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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2010-08-19, Page 16Closures canned if new school falls through in PerthPAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 19, 2010.It’s either qualify for EducationMinistry funding, or maintain the status quo, as trustees of the Avon Maitland District School Board voted by an 8-1 margin earlier this summer to pursue the construction of a new Kindergarten-to-Grade 8 school in North Perth. The new school, proposed to house just over 500 students, would replace Listowel Central Public School and Gowanstown’s Wallace Public School. Those schools would close. The only trustee opposed to thedecision was Huron East/CentralHuron representative Willie Laurie,who wanted the board to include a“Plan B” in the motion: if Ministry funding is not approved, close Wallace anyway and send students to Howick Township Public School near Gorrie, Grey Central Public School in Ethel, or one of the Listowel facilities. Laurie also requested the board decrease the size of the new school, and send some Wallace students to Grey Central. The proposal first came to the board on April 13, following a community-based, board-mandatedAccommodation Review processthat began in September, 2009.South Huron trustee Randy Waglerbrought forward the June 22 motion to follow through on the recommendation, noting it will require cooperation from the Town of North Perth and the community in general. “The likelihood of getting some funding is higher if we can work on some sort of partnership somewhat akin to what’s happening in St. Marys,” he said, referring to a recent agreement between the municipality and school board which saw a new school constructed adjacent to arecreation complex, with sharedparking and green space.It was North Perth trustee JennyVersteeg, however, who spoke most energetically in favour of the proposal. The chair of the board, she passed the gavel to vice chair Doug Pratley for that portion of the discussion, thereby allowing herself to express her views more freely. In the weeks since the release of the April 13 recommendation, there has been limited public opposition to the plan from the Wallace or Listowel Central school communities. This stood in contrast to the numerous delegations heard at the board from other schools concurrently threatened with closure – most notably, Grey Central, Brussels Public School and Stephen Central Public School near Crediton. Among the concerns, Listowel Central supporters have questioned the possible location of the new facility, wondering if it might force students to abandon their present practice of walking to school. At Wallace, meanwhile, there have been predictions that a number of Mennonite families, preferring not to have their children educated in an urban setting, will instead opt for home or community-based private schooling. Versteeg acknowledged those comments. She noted the Avon Maitland board may have already lost some of its former students when the Huron-Perth Catholic board built a new elementary school in Listowel three years ago, establishing an in-town presence where none had existed previously. The local Christian school, sheadded, also expanded recently.A brand new school, shesuggested, could potentially attractsome families who might previously have chosen on of those options – especially if the Avon Maitland board works hard to address the concerns raised by the Wallace community. Regarding Laurie’s proposal to decrease the size of the new school and send some students to Grey Central, Versteeg spoke clearly in opposition. While there may be a couple of families who might consider the option, the board chair explained, the overwhelming sentiment from the Wallace community is that they would like their children educated in North Perth, and they would like them to remain together as a group. “We’re looking at a community that wants to work with us,” Versteeg told fellow trustees, adding the transition will be a lot easier if the board avoids dividing students and families. The April 13 staff proposal also calls for an adjustment to the current attendance boundary between Listowel Central and Listowel Eastdale Public School, thereby sending more students to Eastdale. At the June 22 meeting, however, there was some discussion instead of maintaining Eastdale as a K-6 facility, and congregating Grades 7 and 8 students from the entire region at the new elementary site. In the end, it was decided such decisions can be made during the implementation phase of the project. Obituaries DOUGLAS ALAN (HOSS) COOK Douglas Alan Cook passed away from a short battle with cancer at age 58 in Carson City, Nevada, on August 8, 2010. Doug was born in Wingham, Ontario, the eldest son of Norman and Lorna Cook of Belgrave. He moved to Airdrie, Alberta in 1980, where he worked on different farms, drove transport trucks, and worked at a fertilizer plant, making many friends along the way. Eventually he started working for a drilling company where he became a licensed driller. Doug was quickly promoted to supervisor of up to six drilling rigs at a time thanks to his strong work ethic. He was well respected by his fellow workers. He travelled to many countries as a driller, including Mexico, where Doug eventually decided to call Hermosillo home in 1993. While living in Mexico, he met his partner Silvia,and started his family by adopting Silvia’s daughter Fabiola. The pair then had two children of their own, Norman Alan in 1999, and Joseph Wayne in 2003. Doug was a grandfather to Ivana, as well as a brother to Ron and Marg Cook, Barb and Harvey Black, Cam and Mary Cook, Marvin Cook and Kathy McCracken and Paul and Karen Cook, all of Belgrave, as well as Brad and Sheila Cook of Airdrie,Alberta. Doug, after being diagnosed, fought hard to beat the cancer, going through several rounds of chemotherapy and surgery. He spent his last few weeks in Carson City, Nevada, undergoing chemotherapy treatments. His determination to beat the cancer never stopped. Doug was very happy to have his family and friends from Mexico and Canada with him until his passing. A funeral service will take place in Hermosillo, Mexico, and a celebration of his life will take place at the Belgrave Community Centre on August 21 from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. Funeral information will be available through McBurney Funeral Home in Wingham. By Stew SlaterSpecial to The Citizen Business Directory D & J CONSTRUCTION Jim McDonald 519-887-9607 - COMPLETE MECHANICAL SERVICE - COMPUTERIZED TUNE-UPS - TIRES - BRAKES MUFFLERS - VEHICLE INSPECTION STATION DAN'S AUTO REPAIR Owned and Operated by Dan & Heather Snell RR 3, Blyth, Ont. N0M 1H0 (on the Westfield Rd.) DAN SNELL, Automotive Technician 519-523-4356 ELLIOTT NIXON INSURANCE BROKERS INC. BLYTH, ON N0M 1H0 519-523-4481 MEMBER OF HURON INSURANCE MANAGERS GROUP 5 Generations Since 1910 R. John Elliott Res. 519-523-4323 J. Richard Elliott Res. 519-523-9725 Randy Nixon Res. 519-523-4989 VANDRIEL Excavating Inc. Simon VanDriel 519-482-3783 We Dig For You Call us for... Excavators, Bobcats, Dozers, Trucking, etc. COMPLETE EXCAVATING CONTRACTOR Derrick VanDriel 519-522-0609 • Gravel • Sand • Stone We have solutions for your storage needs. Great for home, office & business. Ask for Ken at LAKESIDE 519-524-1740 Storage Solutions In stock used Pallet Racking, used decking steel & 4'x8' T&G fir plywood. Drop by and see our great selection of books. They make great gift ideas for any age! The Citizen 404 Queen St., Blyth 519-523-4792 541 Turnberry St., Brussels 519-887-9114 INSTANT FAX AS FAST AS A PHONE Send your paperwork by FAX instantly! eg. statements, contracts, auction ads, favourite recipes, obituaries, messages... The Citizen has a FAX machine in our Blyth office that lets you contact any other FAX machine in the world ... instantly. Our FAX number is also your number so if you want to be reached instantly — we will receive your messages as well. The Citizen Call Us Today For Details 519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114 Fax: 519-523-9140 See histories and historic photographs on the Huron History section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca PAUL COOK ELECTRIC Home, Farm & Commercial Wiring BELGRAVE 519-357-1537 Get information on Huron County attractions on the Stops Along The Way section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca Susan Alexander, CFP Certified Financial Planner 472 Turnberry St. PO Box 69 Brussels, Ontario N0G 1H0 Phone: 519-887-2662 Toll Free: 1-866-887-2662 Fax: 519-887-2671 Email: alexander@ezlink.ca