The Citizen, 2016-04-21, Page 19PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2016.
14/19 requests referred to economic development board
Continued from page 1
said, seek to accomplish many of the
same things.
Stewart outlined a number of the
centre's priorities, including
programs for fibre arts and creative
textiles and theatre arts, among
others.
The five strategic priorities set out
by the centre are: to build an
environment in which the arts and
arts education thrive and contribute
to a more vibrant and creative
community, to build core programs
and activities that strengthen our
ability to fulfill our mission, to
cultivate, promote, sustain and
support rural creativity in Canada, to
create diverse streams of revenue
and funding opportunities and to
ensure the operational stability of the
organization and its ability to
respond creatively to opportunities
and challenges.
The project is already off to a good
start, Smith told councillors, with the
recent commitment of $3.3 million
from the provincial government and
an additional $1.5 million from local
support. Stewart added that members
of the organization's cabinet have
recently met with Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau to discuss extending
funding to the federal level.
While the group is certainly off to
a great start, Smith said, there is still
work to be done in terms of
fundraising for the project, which
currently has a final price tag
estimated to be $14 million.
Smith and Stewart also spoke to
council in regards to the CCRC's
first-ever conference, the
Rural Talks to Rural (R2R)
conference, which is scheduled
in September.
The conference, for which
planning has already been underway
for some time, will bring 60
presenters to Blyth from all over the
county, as well as between 200 and
250 delegates.
R2R will bring together rural
innovators as speakers and panelists
for the first conference of its kind,
Smith said. The objective will be to
connect rural residents with great
ideas with the hopes of sharing
challenges and
ideas to potential
successes,
connecting
financing.
The weekend will include four
different streams: arts and culture,
food and farm, community revival
and development and sustaining and
growing our population.
Stewart and Smith told councillors
they were hoping the county would
take on an ambassador role for the
conference, sponsoring R2R to the
tune of $15,000.
Central Huron Deputy -Mayor
Dave Jewitt said he thought the
project was ambitious and exciting
and that it fit in well with what
Huron County is trying to do.
So while he said he didn't mean to
speak against the project, he was
concerned more with the county's
procedure in receiving grant requests
and felt perhaps grant money was
being "fragmented" due to the grant
policy and the numerous arms set up
to receive grant presentations and
advise council accordingly.
Warden Paul Gowing agreed,
saying he found the presentation to
be exciting, adding that rural issues
and challenges need to be discussed
because they differ so drastically
from urban challenges and planning
concerns.
Smith said the hope is that an
industry will be created from the
14/19 initiative. He likened it to the
Apple Shop initiative in the U.S. A
documentary program was
established in a rural community
with the hopes of educating youth
who found themselves with few
educational options. Once it was
complete, the program founders
expected the students to travel the
world and make movies. However,
they stayed in their home
communities and filmed their own
lives and subject matter they found
interesting in their backyards. Today,
movies from the project and its
graduates are being screened all over
the world.
"Apple Shop has really been a
lighthouse for us," Smith said.
Huron East Deputy -Mayor Joe
Steffler said that he hoped for
success from the program as well,
saying that perhaps in 10 years
innovators from other communities
will be visiting to Blyth to see how
the CCRC did it.
Council made motions to receive
both presentations and request
reports from staff. However, later in
the meeting, speaking to Jewitt's
"fragmentation" concerns, several
councillors suggested that both
14/19 requests be referred to the
Huron County Economic
Development Board for comment
and recommendations prior to
council making a decision.
Raising funds
Bekki Decevito, shown above, held a barbecue and silent
auction at Scrimgeour's Food Market over the weekend to
raise funds for her mission trip to Zimbabwe. Decevito,
whose family has been involved with the mission trips for
several years, cooked hot dogs and hamburgers and sold
baked goods to raise money for her trip. Decevito said she
raised approximately $1,600 for the event and is officially
funded and ready to go for the trip. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Obituary
Listen to your body
Students at Hullett Central Public School had both an assembly and special in -class
presentations from Big Kids Entertainment last week. The group was promoting having a
healthy lifestyle. Above, Larissa Minal, in the jump suit, is talking to Mr. Coups' Grade 7 class
about the three Cs of body maintenance; taking care, listening to cues and taking control. From
left: Sara Hunking, Ainsley Croft, Avery Boven, Kennedy Huether and Laurissa Kinea. (Denny
Scott photo)
Council supports LAV monument
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Huron East Council has thrown
the municipality's support behind
the efforts of the Goderich Legion to
erect a new monument to veterans
near the Huron County Museum.
At council's April 5 meeting,
councillors debated the request from
the Legion, which is attempting to
purchase and place an actual Light
Armoured Vehicle (LAV) near the
museum as a tribute to soldiers
who served in Afghanistan for
Canada.
The Legion requested a grant of
$1,000 from Huron East to help
make the monument a reality.
Mayor Bernie MacLellan asked
Deputy -Mayor Joe Steffler, a
member of the Seaforth Legion, if
local Legions were supportive of the
initiative and he said they are.
Council passed a motion to
approve the grant.
That night, council also accepted
the tender of Joe Leyser Demolition
for the demolition of 197 Toronto
Boulevard in Vanastra.
The Leyser tender came in at
$89,000, lower than the other two
tenders from Van Driel Excavating
at $108,475 and JMX Contracting at
$189,100.
"Glad to have it gone," said
MacLellan, adding that the $89,000
project came in under the budgetted
amount of $100,000.
JAMES DAVID HOWATT
It is with great sadness that we
announce the passing of James (Jim)
Howatt at Huronview Home for the
Aged, Clinton on Friday, April 15,
2016. He was in his 86th year.
Jim was the beloved husband of
the late Delores Howatt (2014) and
the dear father of Connie Bratt,
London; Joan and her husband Bert
Vandendool, Londesborough; the
late Judy Irwin - March 24, 2016
(Gary Anderson), and Larry Howatt
and his wife Elizabeth, Sudbury. Jim
will be lovingly remembered by his
10 grandchildren and two great-
grandsons. He was the brother
of Gordon (Colleen) Howatt,
Londesborough and John (Marilyn)
Howatt, Stratford.
Jim was predeceased by his son-
in-law Ron Irwin and sister Helen
Hodgert.
Jim was a well-respected beef
farmer in Huron County for many
years. He spent countless hours at
the barn, at the Brussels sales and
anywhere else he knew there would
be cattle.
Jim enjoyed time with neighbours,
friends and family, especially
hearing about all of his
grandchildren and their adventures.
He will be dearly missed by all.
Friends were received at the
Falconer Funeral Homes, Clinton on
Monday, April 18.
The funeral service was held
on Tuesday. Interment was
in Clinton Cemetery.
As expressions of sympathy
memorial donations to the Heart &
Stroke Foundation or the Canadian
Cancer Society would be greatly
appreciated.
Messages of condolence for the
Howatt family may be sent to
www.falconerfuneralhomes.com