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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, October 10, 2013
Volume 29 No. 40
BOOK - Pg. 7Brussels photographerfeatured in new book HALL - Pg. 19Grey citizens prepared tofight for community hallPARADE- Pg. 2Local landmark featuredin Oktoberfest paradePublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Lack of consultation concerns local business owner
Artscape director
tours public school
Ready to take flight
Glen Purves of the Canadian Raptor Conservancy and his five birds of prey took centre stage
on Sunday as the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority held its annual fall colour tour at the
Wawanosh Nature Centre. For his presentation, Purves featured a hawk, a barn owl, a vulture,
a great horned owl and a bald eagle. Despite the rain, the annual event, which also featured
a self-guided tour of the grounds, was well attended. (Jim Brown photo)
A plea from a Blyth-area business
owner is falling on listening ears at
Central Huron Council.
P. Wayne McClinchey of
McClinchey South End Auto
appeared before councillors Oct. 1,
to ask that they consider a number of
issues in the wake of plans to turn
the former Grandview Restaurant on
Blyth Road into a combination gas
station, convenience store and Tim
Hortons location.
While council approved its
planner’s recommendation to allow
for the plan to go ahead in August,
McClinchey’s letter had the desired
effect of leading councillors to
realize there are more questions to
be answered before it moves
forward.
As he gave thanks to Councillor
Alex Westerhout for taking time out
to discuss the proposal with him at
his business, McClinchey said his
concerns do not relate to “Not In My
Backyard-ism” but rather how the
new business will impact his second-
generation operation and home.
McClinchey also had a number of
supporters in the gallery on hand,
including North Huron Reeve Neil
Vincent.
As Westerhout successfully
pitched a request to allow
McClinchey to speak on the matter
although he was not on the
delegation list as is the protocol,
McClinchey extended an open
invitation to the remaining members
of council.
“I invite council to come any time.
I’ve got the coffee on,” said
McClinchey, whose letter noted
neither the developer, the
municipality, or the county had
approached him about the matter
prior to Westerhout’s visit.
“Sadly, the only contact that I have
received from any official on this
matter has come via the elected
representative of North Huron; a
municipality in which I do not reside
nor do I contribute to the tax base as
I am a commercial ratepayer in
Central Huron,” stated
McClinchey’s letter.
McClinchey read from his letter,
which also noted that though today
the Grandview property is “largely
grass,” once paving and roof lines
are brought in the displaced water
will have no place to go but down.
“Unfortunately, the two existing
catch basins are both located up the
hill to the north. Unless the
displaced water were to run uphill
into those catch basins, it is
reasonable to assume it will land on
my lawn,” stated McClinchey. “As
anyone familiar with the area will
know, my property is a former
swamp. As evidence of this, when I
constructed my house, I was forced
to avoid building a basement due to
the high water table and by
transferring as much as 80 per cent
of the water falling onto the
Grandview property onto my
property, the already high water
levels will most certainly rise.”
The developer’s plan to construct
Pru Robey, a director at Artscape,
came to Blyth last week to lend her
expertise to the 14/19 campaign in a
vision exercise for many of the
stakeholders.
Artscape, a Toronto company that
focuses on redeveloping existing
spaces for artistic, cultural and
community uses, is an ideal partner
for the campaign committee
according to project director Peter
Smith. The relationship between the
two groups is good as members
hope to do, with the former Blyth
Public School, what Artscape does
in Toronto on a regular basis.
“She was just a perfect fit to talk
to us at the school,” 14/19 Project
Director Peter Smith said. “For over
27 years they have gone from
creating art centres to creating
artistic community centres and
that’s the kind of development we’re
looking to have.”
Smith explained that, with the
former school, the 14/19 committee
was hoping not just to set up a state-
of-the-art theatre facility but they
were looking to have a broad
selection of artistic and cultural
options available at the site.
“We’re aiming to have residences,
studios and more,” he said, adding
even crafts could be presented at the
site. “We could have anything from
pottery to glass blowing to smithing
to farmers’ produce.”
The reason Smith wants such a
broad collection is he sees the
school eventually becoming a
school of the arts for the whole
community of Blyth and Huron
County and not just for the people
who will visit the centre.
“We want the community to share
in the centre,” he said. “We want
them to feel it’s as much theirs as it
is anyone’s. Like Memorial
Community Hall, it’s going to be a
community centre.”
He went on to say the school
would not be an ‘elitist location’ and
no one would be left out.
Robey, who co-led a tour of the
school with co-owner of the
building Rick Elliott on Thursday
morning, shared her impressions of
the building and of what each room
could be used for. She also,
throughout the day, led several
workshops focusing on the assets
and challenges Blyth has as it
pertains to the 14/19 campaign.
Robey also, during a lunch event,
had community members list what
assets they felt were most important.
The results ranged from the obvious
such as the Blyth Festival, the
Emergency Services Training
Centre and the Blyth Campground
to some ideas that came from
‘outside of the box.’
Smith said that, while all the
assets were great that were listed
“ Cultural tourism is a powerful
force that is transforming
global travel and trends.”
MICHAEL CHAN
MINISTER OF TOURISM, CULTURE AND SPORT
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 10
By Cheryl Heath
Special to The Citizen
Continued on page 18