HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2010-05-27, Page 1The revitalization of Brussels
Community Park is a prime example
of what a community working
towards a goal can accomplish.
The project, which includes a new
pavilion, picnic tables and major
renovations to the baseball diamond,
is being funded by the Brussels
Optimist Club, and made possible by
the many volunteers lending their
expertise and time.
Don Sholdice of the Brussels
Optimists said that the community
service club wanted to prove that the
community was capable of coming
together to do amazing things in a
short amount of time, and feels that
was accomplished.
“We built the pavilion and 19
picnic tables all in one day,” he said.
“That was our goal, to have it done
by dinner on Saturday.”
Over 100 volunteers chipped in
throughout the day, with as many as
45 there at one time.
The revitalization was planned in
early March as a way for the
Optimists to keep their funds within
the community.
“Our spring dinner and auction
paid for it,” he said. “[In the past] we
donated to the Children’s Hospital,
Cystic Fibrosis and other causes, but
this let us keep the money we raised
in the Brussels community.
“We wanted to upgrade the ball
park and make it look nice,”
Sholdice added.
The baseball diamond upgrades
are numerous, according to
Sholdice, and will see the park
completely changed.
“We have new clay work, and
we’ll have a new diamond,” he said.
“New dugouts will be going in, and
two new light standards will be put
up, and then we have to put the
backstop in.”
The initiative also had a green side
to it, according to Sholdice, who said
that the block used to not have a
single tree on it. The group planted
numerous trees, including maples, to
add to the park.
Groups like Brussels Minor
Baseball teams and the Brussels
Tigers will benefit from the
upgraded facilities, he said.
The pavilion will serve as storage
for the Brussels Recreation Board,
as well as being available for rent for
family functions and being available
for beverage gardens during events.
Many contractors came out to
help, as well as many local
businesses according to Sholdice.
“We had people show up that I’d
never imagine,” he said. “It was just
One-day renovation at Brussels Park
Coverage still hot topic
at North Huron council
The Belgrave Community Centre
Board has officially taken over
command of the community centre.
In a decision made by North
Huron township council on Monday,
May 17, the reigns of power were
handed to the group, as they had met
all the necessary prerequisites to run
the centre.
“It’s good news for everyone,”
Director of Recreation and Facilities
for North Huron Pat Newson said.
“Both groups came together with a
concept of how to run the facility...
and we made that concept come to
life.”
The board, which was previously a
committee of council, became a not-
for-profit organization to allow it to
lease the centre from North Huron.
Board chair Paul Gowing said that
it was a long process, but a
worthwhile one.
“We finally [got the lease signed]
after much consideration and hard
work,” he said. “Belgrave has a great
history of volunteer and community
spirit, and we’ve run the arena on a
shoestring budget to keep it going,
this will really help us keep the
centre in the community.”
Newson explained that, while it
was great for the community to have
that kind of involvement with the
centre, it was also a boon to the
township.
“Belgrave is a unique facility in
that [North Huron doesn’t] have staff
there at all times,” she said. “It made
it a challenge from the township’s
perspective to operate the facility.
“It was a unique facility, and a
unique situation, so we came up with
a unique agreement.”
Newson said that the people of
Belgrave wanted this to happen, so
North Huron did its best to make it
so.
The board will pay $1,000 per
month to North Huron for lease
payments, and North Huron will
donate $42,000 to the facility
annually, $10,000 for capital repairs
and upgrades and $32,000 towards
the operation of the facility.
Newson said that, financially, the
arrangement should be very similar
to the way the facility is run now,
and will hopefully see more of the
funds go back to the centre.
The Belgrave Community Centre
celebrated a grand re-opening this
weekend, which featured the
unveiling of work that the Kinsmen
had facilitated including renovations
to the ice surface and building itself.
The celebration served as a
launching point for a membership
drive for the community board,
which is a necessity for their new
governance.
“Being a not-for-profit
organization, we have to have a
membership, and a list of those
members,” Gowing explained. “So
Board takes control in time for re-opening
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, May 27, 2010
Volume 26 No. 21CLARIFICATION- Pg. 6Mayor clarifies commentson area fire coverage MARKET - Pg. 20 Volunteer hopes torevitalize marketSPORTS- Pg. 8Wingham Ironmen look toNorth Huron for helpPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 PAP Registration No. 09244 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
The puck drops on a new era in Belgrave
The Belgrave Community Centre began a new era over the weekend with dignitaries, volunteers and fundraisers alike dropping
the puck at the grand re-opening of the centre. With extensive fundraising, grants and a lot of work, the Belgrave Kinsmen along
with a little help from their friends worked hard and brought the centre to where it is now. From left: Neil Vincent, North Huron
Reeve; Paul Gowing, President of the Belgrave Community Centre Board; Ben Lobb, Huron-Bruce MP; Chris Michie, project
chair; Carol Mitchell, Huron-Bruce MPP; Darryl Marks, Belgrave Kinsmen President; Bev McBride, Libro Financial and Dorothy
Kelly, Morris-Turnberry Mayor. (Vicky Bremner photo)
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 15
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Residents affected by recent fire
coverage woes made their voices
heard at the Township of North
Huron’s regular meeting held on
May 17.
Represented by Jacqui Laporte (in
Hullett) or Keith Allen (in Auburn),
depending on area, the entire group
was worried about one thing: safety
issues raised by the change.
“We don’t care what township is
on the side of the truck, we just want
the closest one,” Laporte said. “We
think Blyth is closer and we want to
see that service continue.”
At the top of the list presented
jointly by Laporte and Allen was the
lack of medical first response in
Central Huron.
Medical first response, according
to North Huron Fire Chief John
Black, is intervention prior to
hospital care.
“Defibrillation is what you hear
about the most,” Black said. “But it’s
any intervention prior to hospital
care.”
To be able to claim a fire station
By Denny Scott
The Citizen
Continued on page 20
Continued on page 20