The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4- The Oakville Beaver, Friday May 16, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Preparing to welcome the Open home By David Lea OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Although the 2008 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey is more than two months away, Town of Oakville staff are busy laying the groundwork to accommodate the thousands of spectators attracted to the event. On Tuesday night, Oakville's Community Service Committee meeting, received a staff briefing on what needs to be done to accommodate the renowned golf tournament, set for July 21-27. With such golfing celebrities as Mike Weir and VJ Singh expected to compete, crowds estimated to be as large as 30,000 people per day will not be far behind. In light of this one of the first questions staff dealt with was, `Where are all these people going to park?' "In previous years the town was able to afford the RCGA (Royal Canadian Golf Association) the use of the North Park site, but that can no longer happen due to development of that site," said Dan Cozzi, Director of the Department of Roads and Works Operations. "Just recently the RCGA did secure the use of the future hospital site, which is just northwest of the corner of Dundas and Third Line. We're quite pleased about that and staff feel that is the best location for public parking." Reserved parking will also be in place for event volunteers, support staff, media and corporate sponsors with Sheridan College, the Enbridge Pipeline Corridor (northeast of Upper Middle Road at Oakmead Boulevard), the Hydro One lands (along the south side of Upper Middle Road, west of Dorval Drive), Abbey Lane Public School and the Church of the Incarnation serving as the proposed locations. Shuttle service will be provided from all parking locations to the Canadian Open's location at the Glen Abbey Golf Course. Cozzi also noted that the event will require the closing of road lanes and sidewalks along sections of Dorval Drive and 2 DAY MATTRESS SALE! 6 ER O T HD E L S MO day bed Black available $ 119 9 ER O T HD E L S MO iron futon Black Frame only $ 89 299 369 429 599 489 569 649 869 20 E R O T HD E L S MO CHATEAU Black Iron 119 399 449 499 799 COMFORT SLEEP Twin Double Queen King Twin Double Queen King 179 Set 219 Set 249 Set 359 Set 299 Set 349 Set 429 Set 599 Set CHOICES PEDIC EUROTOP Twin Double Queen King Twin Double Queen King 239 Set 269 Set 309 Set 459 Set PRACTIC POCKET COIL POCKET COIL EUROTOP 429 Set 649 519 Set 749 599 Set 849 699 Set 1099 Any SALE ENDS SUN. 5 PM 3 FREE With Any Mattress Set Purchased COUPON COUPON Upper Middle Road in order to stage spectator, shuttle entry and vendor/supply deliveries to the Glen Abbey Golf Course. "We're proposing this year to close the northbound curb lane on Dorval Drive from Leewood Drive to Monastery Drive, as well as the eastbound curb lane on Upper Middle Road from Dorval Drive to the west abutment of the SmithTriller Viaduct," said Cozzi. "These will be 24/7 closures during the week of the open." The closing of the sidewalk on the south side of Upper Middle Road from Dorval Drive to the east side of the Smith-Triller Viaduct has also been recommended for the sake of public safety. Ward 5 Councillor Marc Grant expressed concerns about the pedestrian bridge crossing over Upper Middle Road on the east side of the Smith-Triller Viaduct being closed during the event. Cozzi said the closure would only take place if people congregated on the bridge and began to disturb the golf tournament. To prevent traffic jams caused by lost Canadian Open enthusiasts, Cozzi also proposed posting directional signs on all main access roads to and from Glen Abbey to show how to get to the specified parking lots. For those who park illegally, Cozzi had the following message. "There will be a heightened parking control presence in the area during the open," he said. "We all know what could happen if we don't do that. Some people feel they can park on a residential street near the golf course and have a short walk to the open. I can assure you that we will be patrolling that area effectively to make sure that doesn't happen." Town Hall will also be going out of its way to accommodate the Open by sacrificing its Atrium, which will be used to house training sessions for the volunteers participating in the event. The RCGA is also requesting that approximately 100 decorative banners promoting the open be hung along the Trafalgar Road and Dorval Drive corridors between North Service Road and Upper Middle Road. These would be put in place five to six weeks before the Open and taken down shortly thereafter. While the hosting the event entails a lot of work, the rewards are also extensive Cozzi noted. "I can tell you this will generate economic spin off in the millions of dollars," he said. "I won't quote a number that could be possible for Oakville, but I can quote that when Hamilton hosted the event in 2003 they predicted an economic spin-off benefit to the city of about $23 million and that was based on about 125,000 people selling out at the event which was the case. There will be benefits for area business, restaurants, hotels." To try and get some high profile customers, Cozzi noted the Oakville Business Improvement Areas are contracting local merchants to provide welcome packages for the players. "Let's not kid ourselves, they have a lot of money to spend and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have them spend it in our local business areas." 20 YR. WTY 25 YR. WTY 25 YR. WTY 20 YR. WTY OR Bed Frame Mattress Pad Bed Rails Comforter Layaway Set Up Disposal of Old Set Percale Set of Sheets Slip Sticks Pillow Local Delivery NO GST NO PST With Any Mattress Set Purchased sofa sleeper Pillowtop $ Burlington 10 ER O T HD E L S MO 259 5 ER O T HD E L S MO mates bed Deep Drawers $ 249 6 ER O T HD E L S MO electric bed Twin XL $ 949 Mississauga 666 Appleby Line (Fairview/Appleby) Behind McDonald's 6435 Erin Mills Pkwy. (at Battleford Centre in the Tim Horton's Plaza) · Barbeques · Electric Fireplaces · Gas Fireplaces · Accessories "MASONRY & FIREPLACE DESIGN SPECIALISTS" w w w. c o b b l e s t o n e m b e r s . c a 905-681-9020 905-542-0481 406 SPEERS RD., OAKVILLE ACROSS FROM RONA LANSING 905-337-2066