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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2014-01-01, Page 5letters to the editor REACH — taxpayers just keep on giving Dear Editor, I made another presentation to Central Huron Council on Dec. 3 on the shortfalls at the REACH Huron Centre. To bring taxpayers of Central Huron up to date, we have nearly $10 million in the REACH facility now. The original build is reported at $6,932,000. We have paid loan interest on the mortgage of over $523,000 and we've paid $2,500,000 of expenses, capital costs and donations to REACH since it started operating. According to REACH's October 31 financial statements, the total income generated in 2013 was $214,561. The total wages paid was $266,195. They don't even generate enough income to pay their own wages. In 2013, our council agreed to DONATE $201,993 of taxpayers' dollars to REACH to operate. On top of this, we have to pay $310,419 mortgage payments every year and CH also paid $42,000 in expenses on the build- ing and $26,000 in capital projects. As of October 31, REACH's financial state- ments also show a bank loan of $91,500 (from a line of credit of $100,000) which Central Huron Council has guaranteed - that is YOU and I. Since REACH can't even generate enough money to pay their own wages, I suggested that council should rent the facility, like any of our other halls, to someone who can pay CH a modest rent and they would be responsible for paying their own expenses instead of CH taxpayers. At the very least, the municipality could rent it daily or hourly. After my Dec. 3 presentation where I contin- ued to point out that after five or six years of operation, REACH - in my opinion - is still a burden to CH taxpayers and contributes very little, if anything, to the community. Although some people don't agree, there was discussion and questions and I was assured by council and Mayor Ginn that there was going to be changes made at REACH. I went away fairly confident that something was finally going to be done to stop the bleeding of our tax dollars into this facility. So you can imagine how irate I was when I picked up the Dec. 10 agenda for the council Committee of the Whole meeting and found a report, prepared by our CAO, to reallocate another $38,000 to REACH out of reserves! Since they have already received their total 2013 CH donation of $201,993 and have a $91,500 bank loan, they probably don't have the money to pay their own wages? After dis- cussion, Coun. Alison Lobb, Dan Colquhoun and Alex Westerhout voted to give REACH the additional $38,000 and it was passed. The REACH board has been in control of this facility for four years now and in my opin- ion, nothing has changed. We're still pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into REACH each year. CH taxpayers already bailed them Wednesday, January 1, 2014 • News Record 5 out in 2011 and now two years later they are in the same financial position - they need to be bailed out again. Before REACH was built I was told by council they expected that it would take five years to get going. Well, five years is long past and it's no better off. We're still bail- ing it out! Bottom line is, REACH hasn't generated enough income to pay their own wages or their $50,000 rent to Central Huron. At Oct. 31, their financial statements showed a loss of $289,800. If the REACH board thinks this facility is worth keeping the doors open another year, (some board members don't live in this com- munity) I say, open your wallets and donate $100,000 to the REACH so they can pay off their loan and continue. The taxpayers of Cen- tral Huron are tired of opening theirs. Carol Dutot, Central Huron Many thanks to bureau's many supporters Dear Editor, Thank you just doesn't seem to be enough to say to the individuals, businesses and groups who supported the Huron County Christmas Bureau. The support shown at the bureaus in Wingham, Seaforth, Clinton, Exeter and Goderich was incredible. Each year I continued to be amazed at the generosity of people in Huron County in help- ing to make a difference in a child's Christmas. Lr Thank you also to the parents and caregivers who register in order to have a hand in making Christmas a little less stressful and a little more Merry. I would also like to thank our sponsors of the program: Huron -Perth Children's Aid Society, Home Hardware Stores, Blackburn Radio and Platinum Powersports. Without your contributions we would not be nearly as successful. Lastly, I thank all the 400 plus volunteers who make organizing and implementing the Huron County Christmas Bureau possible. It is because of your untiring efforts that we assisted almost 500 families and their 1000 children. Thank you for experiencing the joy of giving and receiving. Merry Christmas Barb Hogan Chairperson Huron County Christmas Bureau T Blue Jays baseball great Kelly Gruber came to town in July, holding a two- day baseball camp. More than 100 kids showed up for the camp, which was brought about by Huron -Bruce MP Ben Lobb and Clinton's Doc Miller, who got enough local sponsorship to reduce the cost for kids from $125 to $50. This fluffy -looking barn owl graced our July 24 front page, as part of a birds of prey display at the Falls Reserve Birding Festival. Central Huron's Amazing Race was a resounding success on all counts, raising more than $7,500 for the United Way and pumping $7,600 into the local economy. Twenty-one teams took part in the challenge. On average, contestants covered about 250 kilometers on their trek, which ended up at Mayor Jim Ginn's farm on Hwy 8. Pictured, the Bayfield Rumrunners in all their pirate glory. Kennedy Wilson's acrobatics earned her second place in the Youth Talent Search in Bayfield Aug. 16. Evan Langendoen wears a 75 -pound red boa constrictor around his neck following the Pluckinfest Teddy Bear Parade. It's not every day or even every year that a cow gives birth to quadruplets, but on Sunday, Sept. 15 a first time cow did just that at the farm of Ger Meidema south of Clinton. The calves weighed about 40 pounds each at the time of birth, about half the size of regular calves. The calves are actually two sets of twins.