LaSalle Convenience hopes to reverse its fortunes
New
management at long-time Front Road store
By Bob
Stewart
A long-standing convenience store on Front Road is getting a new start and
hoping to put some distance between its name and its past.
LaSalle Convenience is under new management and owner Dr. Dante Capaldi is
hoping the community will respond to the store's professionalism and
For a while, every time you heard about LaSalle Convenience, it was for all the
wrong reasons. In recent years, the parties who leased and ran the store had
several run-ins with the law on a variety of money-related charges.
Tired of the headaches, Capaldi put the store under the control of his Capaldi
Group company and hired Bill Gathercole, an experienced convenience store and
restaurant manger, from British Columbia.
"This is brand new. We're going to erase the history," Gathercole
said of the stores future.
Carrying a full line of groceries and newspapers, Gathercole is working to make
LaSalle Convenience a neighbourhood store, again.
Currently, the gas pumps are out of service, but they will be up and running
down the road.
A small, attentive staff and convenient hours—6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven
days a week—should help bring the customers back in, Gathercole said.
"You have to keep convenient store hours," he said, referring to
store hours that were considered less than convenient in the past. "You
have to keep hours that are convenient for the customers, no convenient for the
management," he laughed.
As a way to introduce Gathercole to the community, LaSalle Convenience is
offering a free cup of coffee with the coupon in their ad on page 1 of this
newspaper.
$4 million to enhance Vollmer Complex
Funding
continues to roll in for Town of LaSalle
By Steve
I'Anson - Staff Reporter
The
Vollmer Culture and Recreation Complex is only 16 months old, but it's already
getting some enhancements, thanks to $4 million in funding from the federal and
provincial governments.
Mayor Gary Baxter was in Kingsville on June 26 to accept the funding on behalf
of the Town of LaSalle, and was thrilled with the announcement.
"We have one hundred and eighty-nine acres where the site is, and the
whole idea is to make it a focal point with greater activity," he said.
Planned enhancements at the Vollmer Recreational Complex include baseball
diamonds, skateboard area, trail construction, promenade, festival plaza and
community building.
Baxter noted that the area will be more attractive and accessible, providing
opportunities for the whole family.
Funding split
The $2 million federal portion of the funding, which was announced by Essex MP
Jeff Watson, comes from the Recreational Infrastructure Canada program (RinC),
while the $2 million provincial portion, announced by Essex MPP Bruce Crozier,
comes from Recreation Ontario.
"Recreational facilities bring us together as families, friends and
neighbours," said Watson. "They improve the health and quality of
life in communities. Our government was chosen to lead our nation through a
tough global recession. Our Economic Action Plan, including our RinC program,
is stimulating our economy to create jobs while improving quality of life in
our local communities."
Crozier said he was pleased to provide the funding that not only promotes
physical fitness, but also provides employment opportunities.
"These investments will help to build healthier and stronger communities
here in Essex County by encouraging community participation and activity and
creating much-needed jobs—jobs that will help to address some of the
challenges Ontario is facing in these difficult economic times," Crozier
said.
He noted that 30 to 50 per cent of recreational facilities and pools across the
province are nearing the end of their life expectancy. Funding such as that
provided on Friday will assist in resolving this issue.
Also receiving funding on the day was the Town of Lakeshore in the amount of $2
million for improvements at Lakeview Park.
The Town of Kingsville received $2 million for upgrades to their arena.