j If CHANGING THE COLORS Members o0f the Malt Solmr-Club of Durham 'Region Liaison Betty Sacchett,- Vie'-President Claude:Sgembri,. proudly displayed their new colours at a Changing of the President Fred Borg, Entertainment Chairman John Clours cere ony held in-December in St. John thé Evanglist DeGiorgio, Director Charles Bonnello, and Membership and Churh Whithy. From lef t to -right- are: Director Ed Public Relations Chairman C.J. Mifsud. Absent is Mrs. Violet Pugliesevich,-Secretary Larry Sacchett, Women's Auxiliary Sillato. (For story, see Pag 8) Photo by Mario Schembri More office space needed downtown says mayor HeNrgd heChmbr o Development of downtown Whitby is a priority itým with council, Mayor Jim The New Year came in quietly according to the police blotter but it did not remain very quiet for long. The Year 1979 wasn't foui days old when two armed robberiesoccured in Whitby. In both instances taxi dri- vers were held up at knife- point and robbed. About 6:50 p.m. Wednes- day evening Jan. 3 Circle Taxi received a call to pick up a person in the Annes and Burns street area. The dri- ver went to the location and picked up a male person, wearing a balaclava cap. When he entered the taxi he pulled out a knife and held up the tà xi driver, robbing the *driver of $30 to $35 "at knife point" then fled oni foot, Police said.' . There was a repeat per-. formance at 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning (Jan. 4) Police said. This time Bell Taxi Company received a call to the same area, Annes- Burns street area. The driver went to the location picked up a male person wearing a balaclava cap. The person enteredithecab and robbed the driver at knife-point, Police said. In. this robbery the armed thief took $24'or over from the taxi Gartshore Chamber Monday. told the Whitby' of commerce driver, then escaped on foot. The victim of -the Circle Taxi robbery, Bob Seymour, 20, quit his job as a result of the incident, dispatcher Sam Church said. The victim of the Bell Taxi robbery was Robert Coutts, 30.' Police describe the bandit as being 18 to 25 years old, of average height and stocky. Milkstr robbed too, Durham Regional Police are looking for a man who robbed a Garrard Road milk store at gunpoint Friday nig ht, making off with $50 in cash. Police said the man en- tered the Becker's Milk Store at 159 Garrard Road at 10:30 p.m., wearing a black balaclava over his face and carrying a large revolver. He forced the lone female clerk to open the cash regis- ter and give him the money. This was the third armed robbery in Whitby in three days. Two taxi drivers were robbed at knifepoint Wed- nesday and Thursday by a. man wearing a similar bala-. clava. _________ The mayor said that in 1978- '90,000 square feet of addi- tional commercial space was added in downtown Whitby, and .40,000 to 45,000 square' feet of additional commer- cial space outside the down- town core. "We want to develop the core as a growth area," he said. Despite a good record for 1978, Mayor Gartshore said one of the town's biggest failures was its inability to interest one of the major chain stores in participating in a total block redeveIop- ment in downtown Whitby. This failed, he said because the town could not find a major leasee to make the project viable. However, the mayor praised the development of smaller office complexes such as Kent Building and Mary Brock Building, and predicted another similar structure would be built in the next eight to nine months. "Private developers must make this happen," he said. He urged the Chamber to assist- in this development, and pointed out the better the town looks the better it can attract development. Mayor Gartshore spoke of the need for professional office rental space. "A month I could have rented 20 000 square feet of office space in Whitby if we had it," he said. Mayor Gartshore said the town has "a hell of a fight on its hands" to stop the region from moving. the finance department and possibly the regional headquarters to Oshawa. This is happening because "we don't have the facilities,"-he said. Mayor Gartshore reported however that "we are on our way back up in the down- town," and emphasized the need for apartments to pro- vide more people growth in the area. With all the development taking place, the mayor said Whitby still has the feeling of Cont'd on P. 2 • Wliitby's regional council members went to council today prepared to fight against a recommendation to move the regional finance department from Whitby to Oshawa. The recommendation calls for the finance committee to negotiate and approve a five- year lease agreement for 20,000 square feet in an ffice building at Bond and Centre Streets in Oshawa, for oc- cupancy by the finance de- partment by April 1, 1979. The recommendation also calls for approval of $130,000 in the 1979 current budget for the proposed move, and $95,000 for renovations, fur- nishings and computer insta- llation be financed from the general purpose reserve fund. The finance departmerit has been located in the re- gional headquarters on Ross- land Road in Whitby since the . region was formed in 1974. Councillor Gerry Em said both he and-hýIayor Jim Gartshore are opposed to the proposed move as it "will be the start of the regional headquarters 4novinge.to Oshawa." Councillor Emm said there is plenty of room for expan- sion of the regional head- quarters on its present site, ns lnnd south of the building was purchased a few years ago from~the United Church. The finance committee re- ports that there are numerous accommodatiop problems in the existing building, directly related to the growth of the department over the past five years. The finance department presently occupies 12,204 square feet of space in the regional headquarters, and has 92 employees. The report states that the water billing department is located in a portable behind the main building, and is extremely inconvenient to the public because of a long, confusing and at times dan- gerous walk in winter for some of the elderly custo- rmers when they wish to *discuss their water bills. Other sections of the finance department are also housed in portable buildings, the report states. The information systems divisions is located in an apartment and is not adapt- able to office accommoda- tions the report adds, and the inailroom is located in the basement, obstructed by heating equipment and vents. "The department is badly disjointed with activities lo- cated in all ends of the Cont'd on P. 2 Detector saves 4 lives A smoke detector in a new home in the Pringle Creek Subdivision saved the lives of a family of four during an early morning fire Friday. Larry Gooch, his wife Judy' and their two children, aged six and three, escaped through heavy smoke- from the second floor of their home at 18 Ribblesdale Drive at 5:30 a.m. The Whitby Fire Départ- ment reports that thé family was alerted by a smoke detector on the second floor near the bedroom area. The fire, which started in the basement, -caused an estimated $36,000 damage to the house, and was well under way when fire fighters reached the scene. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Bookstore owner John Roberts, President of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, is congratulated by Mayor Jim Gartshore following his being sworn in by the mayor at the first meeting of the Chamber .for 1979. Mayor Gartshore addressed the Chamber on the town's accomplishments in 1978, and his outlook for 1979. Free Press Photo Balaclava bandit robs two taxis a ~- don"%' ýiE