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Continued from page 1 five times larger than it was at that time." Approved by Queen Victoria on May 27, 1857, the village was bounded roughly by the current Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo boundary on the south, Fischerâ€"Hallman Road on the west, Columbia Street on the north and Marâ€" garet Avenue on the east. Back then, Waterloo had a gristmill and many inns. Travelâ€" ling to Preston and Bridgeport was a real journey â€" one that required Waterlooians to spend the night before venturing home the following day. "A big difference is we now drive back and forth between Kitchener, Waterloo and Camâ€" bridge in 10, 15 minutes," Hiebert said. "At that time, of course, everything was horseâ€"drawn wagons and travelling to these spots was measured in hours. _ "We‘re in a very different world in that sense." The distinct goldâ€"coloured signs are on polls, mainly hydro, around the city. Each one reads: You Are Entering the Original Village of Waterloo, Historic Boundary, 1857. The closest one to city hall is on King Street, south of Union Street. There are also signs on Erb Street West at Culpepper Drive and Lincoln Road west of Marshall Street. Mayor Brenda Halloran encourages people to walk or drive by the signs to get an idea of where the border used to be. Seniors, in particular, may be interested to see how the city looked when they were young. "They‘ve probably forgotten what the city looked like when they were kids. Even 60â€"70 years ago the city hadn‘t grown that much," she said. Creating these signs, meanâ€" while, was no easy task. The heritage committee wanted to commemorate the city‘s milestone anniversary, and came up with the idea in February 2007 to create these signs. closed on Feb. 18 All Catholic schools and Catholic school board adminisâ€" trative sites in Waterloo Region will be closed on Feb. 18 to mark Ontario‘s _ fist Family Day statuâ€" tory holiday. The _ Family Day holiday was formally created by the Ontario Government on Oct. 11, 2007 â€" its first act followâ€" ing the Oct. 10 provincial elecâ€" tion. All schools and administrative facilities will be open as usual on Feb. 19, and all staff will resume their regular work schedules. Signs will help jog memories Schools N Steamatic cleaning reduces the level of bacteria, pet dander & dust mites N Wall to wall carpeting & area rugs N Upholstered furniture M Ask about duct cleaning + dPAWin, ~oc\ 3904.Col unyy; STEAMATICâ€" (519.893â€"0046 MOVING + RENOVATING + NEW BABY + ALLERGIES CARPET CLEANNG tol'alâ€"cvlc-a@u)mr The next step was to ensure the signs didn‘t conflict with any city bylaws or the Highway Trafâ€" fic Act, and that they wouldn‘t lead to confusion about Waterâ€" loo‘s current boundary. Municipal heritage committee viceâ€"chair Vic Hiebert looks at one of the new signs, on King Street by Union Street, that outlines Waterâ€" loo‘s boundary in 1857. JeniNuirer ormston proto Almost half of the 21 signs are on regional roads, so the committee had to get approval from that level of government, as well as from the municipality for local streets. Then the committee had to agree on the wording, size and colour. To prolong this process, a large snowstorm in December delayed the installation of the signs, meaning they didn‘t go up until January 2008 â€" not during the city‘s anniversary year. "You can‘t always foretell all the stumbling blocks you‘re going to run in to," Hiebert said. _ But for him, the effort and struggle was worth it in the end. "I have a feeling of satisfacâ€" Trusted since 1968 Nobody Cleans Better Than Steamatic! tion, or you might even say pride, that we‘ve accomplished something and I‘m hoping there will be a positive response," he said. "Our goal is to make all citiâ€" zens of Waterloo cognizant of our history, when we started and the size of our village at that time." Halloran said she‘s proud of the committee for coming up with this idea, and for the leadâ€" ership Hiebert has shown with this project. "It started out with a small area and it‘s expanded, but we still have this wonderful flavour of a small town, with the signs showing us the parameter of our city." "It really speaks to how much we‘ve grown in the past 150 years and that we still have the core â€" uptown Waterloo is still the heart of the communiâ€" ty," she said. Valerie Poulton The seminar is FREE and commences at 7p.m. (Directions will be provided with confirmed reservation) Wednesday, February 6 + Waterioo Inn, Waterloo â€" Thursday, February 7 * Holiday Inn, Kitchener Tollâ€"Free 1â€"888â€"886â€"2360 ext 245 or 269 Local: (519) 886â€"2360 ext 269 or 245 Are you passionate about health promotion and cancer prevention? Do you want the opportunity to strengthen your public speaking and facilitation skills? 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