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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-07-07, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 7, 2011.Council missing the big picture says Sparling Garden to purchase butterflies Amateur weathermen Luke Seymour, left, and Nick Kuepfer, have taken on a new weather station project at Grey Central Public School. The station was purchased several years ago, but sat unused until now. It was first purchased as part of an Ideal Supply grant to the school. Seymour and Kuepfer have taken care of everything associated with the station. They set it up, they check it every day and provide weather updates for the school on the announcements every day. (Shawn Loughlin photo) THE EDITOR, Next year marks our 10th anniversary of the Blyth Greenway Memory Garden. As a special event, we will be releasing Monarch Butterflies. Live butterflies will add a truly magical and memorable addition to our special day while increasing the butterfly population in nature. The butterflies arrive individually packaged as young adults, ready to begin a new life. When they are released they return to nature to lay eggs and/or migrate. Each butterfly is hand raised and delivered to us as a young adult, ready to begin a new life, the day before our service, complete with instructions and individual release boxes as well as the butterfly Indian legend. Butterflies are the universal symbol of hope and a new beginning. This is a fundraiser for our Memory Garden as we are totally dependent on donations for the success of our gardens. For 2012 we are changing our annual service from the third Sunday in September to June 24 for 2012 only, as the butterflies return each year to where they were released and hatched. Therefore, we want the butterflies to return to Blyth. We invite everyone interested in releasing a butterfly or butterflies to fill in the form on page 3 and return it along with your donation to Bev Elliott, c/o Blyth Memory Garden, PO Box 516, Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 by Aug. 31. All butterflies must be paid for in advance. If you would like more information, please contact me at 519-523-4323. This is sure to add excitement and elegance to our 10th anniversary! Bev Elliott. THE EDITOR, In the simplest of terms, most of us believe that public service is about providing some manner of legal, ethical and honourable service to the public. In the specific example of North Huron Council, most of us believe that the public service obligation is two-fold: to the respective ward in which a councillor is elected, and to the municipality as a whole. And if everyone involved in the provision of legal, ethical and honourable public service lives up to the rhetoric, we are assured that the responsibilities are indivisible. We are told that there is not a Wingham, an East Wawanosh or a Blyth. There is only North Huron – and the interests of the broader community must be considered in all matters. In the context of the impending school closure, this model of local governance has been put to the test. There are many questions. To begin with, the decision-making process seems to have been designed by others to achieve their pre- determined outcome. An outcome that history shows will have a significant negative economic impact on small, rural, single-school communities, like Blyth. In the midst of all of this, a few people distinguished themselves. One of those is Rick Elliott, a Blyth stakeholder and community volunteer. Mr. Elliott has invested considerable time, effort and his own money in an effort to understand the potential economic impact on Blyth. Mr. Elliott gathered hundreds of public domain documents, including long-term research conducted by Illinois State University, which offers an ominous warning. After tracking the economic impact on over 1,500 small, rural single-school communities in the U. S. midwest, the facts were clear: not one of the affected communities was able to escape the swift and sustained economic erosion triggered by the closure of the local school. There was a significant decrease in property values, a significant decrease in household income, and there was a decrease in population. Further, consumer shopping behaviour changed, main streets were compromised and businesses closed. These are the facts of history as cited by the Stevenson Center for Community and Economic Development). After reading Mr. Elliott’s letters and after hearing his presentations Is Now Open For Business 383 Queen Street, Blyth 519-523-9681 Our front store will offer a complete line of automotive parts and accessories, bug deflectors, CB whips, hood scoops, rims, performance parts and lots of other fun stuff. Our service department will provide small welding repairs, oil changes, air tool rebuilds, and whatever else may be asked of us. We have a qualified staff with experienced parts people and a licensed industrial mechanic/ticketed welder. A family run business that will provide the parts you need and the service you deserve. We invite you to come visit us soon! REPRINTS OF PHOTOS taken by Citizen photographers are available to purchase. ALL ARE IN COLOUR 4x6 - $4.00 5x7 - $5.00 8x10 - $8.00 Phone to order ~ 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 County Road #25, Auburn 519-526-7262 Auburn Co-op Save Big in the Greenhouse! • Hanging Baskets • Selected Flower Flats • Shrubs • Bedding Plants • Fruit Trees • Vegetable Plants • Garden décor • Red Maple Trees • Fruit Trees • Peat Moss/Mulch • Fertilizer • ...and so much more! We still have an excellent selection of colourful... Everything Priced To Save You $$$$ Letters to the Editor BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED Continued on page 25