The Citizen, 2017-10-26, Page 1INSIDE
THIS WEEK:
FALL FAIR - Pg. 10
Results released for this
year's Brussels Fall Fair
HOMES - Pg. 15
The Citizen' presents fall
home improvement guide
IPM 2017 - Pg. 34
'The Citizen' looks back
at the IPM one last time
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Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, October 26, 2017
Up and over
Whether it was the warm, sunny weather over the weekend or the unseasonably warm
weather throughout most of October, winter coats, tuques and mittens are not necessary just
yet. Here, Hullett Central Public School students Kyla Cowan, left, and Brook Ohm, right, had
as much playground fun as they could before outdoor activities turned to snowball -making and
sliding down icy hills. While Cowan was thrown for a loop, like a cat, she always landed on her
feet. (Denny Scott photo)
Museum's future
uncertain in NH
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
The futures of the North Huron
Museum and the Wingham building
it inhabits are in question after a
hefty price tag was put on
refurbishing the building.
North Huron Township Council
received the condition assessment
on the facility from Allan Avis
Architects during its Oct. 18
meeting and, with all necessary
work included, the architectural firm
believes it would cost $3,870,500
prior to HST.
The pricetag had council
questioning the value of the
structure and whether the museum
could find life elsewhere in the
municipality.
"This is a very, very big decision,"
Councillor Brock Vodden said.
"This is a very expensive renovation
and we need to think not just in the
need for the renovation and the value
of it, but we need to think forward to
what we do with the building after
it's been renovated."
Vodden said North Huron Council
hasn't shown interest or support for
the museum in the past with no
program funding or permanent staff
for many years.
"Largely it's been an afterthought,
if even that," he said. "We need to
consider whether we're going to do
the next step and create the museum
in that building which at the moment
we don't have.
"At the moment, we have a lot of
old stuff in the building," he said.
"It's not a museum. There is no staff
and no plan. It's not a particular
good building for a museum"
Vodden said there were many
aspects of the decision to take into
account before council makes a
decision, including any other
options that may be on the table.
Councillor Trevor Seip said the
best thing to do was to decide what
is a priority and what isn't a priority
from an infrastructure standpoint.
"What do we need buildings for in
the municipality?" he asked of
council. "What infrastructure do we
need to maintain in the municipality
to make it viable and sustainable.
Outside of that, we have to decide if
we really need the museum."
He said the museum hasn't been a
priority as other infrastructure
projects have come to the table and it
is has never been at the top of
council's list for maintaining and
providing funding for.
"We need to look at what the
major priorities are and not just look
at what we've always had," he said.
"That's the nature of the beast we've
been living with for 25 years and I
don't believe we can do it anymore."
Councillors Bill Knott and Ray
Hallahan agreed with Seip, with
Knott also stating that the future of
the building shouldn't be tied to the
future of the museum.
"If we're going to examine this
building, it can't be on the basis of it
being a museum," he said. "We
don't have a proper museum and we
do have other priorities that require
large funds. Unless that building has
a use of a greater need than just a
Continued on page 9
Huron East departments impress throughout IPM
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Several Huron East departments
were kept very, very busy during the
weeks surrounding the International
Plowing Match (IPM) in Walton late
last month.
At Huron East Council's Oct. 17
meeting, council heard from a
handful of members of the senior
management team about their
actions leading to, during and after
the IPM.
First, Chief Administrative Officer
Brad Knight reported on events,
aside from the IPM itself, hosted in
the municipality.
Three events were held at the
Brussels, Morris and Grey
Community Centre. First, the
volunteer orientation and training,
which had to be moved from the
Walton site to Brussels due to
weather, then the Brussels Fall
Fair 4-H show and then
Celebration of Excellence
banquet on the Friday night of the
match in Walton.
The Seaforth and District
Community Centre also played host
to three events: the IPM quilt show
from Aug. 18-20, the beautification
banquet on Aug. 31 and the BMO
Ladies Lunch on Sept. 20.
Despite the last-minute nature of
many of the bookings, Knight said
that staff were accommodating and
received compliments for the quality
of their service.
Huron East Fire Chief Marty
Bedard served as the IPM's chair of
the Emergency Services Committee
and said they saw an elevated level
of emergency calls due to the
extreme, unseasonable weather
during the match.
Bedard's committee consisted of
other area firefighters, paramedics
and a Girl Guides representative
who was charged with looking for
lost persons. He also worked with
members of the Huron County
Health Unit, area hospitals and the
Huron East building department.
During the IPM, Bedard said there
was a total of 57 medical calls, with
19 people being transported to the
hospital. At the 2016 IPM in
Wellington County, Bedard said
only six people were transported to
the hospital over five days of the
match. However, with so many
hospital visits during a shortened
IPM, the drastic increase could be
attributed to the hot, dry weather of
the final three days of the match.
Bedard said the committee
assisted 12 lost persons over the
course of the four days and three
Continued on page 32
Win This Space finale moved to Brussels
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
A heated and, at -times, pointed
discussion regarding the location of
the Brussels Win This Space finale
has resulted in a last-minute change
of venue.
The celebration of local
entrepreneurs, as well as the
culmination of weeks of training and
development, will now be hosted at
the Brussels Legion. However, that
was not the case just days ago.
Councillor John Lowe raised the
issue at council's Oct. 17 meeting,
saying that numerous Brussels
residents were very angry that the
Win This Space finale, scheduled for
Oct. 27, had been set to be held in
Seaforth.
Lowe said that residents felt the
move contradicted the spirit of the
competition. The Brussels
installment of Win This Space is
encouraging entrepreneurs to open a
new business in Brussels. However,
he suggested that hosting the finale
in Seaforth suggested that some
thought Brussels would be good
enough for a new business, but not
suitable to host such an event.
Lowe said the decision, made by
Economic Development Officer Jan
Hawley, has really left a bad taste in
the mouths of some Brussels
residents who spoke to him about it.
Just because there are
establishments in Seaforth, where
the event is being held, that have
successfully hosted such events
before doesn't mean Brussels
establishments shouldn't have been
considered, Lowe said.
"There are many good
establishments in Brussels," he said.
Councillor David Blaney had
Continued on page 31