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Chronicle Staff "Get Fit Waterloo." That was the rallying cry of Waterloo's Great Canadian Participac- tion Challenge coAtr- dinating committee Monday as it kicked off its drive to win the 1984 fitness competition, set for Wednesday, May l6. Committee publicity Coordinator Janet Fry said that this year Wa- terloo will be compet- ing against 150 other Canadian communi- ties, including more than 60 in its class size Melodoe Martinuk Chronicle Staff Get Fit Waterloo committee member John Summers joined Waterloo aldermen for a titness testing session Monday to kick on the second annual Participaction Challenge. We w... photo Waterloo city council is giving owners of all-night variety stores a chance to voluntarily restrict operating hours, but stands ready to legislate closing times it it doesn't get co-operation. Ald. Glen Wright Monday night agreed to meet with local convenience store owners and operators with the hope of getting them to support an earlier closing hour especially when the store is located in a residential neigh- borhood. Wright said his primary concern, is the "inconvenience and noise asociated with these stores ... owners should have consideration when they open a store. A person in this city has a right to the peaceful enjoyment of their property and by having a convenience store across the street, that enjoyment declines." Council also unanimously approved recommendations from city planners to require that a retail analysis indicating market and need be completed before a convenience store is permitted to locate in a residential area. The new policy would also allow a combination gas bar/variety store use in convenience commercial zones of the city and increase the maximum site of such stores from 2,000 to 3,000 square feet. Latplast year, council asked the city planners to review municipal policy regarding convenience stores after residents' groups objected to applications which would City will watch closely to see what actions store owners take . Time to get fit as city joins in 1984 competition C Alone. who are vying for the title of most physically fit commu- nity in the country. Last year, only so com- munities across Can- ada participated. For readers who have forgotten, Water- loo took part in the challenge tor the first time last year, and although this city didn't win tit finished sixth in its class of 12 municipalities with a population of 30,000- 69,000) more than 17,300 residents joined in. This year, organizers are determined to sub stantially improve-the city's results by en- couraging businesses to become involved, Fry said. . "Last year. most of the people participate ing were from the schools, or took part in events we ran. We're hoping this year that businesses will become more involved." The program itself is very simple. All it re- quires is that on May 16 anyone who lives, works or goes to school in Waterloo, partici- pate in 15 continuous minutes of physical ac- tivity - walking. jog- ging, swimming, gar- dening, whatever. Ready to pass regulations Once you’ve com- pleted the 15 minutes, she said, residents must register their participation, either by dropping into the Get Fit Centre at Waterloo Town Square or by calling 8884700. To add a little spice to the event, Fry added, the city of Wa- terloo will be officially challenging the city of Cambridge. which is participating in the competition for the first time this year. Special activities scheduled for the day include a noon-hour walk through Waterloo Park led by Mayor Marjorie Carroll and what is being billed as The world's Largest Family Fitness Class, 7 p.m. at Waterloo Town Square. The class, led by local celebrities im cluding members of the Waterloo Siskins. will be preceded by a break dance demonstration and entertainment by a dixieland band. permit establishment of three such operations in Waterloo. Because of the strength of the opposition to the 24-hour operations, Wright asked planners to study ways to control where such businesses can open. In their report to council, city planners opposed a city-wide hours-control bylaw. because all-night busi- nesses do serve a public need in certain areas of the community. They added that the city has no authority to regulate the hours of operation to zoning. Therefore planners felt the best option would be to "do nothing" now, and lobby the province for more effective legisla- tion. While council agreed to push for a change in legislation, they rejected the suggestion that they take no immediate action. However, aldermen were not yet ready to impose a city-wide bylaw and proposed the meeting with variety store owners to seek a voluntary agreement. “I feel strongly that we should give them a chance to do so voluntarily, but If they dont we should take the least-worst choice and close them all." said Ald. Brian Tumbull. . It was clear. nevertheless. unit council is ready to pass regulations if the self-regulation proposal isn't success- fui. Aid. Robert Henry argued that the city should be "very strict" with any commercial business trying to locate in a residential area. "They should be a convenience to the public. not an irritation." he said, iidyoruiihorie carrat noted that private owners and There was no question Monday's winds were of tsignificant velocity to cause a great deal of damage around the city. Above, at St. Louis Church on Allen St., the cross was blown oft the top of the steeple, with one half (left) embedding in the roof below and the other tailing to the pavement in front of the church. Meanwhile, one street over, a huge limb of a tree came crashing down across George St. near Willow. Power failures and other wind damage was not uncommon as fierce gusts swept across the Southern Ontario region. an cw photos WINDS? WHAT WINDS? WA!£W Sitimtt2tuE., MAY: MAY ' chain operators are divided on the question of regula- tions. with the independents supporting an earlier closing time. A survey by the planning department revealed that there are 26 variety stores in the city. of which eight belong to a major chain. nine are part of regional chains and nine are independently owned. Six of these stores are 24-hour operations. "Hive heard from a number of owners, both private and chains, and you could almost draw a line - private owners would like regulations. the chains wtruldn't," she said. n :'_I:Nish viewed)“ get through to the owners that they have to be more responsible and responsive," she said. In other business Monday, city council approved an agreement to lease a 2.51-acre property at Erb and Caroline Streets to be used as a new parking lot for Seagram Museum visitors. "iGaGrGiGri,irery statistics prepared by Waterloo regional police showed that there have been no variety store holdups in Waterloo. The land will be leased from Canadian Pacific Railway for one year. at a cost of $200 a month. The city is currently negotiating with the railway company to purchase the land. The lot would provide an additional 240 parking spaces. Phase one of the lot's construction, 52 spaces. is expected to be completed by the museum's May 17 public opening, at a cost of $64,000. ttNb6--PAaE3