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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-04-21, Page 9THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 2011. PAGE 9. Grand Opening of our new Greenhouses Saturday, April 30 ~ 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Brussels’ Corbett second highest scorer in leagueThe 2010-11 hockey season forthe Wingham Ironmen came to an official conclusion on Saturday evening at the Knights of Columbus Centre with the presentation of awards to deserving players. Captain Chris Corbett of Brussels was the big winner as he received a pair of awards. He was the team’s leading scorer as he collected 35 goals and 28 assists for 63 points. He was the runner-up in the Western Junior C Hockey League scoring to Drew Davidson of the Walkerton Hawks. Corbett was also the most valuable player for the regular season. Chase Chapman of Brussels was the top defenceman for the Ironmen. Netminder Brandon MacDonald was the team’s rookie of the year. He was named the league’s rookie of the year earlier this season. Defenceman Brett Brophy was the winner of the Don Higgins Memorial Award as the mostsportsmanlike and gentlemanlyplayer. Tyler Kellum was the leadingscorer during the playoffs. Cole Pellett was the most improved player. Goaltender Will Sibley was the most valuable player during the playoffs. The Executive Award for ability and desire was presented to Cory MacDonald. He was also presented with an award for having played five seasons with the Ironmen. Receiving attendance awards for 100 per cent attendance during the regular season were Brett Brophy, Aaron Armstrong and Jackson Martin. The four over-agers – Chris and Adam Corbett and Chase Chapman of Brussels and Cory MacDonald of Wingham were presented their team jersey, their name plate and a photo as a memento of their season with the Ironmen. Every member of the Ironmen was presented with a team photo. By Jim BrownThe Citizen A night to remember The Wingham Ironmen held their annual year-end banquet on Saturday night at the Knights of Columbus Centre and handed out several awards. Back row, from left: Brett Brophy, winner of the Don Higgins Memorial Award for most sportsmanlike and gentlemanly player on and off the ice; Tyler Kellum, the Ironmen’s top playoff scorer and Cole Pellett, the team’s most improved player. Front row, from left: Brandon MacDonald, the team’s rookie of the year; Chris Corbett, the team’s most valuable player in the regular season; Cory MacDonald, who received a special award for playing with the Ironmen for five years and Chase Chapman who was honoured at the team’s top defenceman. (Jim Brown photo) Bluevale storm sewer meeting less tense than expected Rare stretch of elm trees saved Five elm trees, originally identified for removal by the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) as part of a highway upgrading project, will be saved from the axe. The trees are located on the east side of Highway 4 between Kippen and Clinton. “I’m delighted that the ministry has seen fit to reprieve the elm trees,” said Carol Mitchell, MPP Huron-Bruce. “Their grandeur represents more than a lifetime of growth and is a testament to survival and strength. Occasionally we may see a lone elm but to find five within a short stretch of highway is remarkable.” Carol added that she had an opportunity to speak with a number of local residents in a meeting beneath the largest of the trees. She is pleased that MTO has listened to community concerns. In view of the public concerns and the impacts of Dutch Elm disease on elm trees in Ontario, the five elm trees will not be removed as part of the 2011 construction contract. Later this summer ministry staff will work with the University of Guelph on an assessment of the elms as to their health, type and condition. There was a full house, April 14, for the environmental assessment meeting for a possible Bluevale storm sewer project but few of the fireworks some Morris-Turnberry councillors had anticipated. Most of the questions following the presentation by Scott Allen and Bruce Potter of B. M. Ross and Associates at Bluevale Community Hall were voiced calmly with about the closest to an outburst coming after Allen revealed the costs and someone yelled out: “Are you on crack?” Residents were perhaps calmed by the repeated assurances that a start to the project is by no means imminent. Mayor Paul Gowing, in kicking off the discussion, noted the previous council realized they would need funding from the federal and provincial governments to be able to make the project affordable but a 2009 application under the Build Canada Fund had been turned down because the project wasn’t “shovel ready”. To make sure it would be ready to go if another grant program came along, council hired B.M. Ross to conduct an environmental assessment. He noted that complaints about water problems in Bluevale had been ongoing with attempts in 1969, 1977 and 2008 to organize a municipal drain all falling through when the petitioners withdrew their support once they saw the cost. Cost was a big factor for people attending the meeting with the estimated per lot charge ranging from $3,000 to $18,700 (depending on the size of the lot) if the federal and provincial governments picked up two-thirds of the costs for the $1.1 million project (the municipality would pick up half the remainder in charges against roads). Without senior government participation the costs would range from $8,900 to $56,200. Divisions between those who have water problems and those who don’t were evident. Terry Matz questioned the use of the term “benefits” for all property owners who would be asked to help pay. People with water problems will get a 100 per cent benefit for their share of the drain’s cost while those who have no problems will get zero per cent benefit, he said. But David Thompson complained that those on higher, dry properties are letting their water run off on those on lower ground, causing them problems. After a suggestion from Matz that cost sharing should be based on who benefits the most, Potter, the project engineer, said “I wouldn’t want to be the person who determined how your benefit differed from your neighbour’s.” Earlier Potter had suggested that those who have no surface water problems but have subsurface water coming into their basements might benefit from installation of storm sewers. “If a good job of collecting surface water is done, it’s a possibility it would improve subsurface water (levels),” he said. He also pointed out plans have a provision for people to be able to pipe their sump-pump water to a storm sewer outlet instead of putting it onto their lawn where it often goes immediately back into their basement. Dianne Clark questioned the rate of return on a storm sewer investment for homeowners. If it were a sanitary sewer, it would increase the value of properties but not a storm sewer. The value of properties in Bluevale is not increasing, she said. She said her family spent a lot of money with landscaping to solve its water problems and now was going to be asked to pay again. Deputy-Mayor Jason Breckenridge suggested that landscaping and regrading might help others alleviate some of their water problems in the wait until council might be able to take action. There were moments of humour in the meeting, if sometimes biting. When a homeowners’ survey conducted by B. M. Ross was mentioned one voice blurted out: “The survey asked if you had seen (water) pooling; it never asked ‘Do you want to spend $5,000 to get rid of it?’.” After Gowing said in the long run it would be council that made the decision to proceed or not, one voice from the audience called out: “Just give us enough time to sell.” By Keith Roulston The Citizen