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Walk for Guide Dogs honours a special friendship. Australian duo brings its controâ€" versial ‘puppetry‘ show to Kâ€"W. Viewpoint You said it |canada.â€"om| Sports Classified Saab of Kitchener Waterloo 663 Victoria St. N. 744â€"5811 WATERLOO CHRONICLE WHAT‘S INSIDE HIS 3.SRTH Page 10 Page 15 25 30 City in doghouse over leashâ€"free park e City of Waterloo is in the I doghouse with a group of resiâ€" dents, opposed to a plan to open a leashâ€"free facility at the southâ€"east end of Bechtel Park. Homeowners, whose properties border that section of the park, are unhappy with the city‘s plan, which they claim will put the zone practiâ€" cally in their backyards. "I‘m a dog lover, and I know how important it is to have a leashâ€"free dog park," said Louanne Hummel, who lives on Bridge Street. "Just not in my backyard." The proposed site sits on 2.6 acres of lands in the park‘s southâ€" east corner, near the playground and baseball diamond. The area would be fenced in, fully lit, and kept clean by the dog owners who use it. But Hummel said she is conâ€" cerned the facility would increase Former students, parents and staff at Harold Wagner public school in Waterloo attended a special reunion to celebrate the school before it permanently closes this summer. Sevenâ€"yearâ€"old Marina Gutermuth enjoyed climbing on the inflatable obstacle course, while others enjoyed the bouncy castle, pumpkin ride, live entertainment and refreshments By Anprea Barey _ Chronicle Staff WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2002 + WATERLOO, ONTARIO Serving your community since 1856 noise and debris, and in turn decrease property values for nearby residents. "Right now when we we look out the back, we see a nice open field," she said. "If this park opens, all we will see is a brown and yellow field." Hummell suggested there might be a better location within the park for the facility. "Why can‘t they put it down by the woods, bordering the expressâ€" way?" she asked. "It wouldn‘t bother anyone, and it would be a nice walk for the dogs and their owners." Her thoughts were echoed by members of Dogerloo of Waterloo Region, the volunteerâ€"based group pushing for a local dog park. "I can see (their) point of view," said Arlene Shousterman, coâ€"presiâ€" dent of Dogerloo. "We were also surâ€" prised when we saw the site the city has in mind." Shousterman said the group‘s goal has always been to develop a large park â€" around five acres in Over the top size â€" with trees and walking trails, where dogs and owners can socialâ€" ize and exercise. She added, the group has no input into the city‘s decision on where to house the facility. "Another part of Bechtel Park would be more appropriate," she said. "An underdeveloped part, where we could even put in some "Originally, we were looking at putting the park closer to the woods," he said. "But looking at it from an environmental perspective, nesting birds would be disturbed. But Mark Hillis, head of the city‘s parks department, said land availâ€" ability and environmental concerns ruled out other options. "Being the environment is such a high priority for the city, we had to rule that location out." Hillis described the proposed site as a positive choice. "It‘s not conflicting with existing $1 INCLUDING GST Continued on page 2 Westmount fire station to close terloo city council‘s deciâ€" W:ion to close the Westâ€" mount Road fire station has left some uptown residents hot under the collar. Citizens of the old Westmount neighbourhood, near the core, fear that by closing station #2, and reloâ€" cating the hall to a site at the corner of Columbia Street and Gatestone Boulevard on the city‘s west side, response times to their area will increase, and their lives and their homes will be in jeopardy. "Fire protection is not optional, and it‘s not recreational. It‘s someâ€" thing everyone needs," David Petras told council. "It‘s critical to protect everyone." Despite the opposition, council voted in favour of purchasing 1.098 acres of land from Trillium Estates Ltd. during a meeting Monday night. The total project cost sits at $2,475,000. But representatives from the local fire department still attempted to ease the minds of the concerned citâ€" izens, assuring them their safety will not be compromised. Deputy fire chief Ed Nowak said moving the station will keep the city well within its own fiveâ€"minute response model, as well as the stanâ€" dards set by the Ontario Fire Marâ€" shal‘s office. In fact, he said, the station relocaâ€" tion will improve response times to the outlying areas, such as Erbsville, while maintaining a high standard throughout the rest of the city. Provincial standards dictate that a minimum of 10 fire fighters must respond within 10 minutes for 90 per cent of reported fire emergencies. Nowak told the group past runs through the Westmount area were recorded, which included trucks responding from both the Westâ€" mount Road station and the departâ€" ment‘s headquarters on Weber Street. Continued on page 4 Residents fear their safety and homes will be in jeopardy By Anprea Bamey Chronicle Staff