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PAGE 6 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESOAY, MARCH 19. Second Class Mail Registration Number 5540 If you were to compile a list of words the people of Waterloo would like to see used in describing this city, caring, progressive and openâ€"minded would likely be at the top. 0 ect. _ None of these have been demonstrated up to this point in this city‘s response to the Granny Flat projâ€" Colonial Acres property owners have received much criticism in recent weeks for their opposition to an application permitting installation of one of the Portable Living Units for Seniors in their neighborâ€" hood. It‘s clear, however, that the closeâ€"minded thinking which prompted this response extends beyond that subdivision. And, despite what city staff may say, the controversy does reflect negatively on Waterloo as a whole. The record speaks for itself. Since announcement of the project in October of 1984 just 24 applications have been submitted for Waterloo‘s four allocated units. Only one has been installed; a second proposal (Colonial Acres) could go to the Ontario Municipal Board because residents do not want it; a third application has already been withdrawn because of neighborhood opposition. Now, we learn that Waterloo could lose its remaining units to another community, possibly Kitchener, if locations are not found, and Waterloo‘s three rookie aldermen have taken to the streets of Colonial Acres to convince residents that their fears are unfounded. The Granny Flat is an innovative, humane solution to the problem of providing suitable housing for senior citizens. It‘s not a perfect answer, but it does offer many positives â€" it allows the elderly to remain within their family circle, yet still permits an independent and private lifestyle. For those concerned about dollars, in the long run Granny Flats could be much less expensive than institutionalization. C butnbd! sdoditits fndhibciii td itc is natn t dsb annren It is unfortunate that the concept has been blocked locally by such a wall of opposition. Not in my backyard we hear, as residents fight the project in the name of protecting property values. If there ever was a case of misplaced priorities this is it. What remains unclear is just how installing such a portable unit could have a permanent affect on property values. The units are only being placed on a temporary basis, the current application is for a threeâ€"year use, and will be removed when no longer required. Regulations are also in place to ensure that the flat cannot be rented for other purposes, such as for student housing. Somehow it seems fitting that, with the quiet familyâ€"like rivalry that exists between the two, Waterloo could lose its remaining units to its twin, Kitchener. Maybe the city will spend less time talking about how progressive it is and more time showing that it is a city which puts people first. Misplaced priorities published everyâ€" Wednesday by Fairway Press a diyision of Kitchenerâ€"Waterioo Record Ltd , owner "p, 225 Fairway Rd S . Kitchener, Ont Waterio« Buiding budding address correspondence to Waterioo office 45 Erb St bo. Waterloo. Ont NZJ 117. telephone 886 2K3 Chromicle othce is located ut the Haney . White Law Offic« (rear entrance. uppet Hoor) Rarming at the rear of th Open Monday to Friday 9 00 a m to £ 00 p it Publisher: Paul Winkier Manager Bill Karges Editor:. Rick Campbell established 1854 I went to a houseâ€"warming party of a friend of mine recently. Almost everything in the house was brand new, including the beautiful white carpet in the living room. During the reception, the 15â€"yearâ€"old daughter of the house spilled a glass full of grape juice all over the carpet. There was the usual horrified silence before my friend bolted for the kitchen to get a cloth. As he was desperately fighting to remove the stain (and it looked like a losing battle), his daughter, near to tears, tried to say how sorry she was. He was much too busy to make a comment at the time, but a few minutes later, understandâ€" ing how badly she felt, he gave her a big hug and told her not to worry about the carpet. And then he said: ‘"*Y‘know, you‘re a lot more important to us than a livingâ€"room carpet."‘ That set me to thinking. Wouldn‘t it be wonderful if we could all do a better job of keeping things in balance â€" in their true perspective? And we could if we learned to wait until the emergency, or whatever it was that made us angry or impatient, was over for a while. * If we did, im most cases we would end up saying nothing at all, or something thoughtful and kind instead of inflicting an emotional wound that might take a long time healing, if ever. things .‘ The grapeâ€"juice incident was a minor disaster when it happened, yet all the screaming, nameâ€"calling, cursing and bad temper in the world wouldn‘t change it â€" but it might change the child. I am sure that all of us have participated in the following scenario: A small child is sitting up to the table with the grownâ€"ups, perhaps for the first time. Elevated "At one point in time it was great to have low taxes, but one can go overboard on these It is written * How asouy mat DiE ... Chronicle Editor Rick Campbell is away Lho meseu me Acrop Ram in Ma Muitronrey ‘s, crtouwper 7 " Geoffrey Fellows Andrew Telegdi, Waterioo alderman discussing city budgets. â€" SEE PAGE 1 precariously on cushions or a couple of phone books, legs dangling, it lacks the stability it was used to in the high chair. Nevertheless, it is trying to cope with the new experience but, reaching for its glass of milk, it is knocked over. Instant commotion! People standing up, rushing about, all seem to be talking at once. And, as if all the fuss weren‘t enough to totally bewilder the child, he or she will get punished as well. For what? Because, in all innocence, it inconvenienced some people, that‘s what. I‘m sure, that you, as an adult, have caused a similar situation, and were acutely embarrassed by it, but were you punished? That was a nuisance to others, too, but you hoped that they would understand that it was an accident. You would like to have the matter handled in an adult manner, right? Then why, whenâ€"a child is the cause, do we tend to act in a childish manner? Our loved ones are beyond price. The things they knock down and break, and spill, accidentally, can be fixed or reâ€" placed with far more certainty than the emotional damage that we can inflict through thoughtless punishment, or showâ€" ing that we value our things more than we do them. That‘s hard to take, you know. Of course, children must learn to respect our things; but we had better face the fact that there are bound to be some accidents in the learning and in these cases it is far better that the scars be on the furniture â€" than on the child. (Mr. Fellows is the founder of the Human Resource Development Institute, P.O. Box 642, Cambridge, NIR 5W1)