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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-07-21, Page 1CitizenTh e $1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, July 21, 2011 Volume 27 No. 29 SCHOLARS - Pg. 19Local OntarioScholars honoured GALLERY - Pg. 22 Blyth native honouredwith retrospectiveANNIVERSARY- Pg. 7McGavins celebrate 75years in the businessPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK: Tigers hold 40th tournament Vacation for ‘Citizen’ Heritage plaque unveiled for Ball’s Bridge Unveiling Five years after being closed temporarily, Ball’s Bridge, now re-opened, is having its future guaranteed as it has been designated a heritage location by the Ontario Heritage Trust. Shown here, from left, are Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh, Daryl Ball of the Friends of Ball’s Bridge, Reeve Jim Ginn of Central Huron, Maria Topalovich of the Ontario Heritage Trust, Huron-Bruce MP Ben Lobb, Huron County Warden Neil Vincent and former Central Huron Reeve Bert Dykstra unveiling the gold and blue plaque that tells the story of the bridge. (Denny Scott photo) The sun is shining, the weather is warm and the lazy days of August have returned. And with the Civic Holiday weekend comes The Citizen’s annual vacation. The Citizen’s offices will be closed from Monday, July 25 at 2 p.m. until Monday, August 8 at the Brussels office and from Wednesday, July 27 at 5 p.m. to Monday, August 8 at 9 a.m. at the Blyth office. There will be no issue of The Citizen published on Thursday, August 4. All advertising or editorial submissions for that week should be in by July 25 at 2 p.m. in Brussels and by 4 p.m. that same day in Blyth for the July 28 issue of The Citizen. The Brussels Tigers will be holding their 40th annual fastball tournament this weekend. Organizer Doug McArter said that, while there aren’t any unique plans to celebrate the occasion, players and crowds can expect the same great tournament as they’ve seen every year. One aspect of the tournament McArter was excited about was the return of Brussels resident Jim Prior who, years ago, was the announcer for the tournament. Prior will be reprising his role for the weekend. The opening games of the tournament will feature the hosts from Brussels taking on the defending champion Walton Brewers at 7:30 p.m. on July 29, followed by local teams from Goderich and Mitchell squaring off. On Saturday, July 30, games will begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue through until the last game, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. The finals will take place Sunday with the top teams squaring off in the A-A final at 5:45 p.m. The battle for the A-B final is scheduled for 3:15 p.m., while the B-A and B-B finals are to be held at 1:15 p.m. and 11:15 a.m. respectively. The top winner will take home $1,200 with the runner-up receiving $600. The top seven of the 12 teams will receive financial awards for their achievement. Games are to be played at both the Brussels downtown ball diamond and the diamond at the Brussels, Morris and Grey Community Centre. A total of 12 teams will take to the field including squads from Brussels, Belmore, Goderich, Wingham, Mitchell, Walton and Brussels. The tournament will also serve as a backdrop for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of Ritchie’s Rockets, a baseball team that has competed in Brussels before, most notably at the Brussels Homecoming in 2007. With a new plaque from the Ontario Heritage Trust, the future of Ball’s Bridge was guaranteed last week when it was announced that the bridge, for its architectural and local significance, was now designated as a heritage location. The plaque – which is the well- known gold and blue of the historical plaques in the province, is the 22nd placed by the Ontario Heritage Trust in Huron County. The plaque marks the bridge for both its unique construction and materials as well as the history behind the bridge. According to Ontario Heritage Trust Plaque Program Co-ordinator Sam Westley, the bridge has a very romantic history. “Legend has it that a young engineer was strolling along the river and saw one of the Ball daughters crossing the river,” Westley said to the assembled crowd. “Instead of putting a coat down for her, he built her a bridge.” This first incarnation of Ball’s Bridge was built in the 1840s, but advancements in transportation technology, and the fact that it provided a commerce lane from Goderich, caused it to be replaced twice, once by a new bridge in the 1850s and again by its current incarnation in 1885. The bridge is a rarity because many bridges built in the Pratt design and pin connected style and made of iron and wood have been replaced as steel became the main bridge building metal by 1900. Westley’s tale of romanticism ended with the story of how the bridge became recognized as a heritage site. “In 2006 the bridge closed,” he said. Westley then explained that the Friends of Ball’s Bridge, through co- operation with Huron County Council and Central Huron and Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh (ACW) townships, had brought the final romance to the bridge – marrying the history of the bridge with the promise of tomorrow. “This is a marriage of preservation and progress,” he said, explaining that the strength and ingenuity of the past was on display as was the beauty of the bridge. Huron County Member of Parliament Ben Lobb congratulated everyone involved. “I want to thank the councils of the day for their efforts in having the bridge re-opened,” he said. Lobb, who lives in Holmesville, said he has fond memories of the bridge, and is happy it will stand the test of time as a heritage monument. “I have some memories of Ball’s Bridge we won’t repeat,” he said, adding that he remembers fishing there fondly. “It’s fantastic we’ve come to this point,” he said. Minister of Provincial Parliament for Huron County Carol Mitchell was unable to attend, but did send her congratulations. Huron County Warden Neil Vincent said he was happy to see the project completed, and had thanks for all, especially to the Friends of Ball’s Bridge, Reeve Ben Van Diepenbeek of ACW and former Central Huron Reeve Bert Dykstra. “It’s a pleasure to bring congratulations to all involved,” Vincent said. “Especially to [Van Diepenbeek and Dykstra] for listening and being supportive, and to the Friends of Ball’s Bridge for proving what a dedicated group of citizens can do.” Van Diepenbeek said that the project was a “long time coming,” but that he was impressed by what the Friends of Ball’s Bridge had accomplished. “It’s a great pleasure to bring greetings and congratulations,” Van Diepenbeek said. He congratulated Daryl Ball on acquiring the over 1,000 signatures on a petition that resulted in the bridge being saved. Ball explained that, while the plaque was great, it was really just a bonus. “We started the Friends of Ball’s Bridge in 2006, and the original goal was to open the bridge to light traffic,” he said. “The plaque is just the icing on the cake.” Ball said he was both humbled and honoured by the heritage designation, and said that the bridge had definitely saw more traffic since the Friends of Ball’s Bridge started their efforts. “In the last five years,” Ball said, “the traffic has increased ten fold.” After the presentation had been made, Van Diepenbeek said that the By Denny Scott The Citizen Continued on page 10 By Denny Scott The Citizen Sifto pleads guilty The Sifto Canada Corporation was officially fined $140,000 on July 5 in the Ontario Court of Justice in Sarnia as a result of the 2009 incident that claimed Blyth’s Murray Nesbitt’s life. The fine was the result of what the court found to be a violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act at its salt mine in Goderich. In addition to the fine, the court also imposed a 25 per cent victim fine surcharge, which is required by the Provincial Offences Act. The surcharge is credited to a special provincial government fund to assist victims of crime. On August 25, 2009, Nesbitt, a Sifto employee was using an Continued on page 21