On January 28, Paul Dulmage said at Carleton Heritage that the town’s downtown area is slowly transitioning to service-based businesses from being retail-based. The statement was spoken by the mayor during the Business Improvement Association’s Annual General Meeting.

According to the Carleton Place Mayor, in his opinion, not all businesses will be able to handle the change.

There were about 60 members from the Carleton Place’s business sector who attended the meeting in order to hear about BIA’s progress last year and this year’s plans.

For this year, the BIA plans to embellish the town’s downtown with flowers and new lightings. They also plan to continue with their marketing and promotions by organizing events in order to attract both residents and outsiders. One of those events is the planned Free Comic Book Day in May, sponsored by Heroes Lounge and the BIA.

The evening’s mood changed its course when the discussion of the budget came up. Partners Advantage Real Estate representative, Ralph Shaw, said that he wanted more support regarding the repayment of the main street budget.

He said that the BIA should not be responsible for paying 25 percent of the budget as opposed to what has been agreed upon. According to Shaw, the town council should “step up” and realize the importance of improving Main Street.

Dennis Burn retorted by listing down some of the projects that the town has helped. Surprisingly, Paul Dulmage stepped in to offer his opinion. He said that it is not the government’s responsibility to create a healthy retail core.

Ultimately, the BIA’s budget was passed with a 3 percent increase by a 16-4 vote.

The councillors of Carleton Place are so determined to provide the town a local post-secondary education that they are willing to put their own money to fund it. The town concurred on January 26 that it will donate $10,000 in 5 years to Algonquin College’s expansion of its campus in Perth. In the last days of January, representatives from the college came to the Town of Carleton Place looking for financial support for its expansion project.

MP Scott Reid and Jim Watson last year announced that they will contribute to the project under the Knowledge Infrastructure Program.

The estimated cost of the project is $10 million. $4.8 million of which will be from the provincial government, and $4.2 million will be from the federal government. Algonquin College is now processing the remaining $1 million.

Situated at Craig Street in Perth, A new edifice is being constructed on a 12 acre property where the existing building is located. According to statistics, Algonquin College has 13 students from Carleton Place out of its 250 students. 4 staff members are also from Carleton Place.

In order to raise the $1 million, the college’s representatives are soliciting from municipalities whom they feel would benefit greatly from having the campus nearby. They hope that each town would contribute $10,000.

Carleton Place Mayor Paul Dulmage contributed an additional $10,000 from his own pocket on top of the town’s contribution. He believes that education is any community’s foundation.

Kory Earle, president of People First of Lanark County, is getting worried that Carleton Place Mayor Paul Dulmage has not fully honored his pledge to donate the amount $2,750 for the organization’s 2009 walk-a-thon. People First is an organization that supports individuals with learning disabilities. The pledge, Earle explained, wasn’t just a promise for the organization, but also a commitment to the areas that benefit from People First’s services – this includes Carleton Place.

When the story came out last week regarding the aforementioned pledge by the Mayor, Earle said that People First received a lot of support and positive feedbacks from the residents of Carleton Place. He said that the organization owes the town of Carleton Place a great deal, and he just couldn’t put into words how grateful he is and how that moment made him feel.

The public’s reaction with regards to the Mayor’s failure to fulfill his obligation is evident in Carleton Place’s website where a lot of the residents have expressed their disdain and embarrassment regarding the matter. Most people commented that the problem be “fixed” as soon as possible as it brings great shame for the town.

According to Earle, last January 11, Carleton Town treasurer Phil Hogan, called People First and told them that the amount of $1200 was already available. Earle said that he was thankful for the $1200 and hopes that the remaining amount will be honored. He encouraged the Mayor to “do what is right” so that they can move past this “hurdle.”

Last January 13, at a breakfast meeting held at Carleton Heritage Inn, Ontario Provincial Police Inspector Ray Westgarth, Carleton Place’s top cop, requested that the town’s parents be more involved in rearing their children.

The meeting which dealt with topics such as vandalism, theft, child luring, was a joint convention conducted by the BIA and the Chamber of Commerce. Westgarth and Police Service Board members together with Mayor Paul Dulmage were guest speakers of the event.

In his presentation, Westgarth said that most of the parents in Carleton Place fail to fulfill their duties as parents. Furthermore, he said that he would be happy, but candid, when it comes to answering questions from attendants — which included the town’s business community.

The Inspector brought up the topic about parenting on several occasions. According to him, his officers had to deal with a lot of calls from parents who can’t control their children. He claimed that on some occasions, his officers had to act as the parents because the real parents fail to be more assertive. They preferred to be more of the child’s friend instead of being his or her guardian.

In the topic of child luring, Westgarth said that computers shouldn’t be placed on the youngsters’ bedroom. He said that parents who let their children have computers in the bedroom are not acting as real parents.

Westgarth also talked about his concerns about local school drugs and bullying. He said that the schools may have zero tolerance for bullying, but outside school premises, they don’t have much control.