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The Citizen, 2011-06-30, Page 16PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2011. Continued from page 7 swam the 100-metre prediction swim and was just two seconds off her time resulting in a first-place finish. In June, Joan was part of a triathalon and swam 200 metres, Drusilla Leitch biked five kilometres and Ethel Walker walked three kilometres and their combined results earned them a third-place finish. Joan reports that “of course it is nice to challenge myself and win, but the real value of the Senior Games is in the activity and the exercise you get in preparing for the event.” Joan reports that there are also events that are not as physical for Seniors to participate in such as euchre, bridge and crokinole. There are also winter games that include snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, curling, etc. during the winter for enthusiasts. If you are interested in participating, making new friends and challenging yourself to get out and get active, Marty Bedard in Seaforth has information for you about the Seniors Games Walker, Perrie, Leitch place third in triathalon Continued from page 1 strengthen economic develop- ment. Richards said when the time came that Blyth and Brussels could no longer support their own community newspapers, The Citizen was formed to serve both communities, an organization that has just recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Richards wrote that it is these types of partnerships that may perhaps be the future for Brussels. And while many of those in attendance appreciated the results of the project, Brussels resident Hank Ten Pas felt that the results were interesting, but that firm action was needed if the people of Brussels wanted to turn their village around. “There’s some nice history and bedtime stories, but they’re still no answers,” Ten Pas said. “We have professional help here, but no good answers yet. Everybody tries, but nobody gets anywhere.” There were those who disagreed with Ten Pas to a certain extent, including Kathy Nichol, a Brussels business-owner. Nichol said that several business-owners were at the meeting and they have obviously displayed that they care. Nichol pointed out that there are plenty of vacant storefronts in Brussels, but there isn’t much that other business-owners, or the municipality, for that matter, can do about it. MacLellan agreed, saying that unless a business falls under a property standards issue, there is little the municipality can do to force a property owner to keep the appearance of their property up. “A lot of people here tonight have a vested interest in the downtown core,” Nichol said. Hawley eventually began taking names for a new committee that will be formed to put the findings of the business retention and expansion survey into action. Nearly 10 people volunteered at the meeting, but additional members will also be accepted. The group will need to be formed and officially named so it can apply for grants and funding, Hawley said. That will be the first step, followed, potentially by a rebranding initiative for the entire village. Hawley also stated that while this meeting was simply the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Brussels, she feels it will be a positive one if the effort is there, which she thinks it will be. “I don’t have a silver bullet, but I think this is the beginning,” she said. “I don’t fail often and I won’t quit.” Meeting lacks answers Standing on guard The annual decoration service for the Brussels Cemetery was held on Sunday with Legion Padre Sandra Cable officiating over the service. Eric Ross and Jo-Ann McDonald (not pictured) were flag-bearers for the afternoon. (Vicky Bremner photo) School board coldon council request At a recent meeting with representatives of the Avon Maitland District School Board, Huron East Mayor Bernie MacLellan said he had been taking extensive steps to ensure the board ‘does something’ for Brussels after closing the school. MacLellan reported to councillors at their June 21 meeting that when Brussels Public School closes, he felt it would be appropriate for the municipality to retain the playground equipment in some capacity. MacLellan said he wasn’t sure if such an agreement would entail keeping the land as well as the equipment, or buying the equipment from the school board and moving it elsewhere in the village. Either way, however, MacLellan said his suggestions were met with cold responses. “They were not very co-operative right off the bat,” MacLellan said. The main concern of the school board, MacLellan said, is the safety of the equipment and potential legal liability should someone injure themselves while using the equipment after it has been transferred to the municipality. The equipment, however, is not even 10 years old, said Councillor David Blaney. And in addition, under the school board’s regulations, the equipment has been inspected every year to ensure it is safe. Councillor Joe Seili reminded councillors, however, that the playground equipment was not initially purchased by the school board, so it is unfortunate that they now own it and have control over whether it stays in the Brussels community or not. Blaney cited a similar example when Walton Public School closed. The community had fundraised for the playground equipment, but when the school closed, the equipment was not allowed to remain, as it now belonged to the school board. One councillor mentioned the donation that had recently been made to the soon-to-be-renamed Grey Central Public School to help students rebuild the outdoor classroom component of the Environmental Learning Grounds, so this would be a nice way for the board to show its gratitude. After further discussion, MacLellan assured councillors that the idea is certainly not ‘dead’ but that there may have to be some hoops the municipality would have to jump through, like transplanting the equipment to another site in Brussels.At their June 21 meeting, Morris- Turnberry councillors decided to defer taking the next step in the environmental assessment (EA) process for the Bluevale storm sewer project. Council heard an executive summary of the EA screening report from Scott Allen and Bruce Potter from B. M. Ross and Associates, which Potter said has no significant differences from the material that was presented to April 14 public meeting in Bluevale. The next step for council is to pass a motion saying it has received the report and another motion authorizing the engineers to issue a final notice. However, since the entire report was more than 50 pages long, Deputy-Mayor Jason Breckenridge said he was uncomfortable going further until he had read the report. Potter agreed there was no reason the motions needed to be passed at that meeting. While councillors had earlier expressed disappointment in the lack of response from Bluevale residents following the public meeting, Allen felt there had been quite a bit of response, especially since one petition was signed by nine residents of Clyde and Jacob Streets. The EA is intended to put the project in a position of being shovel- ready if a federal or provincial infrastructure funding program is announced in the future. M-T council defers drain EA For a good cause Over a dozen professional hockey players and hopefuls were at Woodlands Links Golf Course on Sunday for the fifth annual Ainsleigh Bontaine Memorial Golf Tournament. These young men were busy signing memorabilia for lucky fans, as well as the auction. From left: Jordan Schwartz, Ryan O’Reilly of the Colorado Avalanche, Justin Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes, Kurtis Bartliff from Colgate University and Brett Fleming from the Mississauga Majors. (Vicky Bremner photo) By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen By Keith Roulston The Citizen Continued from page 1 tourism draw, both for the presenters and the animals. “In the past we’ve had people come from overseas, but recently it’s been mostly from the states,” Lobb said, adding that last year’s show brought in contestants and tourists from 11 different states. For more information about the Bluewater Kennel Club Dog Show or similar events, visit www.colmars.com Dog show brings tourists