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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-08-27, Page 5Wednesday, August 27, 2014 • News Record 5 1 www.clintonnewsrecord.com letter to the editor Tails... economic answer? Dear Editor: There have been a lot of letters to the editor, and articles voicing opinions about the proposed G2G - Goderich to Guelph trail. Those in favour of the trail, claim that it will bring a lot of tourism money to Huron County. Trails are a great way to enjoy the summer weather and get some exercise. Exercise is great for us all and walking can be done by any age and requires no special equip- ment. A trail might promote our com- munity and could create an awareness of nature. A trail might even educate the urban people about rural life. It all sounds great! So I am not opposed to trails and I know that many people enjoy walking along trails especially in good weather, but I am not sure that everyone is really aware of all of the facts about the proposed trail and I feel that it is impor- tant that you hear both sides of this issue. As a landowner who happens to have a farm that is dissected by the railway line, I have some very big concerns about the proposed G2G trail. First of all, who will pay for this? The support- ers of the trail say that there is money, but is there really enough money to replace the bridges that were removed when the railway was abandoned? And over the years, drains and ditches have been cut through the old railway bed leaving gaps that would require further bridges or culverts, tile and fill to make each spot passable. And fences to pro- tect crops and livestock? Who pays for the type of fencing required so that eve- ryone is safe? Who will groom the trail in all four seasons? And maintenance costs? ie removing poison ivy or even lit- ter pick up? Accidents and safety are a major con- cern. Who is responsible for damage or loss of crops or livestock? When acci- dents occur, how will emergency per- sonnel get to the scene? Will I, as a land- owner, just expect emergency vehicles to cross my fields to get to the injured per- son, destroying my crops in their path? Over the years we have experienced some vandalism, litter and even acci- dents on or near our property. One win- ter we had to assist a snowmobiler who landed in an open drainage ditch on the railway line and walked to our home in an almost frozen state. We have col- lected litter left behind by those who traveled by foot, dirt bike, 4 -wheeler or snowmobile. We have to bounce over the ruts created by recreational vehicles at the edge of our fields, farm lane way, and at our field entrance, because these recreational vehicles often spin out when they enter or leave our property to illegally access the abandoned rail line. Trespassing and theft is much easier when the criminals have a quiet trail to use. Again, we have experience with both, as a piece of or farm equipment was stolen several years ago from inside our farm shed. A part off of it was located later on the trail by the police, and the rest of it was found months later, and miles away. Do people really understand what normal farm practices are? Will people complain about, and stop, farmers from operating their farm business. For example, if manure is being spread on a nearby field, then it will smell; or when crops are being planted or harvested, it can be loud and dusty; machinery is large and operators may not see some- one walking on the path; and livestock are not pets, and can be dangerous to people, or can become injured. This is by no means a complete list of the concerns of the adjacent landowners. Do we really need more trails? There are already trails that exist in our area. Some of these are the Greenway Trail in Blyth, Hullett Wildlife to Clinton trail and the Maitland Trail from Goderich to Auburn. On any given day, you should stop by these trails and count for your- self the number of people using them. Are they worth the current cost and do we really need more? Can tax payers afford it or will it become a burden on all Huron County taxpayers? Why are we catering to the vocal minority who want a new place for recreation, at others' expense? Are Huron County tax payers willing to pay more on their property taxes for a few hikers and bikers? Trails may sound great, but until all of the concerns of the adjacent landowners and others directly affected by the trail are addressed, I feel that it is not feasible. The landowners will be affected by this decision to have a trail, or not have a trail, twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. Our concerns need to be considered. Larry and Linda Plaetzer EARLY FILES August 22, 1968 Clinton merchants should unite and decide upon regular store hours. This was the general feeling of people con- tacted in a survey by the News -Record this week. People in Clinton and sur- rounding area were asked their opin- ion of the present store -hours situation in town. "I'm not affected by Monday closing," one lady said. "... you just get used to not going downtown on Mon- day to do your shopping." But many were "fed up" with the present mix-up in store hours. "I'm sick and tired of going downtown Monday and finding half the stores open and half closed. If you ask me, the merchants could serve the shoppers a lot better than they are doing," one housewife said. August 25, 1977 Wet cold weather continues to plague Huron County, with light ground frost reported in several loca- tions last Saturday morning, causing little damage. Frost warnings were again out for early Thursday morning, after this edition goes to press. The nearly continuous rainfall has broken several all-time records in Huron County, particularly in the central and northern areas. According to Tony Chir, who runs the Goderich weather office, so far in August 228 mm (9.12 inches) of rain has fallen at the airport, a new record for August, and in fact, a new high for any month of the year. It breaks an old record of 195.9 mm (7.82 inches) set in June of 1945. At the Dominion Weather observation post on the Norman Baird farm near Bruce - field, 150mm (6 inches) has fallen in the first 24 days of August. Clinton's total is somewhere in between the two. August 24, 1988 For their contribution to conserva- tion work, eight people were recog- nized by the Maitland Valley Conserva- tion Authority at the MVCA semi-annual meeting recently in Wrox- eter. Awards of Distinction were pre- sented to Holmesville-area farmer Donald Lobb and Lorne Murray of Maryborough Township, while Con- servation Certificates were awarded to the Huron County Board of Education, Howick Central School teacher Bill Raynard, Clinton -area farmer Elmer Trick, Walton -area farmer Ken Glan- ville, Belgrave-area farmer Gerry Jaretzke, and Colborne Township farmer David Kilgour. August 26, 1992 The Village of Bayfield council held a public meeting, in accordance with the Huron County Planning Act, at the municipal offices on Tuesday, August 18 to consider a proposed Zoning Bylaw Amendment to allow an arcade in the main core. The proposed bylaw amendment would permit an amuse- ment arcade on this property only. The arcade would consist of pinball and video games in an existing multi -com- mercial building, to the rear of the existing restaurant patio. August 30, 2000 Bells rung, buzzers blared and win- ners laughed with excitement as their tokens clinked from the machines at the Clinton Racetrack Slots grand opening Thursday evening. Dignitaries from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLGC), the Ontario gov- ernment, the Town of Clinton, along with a host of local, provincial and national media, were on hand to mark the occasion. "We are very happy to have the slots finally up and running in Clinton," said Bernie Stuetz, communi- cations manager with the OLGC, in a later interview. "We are very proud to be a part of the community."