Police ReportA2 THE FORESTER, Wednesday, December 12, 2007

With joy in our hearts, we extend our warm wishes to you and your family for a very merry Christmas

and a happy New Year. We appreciate your continued loyal support

TEBBYAIR CONDITIONING & HEATING LTD.

SALES • SERVICE • INSTALLATION496 Muskoka Rd. 3 N Huntsville

789-1711www.tebbyair.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS19988 CHRYSLERR SEBRINGG CONVERTIBLE,, 6

cylinder, automatic, loaded. Only 63,000 km.Stk. # U6327A

$11,500 + admin. and all applicable taxes

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BICKLEYTHE NEW 789-5524

Open 7 days a week65 Main St. E., Huntsville

705-788-0986

Voted Best Chocolate & Candy Store by the Muskokan 4 years running!

Belgian Dark Chocolate

Gift Certificates

Turkish Delight

British Chocolate Treats and Toffees

Nostalgia Candies

Chocolate Letters

Chocolate Marshmallow Brooms

Humbugs, Horehound

Sponge Toffee

Chocolate Spoons

Jelly Bellies

Open until 9:00 p.m.

• Huntsville’s Hometown I.D.A. Drugstore• Applause for Kids• Vested Interest

by Paul Fogarty• Caterpillar Heart• Saturday Afternoons Home Store• Artisans of Muskoka• Gone Quilting• Plug Nickel Antiques• Flotron’s Tweed & Hickory• Treasures & Trophies

• Muskoka Country Furniture & Gifts

• Big Bead• Muskoka Bear Wear• The Finds• Algonquin Outfitters• The Bookcase• The Nutty Chocolatier• Reflections of Muskoka• Motivations Fitness• Soapstones Soap

and Skin Care Products• Shine Jewellry & Accessories• Sugarbeads

For your shopping convenience, the following downtown businesses will be

OPEN with extended hours Dec. 17th – Dec. 21st.

HELPING HANDS: Flight sergeant with the 844 Huntsville cadets Chris Godfrey receives somefood on behalf of the Salvation Army Food Drive last Wednesday from Verna Simioni. According toorganizers the drive, which takes place in Lake of Bays, Burk’s Falls, Emsdale, Oxtongue Lake,Huntsville and Algonquin Highlands, collected more than 27 tons of food.

Break and enter at MBRPBetween Dec. 7 and 10, thieves broke into

MBRP on Old Ferguson Road in Huntsville.The culprits entered through the canvas roof

of a shed-like enclosure that was attached to thebuilding.

Once inside they took a box of chrome muf-flers valued at $500.

The Huntsville OPP are continuing theirinvestigation and are seeking the public’s assis-tance. Anyone with information about thisbreak-in is asked to call the Huntsville OPP at789-5551 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).

Accidents send four tohospital

On Friday Dec.7, two weather-related acci-dents sent four people to hospital with minorinjuries. At about 10 a.m. a car collided with atractor trailer on Hwy. 60 near South PortageRoad after it lost control and entered the oncom-ing lane.

The vehicle was travelling westbound when itwent into the eastbound lane. The driver of thetractor trailer, carrying a load of logs, tried toavoid a collision, but hit the car and rolled intothe south ditch of the highway.

No charges were laid in the accident. Thedriver of the car was taken to Huntsville DistrictMemorial Hospital with minor injuries.

Another collision on Aspdin Rd. on Fridaymorning sent three people to hospital with minorinjuries. At around 9:30 a.m. a westbound vehi-cle lost control and struck an oncoming vehicleand sent both into the westbound ditch.

Two suspensions issuedHuntsville OPP issued two 12-hour suspen-

sions to drivers during Festive RIDE checks overthe weekend. The suspensions are handed outwhen a driver blows a warning level on the road-side screening device.

The Huntsville OPP have been setting up atvarious spots in the Town of Huntsville, andTownship of Lake of Bays for the Festive RIDEprogram.

BY CARLYE MALCHUKHUNTSVILLE FORESTER

Huntsville’s safety and enforcement committeevoted at their last regular meeting on Nov. 30 tokeep the back street parking along the Main Streetcorridor free.

As part of a pilot project, 135 meters wereremoved by the town from the back streets inMay, and the pay and display terminals at theRoyal Bank, Chamber of Commerce and MinervaStreet parking lots were shut down.

The remaining 65 meters along Main Streetand 31 meters in the Gotta Have It parking lotwere increased from 25 cents and 50 cents an hourto 75 cents an hour in August.

Fire chief and interim CAO team memberSteve Hernen told the Forester that the Gotta HaveIt meters have since been removed, and that thetown is not maintaining the parking lot.

He explained that many years ago the town hada deal with the lot owners to run meters and main-tain the lot.

That deal has since lapsed and in early Decem-ber the meters were removed after the municipal-ity attempted to contact the registered owners.

“We found out it was actually under power ofsale, so we actually got all our letters back to usthat we registered. Nobody came forth dealingwith the parking lot because it was in the processof transition,” Hernen said. “We removed themeters and we are no longer maintaining thatparking lot.”

In a report to committee, chief bylaw enforce-ment officer George Turner said that overall theprogram was very well received.

“(The pilot program) has allowed the bylawdepartment to concentrate on other bylaw issueswithin the town such as the clean yards, propertystandards and prohibited parking on private lots,”Turner said in his report. He also included a reportfrom the BIA endorsing the program.

Hernen told committee at their meeting thataccepting the report and its recommendationwould be a clear message to the bylaw departmentthat its core function would be changing.

“One of our core functions for us used to bedowntown parking and the message is very clearto us now that our clear function to us is enforce-ment of all bylaws throughout the community, soit’s going to change the way we operate and runsomewhat,” he said.

The shift in downtown parking has also had aneffect on the town’s cash flow.

The revenues from January to November 2007are about $20,000 lower than in the same periodin 2006.

Hernen added there was an additional loss ofabout $6,000 from parking ticket revenue due totheir being fewer meters to police. However, hesaid that the ticket revenue should come back upin 2008 with the new bylaw to enforce accessibleparking and fire routes in private lots.

Mayor Claude Doughty suggested that for nextyear the rates should be increased to one dollaralong the Main Street to help balance out the cashflow.

He added that because the rate changes hap-pened so late in 2007, revenues will likely becloser to previous levels in 2008 when there are 12months with rates at a higher level.

Earlier in the fall, the safety committee passeda resolution asking the District of Muskoka togive the town the ability to change parking rateson district roads within the municipality withouttheir approval.

If that resolution is not accepted by the district,Hernen suggested to committee another resolutioncould be sent asking them to consider another rateincrease for 2008.

Turner’s report was accepted by the committee.It will now go to council for ratification at theirnext meeting on Monday.

Free parking downtown