HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1981-12-16, Page 1SPIRIT OF THE SEASON-,— Instead 'of exchanging gifts this Christmas
the children who attend Seaforth Nursery School collected donations for
the local office of the Huron County Christmas Bureau. Peggy Rivers,
co-ordinator of volunteer services for the county's Family and Childrens
Services, visited the school last Thursday to help explain where these
donations go.
(Photo by Campbell)
Teens, man hurt in crash
122nd Year
Whole No 5836 FIRST SECTION PAGES 1 - 18 SEAFO.RTH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1981 24 PAGES
$17.00 a year ittirlvance
Single copy. 50 cents
n s
surplus 1,
An end of the year look at Seaforth's
actual spending compared to revenue shows
a 55.000 surplus. council heard Monday
night.
Reeve Bill. Dale, finance chairman tabled a
report showing $33;000 overspending by
finance and general government and sur-
pluses of 54500 in the police committee
budget. $25.400 in public works and 512.000
in culture and recreation. The arena commit-
tee wasn't included in the calculations but
arena revenue is down from last year.
On the revenue side, council has received
$13,500 less than expected from committee
related revenues, but has had a surplus of
$2.40 more
other revenues of 55,100 and of specific
grants of $5,000.
Reeve Dale explained his committee's
deficit is due to $12,000 still to be repaid for
new arena tables and chairs, $16,000 for town
hall repairs and pay to council members
because of the large number "the most ever"
of committee and general meetings in 1981..
"We hope for a $5000 heritage grant On the
town hall work," the reeve added.
A review of the town's-reserves shows an
industrial reserve of $61,011. a capital
operating reserve (general. fire hall, street
lights) of $63.000 and an unfunded reserve
(used to provide cash flow) of 540,000.
Sewer charge
is going up
estimated $5,500 in damages just east of
Seaforth on highway 8 at about 2:30 p.m.
Thursday (Dec. 10).
Ronald Watkins. 34, of St. Marys remains
in fair condition at London's University
Hospital., He was driving, and the sole
The joys of Christmas music
and projects. Varna corre-
spondent Mary Chessell vis-
ited the Varna United Church
concert and took some de-
lightful photos. First Presby-
terian ChurCh had its concert
Friday night. See pages A9,
Al4 and A15.
Every school and church is
busy with Christmas concerts
MacLaren bill showed charges for a detailed
structural analysis, design of a necessary roof
reinforcement and inspection and supervi-
sion of the construction of those reinforce-
ments.
The owner of the arena. according to
Seaforth's contract with him, paid for the
construction.
But council was under the impression that
the engineer's fee would be about $600. for a
complete structural analysis. "That figure
open to the public: It meets'
Wednesdays at 8 p.m. at
town hall.
Any interested
person or group is also invited
to present a written brief
concerning arena and com-
munity centre needs by first
contacting committee chair-
man Ken Campbell
(527.0137).
was given twice." clerk Jim Crocker said.
That$600, was for the initial site visit only.
Mr. Moat explained.
"I was in favour of renting the Vanastra
arena. If I'd known this I would have fought
it." said councillor Gerald Groothuis. "it's
crazy to go from $600 to $8000. Clerk Crocker
added it was strange that nothing was
mentioned to council-befOre it was expected
to spend $8000 "on somebody else's arena."
Engineering fees for the Seaforth arena.
including developing of various construction
plans were about $9000. ,
Explaining the detailed work MacLaren is
billing for, Mr. Moat said "if we certify ,an
arena and we're wrong; that's our-reputation
down the drain...engineers' careers down' he
&rain."
"If we say (an expected) bill for $600 is over
58,000 our reputation is on the line too,"
replied councillor Paul Ross.
A half hour later Mr. Moat comeback to the
council meetingand said he'd been driving
home. thinking over council's comments
'when he'd decided to turn around.
"MacLar-
ren has a moral obligation in this affair and I
propose we absorb 50 per cent ofthe cost (of
the work) at Vanastra arena...We didn't
inform you fully."
"Thank you." replied mayor John Sinna-
mon, "that shows you are conscientious:"
The engineer said his firm valued its
association with Seitforth and he did not want
to be involved in a financial misunderstand-
ing.
:side this were
flown, engineers split
dig Vanastra arena bill
Public welcome,
arena committee
ships of McKillop, Tucker-
smith. Hullett and Hibbert.
Cliff Marsden of M.P. Agri
Builders in Exeter attended
last Wednesday's (Dec. 9)
second meeting of the local
community centres 'commit-
tee, and gave it an overview
of the steps to be taken when
considering pre-engineered
building*. The committee re,
solved its meetings will be
Three Seaforth and area teenagers and a
St. Marys man were injured when a station
wagon and pick up truck collided causing an
Too much news
Due to a large number of
Christmas events being cov--
ered we regret that some of
this week's news does not
appear. It will be published in
the Huron Expositor being
mailed Tuesday night.
415eaforth council and an engineering firm
compromised and will split the $8.026 bill for
bringing the Vanastra arena up to Ministry of
Labour standards so the town amid rent it
this winter.
Dirk Moat of MacLaren Engineers, Plan-
ners and Scientists Inc. told council most of
the work was done to see if the arena met
required codes and cannot be done easily.
"We employed top engineers in the industry
on this projekt." A detailed breakdown of the
Representatives of the
Seaforth and District Com-
munity Centres Committee
had a busyweekend. They
visited 18 area arenas and
community centres. six a day.
to get ideas for their own
project. The committee is
charged with. among other
things, recommending *com-
munity centres project to the
town of Seaforth and town..
occupant of the station wagon. Terry Gould.
17, of Seaforth was released from UH in good
condition Tuesday. She was a passenger in
the pickup truck' driven by Cathy Vanneste of
RR2 Kippen. Miss Vanneste and another
passenger, LindaBlake of Seaforth, both 17,
were treated for "minor injupes" and
released from Se forth Community Hospital
shortly after the accident.
Provincial police. at Goderich say both
vehicles were eastbound on highway 8. the
Vinneste vehicle\ turned off on a sideroad
then returned to the highway, before the
collision. Police estimate damages to the
station wagon at S3,500 and $2.000 to the pick
to.
Health
Unit finds
rodents
in arena
Whether it's caused by the storage of corn
or not. 'the Seaforth atena• has -a rodent
problem. Council and the Huron County
Health, Unit agree about that.
In an inspection in late November the
''Health Unit noticed "proof of a rodent
problem in the upstairs kitchen."
"Is the corn the reason Or the rats?" asked
councillor Gerald Groothuis. "I think they
were there before. The corn could have
compounded it." replied reeve Bill Dale.
"Mice or rats?" asked coun. Paul Ross?
"Both" he was told by the reeve and the
mayor.
At any rate the health unit's clean up and
trap suggestions have been followed and
town staff is monitoring the situation.
Two m ore
days to save
Still looking for Christmas gifts? You've
got a couple of days left to take advantage of
the Expositor's special offer for new
subscriptions.
Until Friday. Dec. 18. new
subscriptions' to Huron and Perth counties
are available at $14.95. a savings of $2.05 off
the regular price.
You can start or renew your
own subscription at same price if you give
one or more gifts.
Use the handy yellow order form in last
week's Expositor or come in and save on a
subscription, the gift that comes oncea week
for a year.
Seaforth residents whose houses are
connected to-, sanitary sewers (all but a
handful of homesintownare) will pay $2.40 a
month more in sewer surcharges. beginning
in January.
Present rates are 100 per cent of the water
charge, for most buildings a flat S6. Council's
increase is to 140 per cent of that water rate or
$8.40. A few individually, metered premises
will pay more but the percentage are the
same.
The action came after the Ministry of the
Commissioners spent most of last
Wednesday night's (Dec. 9) Public Utility
Commission " meeting reviewing proposed
new rate structures for the kite! utility with
the consumer service, supervisor for Ontario
Hydro's western region. Bill Garvin. Com-
missioners ammended their approval of rates
first proposed at their November meeting
because it would have meant Seaforth
consumers would have been paying More for
their first 250 kilowatt hours than the' rural
assisted rate, which might have not sat well
with some consumers. The Seaforth PUC
approved a new rate structure, which in turn
must be formally approved by Ontario Hydro.
before it becomes public. The new rates may
be announced in the near future.
Jim Sills is the commission's new chair-
man, replacing Gord Pullman at the end of
Environment raised 'its sewage charge for
50.5c to 61.8c per thousand gallons. The rate
increase will cover that , and allow about
$10,000 to be reserved to pay fora sewer
study the town is going to do. (B.M. Ross
were hired from among several firms to do -
the study at Monday night's meeting at an'
estimated cost of 517,000).'
In answer to a question from a councillor
clerk Jim Crocker said the sewage flow hasn't
slowed much despite work done to find and _
repair leaks and inproper connections.
his term. Mr. Pullman remains as a
commissioner. The chair is rotated yearly.
Commissioners also discussed with Mr.
Garvin the pros and •-cons of possibly
developing a_new deposit-policy, so the. local
utility is ensured of getting its money back
should a large customer not pay his or her
bills. Nothing was formally decided.
COmmissioners congratulated PUC em-
ployee Dennis Medd on receiving a report of
his progress in his second year of the
Association of Municipal Electrical Utilities
linemans' apprentice course.
Manager Tom Phillips, reported what
appeared to be a minor problem. perhaps a
loose connection, with the new system that
monitors and co-ordinates the town's water
wells. The problem resulted in tIO water for
town taps early in the morning of Dec. 8.
A bid for '87 IPM
Big plans are brewing for
Perth if the Perth Plowmen's
Association is successful in
their bid for the 1987 Inter-
national Plowing Match.
Story and details , page A4 ill iricreds0.
BRONZE IN MOSCOW — Lloyd Eisler of Egmondvilleand LOrri Baler of
Mitchell, both 18 years old, won bronze medals for finishing third in pairs
at last week's Moscow Skate in the Soviet Union. A strong free• skating
portion of their program enabled them to climb from fourth to third place:
The gold medalists were Oleg Makarov and Larisa Selezneva of the
Soviet Union. Lloyd, Lorri and coach Kerry Leitch of the Preston. Figure
Skating Club spent longer than they expected in Moscow. As of Tuesday
they were still storm stayed in the. Soviet capital.
(Photo by Bob Martin)
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