Whîtby Free Pross, Wednesday, Deoember 141994. Page il M yster y surrounds transit fare increase By Mike KowulskI There appeare te be some un- certaity over how next month's Whitby Transit fare icrease was approved by Town council. The approximately five per cent increase in bus fares, which cornes ite effect Jan. 2, was approved by council at its Oct. il meeting. That approval was given dur- ing the conifidential portion of By Mike Kowalsd Tewn council now knowes theE price tag fer a third and even a1 forhiepad at Iroquois Park. E But local ice users should noti expeet te se. shevels in thei ground any tme soon. Council Monday received an information report from the parks and recreation departmnent on the cost and feasibility.of adding one or more ice facilities te the exietig two pads at Ire- quis. According te staff, a single "ne fille» pad will cost $3.1 millon, while a separate building houe- mng twe ice surfaces is projected tebe*$5.9 million. Staff were directed te prepare a cost breakdown in September after council made construction of an additional ice surface(s) its next major capital spending priority. Whitby has a third arena in Brooklin, but demande from miner hockey figure skating, ringette anc aduit hockey beagues have put ice time at a proniium. During the. past twe sunimere, for example, parents of miner hockey playere have had te vir- tually camp eut' at Iroquoie Park in order te enroîl their children for the few openinge every year. Mule he supporte the need for moe facilities, councillor Gerry Emmn asked directer Larry Mer- row if staff had explored a lease- to-own arrangement with the private sector. Morrow said staff met with eight different groupe ever the past year and listened te a varioty of proposais. Ail were re4ected as net bein~ i the Town e «beat economic intereste, Merrow replied. Councillor Marcel Brunelle cautioned againet rushing into a quick decision before council knew exactly what type of faci- "I think w. need te think email and simple here and net have everything in - the beginning,» said Brunelle. «It's the operational coste of the facilities that we have te look at. That will coet us most in the ion g run,» ho said. The staff report was based on the findings of consulting firm Tetten Sime Hubîcki and Asso- ciates. The consultants determined that the Iroquois location is the meet economical, due te the in- frastructure already in place. However, a fourth facility will need improvements net required for a single pad, staff note. Ir 44W MEAT COMPANY 44 I the meeting, according te an employesi the Town clerk's office. Howover, neither councillor Judi Leongfield nor councillor Marcel Bruinelle could recail tho icrease being specifically dis- cussed at the meeting While neither councillor denied that the increase was approved oct. 11, they both insisted Mon- day that the niatter was not iitentionally kept from the pub- Morrow eaid the cost of a single ice surface was based on the "ne fille» concept of the second pad at Iroquois, with ne iterior heating, enly one row of seats and four c hange roome. "We saw that as a basic arena,"he said. But regardiese of ene or two facilities, operating ceste will be lese than the current 30 per cent subsidizedrate, Morrew said. "It's possible te, decrease it well beiow 80 yr cent. It de pends on how much you want te look at increaeing, ice fees," ho said. unc11 or Dennis Fox streesed that "it'e net a don. deal.» Fox wanted more details about how many children are now on waiting lista and how often the three arenas ait vacant. "I den't want it perceived that ]Pm opposed te it. B ut i order te, seli it te the community, we need that kind of information.» Councillor Judi Longfield wel- comed additional input from the community. mIf anyone can corne up with a faster, cheaer proposai, our door is stili open.» lic. All Whitby Transit increases i the past five years were approved iopen counicil meet- igsthey stressed. nd both councillors rejected a suggestion that concern over the Nov. 14 municipal election may have played a part i the in- crease being handled behind cloeed doors. Longfield said the uonly discus- sion» ehe could recail was an uj>date on the statue of negotia- tiens between the Town's bus drivers and their employer. The drivers, employees of Trentway-Wagar bus company, ratifled a new three-year agree- ment two weeks ago. 0 Trentway is entering the fifth year of ite contract with the municipality te eupply drivers and maintenance for the Town- owned buses. Lon.grleld, chair of council'e operations comnMittee at the time, said the incrèase may have benincluded as part of a report on the negotiations. (Whitby Transit falis under the public works department which reports te counicil through the operations committee.) Longfield said Monday that s3he could net find her copy of the report after being asked about the increase Iast wieek. «It would have te b. done in public," ehe told The Free Pross last WednedaL. "That would b. an item dis- cussed in ,public as far as l'm concerned,' ehe sa.id. The Whitby Transit progrese report approved by council on Oct. il centaine ne mention of a fare hike, only figures listing ridership and revenue from May te Au gust. The minutes of the public por- tion of the meeting indicate that the progress report was the only Whiby Transit matter con- ierdby council that evening. "I think it was because of the APPLES I F ýt 30 w w A I .UA BRIGADIER 560XT ALL SEASON BY GENERAL TIJRi) 1755x8ORl3 $39. 195x75R14 $60. 195x70R14 $66. 175x80R13 ,$53. 2 05x75R14 $62. 2O5x7OR1 4 $69. 1F5x8OR13 $56. 175x70R13 $55. 225x7OR15 $77.J Gls Psor WE CARRY MICHELIN - UNIROYAL - BFGOODRICH GOOD YEAR ei GENERAL - BRIGADIER e FIRESTONE USED TIRES $20.00 AND UP snor'and ch15 idrefarce te 65a from 60 cents. Childron under age five, accompanied by a fare-paying aduit or a blind persen with a CNIB pass, ride fre. Aduit monthly passes will ris. to $4.5o from $42.50, students te 3 from $3250 and seniors and children to $21 from $20. Shoots of 10 tickets, now $12.50, will cost $13. For the firet time students will aise b. ablo te buy 10 tickets at a cost of $11.50. negotiations and because over the last five years we've *in- creased it every year," Longfield said Monday. Uft was not because it was élection tiïne,» she stressed. Brunelie concurred with Long- fleld's asssement., UIt was an information report as far as I can remember,u said Bruneile. «It had the increases bulit in.» In an earlier interview, Brunelie said there was "no rea- son in the world to keep it secret. It would have corne out anyway.» Brunelle added that ho would have had "no problem» dealing with the increase as an eélection issue. The increase was aise noted ini a staff report recommonding a review of Whitby Transit's ope- rations (see separate story) In response te a question from newly-electedl counicillor G.rry Emyn, ublié works director Wayne Hacock said the Trent- way-Wagar contract provides for a 4.5 per cent Kncrease evory year. "The five pr cent increase in fees is to offset the cost of the contract,»"Hancock explained. "There was a previous report that deait with it i October, »ho said. Em m thon asked if tho in- crease was aautomatic or done by council.» "It was passod by resolution,» replied Hancock. 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