PAGE 16, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1987 School issues discussed as committee continues Whitby's Education Action Committee may operate with a "floating executive," without a designated president or vice presidents. Cathy Rowell, one of two former vice presidents of the parent group, said it appears that a seven- member executive will continue to operate, following the resignations of former president Dennis Fox and and the other vice president Mark M Flewelling. Seven people expressed interest in executive positions at a meeting held Sept. 15 and chaired by Rowell. "I was encouraged at the number of people who came out," she said. The committee was formed earlier this year to address concerns of in- dividual Whitby school parent groups to both the Town and the two school boards. TEDARNTS LOAM SUPPLY LTD. BROCK ROAD N., PICKERING (11/2MILES NORTH OF HWY #2) 683-0887 FALL CLEARANCE SALE ON ALL UNILOK INTERLOCKING STONE SECONDS ALSO AVIALABLE AT DISCOUNT PRICES FREE DO IT YOURSELF" Interlocking Stone Seminar SATURDAY, OCT. 3187 10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. •Firewood • Topsoil • Sand TED ANTS • Curbs LOAMSU'PLY D,~rL'~riQf~--~ ' o 3RD CONO. • IRockery Stone w 0 Cr •Gravel >m •Limestoneew2 401 *Pine Muich 401_ __ • Patio Slabs • Treated Timber i .4 I Il 1111111111 l~ I t.ItIItt lit> Three separate school trustees, two public school trustees and two Whitby councillors attended the meeting at which several parents raised numerous concerns, par- ticularly with safe access to schools. "This is the best representation we've had so far," said Rowell of the turnout. Flewelling also atten- ded, saying that although he had resigned as a committee executive member, he remained a "concer- ned parent." There was discussion at the meeting about a charter for the committee, enabling it to make representation before Town Coun- cil members. Pat Dooley, president of the Corridor Area Ratepayers Association, offered to include the committee under the association which is chartered. But Rowell said last week that the charter alternative has yet to be decided. She said the committee could remain as a liaison to help other schools. Thornton Public School already has a home and school association, which is char- tered, while a home and school has also been proposed for West Lynde public school. Rowell also noted that some of the concerns raised at the meeting had been resolved in the past few weeks. For example a bus driver in Whitby who had allegedly knocked over a stop sign in one incident and narrowly missed a construction worker in another, is no longer driving the bus. Meanwhile, bus service has been changed at Thickson Point after complaints by Ron and Marlene Bickmore about pick-up times of their children. One outstanding concern yet to be addressed and which drew the ire of one parent at the meeting was crossing Thickson Rd. S. "We want bussing, ngt a crossing guard," said Ruth Patcham, who expressed frustration over inaction by the board and Town to make ac- cess to schools safer. The board says it is unsafe for a bus carrying 40 students to cross Thickson. Patcham says a crossing guard is inadequate to safely cross the street. Dooley said the Town has the responsibility to provide services, mentioning the public works depar- tment. "It shouldn't take a delegation like this to nag, bug and crab," he said. He said the meetings "aren't resolving anything" since issues are just being "bounced" back and forth between the board and Town. However, he later said he was the first to suggest a body such as the Education Action Committee "to straighten out a mess" in Whitby and he admitted he would like to see the committee "come to fruition rather than disappear." Another complaint by parents was the removal of bussing from St. Paul's separate à chool, which again elicited parent displeasure with the no-bus urban policy of.the two school boards except where walking is deemed unsafe. One parent, Judy Henry, asked why bussing was terminated when a crossing guard had not been hired to assist walking students. Trustee Ed Finan said he believed that a survey had been brought forth which showed there was insufficient traffic to warrant a guard at Manning. Rowell said last week that work is beingdone by the committee, separate school trustee Catharine Tunney and St. Paul's parents to get a guard at Manning Rd. and Hazelwood for St. Paul's students. She said, however, that the Thickson Rd. crossing would con- tinue to be a "major problem." Town toinstalltraffic signals Whitby council has agreed to in- stall traffic signals at Anderson St. and Manning Rd. when Manning is opened to traffic in Nov. 1987. The installation is estimated to cost $120,000. Both Anderson and Manning are normally regional roads, but a report from the Town's public works director, Dick Kuwahara, in- formed council that the earliëst the Region would install traffic signals would be 1989 and even then it would not be guaranteed. "The sequence of events will be that when the road (Manning) is open to traffic they (Region) will then undertake a. study to deter- mine whether there are sufficient warrants to install these traffic signals. Once the warrants are ob- tained they will then include the traffic signals for the following year's budget," reported Kuwahara, adding the earliest the lights would be inlcuded in a Region budget would be 1989. So council has asked the Region to approve the installation of the signals when Manning opens then reimburse the Town when the warrants are there to justify the in- stallation. The $120,000 cost is about 10 per cent cheaper than they would in 1989, said Kuwahara. However, it is Region policy not to reimburse municipalities. "What we are asking them (Region) to do is change their policy," said councillor Tom Ed- wards, who was the acting mayor at council with the absence of Mayor Bob Attersley. The original wording of the motion read that the Region should be "required" to reimburse the Town. "I didn't know the Town could require the Region to do something like this on a Region road," said councillor Marcel Brunelle. The motion was then reworded to "request" that the Region reim- burse the Town. But administrator Bill Wallace informed council that the Region may not reimburse the Town. "Our intent is to get in the lights. We may end up carrying the entire cost," said Wallace. When the lights are installed the Town has decided to move both crossing guards, south and north of Manning, to the Anderson St./Man- ning Rd. intersection. Anderson St. crossing guard receives approval A crossing guard will be hired to assist students crossing Anderson St. to get to Pringle Creek school, following two separate decisions by Whitby council Monday night. The guard will be hired at a cost of $950 to assist students crossing Anderson at William Stephenson Dr. The guard was requested by parents when children had to walk south along Anderson, where there is no sidewalk, then cross unopened Manning Rd. which is now carrying construction traffic, to get to a crossing guard south of Manning. Parents said their children were crossing Anderson at William Stephenson to avoid crossing Man- ning At a meeting of the Education Ac- tion Committee parent group Sept. 15, Angela Fountain, a Pringle Creek parent and committee mem- ber, said the school "got its crossing guards" but she suggested they he rslncated At the meeting, attended by Town councillors Joe Drumm and Gerry Emm, Fountain suggested that a guard be located at Manning near William Stephenson, another at Bradley and Anderson and a third left at Manning. She said construction of Manning Rd. was creating part of the problem. Fountain also said that Town staff are still "new" at the crossing guard situation but are "gradually understanding it." Emm and Drumm agreed with Cathy Rowell, who chaired the Education Action meeting, that wages might have to be increased in order to obtain crossing guards. Emm said the Town had some dif- ficulty in hiring enough guards. "We certainly are going to have to look at, over the whole Region, paying crossing guards," said Drumm. Man fails 20 feet A Mississauga man was taken to Whitby General hospital for obser- vation after he fell 20 feet into a trench on D'Hillier St. Monday. He was a member of a construc- tion crew working in the area. The trench had been dug for sewer pipes Fire department FROM PAGE 15 building code would require adequate fire protection. The Brooklin fire department is comprised of volunteers but should a call come in from Brooklin, stations in Myrtle and on Thickson Rd. N. automatically respond. Three pumpers and two tankers usually respond. "So right away, you have 4,500 to 5,000 gallons of water without con- necting to a hydrant so in the initial attack we would be in a good position," says Crouch, adding an extended fire would have to in- volve some type of natural gas or gas explosion. ~I ~* I t t i THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OFDURHAM DURHAM PUBLIC NOTICE A NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the uouncil of The Regional Municipality of Durham proposes to pass a by-law to stop up and close part of the highway known as Durham Regional Road No. 26 (Thickson Road) being certain lands acquired for the widening thereof which lands are located at the south east corner of Thickson Road North and Crawforth Street in the Town of Whitby, in the Regional Municipality of Durham. AND NOTICE IS ALSO HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of The Regional Municipality of Durham proposes by the aforesaid by-law to authorize the sale of a part of the stopped up and closed highway to the owner of the lands abutting same. The portion of the highway proposed to be stopped up and closed is located at the south east corner of Thickson Road North and Crawforth Street in the Town of Whitby, in the Regional Municipality of Durham and is shown as Parts 16 and 17 on a Plan of Reference deposited in the Land Registry Office for the Land Titles Division of Durham (No. 40) at Whitby as Number 40R-10322. The proposed by-law and a copy of Plan 40R-10322 may be seen at the Clerk's Department of The Regional Municipality of Durham, 605 Rossland Road East, Whitby, Ontario. At its meeting to be held in the Council Chambers, 605 Rossland Road East, Whitby, Ontario on Wednesday the 7th day of October 1987, the Council of The Regional Municipality of Durham will hear any person who claims that his land will be prejudicially affected by the by-law and who applies to be heard. DATED at Whitby, this 3rd day of September, 1987 C. W. LUNDY, Regional Clerk Like all newspapers, the Whitby Free Press is supported primarily by advertising revenue. We have chosen to distribute free to every household in Whitby in order to ensure the widest readership for our news and features. We pay our carriers to deliver ta every house. If the delivery is not satisfactory, please tell us. We won't know unless you tell us. Call Circulation 668-6111 v «g 1 Ir 9- . 1: r-- , -V-f H¯ E ý ýý t., 1 1_