The Citizen, 2008-03-20, Page 6THE EDITOR,
World Water Day is
celebrated each year on
March 22. This day was
designated in 1992 at the
United Nations conference on
environment and development
in Rio de Janeiro, to raise
awareness about the
importance of preserving
global water resources.
Since then communities
around the world participate
in highlighting water
struggles and the need for
clean, accessible, public water
for everyone.
We around the Great Lakes
take water for granted. We
live beside a reservoir holding
20 per cent of the world’s
fresh water. We’re not
threatened by a lack of water
like hundreds of millions of
people around the world.
Yet, we have treated the
Great Lakes as our personal
toilet.
Here a few water facts
about the Great Lakes:
Just three per cent of the
world’s water exists as fresh
water. Two per cent is locked
in the polar ice caps; less than
one per cent resides in
freshwater lakes and streams.
The Great Lakes contain an
estimated 22,700 cubic
kilometres of water, a fifth of
all the liquid surface fresh
water on earth.
Great Lakes beaches are
posted to protect swimmers
from waterborne pathogens.
These potentially dangerous
micro-organisms make their
way into the Great Lakes
from overloaded municipal
sewage plants, from wildlife
and polluted runoff from
residences, yards, streets and
farms.
All of the Great Lakes and
their connecting channels are
currently under fish
consumption advisories for
one or more toxic chemicals.
In 2002, mercury, PCBs,
dioxins or chlordane were at
least partly responsible for 96
per cent of fish consumption
advisories, while 75 per cent
were issued in part due to
mercury contamination.
Air pollution is responsible
for over 90 per cent of
mercury contamination in the
Great lakes, largely from
coal-fired power plants.
On average, it takes a drop
of water 191 years to cycle
through Lake Superior (e.g.
from entering as a drop of rain
and exiting to Lake Huron via
the St. Marys River). Lake
Michigan’s retention time is
99 years, while Lake Huron’s
PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2008.
Continued from page 1
only would the owner of the
Brussels Country Inn
property, Dave Rapson, get
the former Workman
property, but that the library
was part of the package. This
soured the idea for the
municipality.
In addition to no longer
having control over the
building and the measures
being taken to put a historical
designation on it, they would
lose the revenue they had
been counting on from the
sale. Council had a starting
price of $75,000 which is
what treasurer Brad Knight
had been using when initially
crunching the numbers on the
project.
Initially, there were
suggestions about additional
fundraising that would
compensate for the lost
revenue, but Seili stressed
that $75,000 was just a
starting point, and that
council figured to make more
than that out of the sale of the
Carnegie building.
Seili also said that the
former Brussels Country Inn
property has commercial
potential, which could bring
some revenue into Brussels.
However, this comment did
not come without criticism, as
one audience member pointed
out the several vacancies
already on the main street.
THE FUNDING
Following up on council
discussion, MacLellan made
it known that $125,000 of the
final cost was expected from
the people of Brussels, over
and above taxation, through
fundraising and from local
service groups.
There was discussion about
this move as precedent-
setting, and that future
municipality programs should
call for a similar percentage
from any ward involved in a
project of this magnitude.
Councillor David Blaney
mentioned that there is a
commitment from the
Brussels Trust to match
community fundraising at a
rate of 50 cents on the dollar
up to $50,000.
In addition to the $125,000
that council hopes to see from
the people of Brussels, there
is a commitment of up to
$100,000 from Morris-
Turnberry, in an agreement
similar to that of the Brussels
Morris and Grey Community
Centre and the $75,000 at
least that the municipality
hopes to see from the sale of
the Carnegie building.
This leaves the
municipality with $300,000
left for it to pay out of capital
expenses.
There were still members of
the audience who wished to
backtrack. There were some
who wanted to revisit the
possibility of renovating the
existing building.
Seili discussed the elevator
that was installed in the
Goderich library, saying it
was installed for over
$400,000. However, one
audience member spoke
about the renovations to the
Teeswater library, where
accessibility upgrades and an
elevator would cost just under
$250,000.
There was talk, after the
last public meeting of a
possible Trillium grant that
would fit the Brussels Library
project, if it was decided that
renovating the existing
building was the way to go.
However, after investigating,
there was only approximately
$40,000 of funding available,
not the $75,000 that the
municipality had first
thought. In the end, there was
no grant application
submitted.
THE DESIGN
While most of the people at
the meeting liked what Blake
had created for the outside of
the building, there were some
thoughts on what the inside of
the building should look like.
To meet Huron County’s
standards, the new Brussels
Library will have 900 more
square feet than the old one.
While the pricetag as it is, has
been a big enough bone of
contention, there was some
discussion of expanding it
even further.
One member of the
audience asked about the
reality of trying to make the
new Brussels Library a
branch one library, expanding
it even further, getting more
material and therefore
authorizing it to be open
longer. His initial concern
was pouring nearly $600,000
into a structure that is
scheduled to be open just 20
hours a week.
This idea, however, was
shot down, as size has no
bearing on the expansion of a
library. To become a branch
one library, Brussels would
have to expand its population,
as that designation is based on
people, not square-footage.
There was also talk of what
the inside of the library
should contain. There was the
general consensus at the last
public meeting that a meeting
room, that could be sectioned
off from the main library,
should be included. A
meeting room has been
included in the most-recent
plans, as well as some
washrooms that would be
available to library patrons
during hours of operation and
as public washrooms during
large community events.
There was talk of a possible
heritage room, but there is
currently limited room in the
floor plan.
Seili did say, however, that
he hoped to see a tourism
kiosk in the library like
Brussels has had in previous
years.
THE FUTURE
Council hopes to discuss
the library issue at its March
18 meeting. The discussion
would result in a final
decision as to whether the
municipality will push for the
library project to go ahead in
2008, or if it will wait until
2009.
Seili said that even if the
project is given the go-ahead
at the next council meeting,
the library still won’t break
ground until fall because of
the process Huron East will
have to go through and the
back-up with contractors right
now.
The $300,000 for the
library is currently in the
budget for this year.
MacLellan invited anyone
who had more to say to come
out to the March 18 meeting
in Seaforth.
Council explains funding for new building
Letter to the editor
World Water Day, Mar. 22
AgriInvest - $600 Million Kickstart
A New Business Risk Management Program:
Growing Forward
AgriInvest is a farmer account designed to help farmers manage small margin
declines. It replaces coverage previously provided under the Canadian Agricultural
Income Stabilization (CAIS) program for margin declines of less than 15%.
Federal, provincial and territorial governments are launching AgriInvest as part
of the new Business Risk Management program suite. The federal government
is contributing $600 million to kickstart farmer accounts.
The New Business Risk Management suite also includes:
AgriStability – Support for farmers when they have large margin declines.
AgriInsurance – Coverage for insurable production losses.
AgriRecovery – The disaster relief framework.
If you have not yet received a notice for AgriInvest Kickstart call 1-866-367-8506
or visit www.agr.gc.ca/agriinvest to apply.
The deadline to participate in the
AgriInvest - $600 million Kickstart is April 14, 2008
Growing Forward
A vision for a profitable, innovative, competitive, market-oriented
agriculture, agri-foods and agri-based products industry.
An attractive concept
Brussels residents saw some of the first designs for its new library, inside
(right) and out (above), on March 11 at the latest public meeting to discuss
the library. (Images courtesy Blakestyle Design and Drafting)
Continued on page 17