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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, September 1, 2011
Volume 27 No. 34SPORTS- Pg. 9Brussels Squirts movethrough to next round HCFA - Pg. 12Association celebrates 70years in Huron CountyPRINCESS- Pg. 2Brussels-area girl winsPrincess competitionPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Ground broken on North Huron school
Up in the air
Ethan Campbell gets some serious air as he expertly dodges balls while in mid-air. Campbell,
along with Shelby Higgins and friend looking on, attended the Vacation Bible School at Knox
United Church in Belgrave last week. (Denny Scott photo)
The Blyth Legion has received a
$45,000 Trillium grant for what
members hope will be an extensive
renovation project.
The total cost of the first phase of
the renovation project will cost
roughly $100,000. In addition to the
$45,000 grant, members of the Blyth
Legion and the Blyth Legion Ladies
Auxiliary have raised approximately
$65,000, giving them a decent start
on the second phase of the project.
The funds were raised by those
involved while all of the Legion and
the Ladies Auxiliary’s community
commitments were kept up.
Members hope the improvements
will help secure the building’s
longevity as a community gathering
place.
The first phase of the project will
include a complete renovation to the
Legion’s front entrance and the
installation of automatic door
openers. Members are hoping these
renovations will improve the
comfort and safety of the Legion.
They hope the improvements will
help attract younger members,
which will increase community use,
which will increase revenue to the
Legion.
“We will be replacing the front
entrance of the Branch. This will put
the stairs inside, which will make it
safer for entry at street level for the
public and members,” Legion
President Andy Lubbers said. “We
are also installing accessible fire-
rated doors with automated closures
and handicapped opening ability.
These are the first and second stages
of the accessibility access
requirements with the remaining
stage including a lift and accessible
washrooms.”
Lubbers says the project will also
make the Branch more energy-
efficient. He says this will be
achieved by removing the current
windows and insulation and
replacing them. Members also plan
to remove the building’s existing
siding and replace it with fire-rated
cement board siding.
The baseboard heating systems
will also eventually be removed
to make way for a new high-
efficiency forced air natural
gas furnace and efficient duct work,
which will be installed beneath
the stairs of the front entrance
addition.
Members first received word that
the Legion had been approved for a
grant in July, but received the cheque
late last week.
Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell
kicked off the construction of the
new North Huron school in a big
way on August 25.
Mitchell took the business end of a
high hoe to the new Avon Maitland
District School Board (AMDSB)
school grounds, officially starting
the excavation for Maitland River
Elementary School near F.E. Madill
Secondary School in Wingham.
“It’s a pleasure to be here on this
historic day,” she said, stating that
this was the coming together of a
single community.
“The journey has been difficult,”
she said. “But this school will
provide a strong foundation to
launch [students] into successful
careers.”
Mitchell said that the opening of
the school was about the children,
and that she believes it’s a step
towards keeping children local.
“We want children to have a great
education and stay here where their
roots are,” she said. “And we plan on
tugging on those rural roots and
keeping them in the community.”
Al Sygrove, vice-chair of the
AMDSB board of trustees said that
he understands how difficult it is to
close community schools, but that
the task of the province is to provide
the best education. He said that this
new school will open more doors to
students than the previous schools
could on their own.
Sygrove thanked many people
involved including the
Accommodation Review
Committees (ARC), who decided
which schools should remain open
and which should be amalgamated,
and Bob Pike, a Wingham resident.
“Bob made sure that community
issues were considered in the
planning progress,” Sygrove said,
adding that the plan was better for
Pike’s involvement.
Huron County Warden and North
Huron Reeve Neil Vincent stated
that he was happy to see this move
towards the future but noted that the
day, which had been overcast and
rainy, was indicative of the troubles
the school board and North Huron
had faced in getting to this point in
the development
“We’ve faced a few storms getting
here,” he said. “It’s my pleasure
to be here on behalf of not just
North Huron, but on behalf of the
local communities to see this
happen.”
Mayor Paul Gowing of Morris-
Turnberry, where a portion of the
new school will sit, said he wanted
to congratulate the AMDSB on their
choice of location and their
perseverance.
“The location, adjacent to the
existing F.E. Madill Secondary
School, creates an educational hub
and will spur development,” he said.
“Crossing the boundary may have
created more paperwork, but it will
help education in the long run.”
Ted Doherty, the Director of
Education for the AMDSB, said that,
first and foremost, this was a very
complex project.
“This is the largest number of
schools we’ve ever closed before,”
he said. “Staff understands how
difficult the ARC process is, and that
closures cause anxiety, fear and
anger, but the trustees do it for one
reason – better education.”
Doherty also said that it is rare for
new schools to be opened, saying
that one in St. Marys last year had
been the first in many years.
Pike stated that he felt that the
extra time spent on the project was
worth it.
“I feel good that we finally got
here,” he said. “A lot of the concerns
regarding the safety of the children
and traffic were addressed.”
Pike also stated that issues about
green space were addressed.
“It’s a much better project,” he
said. “It’s good for the kids and
everyone involved.”
David Riach, Deputy Reeve and
Blyth Ward representative, stated
that it fell to the community of
North Huron to keep their
children involved in their historic
practices.
“As a community, North Huron
has to make this work,” he said. “If
there is a community will and
community desire, things will work
and the students will retain a
connection to their homes.”
Riach was speaking of the
comments that Mitchell and
Maitland River Elementary Principal
Designate Alice McDowell had
made stating that the school would
make students feel connected to their
community more than ever.
McDowell stated that work will
need to be done to keep students
involved in school-related events
like the Brussels Fall Fair and
Belgrave, Blyth and Brussels School
Fair and community events like the
annual reunion of the Huron Pioneer
Thresher and Hobby Association.
Riach related some personal
experience and said that education
can be better in a bigger school, to a
point.
He explained that he had a family
member who taught both in a one-
room school house in the Northwest
Territories and in more typical
modern schools and said that, while
the sense of community may have
been greater in the former, the latter
allowed teachers to focus on one
grade and the students in it.
“We hate to lose a school in
Blyth,” Riach said. “But this will be
better in the long run.”
Summer is winding down and area
children will be returning to school
soon as this weekend is Labour Day
weekend.
The Citizen’s offices will be
closed to recognize the Labour Day
holiday on Monday, Sept. 5.
Deadlines for the Sept. 8 issue of
The Citizen will be Friday, Sept. 2 at
2 p.m. in Brussels and 4 p.m.
in Blyth for the holiday long
weekend.
The Citizen’s staff wishes you and
your family a restful and pleasant
final long weekend of the
summer.
Holiday for ‘Citizen’
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Legion receives
$45,000 grant
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen