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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-02-16, Page 22PAGE 22. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2012.Vanastra centre remainshigh priority in Huron East Tasty learning Mrs. Popp helped Mrs. Roe dish out the ice cream that was used to demonstrate 3-D shapes (cones and spheres) at Blyth Public School in early February. Popp is shown serving, from left, Cassidy Shannon, Mikayla Whitson and Kaden Huether. (Denny Scott photo) Over 140 sign up to quit smoking Sidewalk remains unplowed in NH Over 140 Huron County residents have signed up so far to quit tobacco in the 2012 Ontario Driven to Quit Challenge. That’s twice as many as the same time last year. The deadline for registration is Feb. 29. The high registration numbers makes Public Health Nurse Maryanne Turner very happy. “I’m very excited to see so many residents take on this challenge. It’s not easy to quit smoking, so kudos to everyone who has registered and stepped up to the challenge!” Participants must remain tobacco- free for the month of March to be eligible for a chance to win either a new Ford Fusion Hybrid or Ford Edge, one of two vacation getaways, and one of seven $2,000 cash prizes. Locally, one Huron County participant will win a $350 Visa gift card. People can register until the end of February at www.driventoquit.ca or call the Canadian Cancer Society Smokers’ Helpline at 1-877-513- 5333. To enter you must be 19 or older and have used tobacco at least once a week for most of the past year. That includes smoking cigarettes, cigars or pipes, or using chew tobacco. Participants must also find a buddy who will support them in their quit attempt. To stay healthy and tobacco-free, Turner offers the following tips: • Learn your triggers - Figure out when you tend to smoke or use tobacco and then break the connection, change your routine. • Eat healthy – try not to replace cigarettes with food or unhealthy snacks. Follow Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating and have low sugar, low-fat substitutes handy. Drinking lots of water will help reduce the withdrawal symptoms you may experience. Be physically active – Taking part in some form of physical activity will also help decrease withdrawal symptoms and reduce stress. • Ask for help – Tell your family, friends, co-workers and anyone else who will listen that you are quitting and ask for their support. The Canadian Cancer Society's Smokers’ Helpline also provides personalized advice, counselling and an individualized quit plan, all of which are free by calling 1-877-513-5333 or visit www.smokershelpline.ca The Driven to Quit Challenge is hosted by the Canadian Cancer Society and funded by the Ontario Government. All prizes are sponsored by McNeil Consumer Healthcare. The Huron County Health Unit is a partner in the Driven to Quit Challenge. What to do with the VanastraRecreation Centre returned fordiscussion at Huron East Council’s Feb. 7 meeting. The issue was first discussed at a strategic planning meeting late last year where council felt it needed to decide whether to renovate its own pool in Vanastra or partner with Central Huron to build a new pool at the site of its new Central Huron Community Complex. Recently Central Huron Mayor Jim Ginn said he is waiting on Huron East to make a decision as to whether the two municipalities will pursue a joint venture to build a pool together. Ginn said that he was approached by Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan before the complex was built about a potential joint venture. MacLellan had previously said he was waiting for word from Central Huron as to the state of the pool, leaving it in limbo. At the meeting council authorized MacLellan to talk to Central Huron to see where the municipality can go next with the pool. Several councillors said it wasimportant to them to have a presencein Vanastra, but whether it wouldinclude a pool down the road or notwas still up for discussion.Councillors were concerned that the annual budget at the Vanastra Recreation Centre was said to be higher than that of the Seaforth Community Centre. It is not higher than the budget for the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre, however, that budget factors in costs for soccer and baseball, so the comparison is unjust. In the end, councillors said they would likely have to designate funding for certain items at the centre, or authorize a dollar figure and allow officials at the centre to do with it what they can. Lissa Bedard from the centre was directed to bring a “wish list” back to council listing what items need to be fixed and an approximate cost for each item. When it was discussed at the Jan. 17 council meeting, MacLellan cited the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre as an example of communities banding together to afford a recreation centre. At the time, he said, three separate municipalities came together tobuild something for the communitythey could never afford on their own.MacLellan said the same may haveto happen with Huron East andCentral Huron with a pool. Councillor Bill Siemon said that it would not be feasible to build a new pool in Vanastra with a new pool potentially being built at the Central Huron Community Complex. “We cannot afford to build a new pool in Vanastra, it’s not economically viable,” said Councillor Larry McGrath, agreeing with Siemon. McGrath said the pool is old, but it still works, so there is no need to shut it down right away. McGrath said, however, it is essential to have a presence on the main street through Vanastra and that the community centre should remain open, whether there is a functional pool in it or not. Deputy-Mayor Joe Steffler, however, felt that taking the pool out of Vanastra would not be good for the community and its residents. “The last thing we want to do is to take the centre out of Vanastra completely,” Steffler said. “It’s very, very good for Huron East. The CitizenBlyth 519-523-4792 Brussels 519-887-9114 Snowy Day Reading These books and many more available at... ALFALFABET A TO Z Help a youngster learn the alphabet and learn about food and agriculture at the same time with this colourfully illustrated picture book. As well as learning the ABCs youngsters will learn of everything from farm animals to fruits and the bees that pollinate them. $19.95 BUILDING YOUR OWN LOW-COST LOG HOME If you’ve ever dreamed of building your own log home this book can help. More than 300,000 copies of the book have been sold. Instructions and illustrations show the tools needed and how to design and build. $26.95 DRONE ON! A High History of Celtic Music The bagpipes of Celtic Scotland and Ireland continue to hold a fascination. Winnie Czulinski examines the roots and creators of Celtic music and the instruments they used. $19.95 EDITH ADAMS OMNIBUS Looking for recipes the way your grandmother used to make it? This compilation of recipes by a famous Vancouver newspaper cook from the 1940s recalls recipes for baking, main courses, preserves and more. $24.95 FIREFLY ENCYCLOPEDIA OF TREES This authoritative reference work covers trees from around the world. Each tree group has a fact box, distribution map, table of major species and reference text. $49.99 GREAT SCOTS! How the Scots Created Canada Immigrants from Scotland played a huge role in shaping the Canada we know now, from exploring the country to establishing early government to the biggest businesses. $26.95 THE HOME CREAMERY If you have a home milk supply this book will help you make the most of it. Instructions and recipes for making yogurt, butter, buttermilk, sour cream, soft cheeses plus recipes for how to cook with the products you have made, from baked goods to dips. $22.95 JUST IN CASE: How to be self-sufficient when the Unexpected Happens Tips on how to prepare for an emergency: how to assess your family’s needs, pack an evacuation kit, do without electricity, develop a communications system and evaluate your food supply. $22.95 By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen Continued from page 13 traffic locations in Blyth due to transport trucks using it to access the Howson & Howson Ltd. property at the end of the street. Director of Public Works Ralph Campbell suggested that council not grant the request. “I don’t recommend council do this,” he said. “The sidewalk is in disrepair and needs to be fixed before we can start plowing it.” Repairing the sidewalk isn’t something that’s likely to happen soon, however, as it’s part of a project that includes reconstruction of water infrastructure under the street. Campbell stated that the reconstruction project is ready but will cost approximately $2 million and won’t be considered until funds can be found. He stated there is no forecast date for the project to be started. Council voted to keep status quo.