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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-02-20, Page 2RONA CASHWAY 2 Times—Advocate Wednesday, February 20, 2008 Middlesex communities deal with closure threat Continued from front page that's always been the crux of it for us," said Dodds, Prince Andrew's school council chairperson and a member of the Study Area 2 ARC. "We go to Ilderton and Lucan for all of our sports and business transactions. People from this community just don't go into Thorndale for those things (and) we don't want to have our kids going into a community that they're not familiar with." The proposal put before the ARC by Thames Valley staff would see Prince Andrew students living north of Highway 7 attend a new school in Lucan — constructed to replace the existing Lucan Public, which is expected to be declared "prohibitive to repair" by the provincial government. Those living south of Highway 7 would be bussed to Thorndale. Dodds says that would mean some children living near Elginfield might be able to see Lucan's water tower from their home, but be bussed to Thorndale to school. At the Jan. 14 meeting, Dodds presented an alterna- tive plan — one that would effectively remove Prince Andrew entirely from the Study Area 2 ARC and place it in a different ARC examining accommodation issues in the rapid -growth area on the north end of London. Keys to her proposal are two elementary schools just outside London's northern boundary: Centennial Public School at Adelaide Street and Medway Road; and Oxbow Public School east of llderton. Publisher retires Continued from front page made to keep the hospital open, Beckett says he thinks the T -A's role in the situation helped keep the hospital open. There has also been great change in the newspaper industry since Beckett started as a 19 year old. He says the biggest struggle for newspapers now is to stay relevant to younger readers in an age of the Internet and television specialty channels. He said newspapers need to develop an interactive relationship with their readers. While websites seem to be the way of the future, Beckett says he thinks people will always want to physically hold a newspaper in their hands when they read it. He says the business is tougher than it used to be and, in an age of big box stores half an hour away, Beckett said there aren't as many entrepreneurs in small towns who want to start their own business. But, he adds, "Exeter is still a very strong town." Beckett says over the years the T -A has always had outstanding support from local advertisers. In 1999, the Eedy group of newspapers, which included several weekly newspapers and a printing press in Durham, was sold to Metroland. At the time Beckett says the industry was consolidating into fewer and larger organizations. He said the two major play- ers in media were both extremely interested in buying the Eedy newspapers and Metroland eventually made the purchase, which Beckett says has been a good investment for the company. As for the future, Beckett has no immediate plans. He said he wants to take a few months off to relax and then, "who knows?" He said part of the fun of working in Exeter was working with the "tremendous staff," at the T -A, a group he says "always got the job done," and what he'll miss most about the job is the people. Local towns in DVD Continued from front page they were donated by Rev. Massecar's wife Marion in 2005. Head of Western Archives' J.J. Talman Regional Collection John Lutman says the silent films show peo- ple, "In schools, playing baseball, at recess, trains, local municipal workers and a lot of people smoking." Lutman says these films have real historic impor- tance, explaining that in the late '40s many small towns had active downtowns and were prosperous and vibrant communities; now in many communities, the towns are known as ghost towns. "These films provide a rich mine of information for Ontario historians, geographers, and academics, and for members of the public whose families and indeed even themselves were the `Stars of the Town." Massecar was born in Watford. He met his wife Marion in school. After attending Toronto Bible College and the Baptist Seminary at McMaster University, Massecar held parishes in Drumbo, Wyoming, Burford and Wolverton. Free copies will be sent out to over 80 public libraries and archives in the towns documented in the films. Copies can also be bought at the Western Archives. Centennial currently houses a split English/French Immersion program serving rural Middlesex students. Under proposed Thames Valley changes, the French Immersion program would move into an expanded ele- mentary school inside London and Centennial would revert to solely English. Dodds says it would make better sense — if Prince Andrew closes — to send students to Centennial. "Prince Andrew is only eight kilometres from that school. And a lot of the community activities overlap," she explained. Conversely, an expanded French Immersion program could be retained at Centennial, thereby eliminating concerns among rural residents about sending their kids into the city to maintain access to the unique programming The English students could then be accommodated at Prince Andrew. Oxbow Central is also important because it is currently THE\ HOME OF THE WEEK HOME IMPROVEMENT SPECIALIST F(oorsFirst Innovative Flooring * Armstrong Vinyl * Ceramics * Pergo * Carpet * Hardwood * Area Carpets PROFESSIONAL INSTALLATIONS 519-235-4401 457 MAIN ST. S. EXETER www.floorsfirst.com/innovativeflooring over -capacity and utilizing portable classrooms. Dodds suggests boundary changes might allow Prince Andrew to alleviate some of that pressure. Representatives from the other schools in the Study Area 2 ARC, meanwhile, have expressed concern about the Dodds proposal. That's because, with Prince Andrew's 150 students taken out of the mix, it could decrease the enrolment numbers at the new schools in Thorndale and Lucan. Like the Lucan school, Plover Mills is also expected to be declared "prohibitive to repair." Parents at Leesboro, meanwhile, fought in the past to prevent the bussing of their children into Dorchester. 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