Jennifer Smith

Here is my letter in response to Stephanie Hounsell's op-ed in last week's Champion, "Can we find a balance between old and new Milton?"

Dear Editor,

In last Thursday's issue of the Champion, Stephanie Hounsell spoke of the importance of finding a balance between 'old' and 'new' Milton. I couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, too many people see that balance as an either/or proposition where gains in one part of town must inevitably lead to losses in another.

I would like to challenge that perception.

Milton has a population of over 80,000, but we still have a downtown designed for 30,000. That's bad for everyone. Having a vibrant, well-defined centre is what makes us a town and not a suburb, but if that centre is dispersed, or it's growth doesn't keep pace with growth in the rest of town, new residents have no reason to go there and interact with the rest of the community, and the whole town loses out.

So when people in 'old' Milton speak out about losing their services and businesses, they aren't just complaining about having to travel a little further to the library or the grocery store. They are pointing out a fundamental imbalance in the way Milton has been growing - an imbalance that affects all of Milton, old and new.

The new intensification plan and the Main Street underpass should begin to remedy this by expanding what we think of as downtown and making better connections between the east and west ends of Main Street. But we need to retain the facilities and services we have until growth in Milton's core can catch up with development in the rest of town.

That's not just good for the people who live in central Milton - it's good for all of us.