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T h e Oa k v il l e B ea ver W e e k e n d A Metroland Publication Vol. 37 No. 58 Oakville's Award-Winning Community Newspaper SUNDAY, MAY 16,1999 75 Cents Plus GST ^ Prudential g w Town Centre R ta in 3 3 8 .6 5 5 0 BIG ON SERVICE 24 Hr. Pager S PU N K R ISSALES REP MORE TO WSCOVER * B u ild in g ' b o o m b o n a n z a By Howard Mozel l OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF While the Town's Building Department is already the envy of the industry, Oakville's construction boom ensures this situation should continue for a long time to come. The reasons for this success comple­ ment one another like fingers in a glove: since 1996 the department has operated on the "enterprise" system, meaning it's run like a business and pays its own way. This in turn has allowed staff to deal with the ongoing flood of building permits in a timely and professional manner, thereby making Oakville an even more attractive place in which to build. The numbers are extraordinary: in 1998, the department processed 3,014 permit applications totaling $430 mil­ lion in construction values. Revenues for the department itself reached $4 mil­ lion. Only into the second quarter of this year, the department has already received more than 1,325 applications worth in excess of $215 million. This translates into about $2.5 million in department revenues, just shy of the its $2.6 million 1999 operating budget. As the only enterprised building department in Canada, Building Services Director Ron Foy says it is being treated by other agencies as a model worth investigating. "It is a success story pure and sim­ ple," said Foy. "The industry is very supportive." The boom may also create an unex­ pected benefit. The Building Department is allowed to put revenues in excess of its budget (to a maximum amount equal to its budget) into a reserve fund which could be drawn upon in lean times. During the first year of the enterprise system, this reserve contribution was only $39,000, a figure which leaped in subsequent years to $800,000 in 1997 (See 'Town' page 9) INSIDE to d a y 's p a p e r Update. Focus.. Health....... ................ Transportation____ Family Fare.______ Contest................... Sports __ Business _______13 _______14 ..........17-24 97 ----------- Oft ____.30-31 ______ J33 Special Supplements: & Co. (2 ), Longo'i M&M Neats Partial Delivery: Sears, Toys R l Valassis Shop & Save, Little Caesars, I Canadian Orpheus Male Choir, Food Basics, Liquidation World, Keene Guardian, Current Power, Eat Realty, Prudential, Solarex Travel Canadian Publications Mail Product Agreement #435-201 ' Parents lobby for new schools By Dennis Smith SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Photo by Ron Kuzyk SLIP! SLAP! SLOP!: In preparation for Sun Awareness Week, May 17th to 23rd, two-year- old Emily Dickson received a sunscreen treatment from five-year-old Mitchell Wells under the watchful eye of Wendy Burmister Downey, from the Body Shop in Oakville Place. This spring and summer, the Canadian Cancer Society is urging all parents and caregivers of young children to fol­ low the SunSense guidelines -- SliplSlap! Slop! -- Slip on a shirt; Slap on a hat and Slop on sun­ screen. Throughout Sun Awareness Week, The Body Shop will be handing out skin cancer and sun protection literature from the Canadian Cancer Society. Parents who want new schools are doing their own campaigning during the provincial election period. A new group, called New Schools for Halton (NSH), presented a petition to the provincial government earlier this week. And it has invited public school trustees to meet its members Sunday. Parents in Oakville, Burlington and Georgetown have joined the group. "We need new schools in Millcroft, Georgetown, River Oaks and West Oak Trails. This issue will not go away," said member Valerie Pakkala . She was one of two representatives from the new school group appearing as a delegation. The public board recently voted against closing three elementary schools -- Fairfield and Champlain in Burlington and Oakwood in Oakville. Staff had proposed the closures to help eliminate the board's accommoda­ tion surplus and obtain provincial fund­ ing for new schools. The closures were (See 'Parents' page 2) ' W a n d a n d n o z z le s e t Wand has multi-pattern spray from mist to jet. Nozzle is also adjustable to meet your watering _ needs. 59-3200-8 S 0 I Sale price in effect Sat May 15 to Fri. May 21,1999. WEEKLY lverVdoylowpfi<«a£ W e e k ly so les - I k ™ s a sliilllHIli I-- Hlllll ' i l l I 1 Hli liWi 1 -- UPPER OAKVILLE SHOPPING CENTRE Upper Middle at 8th Line Open Sunday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 8 4 9 - 8 4 7 3 0AKT0WN SHOPPING PLAZA 550 Kerr Street Open Sunday 10a.m.-5 p.m. 8 4 4 - 0 2 0 2