The Citizen, 2008-04-10, Page 1The CitizenVolume 24 No. 15 Thursday, April 10, 2008 $1.25 ($1.19 + 6c GST)Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Inside this week
Pg. 8
Pg. 9
Pg. 10
Pg. 12
Pg. 13
Women rule on the
hockey rink
Blyth Minor Hockey
presents awards
Fundraiser planned
for library
Breeders receive
recognition
Spring car care
section begins
Morris-Turnberry councillors, at
their April 1 meeting, voted to take
enough money out of reserves to
prevent a tax rate increase for 2008.
Councillors approved a budget that
will see spending by the municipality
at $5,565,543.67 for 2008. Taking
into account money to be transferred
to the County of Huron and the Avon
Maitland District School Board, total
spending will be $7.9 million.
The original budget called for an
increase of 3.2 per cent in the
municipal tax levy for the year but
councillors balked at the increase
after seeing information that Morris-
Turnberry trails only Goderich and
the East Wawanosh Ward of North
Huron as having the highest tax rates
in the county.
Councillor Mark Beaven noted
neighbouring Grey Ward of Huron
East had the lowest rate in the
county, more than 40 per cent less
than Morris-Turnberry.
“I can’t accept any increase when
we’re the third highest,” he said.
Nancy Michie, administrator,
clerk-treasurer, noted that if council
wanted to hold the line it could
transfer an extra $50,000 from
reserves. There was already
$517,500 taken from reserves for
road work and other expenditures.
Deputy-mayor Jim Nelemans
agreed the rate increase should be
avoided by taking the money from
reserves.
Councillor Paul Gowing agreed,
noting that the municipality provides
a relatively small number of services
despite being one of most highly-
taxed.
“I’m happy to go with a zero
increase,” agreed mayor Dorothy
Kelly, though she said she received
criticism last year that if council
hoped to keep services up to date it
needed to keep raising taxes.
Beaven noted that because some
road construction work was not
finished last year, council had put
$655,000 into reserves.
The newly approved budget calls
for $947,000 in road construction
and $217,000 in bridge work. The
largest items on the bridge budget are
$88,000 for the Brandon Road drain
extension and $84,000 for the Blind
Line Bridge.
The largest project in the road
construction budget is$386,000 for
Salem Road with $190,000 planned
for work on Brandon Road and
$150,000 for Clyde Line
reconstruction. Tar and chip
surfacing is planned for Glennannon
Road ($147,000) and Clyde Line
($37,000).
The other big item for 2008 is the
commencement of curbside garbage
and recycling pickup at a cost of
$66.34 per household, an expense
that will be offset by the closure of
the Turnberry depot site and an a
M-T
freezes
taxes
In appreciation
The president of the Make A Wish Foundation Robert Kays and his wife were present at the
Brussels Optimist dinner auction on Saturday. Daniel Fritz, a local boy who has cystic fibrosis
recently enjoyed a trip to Walt Disney World thanks to the Foundation. Fritz told the audience
about his experience and auctioned some candy. Proceeds from the event, which this year
were in the range of $20,000, are going to benefit the Foundation and community betterment.
Also pictured: Mickey Mouse. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Eight-year-old Daniel Fritz was
the guest speaker at this year’s
Brussels Optimist dinner auction
held on Saturday ngiht.
Fritz, who suffers from cystic
fibrosis, spoke on his Make A Wish
Foundation trip to Walt Disney
World.
The son of Lisa and Tim is the
oldest of four children. He was
referred to Make a Wish by his uncle
Mark Pennington.
After completing the necessary
paperwork, which included Daniel’s
top three ‘wishes’, the youngster
was approved and the plans began.
A limousine picked them up from
their home and took them to Detroit,
“My brothers thought the limo ride
was so cool, we probably could have
ended the trip at that point for them,”
Daniel said.
From Detroit the family flew to
Florida where a Make A Wish
greeter was waiting. “He was
holding my name as if I was a
celebrity.”
The family went to the villa at the
Give Kids the World Resort. Each
child received a ‘stuffy’ shirts and
“the best ice-cream I’ve ever tasted.
And it was all you could eat. Like
you could even have ice cream for
breakfast and we did. Even Mom
did.”
Meals were served in the
Gingerbread House, and Daniel said
the resort had every kind of treat and
activity that children dream about.
Also, every Thursday was
Christmas. “The ‘angels’ set up all
the decorations and everything in
just a few hours then take it all back
down until the next Thursday when
they do it all over again.”
“The work and time and effort the
Make A Wish people put into
making children like me have the
best week of our lives, there is no
possible way to thank them enough.”
One of the most memorable things
for Daniel was an activity with the
Star Fairy. “I got to put my name on
a special star and place it on a
special spot on the ceiling. My star is
there to take care of me and protect
me and keep me from getting sick.”
The theme parks were an amazing
experience for children sponsored
by Make A Wish, said Daniel. The
family had VIP parking and fast
passes. “But even better, as soon as
the park people would see my
buttons, we usually were pulled to
the side to go in the exit for rides.
And when there were characters to
meet, someone from the park would
radio ahead for the character to meet
us. It was like I was royalty and
everyone was catering to me.”
While there were many things to
do, Daniel said it was also nice being
together as family and having fun. “I
still had to do treatments and take
pills, but no one asked questions and
there was no talk of doctors or
sickness. We just got to have fun.”
The wish was everything he had
dreamed of, said Daniel and more.
He expressed his gratitude to Make
Boy knows wishes do come true
Continued on page 2
By Keith Roulston
The Citizen
Continued on page 3
If April showers bring May
flowers, everyone get their cameras
ready; it’s going to be a beautiful
May.
April showers in Huron County
started as early as they could, April
1, and they came hard and fast.
Heavy rains in the area caused
plenty of localized flooding, road
closures and flooded basements, but
by the weekend, most problems
were solved.
Because the rain came so fast, the
position many public works
departments found themselves in
was a scramble to find as many
employees as they could, very early
in the morning.
“When we have so many
washouts, it was more a question of
getting to them in a timely manner.
That was the one thing we had to
deal with and then, at some, we had
to wait for the water to subside,” said
Barry O’Krafka, public works
manager for Morris-Turnberry, who
had to deal with 10 to 12 road
washout calls.
In Huron East, public works
manager Barry Mills said he was
scrambling to find employees early
in the morning on April 1, but that in
the end, he felt the staff was able to
pull it off.
“I think we did pretty well
considering how quickly the storm
moved in. By 2 p.m., everything was
pretty well open and operational,” he
said.
There were road closures, the last
of which, Henfryn Line in Grey, was
reopened on Sunday afternoon. But
there was also the issue of basements
flooding and sewers clogging.
“We were chasing things around,
trying to unplug some manholes
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
April
showers
bring..
flooding
Continued on page 7