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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1972-08-31, Page 4Property for Sale by THE LAMBTON COUNTY BOARD OF EDUCATION Shown above is the approximate location of he former Wawanosh Elementary School Building of approximately 19,000 square feet and land comprising approximately Five (5) acres on the North side of London Road extending Northerly to Exmouth Street in the Township of Sarnia, in the County of Lambton, West of Modeland Rood. Approximate dimensions are as follows: Frontage on London Road 234 Feet SeaDleepdthOf 93125 fers to Purchase on forms supplied by the Board Frontage on Exmouth Street Feet Feet addressed to The Chairman, Lambton County Board of Education, 190 Wellington Street, Sarnia, Ontario, will be received by its Secretary up to 4 p.m. E.D.S.T. on September A15' 9 All offers rs2 shall be accompanied by a certified cheque payable to The Board in the amount of Ten (10) per cent of the bid price as a deposit with the balance of the purchase price to be paid within 180 days of its acceptance by The Board with interest thereon at 8% per annum from date of acceptance to date of payment. Offers not in accordance with the foregoing will not be ticollnsbi iddesr.ed and The Board reserves the right to reject any or For offer forms, information and appointments to inspect the building contact Mr. Eric Edmonds, Controller of Plant, 190 Wellington Street, Sarnia, Ontario, Telephone Sarnia 1-619-344-3631, The sale of this property is subject fo a reserve bid. Mr. C. Wilkinson Chairman Mr. N. 1. Cheeseman Secretory of the Board pf in thisetrY of Grand Bend Environment Notice of Public Hering WHEREAS plans and an engineer's report concerning a certain proposed lagoon facility to serve the VILLAGE OF GRAND BEND and extending into the Township of Stephen have been developed for the Ontario Ministry of the Environment and whereas approval is required in accordance with Section 43(1) of The Ontario Water Resources Act; AND WHEREAS it appears from an examination of the said plans that three possible sites are being considered for the proposed works located in Range A, Township of Stephen; NOW THEREFORE this is to give notice that the Environmen- tal Hearing Board of the said Ministry shall, on the 14th day of September, 1972 at 3:00 o'clock EDST in the afternoon at the Village Municipal Hall, 44 Main Street, Grand Bend, Ontario, hold a public hearing pursuant to Section 43(1) of the said Act. Plans of the proposed sewage works will be available for inspection of the offices of the municipal clerk of the Village of Grand Bend and the Township of Stephen. ONTARIO MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT T. Murphy, Board Secretary Environmental Hearing Board Ontario MILK Keeps Them Happy and Healthy And Paves The Way To Better School Performances Exeter Dairy Ltd. Phone 235-2144 Exeter nines Established 1873 Advocate Established 1881 Amalgamated 1924 VteexeferZimes-lhioeate SERVING CANADA'S BEST FARMLAND 0.W.N.A., CLASS 'A' and ABC Published Each Thursday Morning at Exeter, Ontario Second Class Mail Registration Nurnber 0384 Paid in Advance Circulation, March 31, 1072, 0,037 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: Canada $8.00 Per Year; USA $10.00 Editor Bill Batten Advertising Manager Assistant Editor Ross Haugh WoMen's Editor Gwyn Whilsmith Phone 235.1331 GG test one more week till school begios Language is a problem During our visit to Montreal last week, there were many occasions on which we heard Quebecers talking and didn't understand a word they were saying. On one occasion we heard a Quebecer talking and un- derstood, but the lady from Quebec across the table didn't know what he was saying. The problem, of course, was one of language and a visit to Montreal proves very rapidly what a great waste of time it was for the writer to have studied French in high school for four years. Non, oui and merci come in handy, but it makes one sound similar to the early cavemen who communicated with grunts. At one of our dinners, we had the pleasure of the company of a public relations official from Imperial Oil in Montreal. He was completely bilingual, but his charming wife was only partially so. However, she could still communicate with us in English with a bit of assistance from her' husband, while the rest of us ace the table, could not even en- deavour to talk in French to her, outside of a few words the bet- ter half attempted. Even in her "home" she was at a disadvantage by being in a predominantly English speaking crowd. One of the oddities of the situation was the fact that the speaker for the evening was Quebec's minister of com- munication. He read his address in English, and at times it was evident he was not certain of the words he was using. He was com- municating with us alright as we would in reading a French speech, but he was using words of which he did not know the meaning, The lady across the table probably understood only a small portion of the address, + + + The point is, we are a long way from being a bilingual nation, although the people of Quebec are much closer to that goal than those of other provinces. That's partly due to necessity, of course, but the fact remains few of us in English speaking areas are making an attempt to bridge the gap. It's probably too late for most of the "Old dogs" but certainly we should be making an effort to ensure that our children will be able to communicate in both languages. Steps are being taken in that direction, but it is questionable whether a couple of hours a week in French instruction is suf- ficient. A total immersion program would be much more beneficial and certainly the exchange programs now being undertaken among young people should be increased and lengthened. + + + Similar to many area residents we visited Montreal for Expo 67, but few of us had time on that occasion to explore much of the city or talk to its inhabitants. The crowds were so great that people escaped as soon as they also used for the first time this week. Mary Lou McCoy, 17-year-old Exeter hairdresser, became the second Ontario Bean Queen Mon- day when she was selected from among eight contestants in the beauty contest at Hensall Mon- day. Runners-up for the title were Marian Desjardine, Grand Bend and Margaret Moir, Hen- sail, Hensall Legion's baseball team won the Huron County Minor Baseball Trophy in a tournament held during the Ontario Bean Festival in Hensall, They defeated Exeter 12-1. Bob McBride, 8, son of Mr. and Mrs. Clare McBride, of the Goshen Line, is recuperating in War Memorial Children's Hospital, London, from a badly crushed left ankle he suffered when he caught his foot between the axle and wheel of the tractor his father was driving. 10 Years Ago Local children are taking advantage of the hot late-August weather to swim as much as they can before going back to school. Wednesday, nearly 100 who have been taking swimming- lessons during the year received badges and awards for passing various Red Cross tests. For the first time, a rotary system will be established for grades seven and eight at the J.A.D. McCurdy school, Huron Park. For some of their subjects, they will move from classroom to classroom, as is the practice at high school. Labour bay, T-A publisher J. M. Seuthcott marks his 60th an- niversary in the newspaper business in Exeter. He started in 1002 with the paper when he was 15, and was a carrier boy several years before that. Sa ndra Snider. Exeter, has won a IIWO Board of Governors' School scholarship valued at $200, She qualified as the top ranking student in the graduating class of SHIMS. had seen as much of Expo as they wanted, So last week's visit to the CCNA convention in Montreal was really the first time this writer had had an opportunity to see the largest city in Canada. On some occasions, convention- goers don't get beyond the con- fines of their hotels, but in the case of those of us at the newspaper bash, this would still have provided an opportunity to visit one of the most interesting aspects of the city. We stayed at Hotel Bonaven- ture, the rooftop hotel on one of the most exciting buildings in Montreal - Place Bonaventure, According to the advertising material, Place Bonaventure is more than a building - it is an expression of an idea. The idea was to design and build a centre - a city - solely for the business of buying and selling on a national and international scale. So, Place Bonaventure houses trade centres from nations around the world, Canada's largest Exhibition hall, and floor after floor of wholesale distributors for everything from fashions to footballs. The stores are set up in such a way that all related merchandise is located on one floor. A fur- niture buyer, for instance, can arrive at Place Bonaventure and visit all the major suppliers of furniture on one floor in air- conditioned surroundings. Under Place Bonaventure are an endless line of corridors filled with retail stores and boutiques. Access is also available to Montreal's world famous un- derground city from several other downtown hotels and shoppers can walk a total of 13 miles underground to do their shopping. Certainly, a real boon to winter shoppers. + + + One of the trips planned for our convention was to Man and His World, the successor to Expo 67. As he has done most of the summer - especially in Eastern Ontario and Quebec - the weatherman provided rain and it was rather strange to be able to enter the grounds and most of the pavilions with no lineups or throngs of people. Many of the pavilions are still on tne grounds, although many of their interiors have changed. The City has taken over some of them, while a few nations still maintain displays. One of the thrills is still the visit to the Canadian pavilion to watch scenes from across the country on the huge 360 degree screen. However, some in our group found that the dizzying spectacle was a bit much after sipping on some of the champagne provided for our lunch. Many of thepavilions on .the island stand empty and are already showing signs of deterioration. A 90-day strike of Montreal blue-collar worker-5 shows its toll as the flower gar- dens and grounds could not withstand such a lengthy period of non-care, A charge is made for entry to Most pavilions, although a day pass to the grounds is only $2 and a season pass can be obtaided for a mere $3. Some Montrealers are of ' the opinion the city fathers erred in their decision to keep Expo open after our centennial year, while ethers still think it is a good drawing card for tourists, They point out, of course, that as Montreaiere they have paid three times for Man and His World, as Canadian, Quebec and Montreal taxpayers. 50 Years Ago The Exeter Junior softball team are winners of their group in the NWBA. They defeated Lucan Friday night. Miss Flear, of Blyth has returned to town and resumed her position as milliner with Miss Armstrong. Miss Cowan, Atwood has resumed her position as milliner with Miss Yelland. Miss McDonald, who recently sold her millinery business in town to Miss A. Yelland has purchased a similar business in Clinton. Miss Emalie Hogarth and Gladys Harvey succeeded in passing their summer course ex- aminations in agriculture at the OAC, Guelph. Mr. Wm, Waal has disposed of his property on Huron street con- sisting of house and ten acres of land to Mr. Jas. A, VanCamo, London. 25 Years Ago Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Fulcher, Brandon, Manitoba arrived last week to take up residence in Exeter, Exeter High School re-opened Tuesday with an enrolment of 270 pupils. Fire destroyed the Ritz Hotel at Bayfield Saturday night, Mr, Lou Bailey of town is at present in Saskatchewan assisting with the harvest. Miss Helen Wolper, new teacher for the Primary room of the Exeter Public School, now meeting in the basement of the Public Library, has 39 new pupils enrolled. All places of entertainment at Grand Bend report a successful season. Years Ago The new $112„000 Hensall Public School was unofficially christened Tuesday when 181 students moved into the modern building which was completed this summer. A two-room addi- tion to Zurich Public School was Lets discuss town hall Some members of xeter council ex- pressed the opinion last week that Barkley Restaurant owner John Tzavaras is being a little stubborn in his contention that the only feasible place at which to re-establish his business is its present location. They pointed out there are several other commercial sites available, which to them, appeared equally advantageous. Regardless of the pros and cons of such a debate, it is encouraging to see members of council of the apparent opinion that alternate sites are always available for any project. Having shown themselves to be broad- minded in terms of someone else's business, they should have no difficulty in being broadminded regarding their own and consider the fact that alternate sites are available to them for municipal facilities. From the outset, it should be clearly understood that this newspaper is not attempting to sabotage the erection of a new town hall, nor is it completely at odds with council's decision to purchase, or attempt to expropriate, the Burkley proper. ty. However, there are alternate suggestions to be considered regarding the town hall facilities and we feel that it is important on such a majpr undertaking that all avenues be explored and that the matter be given a full public dialogue. In any such debate, the question of money is always of prime importance, and it is unfortunate that accurate estimates are not available to help formulate decisions. However, it appears reasonable that an expenditure of around $250,000 is being considered, particularly when the cost of acquiring the Burkley building and the razing of the town hall are considered. In fact, the estimate may be low. * * * * As Mayor Jack Delbridge reiterated this week, one of the difficulties with the situation is in knowing what will be re- quired when regional government comes. It is highly probable that Exeter would be the site of a lower-tier administration and some consideration to this fact must be given, although there is very little informa- tion on which to plan at the present. However, regional government has already come to some areas of Ontario and it would be wise for local officials to visit one of these areas and see what facilities are required in the lower-tier administra- tion centres. No doubt the Hon. C. S. MacNaughton could also arrange to have an official visit Exeter and outline some of the requirements. The facilities planned must meet the needs of the future and exploration into those needs is a prime requisite for decision making. * * An analysis of the community's "assets" is also required, and it is in this area that we feel full consideration should be given. The question of the town's works department has already been tackled. Council, in conjunction with the PUC, has purchased property on Nelson St. for this department and it would appear ample for future expansion if, and when, required. Therefore the remaining facilities re- quired include the police and fire depart- ment, the clerk's office, council chambers and a court room: While there are obvious advantages to having these facilities at one location, it is not in the category of an absolute necessity. * * * * There are at present, several alternate suggestions for most of these departments. Two properties are now available and a third could be made available in the not-too- distant future. They are the former Ausable Bayfield Conservation office in Riverview Park, the former site of Dobbs Motors and the local post office. The Riverview Park office may have questionable potential, but presumably it has one factor in its favor and that is cost. It should ,be cheap to acquire because the town has already paid a major share of its purchase. It could adequately house the clerk's office, and while it is certainly not as central as the present office, there are very few who would find it a distinct disadvantage, Neither can it be considered a long- range solution, but in view of the impending changes in civic administration, long-range solutions may not be possible, and stop-gap solutions may be more economical in the long-run. The former Dobbs Motors property at the corner of Victoria and Main is available and has considerable potential for the fire WarCIMPAEREMEEMP,„Wiiiik4&t'.' department and possibly the police. Its central location makes it practical for both uses and it has ample parking for the departments. The post office is a question mark at this time, although, there are indications that the department of public works may be considering a new location at an earlier time priority than previously thought. It too has considerable potential from several standpoints. Its size could house the clerk and his staff and still allow for a double-purpose council chamber and court room, In passing, it may be worth a thought to at least question if there is any room in the PUC building for a combined board room and council chamber, As far as court facilities are concerned, there is a question of whether or not it is the sole responsibility of the local ratepayers, although any move to do away with local facilities should be objected to strongly in view of the hardship it would provide for those who would have to travel con- siderable distance to make court appearances. * ** * * A look at the costs involved in some of the preceding suggestions indicates a much smaller expenditure than the $250,000 we mentioned for a new town hall complex. The Riverview Park office purchase and alterations should not exceed $10,000 and the Sunoco property could probably be purchased and altered for police and fire department purposes at a cost of no more than $50,000. There's no way of knowing what the price tag may be on the post office, but generally speaking, governments at one level often give bargains to those at another when possible. It's strictly a guess, but $25,000 may be involved in the purchase and renovations. Added up, that makes a grand total in the neighborhood of $85,000. ** ** * It also leaves the town with a vacant town hall, which if the Burkley property price is any criteria, could presumably be sold for a price in the $35,000 category. This then leaves the ratepayers with a net expense of $50,000. Some may shudder at the thought of giving up the prime location for the town hall, but that is one of the main arguments we wish to propose. The present site of the town hall is valuable commercial property and the future of any community depends on an adequate supply of commercial property which is ideally located. Some businesses can function profitably outside the concentrated com- mercial area, but for many others it is a prime requisite. They depend heavily on the drawing attraction of other businesses in their vicinity which is in effect the reason for the continuing increase in the number of shopping plazas, While it may appear to be an expensive alternate, the present site of the town hall would also provide an ideal parking area for the • community. Several other suggestions could be made, and perhaps one to be investigated is the possibility of a private developer providing a retail complex on the present site and leasing second storey facilities for some of the town departments. Even if the foregoing suggestions for alternate sites are not met favorably, leaders of the community should give serious consideration to moving the town hall complex off Main St., and leaving the present site for commercial development. * * * * * Some may consider the suggestion to use the post office and Sunoco station as being contradictory to the contention that commercial property should not be used for civic administration. To a point, that is true. However, both are existing structures which naturally preclude their use for many purposes. A garage has only a few possibilties for alternate use. The post office has more potential for commercial occupation and there's little argument, we agree, that it should not be left for this use when it is available. * ** * * As stated at the outset, the foregoing comments are not designed to be definite alternatives to the present debate regar- ding a new town hall. They are offered in the hope that the subject will be considered and debated by everyone involved in the decisions to be made. That, of course, includes each ratepayer, and we would be most welcome to accept your comments in our columns. :,;,z,,MF2EtMEiratViWiriaikVr•M4fRraEK',:RN:g • 0 4 et 0 1 •