The Huron Expositor, 1981-10-21, Page 1•
r.
122nd Year
Whole No. 5828
$1700* year In advance
A single copy 50 Ceuta 'SEAFORTI-1, ONTARIO,' WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1981 PAGES
, AP
lack over five ears.
orrruisr
Some councillors felt people would
contribute more towards a new arena than to
a repair job. They agreed with councillor
Gerald Groothuis that if fund raising Starts
-immediately interest Could be earned before
!, building starts. A written pledge from a fund
raising committee milt be needed before the
end of lainhary for grant purposes, the clerk
said
Council listened with interest-to a proposal
from Dr. Paul Brady, who as president of the
local Legion, had been involved with
building the present arena 30-years ago. The
Legion gave $10,000 to that arena fund.
"Powerful. influential people" in town
were opposed to the arena then. Dr. Brady
said. "I don't think you'll find•that now."
Dr. Brady proposed that a large number Of
people be asked to lend 55,00.0_00 to the
kens. project at say. 12 per cent. The
difference between that and present day
interest could be considered a donation, he
ingested and offered to lend $5,000
personally. Dr. Brady said council could
probably get $20,000 from a number of
lenders that way.
Saying he was not in favour of a new
complex or site, "we have a decent entrance
and front now", Dr. Brady pointed out the
populationof the area hasn't grown since the
original arena was built.
Clerk Crocker said _money loaned for an
arena could be: used instead of tax or
debenture *km hut couldn't be counted
for matching Win. ed° grants, "Wintarick-,,
wouldn't match the loin.;.,just the difference
between 20 per cent and 12 per cent."
VITAI4 MENA
The doctor said he would work ma eland-
raising committee. Mayor Sinnamon thank*
ed him for baking an interest. "We hid six
children who grew up in the arena. It was a
vital part of our lives'", Dr. Brady replied.
At the, council Meeting the night before,
4 deputy reeve Bill Bennett, chairman of the
arena committee, said he'd been disappoint- .
ed that some local sports groups didn't take
the timeSt the Vanastra arena Seaforth has
tented. (ice is expected to be ready there by •
the end of this week.) The Centenaires,
Industrial and Oldtimers teams all decided
to stidr with their bookings at other arenas,
amounting n about 60 hours a month. ,
"We though im were doing the right -
thing" by renting Vanastra, Mr. Bennett
said..."doing our 'best to keep the season
Wing."
In another arena-related discussion. Reeve
Dale said the town has so far paid' all but
$1,100 of the $12,000 cost for new chairs and
tables for the arena. "The town has to Mine
In everybody's rescue. We have chairs,
tables but no place tonse than."
Deputy reeve Semen', pointed out that
area service clubs had promised to sponsor
fund raising events to get the chairs and
tables paid for but a site cs lakcing now that
the arena is condemned.
BIA 'wilt-mime-boor&
Christrods, meetAn.
HIKE The Bannockburn River wasn't; tfia only thing twisting through
the' trees at the Bannockburn Wildlife Area "past of Varna Sunday
afternoon, The Ausable-Bayfleld Conservation Authority provided-a hike
through portions of the colorful 62-acre property for, the public. It was
well attended.
Huron work unique in the world
AttentfancepicEed atTitesday night's higher be ash-age-
ment nominees.
As well„ a meeting was set for Tuesday.
Nov. 3 to plan a Christmas promotion for
downtown Seaforth. It will be held in the to-pin
hall at 7:30 and all merchants, not just those
inside the BIA boundaries, are invited to
come out and share-their ideas. '
no", said councillor Ross.
Council agonized over the need for a
bigger hall than the present one and finally
concluded the extra cost didn't justify it. "A
new hall to lose $30,000 a year doesn't make
sense at all," said Mayor John Sinnamon...
"The argument I get for a bigger hall"
said councillor. Irwin Johnston; "IS that it
could allow service clubs to make °More
money." Rec director Bryan Peter added
that because- all the costs in running a, big
dance are op, more and more people are
needed to make any money. But the arena
would have to charge more rent for a larger
hall And service clubs wouldn't make more,
countered the mayor.
GRANTS LATER
Asked about the maximum available in
grants on the $900,000 arena from Wintario
and from ONIP, clerk Crocker said the town
rephably_had a "reasonably good chance"
with Wintario since the- weal arena is pile of
few in the province that's condemned. On
ONIP he said there was no way to tell until
December or January.
"If they say no or water down our
applications...we're back here in two
months." The clerk said, building'blueprints
cante_held until the town heirikkbout grants
"but then we're going to -have to work very
quickly." If the arena isn't elegible for ONIP
and other grants "we'll be repairing", the
derk predicted.
A lot of discussion Concerned whether or
not Seaforth and "district coal raise 4225.000
cc $148,500 if $327.500 comes from OMP.
Local Lions, council heard, raised about
$62,000 for park improvements. Membere' '
concluded that more people use the arena
for more of the year than use the park but
agreed an excellent fund raising committee
would have to be set up. Clerk Crocker, the
tee-director and councillor Paul Ross were
delegated tdspeak to service club directors'
meetings and get the ball rotting. Councill-
erstatet sit'oria fund-raisinentatitittee
If no 014IP grants-are received 5100,000 of
the $900,000 project would have to come
from taxes but clerk Crocker said Seaforth
has nearly that in reserve now which could
be used for the arena; thus avoiding a tax
--`'increase. The reserve would have to be paid
Seaforth will-have a nearly new arena; ate
cost of $900,000 or perhaps $750,000 if a'
commitment to raise $225,000 from private
Auld raising looks feasible' by later this
winter. '
At a special meeting Wednesday night
cometl decided to set up a fund raising
-committee to finance part of the cost of a
brand new ice surface . _ (10-per cent bigger
than at present) and a new steel structure
shell over-the-present front end, hall and the
new back. If the arena surface Stays the
strap size as at present the lower price will
apply but the amount needed from fund
raising stays the same.
Council eliminated alternatives which
would repair the condemned trusses at a cost
of $100,000 or repair the trusses and brine
pipes in the arena floor at a cost of $250,000.
A proposal to build a brand new $1.5 million
arena was. also—dropped. Councillor ',Bob
Dinsmore's comment was typical. "I don't
agree with repairing. I has been done and it
hasn't worked."
Reeve Bill Dale called the $250,000 repair
job "big price to pay for a bandaid".
Clerk Jim Crocker pointed out that the life •
expectancy of a repair job might be 10 years
while-new steel construction should last 50 ta-
100 years.
Deputy reeve Bill Bennett added that a
repair wouldn't fix the arena roof which-
leaks every year.
Council decided' as well to make a _real
effort - to get neighbouring municipalities
involved both in ftind raising and on a board
to run the new, community centre. A board
like the present fire.area one was suggested.
Seaforth would be responsible for the new
...mm itunity centre's day-to-day operation,
but all contributing municipalities would
have 11 say-on-any-capital expenses.
"The community as a whole has to be
antminotts. (Let's set up) a community
board' and then---get-"q with
councillor Alf Ross. Council decided-to go. o
Tackersmith, McKillop;Xullett and Hilbert
councils and explain its decision, then ask
for fundraising assitance and gauge interest
in an area comics-WV centre board- "The
worst thing that can happen- is they can saY__
meeting to discuss * Business Improvement
Area and the group decided to go ahead and
nominate a board of management to Seaforth
town council.
Next step will be to draw up a budget for
next year. preient . it to BIA members for
approval rand then to council. Jerry Hether-
Foxes bombed with bur
9
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Southern Ontario has one of the highest
reported rabies rates in the world. But
some day the disease might be bombed
into submission because of research, much
of, which has been'going on here in Huron
County since 1972. It's called the
ORRAVAX (oral vaccinatioiprogram.
There is no real way of controlling
rabies, which costs taxpayers in Ontario
about $1Q-million annually to pay for
preventatiVe shots, clinics, diagnosis and
compensation for farmers for stock des-
troyed because of contaptsvith the visits.
MOST ADVANCED
The provincial research program, Which
developed from suggestions in the late
1960s in the World Health Organization, is
the most advancedof its kind in the world.
ORAVAX will involve bombing skunks and
foxes with hamburger laced with an -oral
vaccine dropped from airplanes in the sky.
Bombing patterns have already been
worked out with a marker chemical; The
program is now in a holding pattern ,while
Connaught Laboratories of Toronto 'works
the wrinkles out.
ORRAVAX aims to cut costs for
taxpayers by "getting rabies under control
in southerrr . Ontario and reducing large
outbreaks," says Ian Watt. He's a senior
resource technician in the rabies research
unit of the Ontario Ministry of Natural r much ground in a day, are taking to the
bait at a rate' of 56 per cent. These are
reliable vaccination levels. Tests have aiso
been carried out in the different topo-
Resources Wildlife Branch at Maple,
Ontario. Dave Johnston heads the unit.
Mr. Watt, who has been invovled with .
ORRAVAX-for its nine years, was here in,
Huron. collecting skunks from trap-
pers last week. The research unit has set
up a field _station in the county and will
remain until early December.
If he was in British Columbia he mould-
likely be collecting bats,.
Rabies' is a disease of the nervous
system, carried by virus and spread by ' he
bite of rabid, warm-blooded animals.
Around here it's foxes-and skunks. But in
British Colutnbia it's bats.
BOMBS t ,
So, ORRAVAX has bonibed-foxes and .
skunks in Huron County with frozen (so
they'll spoil slower and -won't squish on
impact) hamburger balls in open•ended ( to
let the aroma out) haggles from two small
planes in a 200-mile radius around
Goderich. Bombing has nor been witty-
this- bait laced with in antibiotic
(tetracyline) has been dropped where foxes
and skunks are likely lurking, Bombing
patterns and methods have been refined
since the program began.
Research shows about 74 per cent of the
foxes - have been digesting the harmless
marker chemical in the meat. 'Skimks,
which aren't as mobile and don't cover as
graphy around Owen Sound to make Sure
Huron's test results are valid. Apparently
Please turn to page 3
Council still battling
on High St. building
A move by council's public works commit -
tee to advertise the High St. property the
town bought from Huron Canadian Fabricat-
ors and set eSide revenue from its sale' for a
future public avorks.beilding met with
opposition last week.
Finance-chairman Reeve Bill bale said the
idea should have been referred to his
committee. "If we let every. committee set up
a source for a building in future...no one will
know where we're going."
"We had a long hard gattle to buy that
building. The money should go back into the
treasury", the reeve said. Council apparently
agreed for the plan to advertise the building
and to set aside the proceeds in reserve were
dropped.
Approved was a motion to advise Huron
Canadian Fabricators that their lease is up at
the end of the month and asking the company
to clean up the south side of the property.
Council also agreed Public works will
consider, winter use 'of the building at
November committee meetings.
, COuncillor Bob -Dinsmore. public works
head, said the building will be used for public
works maintenance this winter Kit is not sold.
"The roof is leaking badly in the present
(public works )building," he said.
The steel fabricating firm is moving to a
new building in the town's industrial park.
But according to a letter councit received
from Smith Construction all' is-not *ell there.
The letter complained of the "deplorable
conditions allowed toesist in the industrail
park."
Ab unpaved road (despiteheavy traffic),
scrapyards. poor roadside maiptenance, and
poor maintenance by some owners were all
cited. Smith Construction aid with some
"leadership by council" and "joint action by
owners" the park could be attractive. -
Council referred the letter to its finance
and general government cemmitte.
Nursery gets
lots of help
Interesting author
St. Columban native has
, just had his book published
on German prisoners of war
in Canada. see pg. A.
Grand opening
Seaforth Nursery School
has just moved into a new
building . next the Seaforth
Public School. The grand
opening, to which the public
is invited. will be Friday. See
pg, IS.
African journey
Ray McNichol of Winthrop
is in Nigeria with Crossroads.
His first letter home is
absorbing reading, See pg. 8.
Commencement
More award Winners from
the recent commencement at
Seaforth District High
School. Pictures on pg. 20.
,Seaforth and District Pre-School Learning
Centre is proud of what many hours of
volunteer libour4o,:ations from the Town of
itehativrte.hd and fram 'the community have - •
Spanking new nursery school classroom
is-the result and the official opening will be
held Friday, Oct. 23 at 4 p.m. Following the
„ribbon cutting ceremony there'll be an open
Wine, With refreshments served until 8 p.m.
Everyone invited-to Tour the building, see
whatthe children do at the facility and talk to
Parent Volunteers and the teacher Joanne
H011attd; See Story and' photos inside the
EltPosttor for More on this parent co-opera-
tiVe...cOtintitinity bated project.
DISHING IT UP Margaret Whitmore help rid at the NOrtheide United
Church Saturday to make the bazaar a euccese. More ithothe tin the
family page. ,A (PhOtb by Ho-
7