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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1973-05-03, Page 129 25 30 27 28 33 40 24 47 34 45 25 57 29 46 26 65 36 51 27 52 43 52 28 46 38 61 29 53 32 66 30 58 43 67 Thursday, May 3, 1973 Rec. Director quits Clinton's Recreation Director, Mike Stephens, announced this week that he is leaving the Clinton' post to take up a post as assistant rec. director at St. Thomas." Mr. ,Stephens told the News-Record on Wednesday that he regretted leaving Clin- ton• but the opportunity for advancement presented itself and he decided to act on it. Mr. Stephens was hired last January. Mr. Stephens successor will be Bev Wilton of Blenheim, who starts his new job tomorrow (May fourth), Mr. Stephens said that he would still be available on a one day-a-week basis to help the new rec. director get oriented to his job. "I really regret leaving Clinton because I liked the people a great deal, Mr. Stephens said. "I just wanted to move closer to Lon- don and work in a larger centre." "I think that the Clinton Recreation Committee is one of the finest group of people I have ever worked with," Mr. Stephens said. .Mr. Stephens said he would be returning to :Clinton frequently to visit friends here and attend local events. (111r. Wilton is the second recreation director this year. Six , students get Smoking ruins and twisted metal are all that remains of a chicken barn on the farm of Henry Vos on the Parr Line, 1/2 mile south of Varna after a fire roared through the structure last Monday morning. Damage is estimated at $25,000. (News-Record photo) $5,200 OFY grant Bill Grigg, left, of Clinton lived up to his bet to cut the lawn of the Ellerby family on Queen Street in Clinton if the Conservatives lost the last provincial by- election in Huron. The Liberals won, so Bill brought along a goat last Sunday to , cut the grass. Mrs. Thelma Ellerby accepts the bet while Premier Bill Davis thinks someone must be kidding. (News-Record photo) Varna barn burned Barb Rudd. Each member is expected to work at least 40 hours a week during the project, A survey done in Clinton last year by the Ontario Housing Corporation showed that between 15 and 20 percent of Clinton's 3,000 population was over 65. The group say they expect to be busy. Fire Monday morning completely destroyed a chicken barn owned by Henry Vos of Varna. The barn, located a half mile south of Varna, was totally engulfed in flames by the time the Brucefield Volunteer Fire Department arrived at 11 a.m. Firemen, Board taxes announced CountyCouncil By Wilma Oke storey structure was estimated at about $25,000. Mr. Vos had just finished emptying out the barn of broilers and was readying the building for a new batch, which was to arrive this week. Mr. Vos was in the basement of the con- verted barn when the fire broke out, but escaped uninjured. No cause of the fire has been discovered. however, played water on a large propane storage tank nearby and prevented it from exploding. Damage to the 70 foot by 35 foot, two The $12,019,586 Huron County Board of ducation budget for 1973, which was assed in a committee-of-the-whole eeting on April' 16 following the regular ssion, was made available to the press on pril 25. At the request of this news rrespondent on April 26 the requisitions pm the municipalities in the county with 72 figures in brackets, was provided by e Superintendent of Business Affairs, E. Dunlop. Clifton, $119,950 ($126,174); Exeter; 70,598 ($170,378); Goderich, $397,901 326,792); Seaforth, $77,864 ($80,882); ingham $142,882 ($149,023); Bayfield, 0,752 ($37,333); Blyth, $25,832 27,596); Brussels, $32,074 ($33,147); ensall, $54,900 ($55,864); Zurich, $24,370 23,599. Ashfield Township, $124,632 ($119,247); lborne Township, $84,040 ($82,467); oderich Township, $120,099 ($115,713); rey Township, $107,832 ($106,538); Hay ownship, $161,036 ($150,698); Howick ownship, $138,779 ($135,648); Hullett ownship, $98,367 ($95,131). McKillop Township, $66,780 ($80,234); orris Township, $80,789 ($81,287); tanley Township, $124, 030 ($117,157); tephen Township, $197,439 ($189,688); to plant trees Still hope for passenger service Six Clinton youths, all students at Cen- tral Huron Secondary School, have been given $5,200 under the Federal Govern- ment's Opportunities For Youth program. The group, consisting of Barb Rudd, Nola Lee, Sheila Phillips, Philip Bradley, Rhoda Munnings and Ken Plumsteel,' received notification last Friday that their plan for a "Home Help" project had been approved by the Secretary of State of Canada. The six plan to help elderly or disabled persons this summer to maintain indepen- dence in their own home, by providing such services as house cleaning, lawn cutting, errand running and preparing meals. The group hopes to circulate a questionnaire at the end ,of the summer, finding out both if the project was worthwhile and whether it should be continued on a permanent basis. The ten week project is needed, the group says. After talking to the Huron County Health Unit, the Victorian Order of Nurses, the Huron County Home Care Unit and area doctors, the youths came away with information that as many as .300 people in Clinton alone could use the ser- ' vices of such a Home Help project at one time or another. Scheduled to commence on June 25, the project will be headquartered in Nola Lee's house on Queen Street in Clinton. "In conclusion," wrote Cherry, "a great many citizens in our area need and desire rail passenger service, the Province of On- tario has affirm-0d that this service is necessary'- ti.hd inde4d ' opposed 'Me elimination of the railiners. Why can't we have it?" McKinley 'said that a "few more mem- bers are taking up the cry" for the return of rail passenger service to the area. He said that while bus routes would have to be co-ordinated with train schedules and times would have to be much more con- venient for travellers, the return of rail passenger service was coming and he was going to make an election issue of it if it was returned before then. "The best way for them to avoid that is to put the service here," warned McKinley. He said the train passenger service had been discontinued because it was believed bus service was adequate, "Not so," said McKinley who believes that if the rail companies had to be sub- sidized up to 80 percent the service should be restored to the district. R.E. McKinley, M.P. for Huron, was at Huron County Council's April session last Thursday and held out strong hopes for restoration of passenger train service in the area. McKinley heartily endorsed council's ac- tion in concurring with a' resolution from Robert S. Cherry, Palmerston, who is petitioning the Hon. Jean Marchand, Minister of Transport, to. act "decisively and immediately," in this, regard. "I see a trend coming back," observed McKinley, "but I think we should get busy at it." In his submission, Cherry wrote, "I believe that the CNR is certainly morally, if not legally, obligated to provide rail passenger service in this area until no need for this service exists at all. I believe that rail passenger service throughout our area would greatly assist in reducing highway _air pollution, along with reducing traffic accidents, increasing the safety factor and providing much needed employment for men in maintaining track, running trains etc," Tuckersmith Township, $158,184 ($104,307); Turnberry Township, $63,204 ($62,027); Usborne Township, $103,280 ($99,633); West Wawanosh Township, $48,655 ($48,052); and East Wawanosh Township, $65,687 ($63,459). The budget indicates that education costs in Huron will increase by $398,262 during the calendar year 1973. This will result in an average increase of 2.1 mills for the county ratepayers. The budget calls for expenditures of $12,019,586 for ,operating the Board's elementary schools, 'secondary schools and schools for the trainable retarded, com- pared to $11,621,324 for 1972, an increase of 3.4 percent. In the press release issued on April 25 by Director of Education and board secretary, D.J. Cochrane, it was reported that revenues are expected to increase accor- dingly with $8,430,800 (70.1 percent) coming from the Provincial Government in the form of grants and subsidies, $2,851,956 (23.7 percent) from the municipalities of Huron County,' and the balance of $736,830 (6.2 percent) from such other sources as tuition fees from other Boards, rentals, night school tuitions, etc. Of the total budgeted gross expenses of $12,019,586, Mr. Cochrane reported $5,927,458 are allocated to the elementary school system and $6,092,128 to the secon- dary schools and schools for the trainable retarded. The county tree replacement program was reviewed briefly under the Huron County Road Committee report at last Thursday's session of county council. It was learned the county is planting 4;100 six fooi to eight foot hardwood trees -'"this spring, These hardwoods are in ad- dition to 3,000 seedling white pines and red pines which will also be planted this spring by county forces. In 1972, the county planted 900 six foot high hardwood trees at various locations, throughout the county on a trial basis. "We find that 80 percent to 90 percent of the hardwood trees survived the first win- ter and consider the projedt successful," claimed county engineer Jim Britnell. "To our knowledge Huron is the only county in Ontario with a tree replacement program of this magnitude.". "We estimate that about 3,000 elm and other tree varieties on county roadsides have been cut over the past eight or ten years due to Dutch elm and other diseases, old age and storm damage," reported Brit- nell. "We hope to be able to continue this replacement program and in some small way help to beautify our roadsides." The project will pay five of the group $90 a week, because they are entering a post- secondary institution and the other will receive $70 a week because he is returning to high school. The grant is the first OFY project to come to Clinton and will be under periodic scrutiny from regional headquarters in London. During the next two months, the group will be seeking contacts and referrals to use when they get under way in late June. The project is to end on August. The idea of the Home Help project evolved from a mutual agreement says Judging by the picture on this page, it esn't pay to bet on the outcome of elec- ns.'The Ellerbys will get their lawn cut right but it looks like somebody got Bill rigg's goat. It's a good thing Bill couldn't d an elephant. st Column. ° BY J.F. County holds mill rate BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER * * * County Clerk Treasurer John Berry presented the 1973 budget, at last Thur- sday's session of Huron County Council. Members passed the document quickly and • All readers of the Clinton News-Record ill get a chance to name Clinton's 1975 ntennial. At a meeting last Monday ght it was decided to give everybody, ung and old, a chance to think up a me for Clinton's 100th Birthday. An- ers should be sent in to the News-Record Albert Street. * * * Clinton's entry into the London and strict Soccer League will play their first me this Sunday at Goderich Memorial rk at 6 p.m. The team, which is self- pporting, will play 20 league games every nday and they open their home season in couple of weeks. Let's get out and sup- rt them. Feeney secretary. Eugene McAdam was picked treasurer and Don Kay was named assistant treasurer. (News-Record photo) An executive was picked at the Clinton Centennial meeting last Monday night to begin planning Clinton's 100th birthday in 1975. Left to right are; Marg Dobson, assistant secretary; Doug Cantelon, secretary; Russ Archer, chairman; and Tom Centennial committee selected * * * Just a little 'reminder that "The Farm ow" is playing this Thursday and Satur- y night at Corey's Sales Barn on the yfield Road in Clinton, Be there early d bring a pillow or a blanket if it's chilly. he show has been well received on its outhern Ontario tour and it looks like a it house in Clinton too. * There will be a meeting Monday night at p.m. at the arena of all coaches, Imagers and team representatives ishing to enter the Men's Softball League, ew teams are welcome. Gus SousSey, manager of the Clinton PUC was elected president of the Association of Municipal Electrical Utilities, District 6, at their annual meeting in Milverton last Friday. The district has 34 utilities as members and includes Stratford, Kitchener and Guelph, Mr. Boussey's term will last for a year. (News-Record photo) pledged $100 from the club to get the financing of the project underway. All donations will be welcomed and a bank account will be set up shortly to han- dling such donations. The editor of the Clinton News-Record, Jim Fitzgerald, volunteered the services of the newspaper to run an ad for a contest to name the centennial Celebrations. Bill Riehl of Clinton said he would donate an award to the person who sends in the win- ning entry. Final selection of the name will be made by the Centennial Committee, Entries may be brought into the News- Record office on Albert Street in Clinton or mailed to "Birthday Contest, Box 39, Clin- ton Ontario, NOM 1L0." and continuing through Winter Carnival, Spring Fair and an Old Home Week. Many other activities such as a horse and buggy day and a pioneer village set-up were also brought forward, Other activities would include all the schools in the area as well as a centennial tree planting scheme, and the composition of a history book. Although enthusiasm for the centennial was badly lacking at the beginning of the meeting, the gathering warmed to the ideas presented and by the end of the hour-long meeting, suggestions and ideas were pouring forth, George Campbell, president of the Clin- ton Branch of the Canadian Legion, About 25 persons were present Monday night to select an executive and discuss ideas for Clinton's Centennial in 1975. The meeting had been set up by Mayor Don Symons and Mrs. C. Lawson of Cliff- ton. Russ Archer of Clinton was picked chair- man of the Centennial Committee, while Doug Cantelon was named vice-chairman. Tom Feeney is the secretary and Mrs. Marg Dobson is his assistant, Treasurer is Eugene McAdam of Clinton and Don Kay is assistant treasurer, Many ideas were presented at the meeting and most of those present thought the Centennial should be a year-long affair commencing with a gala New Year's Dance easily causing Berry to comment, "I had better luck than John White." There is no increase in the demands on local municipalities for this year," Berry told council. "Any extra, money .have been taken from the surplus. At the end of 1972 the surplus totalled $317,875 and if this budget were followed exactly as presented, by the end of 1973 the surplus would have been reduced to $110,411. In other words, we are using approximately $215,000 of surplus funds in order that the demands on the taxpayer will not increase." The total budget calls for over five million dollars. Of that amount, $3,402,543 comes from county sources; the rest is fun- ded by government. The Hon. John White was mentioned again during the session when the Plan- ning Board report was read. Chairman Gir- vin Reed noted that while the official plan had gone to the Ministry of Treasury, Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs it had not been signed and returned. "The Minister's had other things on his mind the last couple of weeks so I guess he didn't get around to signing it," observed Reev'e Reed. The chairman also drew attention to the , fact• that John L. Cox has been retained by the planning board for the summer mon- ths. Mr. Cox, a student, has been hired un- der a program called "Experience 73" in which the Province of Ontario pays 75 per- cent of the students salary for the summer. He will be paid $125 per week and will be gathering data for secondary plans. Council learned that wage increases have been granted to the engineers at, Huronview amounting to 60 cents over a 'year and a half. By July 1, 1974 members of the International 'Union of Operating Engineers, Local 772 will be receiving $4.10 per hour,