mayor Tom Rowett and the
Elizabeth Murray
Township’s new Director of Public Works and Parks, Glen Smith, will be in attendance to receive input, and answer the questions of residents. According to Councillor Somerville, the most important question on the agenda is whether or not residents would like to re-instate a Seagrave Park Board at all, and who from the community might step-up to be a voice. “Three years ago, the Park Board was dissolved, but we’ve heard some talk of interest lately. This meeting will hopefully tell us where the people stand,” Councillor Somerville told The Standard. Other pertinent topics will include the upkeep and maintenance in the park, the
Township’s role in the park, any future fund raisers or events, and improvement projects which could be slated. “The park is well-used for baseball and sports, but the grounds have been deteriorating for some time - our park needs to be taken care of and utilized by different community groups,” said Councillor Somerville. Councillor Somerville told The Standard that the meeting was open to all, and that all opinions and interests would be welcomed. To get in-touch with Councillor Somerville, learn more information, or offer your opinion, please e-mail bsomerville@scugog.ca, or phone 905-985-8066.
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UXBRIDGE: Deliberations continued on this year’s municipal operating and capital budget last week, although Mayor Gerri Lynn O’Connor was displeased with continued low attendance from the community at recent budget meetings. Unlike in past years, councillors have scheduled budget meetings in the afternoon as well as in the evening, in the hopes of attracting more public participation in the process in the wake of great debate over tax rates during the municipal election last fall. However, despite these measures, attendance has remained low at budget meetings, with the audience limited to a small handful of regular attendees. “We’ve done our best to encourage input and only a select few have taken the time to do anything to be involved,” commented Mayor O’Connor. “It’s easy to criticize, point fingers and send e-mails saying ‘council’s stupid’ and ‘you people don’t know what you’re doing.’ But, they’re not here to understand the process and see what we’re going through with the budget.” Budget meetings will resume on Friday, Jan. 23, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., after councillors opted to cancel a meeting slated for Thursday, Jan. 22. Finance Committee Chair Pat Molloy urged his fellow councillors to take time this week to meet with municipal department heads in the hopes of further whittling down the budget. “We’re getting down to nickels and diems here,” said Ward 2 Councillor Molloy. “It’d be great if you can meet with your department heads and look at where you can find some additional savings.” A municipal budget open house has been scheduled at Town Hall (51 Toronto St. South) from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 29, prior to that evening council meeting. The municipal budget is expected to receive final approval from councillors in early February.
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