HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-02-12, Page 1Updating
With an official ARC (Accommodation Review Committee) meeting set for this Thursday night
(Feb. 15) at East Wawanosh Public School, local groups hosted open houses last week to
help get interested community people up to speed and generate interest in what could be
happening with their school. Heather Toll, David Sparling (seated) and Rob Hunking chaired
the meeting in Blyth, attended by people served by Blyth and Hullett Central Public Schools.
The Turnberry and Wingham community met at Wingham, while East Wawanosh parents
attended the open house at their school. (Vicky Bremner photo)
After a successful round of open
houses, information on the
accommodation review process
currently proceeding in North Huron
is spreading wider and wider by the
week.
Meetings on Feb. 5 at three of the
five schools were very well-
attended, with Blyth receiving the
most guests, numbering at over 50.
At the first information meeting,
which was not an official meeting of
the Accommodation Review
Commitee (ARC), it was pointed out
that Turnberry Central Public School
was the only school in violation of
the Avon Maitland District School
Board’s criteria for a student body
for an operational school.
However, in the group of five, only
one breaks through the 80 per cent
capacity mark, Blyth Public School.
Blyth sits at 86 per cent, while
Wingham sits at 79 per cent, East
Wawanosh and Hullett Central are
both at 67 per cent and Turnberry
Central is at 63 per cent.
As the process has gone on,
however, there has been a proposal
made that will see four of the five
schools incorporated into one “super
school” and eliminating the need for
the schools’ Grade 7/8 students
heading to high school several years
earlier than they first thought they
would.
Sub-committee chair Heather Toll
said she heard about a potential
scenario that would bring the area’s
Grade 7/8 students to high school
early. She said the history of past
reviews has seen this happen, so it
was to be expected, and the
committee proposed that as well.
“In this area, we’re facing
enrollment issues in our high
schools, not just our public schools,”
Toll said. “At the beginning, we
were made to believe that Turnberry
was the only “trigger school.” We
didn’t see the ulterior motive right
away. So we wanted to create a unity
and get everyone all on the same
page through this process.”
After these meetings began to take
place, it was actually representatives
from Turnberry who initially
proposed a three-school “super
school” comprised of students from
Turnberry, Wingham and East
Wawanosh. However, it was East
Wawanosh parent council member
and Morris-Turnberry councillor
Mark Beaven who proposed to
include Blyth Public School in the
idea.
It was thought that Hullett Central
Public School students would travel
to Central Huron Secondary School
and that it may be too difficult
crossing into a third municipality,
after dealing with Morris-Turnberry
and North Huron.
Another factor to Hullett Central’s
exclusion, Toll says, are rumours
that Holmesville Public School may
“have a trigger on its head as well,”
possibly leading to another review
next year.
There are three remaining
meetings before the ARC is required
to have its final proposal to the
school board, after just being
granted an extension that will see the
last ARC meeting take place on
March 12.
“There was a lot of work still left
to do,” said Toll. “We need a lot
more public input.”
In an effort to unify, just before
Christmas an inter-community sub-
committee was proposed. Toll said
that often during this process,
communities defended their local
schools and neighbourhoods
splintered.
Toll said she didn’t want to see
that happen in this situation, and just
after Christmas, meetings began and
out of these meetings came the
“super school” proposal.
Many committee members were
skeptical of the “super school” idea,
but after meetings and discussion,
they began to warm up to it, she said.
“When the group began
considering a new school, I was
skeptical, doubting that parents
would feel the advantages
outweighed the disadvantages,” said
Blyth community member Ernest
Dow at last week’s Blyth Public
School open house. “But the
consensus I’m hearing in this crowd
tonight would indicate that parents
think the idea merits consideration.”
Toll says the board has been
impressed with the lengths the
community members have gone to
Huron County councillors voted
to pass along the savings from an
infusion of provincial cash to the
ratepayers.
At the Feb. 4 meeting councillors
defeated a motion to approve a 2.1
per cent increase in the budget after
learning from treasurer David Carey
that the county had received an
additional $97,979 in emergency
medical services funding. Adding
this to the budget could reduce the
increase to 1.79 per cent, he said.
While councillors recognized the
difficult economic times, some were
also concerned about being too
cautious. Councillor Bernie
MacLellan of Huron East noted a
preference for the higher increase
because it had been mentioned
during deliberations that the county
was in relatively good financial
shape. “I don’t want to get to the
position again where we have to
pick up the slack from the past.”
Councillor Deb Shewfelt of
Goderich agreed in part. However,
he wondered if using the funds to
reduce the levy might not be a show
of good faith for the province.
“There is a big upload coming and
eyes are watching us closely. We
better flow some funds back too.”
Others felt it was time to let
ratepayers know that council was
empathetic to the economic climate.
“Considering what has happened in
our county over the past several
months I will be voting against the
recommendation,” said councillor
John Grace of Goderich.
Councillor John Bezaire of
Central Huron echoed Shewfelt’s
view that the government is
watching. “In the meeting with our
MPP it was made clear that we need
to leave room for lower tiers to
adjust their spending. Even though
when you extrapolate the upload and
see it’s not even equal to the cost of
living increase it told us that they
didn’t really give us enough to do
that.”
Neil Vincent, councillor for North
Huron mentioned that with
increased assessment on many
properties the 2.1 per cent may “be
misleadiing on tax bills, and added
that he would not support that
increase.
Councillor Dave Johnston of
Bluewater said too that anything that
could be done to lessen the tax
burden was important now.
Asked what the difference would
be in the two increases on a
$100,000 residential assessment,
treasurer David Carey said it was
$21.34 with a 2.1 per cent increase
and $19.34 with the 1.7 per cent.
“I don’t believe this is about what
it will be on a $100,000 assessment,”
said Grace. “It’s optics. It shows that
we are trying to keep things in line.”
Councillor Jim Fergusson of
Bluewater supported that. “If we
have the opportunity to see a 1.79
per cent increase that’s where we
should be,” he said reminding that
those $100,000 assessments “are
going up.”
In a recorded vote 15 voted
against the 2.1 per cent, while four
were in favour. Councillor Joe Seili
of Huron East was absent.
The motion to accept the 1.79 per
cent increase was approved, with the
numbers reversed, by recorded vote.
Oke creditted staff and councillors
for their efforts in getting the budget
passed so expeditiously.
Parents get latest on ARC
There’s a bit of breathing space in
the search for a medical officer of
health for Huron County.
With the deadline of Jan. 31 past
for the agreement with the
Middlesex-London Health Unit for
short-term coverage, Huron County
councillors learned at the Feb. 4
meeting that a temporary solution
has been found.
Omid Pour-ahmadi, health unit
director, said that Dr. Sean Ryan of
South Huron hospital in Exeter has
agreed to serve as medical officer of
health until the board of health is
able to find a permanent fully-
qualified person for the position.
In an interview, Pour-ahmadi said
that several candidates have
expressed an interest in the position
but either must consider the logistics
of relocating and or licensing. “One
is looking to move from another
province, for example.”
Pour-ahmadi said that the situation
is challenged even further by
competition. “We are competing
with 16 out of 36 health units, so that
makes it very difficult.”
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009
Volume 25 No. 6NEWS- Pg. 9Brussels arena needscostly upgrades ACHIEVEMENT - Pg. 24 Huron wins provincialawardsFUNDRAISER- Pg. 8K-W Sidewinders come toBrusselsPublications 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:
County approves
1.79% budget hike
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Interim MOH in place
for Huron County
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
The offices of The Citizen will be closed in recognition of Family Day,
Monday, Feb. 16.
Deadline for advertising and editorial copy to be included in the Feb. 19
paper must be in the Brussels office by 2 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13 or 4 p.m. in
Blyth.
Offices closed Monday
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
Continued on page 7