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The test results for lead in the tap water of 20 Waterâ€" loo homes are in, and the levels are all well within a safe limit. "We are happy that this testing indicates that lead levels are far below the maximum allowable concentraâ€" tion," said Bill Garibaldi, the City of Waterloo‘s director of water services. He was surprised, however, with how low the levels were considering lead servicing and piping were found in some of the homes. "I thought that we may have seen higher levels of lead as a result of that," he said. The homes randomly selected to take part in this provincial program were built prior to 1950, when servâ€" ice pipes â€" which connect buildings to the water main â€" were generally made of lead. "I was also surprised that all of the samples came back with essentially nonâ€"detect levels, so less than the lab equipment can detect." _ â€" â€" Waterloo was one of 35 Ontario municipalities choâ€" sen by the Ministry of the Environment to have its tap water tested after some drinking water samples in Lonâ€" don revealed unusually high levels of the element. In each case, the water was run for a while before the sample was collected, which was part of the protocal.. "What it essentially shows is that‘s a good method to make sure your water is clear, so if you suspect you‘ve got lead servicing, it would be a good practice to run your water. And if they do run their water, they should get results like these," Garibaldi said. But Catherine Fife, the NDP provincial candidate for Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo, questions whether or not running a tap for five minutes and then testing the level of lead is accurate. "It certainly wasn‘t in London," she said. The city is required by the ministry to test water once a year at a location that is known to have, or likely to have, lead servicing, Garibaldi said. The Walkerton report indicated lead service lines should be located and replaced over time, she said. "He (Justice Dennis O‘Connor) took pains to detail the risks of lead to drinking water, including neurological problems in infants and children resulting from even minute exposure. Fife said municipalities have an obligation to make sure the water is safe, but the provincial government needs to ensure they have the resources and tools needâ€" ed to modernize infrastructure. In Fife‘s opinion, the province should be doing more to address waterâ€"safety issues. â€" "I think that a lot of municipalities in Ontario are under a lot of stress and financial obligations, and that‘s where the province needs to step up and take a leaderâ€" ship role." As well, she thinks an education program is needed to inform residents who own homes built prior to 1950 of the precautions they should take. â€" "Lead in the water is a bigger issue than the provin cial government is acknowledging," she said. "This is seven years later after that tragedy, and that recommendation has largely gone ignored." â€" Local tap water tests safe for lead Water was collected by lab technicians early last By Jenntrer Ormston _ Chronicle Staff CITY NEWS Uptown businesses get lessons on beating the bigâ€"box retailers ptown Waterloo busiâ€" l l nesses can compete against the everâ€" increasing number of bigâ€" box stores in the area by making some basic changes, according to a retail makeover specialist. For starters, smallâ€"busiâ€" ness owners need to know their two types of cusâ€" tomers, presenter Barbara Crowhurst told a group of uptown retailers who gathâ€" ered at Princess Twin Cineâ€" mas for a highâ€"impact retailâ€" ing workshop on Monday. The first kind of cusâ€" tomer already knows about your business. The other hasn‘t heard of it. "So the whole focus is to invite those two customer bases to the store on a reguâ€" lar basis," said Crowhurst, who has a strong retail backâ€" The customers who have shopped there before are more likely to come to the store after receiving an inviâ€" By Jennirer Ormston Staining your deck or fence this summer? Protect your investment with quality products from Sikkens! Harmful UV rays can damage unprotected wood, but Sikkens wood care products protect all of you exterior wood surfaces with a durable, long lasting finish Heer‘s Chronicle Staff «"unrer: ids 7 m + 5 1. is WwOOD STAINS _ tation, and Crowhurst encourages retailers to invite clients to a monthly event, such as a clearance or a demonstration. "Waiting for your busiâ€" ness to come through the door whenever it feels like it is wrong." And connecting with their customer base is a way smaller retailers can stand apart from their bigâ€"box competitors, who don‘t conâ€" tact clients often. "They‘re (bigâ€"box stores) hoping that my shopping patterns are going to bring me in there regularly, but they don‘t communicate To attract potential cusâ€" tomers _ who _ haven‘t shopped at a store before, Crowhurst recommends retailers embark on a marâ€" keting campaign within a 20â€"kilometre radius of the location. Then they must make a decision on what type of media, whether it‘s radio or billboards, they‘re going to "And everything, all the research that‘s done in retail, says you have to have seven to 10 hits in any given simiâ€" lar media blitz for there to be an imprint on the mind of the potential customer." Patti Brooks, the execuâ€" tive director of the UpTown Waterioo Business Improveâ€" ment Area, said the workâ€" shop‘s hosts â€" the BIA and the Waterloo Region Small Business Centre â€" decided on this event to give retailers ideas on how to make some changes. "(Because of big box), now we‘re faced with having businesses consider doing things differently," she said. "We‘ll never be able to go headâ€"toâ€"head with the bigâ€" box mentality, and quite frankly nor does an indeâ€" pendent business want to do that. They‘re independâ€" ent for a reason." She‘s hoping this workâ€" shop provided retailers with some fresh insight, on topics like customer service, for instance, which Crowhurst also touched upon. WATERLOO CHRONICLE + Wednesday, June 6, 2007 * 3 "You want to show the customer you care," advised Crowhurst, who has worked with tens of thousands of small businesses across North America and Mexico. This can be done by conâ€" necting with customers, learning their names and creating a customerâ€"service policy manual for staff. The workshop‘s topics â€" which also included store design and employee selecâ€" tion and retention â€" were customized specifically for uptown Waterloo retailers. "Those topics were selected over others to (ensure) in one day, in one short investment of time, the retailer (will) impact their bottom line," Crowhurst said. Her aim for the seminar was that the retailers would walk away with an action plan they can immediately put into play, based on the notion of the consumer as a butterfly. The butterfly naturally likes to flit and fly, as does Continued on page 7 JENNIFER ORMSTON PHOTO