HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2016-07-14, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2016.
County approves grant
despite some criticism
Continued from page 1
generated by the centre only hit 40
per cent of its goal, Gaudet said
there would still be an opportunity to
see a return on investment, but it
would take longer — likely between
seven and eight years.
Central Huron Deputy -Mayor
Dave Jewitt said he was struggling
with his decision whether to support
the centre, but said that Gaudet's
numbers, ensuring the county a
return on investment, was what
really sold him on the idea.
One of the great challenges the
county is facing in terms of
economic development, he said, is
looking ahead and being where the
county needs to be in the future,
which is something the centre and its
vision achieves.
Jewitt said he felt the centre fits
into the tourism niche the county is
aiming for and that he intended to
support the request.
Howick Reeve Art Versteeg was
strongly against the grant request,
saying it was an inappropriate way
for council to spend ratepayers'
money.
He also had some harsh words for
the economic potential of both the
Blyth Festival and a school for the
arts in the village, saying that if
there has been economic spinoff as a
result of the theatre in the last 40
years, he hasn't seen it.
"I don't see economic
development happening because of
the arts," Versteeg said. "I don't see
it after 40 years in Blyth and the
theatre isn't self-sustaining on its
own."
He also argued that while a grant
request debated earlier in the
meeting from the Wingham and
District Hospital could apply to
more Huron County residents,
supporting the arts isn't any of
Huron County's business.
Versteeg added that while funds
contributed to a potential grant to the
centre will have come from all
residents, including those with lower
incomes, they would benefit the
upper and upper -middle class people
who, he felt, greatly comprised arts
audiences.
In conclusion, Versteeg said he
couldn't support collecting taxes
from some of the county's "poorest
people" to "support self-indulgent
entertainment for the rich."
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan disagreed, saying that the
Blyth Festival and its theatre
productions are just one piece of
what's happening in Blyth, pointing
to the centre and its programming,
as well as the development of the
Blyth Cowbell Brewing Company
site, which aims to become a
major tourism driver, as well as the
new gas bar/Tim Horton's
development in the south end of the
village.
Many of the projects ongoing in
Blyth, MacLellan said, are working
on one another's coattails, so there is
great economic potential for Blyth,
as well as the entire area.
North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent
echoed some of what MacLellan
said, insisting there is an optimism
in Blyth he hadn't seen before.
Goderich Deputy -Mayor Jim
Donnelly also spoke against the
request, saying it was "too glitzy"
and "too uncertain" for him to
support, adding that he simply
couldn't get a handle on exactly
what it is that the centre hopes to
provide to the community.
He also added that the county's
$500,000 grant would represent less
than four per cent of the project's
$14 million budget, so the project
wouldn't "stand or fall" based on the
county's contribution.
Chief Administrative Officer
Brenda Orchard said that if the
county were to approve the grant,
those from the centre were hoping to
leverage the grant into matching
funds from the federal government,
although there would be no
guarantee.
The vote to approve the grant out
of the Economic Development
Board's reserves over the next five
years was approved by a vote of 10
to five. Voting in favour of the
motion were David Frayne, Paul
Gowing, Ben Van Diepenbeek, Joe
Steffler, Kevin Morrison, Bernie
MacLellan, Dave Jewitt, Roger
Watt, Jim Ginn and Tyler Hessel,
while Jim Donnelly, Jim Fergusson,
Art Versteeg, Maureen Cole and
Neil Vincent voted against it.
Hitting the 'ice'
The Belgrave Community Centre played host to a ball
hockey tournament over the weekend, which blended
Canada's favourite game with the warm weather of the
summer that's finally upon us. (Vicky Bremner photo)
One impressive grill
Why flip one pork chop when you can flip them all? That might have been the question that
led to the creation of the grill seen above at the recent Winthrop Community Ball Park pork
chop barbecue fundraiser on July 7. The fundraiser, which took the form of a pork chop dinner,
was nearly sold out by the end of June and, on the day of, tickets were a hot commodity.
Shown cooking the chops to perfection are, from left: Brian Alcock and Ken and Scott Dalton.
(Denny Scott photo)
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