HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-08-16, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2012.
North Huron Township council
may be putting an end to cross-
border servicing with its neighbours
until official contracts can be
worked out.
The township, which provides
utilities like water and sewer across
municipal lines due to the proximity
of some locations, decided to
approve a cross-border hook-up for
Green’s Meat Market, a Wingham-
area business that is in Morris-
Turnberry, during its Aug. 7
meeting, but not without some
questions and caveats.
“Is Morris-Turnberry aware that
there will likely be a moratorium on
any future servicing pending
investigation of compensation
models?” Councillor Archie
McGowan asked after passing the
bylaw to allow water systems to be
hooked up to the business.
While Chief Administrative
Officer Gary Long stated he could
neither confirm nor deny Morris-
Turnberry’s awareness, he did say
that they are aware that service
agreement is pending.Chief Utilities Operator DonNicholson said that this situation
was unique in that the request had a
direct effect on North Huron.
“The Green’s situation is kind of
unique because of the wellhead
protection area, we have a vested
interest in moving this forward,” he
said.
Councillor Bernie Bailey asked
Nicholson what will be charged for
the hookup and whether that could
be changed in the future depending
on decisions made by North
Huron.
Nicholson said that, in the bylaw,
he had suggested waiving a typical
50 per cent surcharge fee levied
against Morris-Turnberry residents
buying water services from North
Huron because Green’s is situated
on a larger-risk area and it was in
everyone’s best interest for the
market’s aging well to be shut down
properly. The surcharge would have
resulted in approximately $360 of
income for North Huron township
over the year.
“I think that it has to be very clear
that this is the end of the line,”
Bailey said. “When we first met withMorris-Turnberry, they gave us a flat‘n’o when we suggested a change...
We need to come up with some
agreement so that North Huron isn’t
footing the bill for all of our
neighbours’ costs.”Bailey went on to say that Morris-Turnberry seems to be “very good at
no,” possibly referring to an early
issue in the meeting where Chief
Administrative Officer Gary Long
reported that Morris Turnberry hadsaid no to several suggestions NorthHuron had made to try and diffuse
the fire protection situation the
two townships have found
themselves in.
Festival to apply
for CIIF grant for
hall upgrades
Continued from page 1
said. “We still haven’t seen a
significant rebound since 2008
though, it’s very slow, it’s not
enough really, but it’s an upward
trend.”
She said she was optimistic about
the future.
Sholdice touched on Artistic
Director Eric Coate’s departure,
saying it was a somewhat
bittersweet event.
“We’re extremely torn,” she said.
“We are so happy that he’s getting
the opportunity to move on to the
nation’s capital. It’s going to be
pretty hard for those of us left
behind though.”
She said that Coates would be
selecting the 2013 season and
working on the budget for the next
year before he leaves.
Sholdice said that the board of
directors for the Festival would be
going on a one-year search for a full-
time artistic director and during that
time an interim one will be named.
She said that when she meets with
council in the fall she will hopefully
have the interim director with her.
UPGRADES TO HALL
Sholdice requested that the
township sign off on an application
to the Community Infrastructure
Improvement Fund (CIIF) which
was recently announced.
Sholdice identified changes that
needed to be made eventually in
Memorial Hall, a township facility
that the Festival rents for its season,
and stated she would like to apply
for the CIIF for its 50 per cent
funding model to complete some of
the projects.
“This is a bit of a facelift project,”
she said. “The Auditorium has not
seen any significant updates since
the early 1980s. She is showing her
age a little bit.”
Sholdice proposed a new paint
scheme, some non-structure
architectural work, new carpet
runners for patron safety and
improved lighting to become more
energy efficient and to help people
read their programs before shows
and during intermissions.
The biggest part of the project
however would be replacing the
seats in the auditorium.
“Seating is, for lack of a better
word, the only complaint we get
from our patrons,” she said. “Our
seats are 19, 20 and 21 inches wide
throughout the theatre with a few
reaching 22 inches,” she said. “The
standard is 21 inches wide with 36
inches from the back of one row to
the back of the next.”
She said that, 12 years ago, the
seats were acquired from the Shaw
Festival having previously been used
and they have extended their natural
life cycle.
“All of these changes will improve
the experience for not only the
Festival and its patrons but for the
shoulder-season residents as well,”
she said. “We want to hold the
Festival up to the standards of other
theatres.”
Sholdice said that the project
would cost approximately $208,000
and that the Festival has just over
$50,000 in reserves for the project.
If the CIIF grant is approved and
covers $104,000 of the total cost,
that leaves only $54,000 that needs
to be raised and Sholdice said that
the Festival would take the lead in
raising the remaining funds. “It’s not
a large amount in the overall scheme
of things,” she said. “At some point I
will meet with staff and council and
see how they can help us with
meeting this fundraising goal, but
we’re hoping to have all the pieces
of the puzzle come together by
January of 2013.”
Sholdice explained that the
slowest part of the year for the hall is
a 10-week period in January and
February.
Council later approved Sholdice’s
request to sign off on the CIIF
application, making it one of three
applications to be put through for
grants.
The other two projects are
upgrades and repairs to the facade of
the colloquially-called town hall in
Wingham and fire upgrades to the
Belgrave Community Centre in
Belgrave.
Council may hold out for neighbour contracts
His John Hancock
Playwright Clem Martini signed copies of his collection of five plays, Martini With A Twist, for
Louise Gibson of Petrolia during the Blyth Festival’s annual Bonanza weekend. There was a
guided historical tour of Blyth hosted by Brock Vodden, a new play reading and a fish fry
dinner that all took place as part of the Festival’s Civic Holiday weekend tradition. (Jim Brown
photo)
By Denny ScottThe Citizen