Loading...
The Citizen, 2010-02-25, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2010. PAGE 7. construction crew heading to Haiti. It will, however, be a smaller group than was originally planned to travel in January. Originally 42 people were planning on going to Haiti, but after the earthquake hit, there were travel concerns and the trip had to be delayed. Datema says she would like to collect as many used crutches as possible and even fold-away walkers would be acceptable. She will be accepting donations well into March at her home on 83341 Currie Line or she can be reached at 519-523-9407 and she can possibly arrange to pick them up personally. “I’m willing to set aside the time,” she said. “People can bring them here or I can come and get them, but there are so many amputees there now who need support just to get around. We hope to fill a whole container.” Flipping out Dave Cartwright, left, and Keith Richmond were on pancake duty on Shrove Tuesday. Trinity Anglican Church held its annual pancake supper at Memorial Hall with dozens of diners coming through for dinner. (Shawn Loughlin photo) North Huron joined the bandwagon at their Feb. 16 council meeting to provide the Municipality of Morris-Turnberry with mutual aid fire service. Because Morris-Turnberry does not have a fire department of its own, they would not be able to reciprocate a mutual aid deal, and as such, it would not have worked if all three departments didn’t agree to it. The agreement means that the Howick and Huron East and North Huron fire departments will join in the efforts inside the Morris- Turnberry borders in the event of a fire if all the resources are exhausted by the department covering that part of the municipality. So, for example, if North Huron is fighting a fire, and they run out of resources, they can call upon Howick or Huron East to help, at no charge. The deal has a potential to cost $6,000 a year per municipality. “It seems to me this can be seen as a fine gesture,” said Coun. Brock Vodden. “A little bit of sugar helps sometimes.” He was referring to the sometimes strained relations between the two neighbouring municipalities, in the wake of an Ontario Municipal Board hearing last year regarding commercial zoning, and a pending arbitration between the two about the Belgrave water infrastructure. North Huron Reeve Neil Vincent agreed with Vodden, saying that they should provide the service at no cost. “If it’s costing any of the three municipalities, it might be reflected in the next contract,” he said. The current contract will last two years. Deputy Reeve Murray Scott, who was the chair of the former Wingham and Area Fire Board also agreed with the proposal. “I feel we’re somewhat obligated to them,” Scott said. Couns. Alma Conn and David Riach opposed the motion. “Why can’t it be billed back to them,” said Conn. “Approximately, Morris-Turnberry is gettng $18,000 (worth of service) for free. I just don’t understand how they can expect that service for nothing.” Break on mutual aid for M-T Donations of crutches sought to help Haiti The pool at the North Huron Community Complex will be closed for approximately a month this fall, according to director of recreation and facilities Pat Newson. She said at the Feb. 8 North Huron committee of the whole meeting that the liner in the pool needs repairs, and is aiming for September to have them done. The pool will need to be drained for the work to be done, which will take about three weeks, and then the pool will need to be refilled and heated. The problem with the pool stems back to when the complex was first built. According to Newson, water gets under the liner and creates large wrinkles on the pool floor. In a written response Keith Richardson of NCAquatics, the Toronto firm that constructed the pool, said that their inspection showed the walls of the pool to be structurally sound and sealed, and the floor liner is still functional, except where it has been breached. “The problems we note, and have noted from the earliest intervention, are all attributable to either damage (cuts, abrasions), installation defects (poor welds or seals) or possibly, other causes (groundwater or leakage of piping systems),” Richardson reported. The letter, addressed to Newson, went on to say that a proposal to source the water under the pool liner given to the NHWCC staff last year was not followed, “and the result is that now we are no closer to identifying if there is a leak in the pipe and fittings under or around the pool.” As a course of action, NCAquatics recommended that North Huron secure the services of a London pool repair contractor that deals in Myrtha pool liners, which is the brand at the NHWCC. Myrtha, “as a goodwill gesture” will provide materials to the contractor at no cost to repair the pool, however, North Huron recreation will be on the hook for labour cost. Newson also recommended some upgrades to the pool while they're at it, such as a Softwalk padded floor in the shallow end, which was not available when the pool was constructed. Also, a sub-drainage system in the deep end, that would allow for any water breaching the pool liner to be drained through a the floor to a weeping system. “The repairs... are to bring the pool back to 100 per cent both in operation and aesthetics,” Richardson wrote. Newson said she just wants to get this “infamous” problem over with. “Let’s get it fixed. We’ll see how much we can get from them, and move on,” she said. North Huron pool will close for repairs in fall By Lindsey Kuglin The Wingham Advance Times By Lindsey Kuglin The Wingham Advance Times Continued from page 1 Please Recycle This Newspaper