HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-11-22, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2012.North Huron renames some staff positions
Celebrating 25 years
On Friday Blyth postmistress Faye Bolger celebrated her 25th anniversary of taking over the
position. While Friday proved to be uneventful for Bolger, she was able to reminisce with some
of the village’s regular customers. Bolger began as a casual employee in 1981, took over as
postmistress in 1987 and currently has no plans to retire. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Business delayed
over drainage
North Huron Township council is
trying to streamline its processes and
find efficiencies within the budget,
but other changes are also being
made in the township with an eye to
the future.
Chief Administrative Officer Gary
Long explained that three positions
were being renamed to help reflect
their actual role in an evolving North
Huron.
“The positions are just being
renamed,” he said. “No one is
assuming more responsibility or
reducing their jobs.”
He said that the three new names
represent a modernization of the
municipality.
The three positions are the
Community Development Co-
ordinator which will be renamed to
the Economic Development Officer,
responsible for economicdevelopment, tourism, stakeholderrelations, community outreach and
partnerships, corporate
communications, the North Huron
website and museum; the Director of
Human Resources/Deputy Clerk
which is being renamed to Director
of Corporate Services which will be
responsible for human resources,
deputy clerk functions, vital
statistics, animal control, building
department responsibility, children’s
services, cemetery administration
and information technology and the
Fire Chief Position which is being
renamed to the Director of Fire and
Emergency Services, which will be
responsible for the following; fire
protection and prevention,
emergency preparedness and
management and the Emergency
Services Training Centre
(ESTC).
The most influential of the
changes, according to Long, is theEconomic Development Officer.“More people can relate to that
title and it will remove barriers and
help direct people to whom they
need to talk to,” Long said. “Council
and staff have indicated that
economic development is a priority,
so it makes sense to have a staffmember that is directly responsiblefor the position.”
The changes are ongoing right
now with staff directories being
updated and new business cards
being printed according to Long.
The township also recently looked
to the immediate future with a new,expanded website including a staffdirectory, increasing their social
media presence with Twitter and
Facebook accounts and starting a
business planning process which will
highlight key priorities for the
township’s 2013 budget.
Howick-area businessman Frank
Rattasid is frustrated with drainage
ditch issues that have been delaying
the opening of his scrap metal
business and he points the finger
squaring at Huron County.
Rattasid bought a property on
Hwy. 86 in the Howick area and
planned to open a scrap metal
recycling depot, but the opening of
the business has now been delayed
for over a year.
Some 25 of the property’s 30 acres
will be dedicated to recycling
vehicles (the 25 acres can
accommodate 3,000 vehicles,
Rattasid says) and the remaining five
acres will be dedicated to steel
recycling.
Rattasid says that once the
business is operational, it will be one
of the biggest in the country. There
have, however, been issues with the
drainage ditch at the front of the
property and a months-long back
and forth between Rattasid and the
county regarding who is responsible
for what and who’s going to pay for
it.
“This has been going on for over
three months and it’s delayed the
opening for a year,” Rattasid told
councillors at their Nov. 14
Committee of the Whole meeting. It
was at that point, he said, that he
felt it was necessary to employ a
lawyer.
Warden Bernie MacLellan said he
had spoke with Rattasid ahead of the
meeting and then he spoke with
Director of Public Works Dave
Laurie. While MacLellan was
sympathetic to Rattasid’s concerns,
he said the county has gone above
and beyond the call of duty on his
case and Rattasid had not been
willing to make any concessions.
The argument comes over a
drainage ditch that needs to be dug at
the front of the property. Laurie says
the county is willing to dig the ditch
up to a certain point, but at that
point, the ditch becomes the
responsibility of Rattasid, a fact
Laurie said Rattasid understood.
Rattasid said he was willing to
make some concessions, but after the
extensive delays, he was no longer
willing to do that.
“We’ve been bickering over this
for two months,” he said. “That was
before we lost a year.”
Rattasid said he was concerned
about the difference in slope that was
required for the two different
sections, saying that he just wanted
both sides to be even for aesthetic
value. In addition, he already had
costs associated with feet of chain-
link fence that he was going to have
to pay for.
Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt,
however, saw it as an economic
development issue, saying that the
county should be doing whatever it
needed to do to help Rattasid open
his business.
“We keep shooting ourselves in
the foot,” Shewfelt told councillors.
“There has to be a compromise
somewhere.”
Laurie, however, stuck up for his
department, saying he has dedicated
more time to Rattasid’s situation
than anything else since he has been
in his current position, so he didn’t
want it to come across as the Public
Works Department not helping
someone trying to open a business.
Laurie says he supports the
concept of having a steel recycling
depot in the county, saying that the
Public Works Department currently
ships its metal to London.
“We could use a place like this,”
he said.
Laurie said he just felt that
Rattasid should have to pay for the
services his business needs “just like
everyone else”.
“It isn’t right and it sets a
dangerous precedent,” Laurie said.
“This could open the doors to a lot
more.”
Laurie said that if every business
that has to dig a drainage ditch is
going to have its costs covered by
the county, there could be hundreds
of requests coming into the county
that could cost millions.
Acting CAO Heather Adams also
took up Laurie’s defense, saying this
was the first time that she had heard
that the ditch was the only issue. She
said that while she was working on
the project there were at least seven
different issues being presented by
Rattasid.
“There have been seven different
issues and for each issue we’ve
offered a number of solutions,”
Adams said. “And there have been
no decisions made.
“If it’s only the one issue, then
that’s very resolvable.”
MacLellan then made a motion
referring the issue back to county
staff to resolve the issue, which was
carried.
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
By Denny ScottThe Citizen