HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-06-14, Page 14PAGE 14. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2012.
Rememebering
Legion Ladies Auxiliary members Sandra Elliott and Val
Pethick, shown here saluting a marker, were among the
many Legion members who attended the Blyth Legion
Decoration service at the Blyth Union Cemetery over the
weekend. (Denny Scott photo)
Council debates becominginvolved with Ontario ON1Call
Huron County Council isn’t sure
if the county should be involved
with Ontario ON1Call yet, so
councillors asked for a report at the
June 6 meeting.
Geoff Fitzgibbon, executive
director with Ontario ON1Call,
made a presentation to council,
saying that his service would allow
anyone wishing to dig in Huron
County the chance to make one call
to the organization that would tell
them if it was safe to do so or not.
Over 80 per cent of the “owners of
infrastructure” are registered with
ON1Call, Fitzgibbon said, and over
50 per cent of the municipalities in
the province as well.
Fitzgibbon said the service is
available 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, 365 days a year. However,
with much of the underground
infrastructure belonging to
industries such as Hydro One
(which is already registered with
ON1Call) or the lower tier
municipalities within Huron
County, some councillors
questioned what the benefit in
registering for the county would be.
Fitzgibbon acknowledged that the
level of benefit an organization
would receive as a result of joining
would be directly linked to the
amount of infrastructure that
organization possessed.
The cost to join is minimal,
however. Until January, 2014, there
will be no fee to join for
municipalities. Fitzgibbon said there
was no charge for withdrawing
from the service, but to date no one
has.
Public Works Director Dave
Laurie said that while it was true
that Huron County doesn’t own a lot
of buried infrastructure, the Public
Works Department is a “big fan” of
the ON1Call system.
“It’s a great system,” Laurie said.
“From the county’s perspective,
there isn’t a huge need.”
Jim Ginn, mayor of Central
Huron, which is a ON1Call
customer, spoke in favour of the
program, saying the one call system
takes a lot of the delays out of
digging for those who are building
in the municipality.
“Our staff appreciates it,” Ginn
said. “It speeds things up and time is
money.”
Huron East’s Joe Steffler, who
used to work for the Huron County
Public Works Department, also
spoke in favour of the service,
saying it would move things along
greatly.
“It’s one call,” he said. “I think we
should do it now and be done with
it.”
Laurie said it could be a
worthwhile service for the county
because not every utility provider in
the area is registered, so this
would take the worry out of that
situation.
A motion was then made to send
the issue to the Public Works
Department for comment and to
report back with a recommendation.
Bluewater’s Tyler Hessel said
Facilities Manager David Overboe
should also be involved in the
discussion. The motion was carried
and a recommendation will be
forthcoming.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
High jumping
Grade 6 student Parker Gibbings from Hullett Central Public School was practising his best
high jump form at the local track and field competition at Central Huron Secondary School in
Clinton on June 7. (Denny Scott photo)
BIA social held at
new restaurant
The Blyth Business Improvement
Area (BIA) recently hosted their
first social event with an open house
at the Part II Bistro, owned and
operated by Peter and Sarah Gusso
preceeding the monthly meeting on
June 7.
The event, which was open to the
public, was intended to get people
involved with the BIA and welcome
all members to participate in the
organization.
BIA Chair Rick Elliott felt that the
meeting was a great success.
“I feel like this is something we
can build on, it could be a
fundraising effort a few times a
year,” he said. “Tonight was a
double opportunity to introduce
Peter’s restaurant [Part II
Bistro] to the main street and
allow us to do some social
networking.”
Elliott said, prior to the official
meeting starting, that he likes what
changes are happening in Blyth like
the new restaurant opening.
“I’m quite excited about the
changes we’re seeing in our
community, they are a culmination
of the efforts of those in government
and people in the community,” he
said. “We’re seeing a rising tide that
is going to raise a lot of boats. A lot
of good energy is coming out of the
community and it’s going to provide
a lot of advantages.”
The evening also served as an
opportunity for Genny Smith, who,
through GS Consulting, is visiting
nearly 40 businesses in Blyth to
review how they felt about the
community.
“We are canvasing the BIA
members as well as other people in
the community,” she said.
The results of the Smith’s work
will help the BIA focus on areas that
local businesses feel are necessary
as well as create a business retention
and expansion report which is
necessary for applying for many
government programs.
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Retired after 35 years
Nancy Roe, left, celebrated her impending retirement from
Blyth Public School after 35 years of teaching with a
celebration at the Blyth Legion over the weekend. Roe, who
teaches Grade 1/2 at the school, is shown here chatting
with Monda Hutton, whom she taught with in Atwood in the
early 1980s. (Jim Brow photo)
Landfill passes in annual report
Morris Landfill got a passing
grade in its annual report, Gary
Pipe, director of public works told
Morris-Turnberry councillors at
their June 5 meeting.
The report by R.J. Burnside &
Associates Limited, consulting
engineers for the municipality, said
site observations as well as 2011
municipal records indicated the
operation for the site was
satisfactory.
No complaints were received
during 2011.
The report showed that less waste
was deposited in the site in 2011
than 2010 which it said may reflect
improved recycling efforts.
“I think people are catching on
that it’s cheaper to use recycling
than to pay to put it in the landfill,”
Pipe said.
He noted that chloride levels in
leachate from the site which had
increased from 2005 to 2008, seem
to be subsiding.
No nearby water wells are
showing an impact from the landfill
site.
The report noted that landfill
gases near the site attendant’s trailer
were measured at concentrations
higher than the minimum explosive
limit.
Pipe said the gas levels are
monitored and recorded. “It’s
something we take very
seriously,” he said. “At this
point I am satisfied with what we
do.”
Pipe informed council that he
hoped construction on the new cell
at the landfill would begin in the
next couple of weeks and be
completed within four weeks of
commencement, meaning the new
landfill area would be open for use
by mid-summer.
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By Keith Roulston
The Citizen