HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-02-26, Page 1On the trails
It was another successful Snowarama for the North Huron clubs this past weekend as they
raised over $14,000 for Easter Seals. With the return to winter after a bit of a mild spell,
snowmobilers were eager for some trail riding, and more than 60 came out to help the cause.
(Vicky Bremner photo)
The Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority (MVCA) held its annual
meeting on a snowy evening at its
headquarters in Wroxeter last week.
After three years as MVCA chair,
Morris-Turnberry councillor Mark
Beaven was succeeded by Alison
Lobb on the “Toronto Maple Leafs of
conservation authorities,” said
Beaven.
“We get them when they’re young
and train them to go off to other
conservation authorities.”
Lobb, despite the trying economic
times and MVCA’s constant financial
plight, said she is optimistic about the
year ahead.
“I am pleased to be back. This will
be an exciting year, a year of
tremendous opportunity with lots of
changes economically and
environmentally,” she said. “This will
be the year when conservation
authorities will be recognized for
what they can do.”
Lobb said there are a number of
initiatives that will help strengthen
the MVCA in the coming years.
In addition to several upcoming
projects like the development of a
strategic plan, which has been worked
on for a number of years, the launch
of the soil and water environmental
enhancement service and new
challenges posed by the erratic
weather patterns seen lately that can
fast-track problems like erosion,
Lobb looks forward to steps the
MVCA has taken to reduce its carbon
footprint.
The MVCA has begun purchasing
more fuel-efficient vehicles for use by
its employees, in addition to
renovations to the MVCA building in
Wroxeter, which will soon be
outfitted in a white membrane roof, to
improve efficiency.
Services, Lobb says, she hopes to
continue are the MVCA’s excellence
work in flood warnings and flood
damage centres. In 2008, the MVCA
took measures to improve internal
communication in regards to flood
warnings, and this is something Lobb
says she would like to see continue.
Geoff King, the MVCA’s
stewardship services co-ordinator
also made a presentation which
highlighted some of the Authority’s
projects of 2008 and some of the
demonstration projects of the
previous year. The two he focused on
were the Haak project and the
Westerhout project and also touched
on Murray Scott’s in Belgrave as
well, and asked Scott to speak on
behalf of his property.
Looking back on his time as chair,
Beaven also highlighted some of the
MVCA’s finer points in his outgoing
address.
One of the most positive days he
could remember, he said, was the
political visit to Scott’s farm and the
improvements he has seen to the
Wawanosh Nature Centre, which he
says is where he sees the MVCA’s
progress first hand, visiting the
Centre often with his daughter.
Replacing Julie Behrns as vice-
chair, will be Wilf Gamble, who said
he is honoured to take on the position.
He did, however, commend the
outgoing board members, saying “I’m
very happy to take on this position.
You guys had a great three-year run
and you kept us all in great shape.”
Morris-Turnberry councillors voted
at their Feb. 17 meeting to ask the
Huron County highways department
to conduct a traffic study in Belgrave.
The motion came following a visit
to council by Dave Laurie, acting
director of public works for the
county to discuss council’s request
for a pedestrian cross-walk for
Belgrave.
Councillor Mark Beaven explained
that the largest part of Belgrave’s
population lives on the east side of
County Road 4 while the facilities,
from the ball park and the community
centre to the general store, are all on
the west side.
“We’re interested in trying to find
some sort of crosswalk to give safer
access to pedestrians,” he said.
Laurie told council that the
situation in Belgrave doesn’t fit the
normal conditions for either a signal
at the intersection of Huron County
Roads 4 and 20, or a pedestrian
crosswalk.
A pedestrian crosswalk might
actually endanger lives because it
gives people a false sense of security,
he said. Though the speed limit in
Belgrave is 60 km, for many drivers
the hamlet is just a blip in the
highway and they don’t slow down,
he said. A traffic count showed lots of
people travelling at 90 km per hour
going through Belgrave.
Normally crosswalks are used in an
area with a 50 km speed limit. As
well, standards in the traffic
management manuals call for 733
people a day using a crossing to
justify a crosswalk. Belgrave meets
neither of those conditions.
Likewise there hasn’t been any
indication of personal injuries and
deaths at the intersection to warrant a
signal, he said.
However, if a traffic engineer’s
study supported the need for a signal,
the county will pay for it, he said.
Laurie said he would support
conducting a engineer’s traffic study
in Belgrave to identify the issues. He
estimated the cost at $3,000 to
$5,000.
“If I were living in that town I’d
aim for a 50 km speed limit,” he
said.
Council passed a motion asking the
county to conduct the study and
suggesting the cost be split between
the county, Morris-Turnberry and
North Huron.
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009
Volume 25 No. 8NEWS- Pg. 10MVCA authoritypresents award SPECIAL - Pg. 11 Annual bridal guidebeginsACHIEVEMENT- Pg. 3Blyth native conductsMasters recitalPublications 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:
M-T asks county
for traffic study
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
Jamie Zimmerman of the Ontario
Fire Marshal’s office was present at
the Feb. 17 meeting to discuss with
North Huron councillors the next step
to take regarding the restructuring of
fire service in the township.
Council has made the decision to
dissolve the current fire area board
system in favour of an amalgamated
North Huron department, to be in
place by 2010.
In his presentation, Zimmerman
outlined the structure that should be
put in place. He provided a sample
organizational chart that showed the
municipal council at the top, followed
by the fire chief. Next in line would
be the deputy-chiefs of each station,
branching off from there to
communications and administration,
apparatus and equipment, emergency
response, training, and fire prevention
and public education.
The latter two would also have
separate branches for training officers
in each of the stations and a fire
prevention officer. Each station, in
North Huron’s case, Wingham and
Blyth at this point, would have two
captains, then the firefighters.
Zimmerman recommended that
council next send out requests for the
position of North Huron fire chief.
Currently, both Wingham chief
Harley Gaunt, and Blyth chief Paul
Josling are employees of Wingham
and Blyth fire area boards. Once the
chief is hired council will move
forward from there, Zimmerman
noted.
According to deputy-reeve Murray
Scott who has been chair of the fire
review committee, both chiefs have
been given notice that there will no
longer be fire boards as of Dec. 31.
“That’s the target date for dissolution,
but both chiefs can apply for the
North Huron position. It’s strictly a
formality,” said Scott.
He stressed that the change will
have absolutely no effect on service.
“This is simply amalgamating the two
departments. The chief will be in
place to begin Jan. 1. We actually
hope to have someone in place by
early summer we we can do the
switch without any interruption.”
Stressing that there is no intention
of changing the operation of the
stations, Scott said council has been
totally satisfied with how each
department runs. “This is an
administrative move.”
Noting that the system has been in
place in other municipalities for a
while, Scott said he hopes any
worries about the change will soon be
eased when they see that it doesn’t
change anything for them, but rather
makes the business side run more
smoothly.
“It’s a succession thing too. Boards
are not recognized anymore. And it’s
difficult to get a consensus of three
councils. Now the chief answers only
to the CAO and council. We’ll be
ahead of the game.”
NH seeks fire chief
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Lobb new chair of MVCA
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen