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Swingle at Russell Lob Ball eg (picture P.5) Twenty-five cents in flap over funds Feelings are running high bet- ween Russell Township council and the Russell Village recreation association with the two bodies wrangling over association fun- ding. Council has warned the associa- tion executive it will not continue to carry recreation in Russell. It has advised the association to assume more of its own operating budget. As well, council wants erased the RA's accumulated deficit -- around $75,000 according to Councillor Baird McNeill -- chalked up during the past several years. If the RA doesn't soon begin . paying more of its own way, drastic measures such as a staff cutback may have to be taken, council has said. The RA has responded with a call for volunteers, plans for more fund-raising events, and a general appeal for community support. But the executive isn't too hap- py with council's attitude. ""We've never resisted trying to make the RA a paying proposi- tion," said president Eddy Ed- mundson. "Council is hammering us hard on our economics partly VOL. 3 NO. 2 ONE CANADA SEPTEMBER, 1980 Senior units Open soon Although it was scheduled for a September opening, the senior citizen's residence on Russell's Church street, will not be habitable for another three mon- ths. Georges Laforge, housing manager of the Prescott-Russell Housing Authority, informed the Castor Review that because of previous construction problems, the building will not be ready until December. "There was a weak spot in the land that had to be secured, but it's all been taken care of," said Mr. Laforge from his Hawkesbury office. Flower children Budding enthusiasm in flower and vegetable gardening is being shown by Russell area young peo- ple. It was obvious recently at the Russell Horticultural Society's an- nual show Aug. 16 where 75 en- tries were received from 14 ex- hibitors under the age of 12. Five of the young gardeners were boys, said Carol Webster, who handled the junior competi- tion. Mrs. Webster's daughter, Kelly, 12 finished first. In. addition, 43 entries were received from six teenagers. The horticultural queen was selected from this group -- Patricia Nyenkamp: Despite a youthfulturnout that impressed all horticulturalists, Mrs. Webster said she would like to see more new faces in future competitions. She noted that a child's interest in gardening usually stems from involvement by parents. The 30, single-unit dwellings are the result of a survey conducted by the municipality and submitted to the provincial ministry of hous-. ing expressing the need for sub- sidized units for area elderly. Mr. Laforge says that a point system has been established to determine which applicants will qualify for reduced rent accom- modation. All tenants, says Laforge must be 60 years of age or over, prove that they require assistance. No one will have to pay more than 25% of their in- come for rent. In fact, some will pay as little as 18% The much coveted units will be fully equipped with smoke detec- tors, an intercom system, and are ideal for one person or a couple. If there is a demand for organized activities, Mr. Laforge says management has every intention of encouraging a real community spirit. -because it's an election year.' Voters across Ontario go to the polls in November to elect municipal councillors. The RA will also hold a partial election in November. Only half of the seats are up for grabs, so as to ensure continuity on the ex- ecutive. In the past, the entire executive could change from year to year making it more difficult to keep track of finances, Mr. Edmund- son explained. - Mr. McNeill said council's feel- ings toward the Russell RA soured last year because it felt it was 'deliberately misled" over the purchase of a new ice resurfacing machine. The RA, he said, borrowed $25,000 from council to cover the cost of the machine. The money was never repaid, he said. Mr. Edmundson said a $10,000 government grant had been receiv- ed to cover part of the purchase. However, he wasn't sure if it had been remitted to council. As for the balance of $15,000, major repairs were needed at the village arena and all available funds had to be directed there, he explained. Mr. Edmundson complained that council's delegates to the RA -- Mr. McNeill and Councillor Leo Marion -- rarely make an ap- pearance at the association's mon- thly meetings. He suggested misunderstan- dings would not occur if council kept closer tabs on the associa- tion's activities. In the spring, council jacked the Russell recreation mill rate by four mills but money generated that way will be applied to the deficit. ' Mr. Edmundson feels some of it should have been applied to the operating budget which he said will bring yet another deficit this year. Mr. McNeill. said $60,000 set aside by council for Russell recreation ran out at the end of August and the. association will have to come up with some cash. The RA will soon enter its top money-making period and rental of ice time will generate returns, Mr. Edmundson said. Mr. McNeill said cost-trimming decisions will have to be taken by the RA. As for his spotty attendance of RA meetings the councillor said: "It works as well if you don't go."' ~ HELP! When the Russell Village RA wants community support, members have to "phone, phone, phone". So says_ Donna Nordenstrom, an RA executive member, in laun- ching a campaign to garner greater involvement in recrea- tional activities. "T know Russell is a bedroom community and people get home late," Donna said. "But we need Crowning_glory more volunteer help and more participation or some programs with fold." Some events staged by the association are always successful. The Beef Bar-B-Q and the New Year's Eve party are examples. Others enjoy less popularity. The RA's current promotion is for a weekend for two at Chateau Montbello. Only 300 tickets. will be sold. Osgoode hall complete A nail here, a bit of paint there, and Metcalfe's pride and joy will be complete. 4e leat TV 'commercials. The best that can be said about them is that they are a rude interruption to our catatonic captivation by the boob tube. They would be even more in- ° sulting if the viewing fare that comes across the home screen these days was not so interrup- table. Sadly, most of the flickering fluorescence that rivets us goggle-eyed to the set is so bad it's banal. So the TV commercial can be a welcome respite, a tem- porary loosening of the torture screws pinioning our brains, a chance to drag our benumbed bodies to the kitchen for food to give us the strength to return to that audio-visual addiction. But now there are a couple of commercials so brazenly in- solent they transcend ll former barriers of mediocrity. They are the McDonald's snooty-nosed-kids commer- cials. and they're enough to make you sick. Sidewalk Talk "= Ronald McMediocre The first one shows a blond- haired brat fastidiously refus- ing to jump into the arms of her whimp father who is stan- ding foolishly chest-deep in a swimming pool. Not until Dad whines something about taking the kid to McDonald's does he get results. Without so much as a milli-second's hesitation, blondie launches herself into the water like a depth-charge from a U-boat. The other one opens with a cabin full of pubescent pan- tywaists in various stages of sleep. Suddenly, in the semi- darkness, one of them starts bawling about being homesick. Entirely out of character for kids that age, the others rally to his side, pat his hair and generally coo over him like chimps in front of a mirror. Then the clincher comes. The most cherubic of the lot wails that what he misses most is McDonald's french fries. That's the cue for a chorus of moaning. and. groaning . and much breast-beating over the absence of the pouched potatoes. The scene fades. What grinds me most about these ads. is the shameless gall with which McDonald's now supposes it can cram its views -- as well as its fast food -- down people's throats. True, McDonald's is big, it's fat and it's rich. But to imply that kids will not obey their parents or learn normal growing-up things like learning how to swim unless a Big Mac is dangled in front of them is too much. Even more shameful is the clown company's suggestion that its food is so good that kids miss it more when they are away from home than they miss their own parents. That takes TV commercials out of the traditional realm of subtle suggestion and gives them a new and frightening de- meanor. McDonald's is barg- ing into the home and putting itself on a pedestal above even parents. Perhaps McDonald's is too _ fat, too rich, Is its food really worth the price? Restoration over the past two years at a cost of $140,000 has given residents a building to feast their eyes on -- the Osgoode Township Hall. The crowning glory came this summer with the raising of an old- fashioned cupola -- a lot of the -- work was hand-done -- and in- stallation of a cedar shake roof, Replacing the original version, the new cupola cost about $6,000, said clerk Fred Wilson. The cedar job was quite expensive, bringing a final bill of about $20,000. One final major project which may be undertaken is the repoin- ting of exterior brickwork, Mr. Wilson said. The affable clerk is delighted with the work. With 2,000 square feet of floor space, Osgoode residents have a hall second to none for about half the invest- ment of a new building, he noted. Throughout exterior-interior restoration, local officials con- sulted with representatives of Heritage Ontario. The Metcalfe showplace was built in 1891 for $2,500. "'There's something nice about the old buildings,'? Mr. Wilson observed.