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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-02-20, Page 1HP residents agree to accept own volunteer fire department OLD ROMANCE — The 50's song "Leader of the Pock" took on a new visual effect Saturday. Joan Pym was the sweetheart and Jane Van Roestel was the motorcycle maniac. As the song goes, the motorcycle maniac, this time a tricycle tycoon, crashes his machine, and the sweetheart is left all alone. It seems sad, but the skit, part of the winter weekend's talent show at SHDHS got plenty of laughs. T-A photo. Photo by Erik Singer Crediton girl queen of ball A Crediton area girl was named Queen of the Ball of Brescia College recently. She is Mary Ann Gielen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Gielen, RR 2, Crediton and a graduate of South Huron District High School in Exeter. While attending South Huron, Mary Ann was a Princess in the 1973 Queen contest al the local school. She is presently attending Brescia Hall, an affiliate of the University of Western Ontario and is majoring in Home Economics. Snowmobilers are injured Two snowmobilers were in- jured in area accidents this week. On Saturday at 11:50 p.m., a machine driven by Leonard Smote, Hensall, struck a bridge on concession 4 in Hay Township and suffered foot lacerations. Damage to the snowmobile was estimated at $450 by OPP Con- stable Bill Lewis. At 4:30 p.m., Sunday, a machine operated by nine-year old Sandra Fletcher, Kirkton, collided with a fallen tree in a field on concession 12, Usborne. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lloyd Fletcher sustained cuts and bruises, OPP Constable Jim Rogers investigated and listed damage at $100. There were two hit and run accidents reported as well. An unknown vehicle struck a parked car on Mary St. in Zurich at 11:45 p.m., Saturday. The parked car was owned by Frederick Ducharme, RR 2 Zurich, and sustained damage estimated at $110 by Constable Lewis. The other hit and run was reported at Huron Park early Saturday morning. A parked car owned by Jessie Randall, Huron Park, was damaged to the extent of $100. Constable Bob Whiteford is investigating. The only other accident of the week occurred at 3:45 p.m., Thursday, when a car driven by Wendy Campbell, Huron Park, collided with a parked car owned by Sharon Edward, also of Huron Park. Constable Al Quinn listed damage at $75. During the week, the local detachment officers charged five people under the Highway Traffic Act and issued warnings to another nine. Permit fees could double Councillor Harold Patterson and building inspector Doug Triebner this week, recom- mended that building permit fees be doubled in Exeter. Patterson made the suggestion, but gave no reason for increasing the rates. He said that last year, income had been about $400 above expenses. At present, a project of under $500 costs $3 and this would be increased to $6, From $500 to $1,000 the fee would increase from its present $5 to $10 and for each additional $1,000 the fee would be $2, It is presently $1, It was indicated that at present, the building permit for a $30,000 house costs $68. Under the new proposal that would double. It was decided to leave the matter with the executive committee for study, Stephen township will be providing the services of a volunteer fire department for the protection of residents and in- dustry at Huron Park when the present full time staff is dissolv- ed on March 31, 1975, After two meetings this week residents of Huron Park have agreed to accept a volunteer brigade as established by the township of Stephen. During a meeting Monday night when estimates of the cost of providing at least one full-time man on the fire brigade were presented to ratepayers the deci- sion was made to accept the volunteer department.. The Ontario Development Cor- poration announced two weeks ago that the full-time seven man force would be disbanded at the Exeter council voted this week to hire an architect to prepare plans for the renovations and alterations to the former post office which will be leased for municipal offices, Property committee chairman Derry Boyle found himself in a rather awkward position over the situation, After presenting the recommendation to council on behalf of the majority of his committee, he then proceeded to present his own "minority report" which recommended that council undertake all the plan- ning themselves. Two burned in Hay fire Two fires were reported in the area this week, A fire at the residence of Richard Ewasek, concession 15 Hay Township, resulted in damage of $250. Police report that the blaze broke out at 2:30 a.m., Sunday, when gasoline was put on some logs in a wood stove and then ignited. An explosion resulted. Two occupants of the former school were taken, to South Huron Hospital for treatment by Westlake's Ambulance. The injured pair were Timothy Loftus and Raymond Longuski, both of Dearborn,Michigan. The former was the most badly burned, suffering first and second degree burns to his face, hands and legs. After the explosion the men managed to drive to the home of Herb Klopp to call for assistance. On Monday at 8:25p.m. a fire gutted the interior of a 1973 Toyota truck owned by ,William Stephen Davis, 107 Kensington Cresc. Huron Park. The fire is believed to have started in wires under the dash. The Centralia fire brigade an- swered the call to the fire scene on the Mt. Carmel Road. The police committees from four Huron towns met in Clinton this week to consider the alter- natives suggested in the recent study of policing for the county and spent most of their deliberations on only one of those alternatives — total policing by the Ontario Provincial Police. Figures presented in the report show that policing by the OPP would reduce costs for most of the county towns and this ap- peared to be the factor which appealed to the officials from Exeter, Clinton, Wingham and Seaforth. No representatives from Goderich attended. The other alternatives in the study were: 1-retention of the present system of policing, 2- retention of the present system with a central system of com- munication and dispatch; 3- a county police force policing the whole county save and except traffic on provincial highways At the conclusion of the meeting, chairman Bruce Shaw, mayor of Exeter, termed the first alternative "short-lived", the second as being not feasible and the third as being very costly, "Some of us will be thinking Lottery may help local arena plan Members of Exeter council this week welcomed news of an OntariO lottery with proceeds to be used for recreation, "Does this mean we'll get a new arena?" Councillor Ted Wright questioned, "It could," Reeve Derry Boyle replied. end of March as an economy move. Jack O'Neill, president of the Huron Park Ratepayers Associa- tion said the extra cost of hiring a full-time fireman would cost each home in Huron Park anywhere from $18 to $30 per year. O'Neill said the residents were not prepared to accept the extra costs and felt a volunteer brigade was satisfactory to protect the Park residential area. He add- ed, "we still feel volunteers will not be suitable for the Industrial Park. When the announcement was first made that Stephen would take over all responsibility for fire protection at Huron Park the present volunteers all resigned, They since have agreed to carry However, he received support only from Councillor Bob Simp- son in that move, while Coun- cillor Ted Wright abstained from the voting. It will cost $750 to have the architect plan the first stage renovation project. This will include a study of the heating and electrical system and the preparation of a floor plan. If the architect is hired to continue with the second stage, working drawings, it was in- dicated the fee would be 10 percent of the cost of the project. Mayor Bruce Shaw and Councillors Barb Bell and Garnet Hicks were the property com- mittee members backing the recommendation to hire an ar- chitect. Noting the town planned to use the building for at least 20 years, Mrs. Bell said the $750 would be a "good investment" to ensure that the best use is made of the space available. Hicks also said it would be money well spent to have a skilled person draft plans for the interior of the building. He said that when the Huron Board of Education planned to renovate their new offices in Clinton, they attempted to have their own personnel do the work, but "we ran into a lot of trouble" and ended up hiring an architect. "It's paid off in the long run," he said. Shaw said he certainly lacked the expertise required to lay out a design to make maximum use of the building and suggested no other members of council had the imagination required. Boyle, however said it was merely a matter of ripping out one existing partition and then putting in the partitions required for whatever office space council decided to use. He said' council would be remiss in not saving the $750 and using it for carpet or painting. "Has the committee decided what they want in the building?" - please turn to page 3 carefully about what you said," Shaw told Ontario Police Com- mission Chairman Elmer D. Bell, one of his staff advisors Gordon Osmond and OPP Staff Superintendent D.E. Wellesley. "At least one of you may be hearing from some of us in the near future," the Exeter man added. Wingham councillor Bill Harris started the Tuesday night discussion off by saying he was impressed with the figures presented by the OPP to assume policing in the five county towns. In Wingham's case, the OPP submitted a proposed policing cost that is almost $10,000 below that of the 1974 municipal police budget. Wellesley explained that the OPP would in fact be subsiding the communities and the contract price offered would be about 65 percent of the actual OPP cost. "Now we're getting somewhere," Harris replied, after noting that this would mean that some of the farmers in the Wingham area would actually be helping to pay some of the Wingham costs through their taxes to the provincial govern- ment. Wellesley then proceeded to answer a number of questions pertaining to the future of men now serving on town forces as well as the services which the OPP would provide. Some of those highlights were as follows: —The OPP would enforce local bylaws and cheek doors of local businesses during night patrols. However, they won't chase dogs, —Coniracts would be for only on until March 1. O'Neill said another meeting of the Ratepayers Association will be held on March 3 and if the firemen stand by their resignations attempts will be made by the township to obtain other volunteers. Stephen township council will be meeting with the present volunteer firemen and a representative of the Ontario Fire Marshal's office in the near future. At Monday's meeting Huron Park firemen said they were not interested in providing protec- tion for any portions of Stephen township outside the boundaries Residents of Stephen and Usborne will have equal op- portunity with Exeter seniors-44 gain accommodation in the nett/ senior citizens units being built by the Ontario Housing Cor- poration on Sanders St. East. This was a decision reached by Exeter council this week, despite the fact several members suggested they would be criticised if it meant that some Exeter residents were not ac- cepted and residents from the townships were. Under the rules for gaining entry to this type of ac- commodation, a point system is used to determine need. Those showing the greatest need are given first priority. The need is apparently based on financial and health matters. Usborne and Stephen have already indicated they will pay one year at a time and they would contain 'escape' clauses if local officials change their minds. —In communities where the OPP have taken over policing, there has been little flack received from local citizens. —While municipal officials have no direct say in policing, they have accountability by taking requests or complaints through the OPP chain of com- mand, right through to the Solicitor General. —OPP officers would be assigned to duties within the towns only and would not leave unless emergency situations arose that required their assistance elsewhere. —Present members of municipal forces would be ab- sorbed into the OPP as long as they met the minimum requirements. They would be Option dropped on day care site With little hope of getting approval for a Day Care Centre this year, Exeter council will not renew their option on the former Warehouse owned by Don Webster on Victoria St. Council had optioned the building last fall and applied for a grant, but the application was late in arriving and most of the provincial funds had already been allotted. Indications are that there is a slim chance for approval of the Exeter project. Reeve Derry Boyle said it may be two years before money is available, of Huron. Park. Stephen reeve Cecil Desjar- dine assured Huron Park residents that in case of an emergency the Exeter fire department would be available on a standby basis. In their agreement with Stephen, ODC will continue to maintain the fire hydrants and alarm call boxes and provide a building to house the present fire fighting equipment which will be turned over to the township. Fire alarms will be channelled to the central heating plant where personnel are on duty around the clock. At the first meeting held towards the cost of any deficits on a pro-rgted basis depending on e nurnber,i;oNreaklents, franc, each community in residence. By approving this agreement, Monday, Exeter council opened the way for all seniors in the three communities to be judged on an equal basis. "We have to look at this carefully," Reeve Derry Boyle explained, noting that criticism would be levelled at council if Exeter residents were not allowed to acquire ac- commodation and township residents were. He also predicted that while the number seeking accommodation at the present may not overflow the facility, the experience has been that once people start to move in, a stampede starts. "It's not an easy decision to make," Councillor Ted Wright hired at salaries equivalent to their present salaries or possibly one step higher. —Personnel absorbed into the OPP could remain in their present locations if they were found to be suitable for these positions and if local councils - please turn to page 3 Wednesday attended by close to 200 residents O'Neill said, "the onus is not on ODC to provide this protection. It's not in our lease. We have to help ourselves." Reeve Desjardine said he felt the township had a moral obliga- tion to provide fire protection. He added, "We protect all other areas and Huron Park should be no exception. But if you want ex- tra services you must be prepared to pay for them." ODC was not represented at Wednesday's meeting although Huron MPP Jack Riddell said they were in the area but were —please turn to page 3 stated, but added that the facility should be available for those showing . the greatest need, whether they were Exeter or township residents. Noting that Exeter was at- tempting to foster more co- operation between area municipalities on such matters as recreation and waste disposal, Mayor Bruce Shaw said this move would suffer if Exeter shut out residents from the two --please turn to page 3 Three applicants for dog catcher Exeter will apparently join forces with Stephen Township in controlling dogs. A report given this week by Councillor Lossy Fuller indicated the two communities were working together in the hiring of a dog catcher. The advertisement placed by Stephen did not indicate the person to be hired would serve both communities and the discussion in this regard was never held at an open meeting of Exeter council. However, Mrs. Fuller said this week that she and Councillor Harold Patterson had been in- vited to sit in on interviews with candidates who had responded to the Stephen advertisement. Stephen township clerk Wilmar Wein said this week that three applications had been received for the position of dog catcher. Members of the Huron County Board of Education gave themselves a pay raise Monday but members were divided on the amount of the increase. After considerable discussion, by a vote of nine to six, the monthly trustee salary was set at $300. They previously received $150 per month. Under the new Ontario legisla- tion the Huron Board with about 12.000 students under their jurisdiction could receive as much as $400 per month for each member. Goderich trustee Dorothy Wallace opened the discussion and opposed any increase for board members. She said the proposed increase was of ex- treme concern to her. "It will create a had image with our ratepayers. The in- crease will make little dint on our 14 million dollar budget but it's the image I'm concerned about," she added. Marian Zinn of Lucknow sup- A committee has been named to study the future of Exeter's town hall, and indications are that their deliberations should be most interesting. In presenting the names of seven people to sit on the com- mittee, Mayor Bruce Shaw in- dicated there were differing opinions represented. He said some of the people were in favor of saving the town hall at any cost, while others would like to see it totally razed. Shaw suggested that the terms of reference for the committee be left wide open and also that they be empowered to add members if they see fit. It's a fitting topic for the people of the town," he said. Councillor Garnet Hicks suggested a time limit be placed on the deliberations, and council agreed to ask the committee to have their report filed by the end of May. Members of the committee are Val Gould, Doug Gould, Art Whilsmith, Doug Robbins, Ben Hoogenboom, Pat Fletcher and Joyce Monteith. Also named was a committee to study Exeter's house numbering system. ported Mrs. Wallace saying "we'll get a lot of flak if we raise our pay too much." Mrs. Wallace continued "I don't think trustees should be paid. But there's enough politican in me that I will accept a compromise." She proposed an increase of $75 per month to $225. Trustee Clarence McDonald of Exeter commented "I have to support the ladies. I worked for nothing on the old board." To this Molly Kunder replied, "It's a paying job as set out by the government. Vice-chairman Herb Turkheim said he was in favour of the pay raise due to a heavy workload. He added "Last year I attended more than 70 meetings, if that amount of work isn't worth $300 per month we shouldn't be trustees." Mrs. Wallace proposed the $225 increase but this was follow- - please turn to page 3 Last year's council had ap- proved such a committee, but no action had been taken on the matter. Named were Iry Armstrong, Dennis Hockey, Olga Davis and Carol Arthur. They too will be empowered to add members, The need for a study was suggested by Councillor Ted Wright who noted that several homes did not have numbers and it made it difficult to find them in emergency situations. Other members had also noted the wide spread between num- bers on the same block. Mayor Shaw said this week there was a gap of 27 numbers between his number and that of his next-door neighbor and this made it difficult for out-of-town people to find local addresses. Open bids for sewer Aztec Contractors Ltd., London submitted the low bid on Exeter's sewer project. The bids were opened in Toronto Thursday, and Clerk Eric Carscadden and Works superintendent Glenn Kells at- tended the session with ministry officials. Carscadden said the low bid was $713,000. The highest bid was slightly over $1,100,000, There were 12 bidders for the project. Carscadden estimated the total cost of the project would be in the neighbourhood of $800,000 when engineering fees were included. He said about $50,000 of this may be forgiven. This would still leave the figure about $140,000 over that which the OMB had previously approved and council will have to detail how they plan to raise this ad- ditional amount, , Carscadden said it could be done through the mill rate, frontage charges, sewer sur- charge or by increased hookup fees. The ministry will have three months to approve the tender, and if the OMB approves Of the extra funds above the $636,000 already okayed, the project could then proceed. Council learned that When the original amount was approved for debenture issue, the interest rate was eight and one quarter percent. It is now 10 percent. Architect will design cost office alterations One Hundred and Second Year Police officials study report, move to OPP gets most talk PROTEST FIRE PROTECTION LOSS — A large number of Huron Park residents attended a meeting Wednesday to protest the dissolvement of the full-time fire brigade by the Ontario Development Corpora- tion, In later developments this week HP residents have accepted a volunteer brigade as established by Stephen township. T-A ohoto. Township residents receive equal chance at senior units EXETER, ONTARIO, FEBRUARY 20, 1975 PANCAKE BONANZA -- Danny Alton, London and area Timmy, gets lots of syrup poured on his stack of pancakes by CPPL-Radio celebrity Bill Brady, Brady was in charge of flipping the flapjacks in the kitchen, but took time to make Danny's just right, With them are Danny's parents Sam and Yuksel Altan.T-A photo Price Per Copy 25 Cents School trustees double salaries Town hall committee represents all views.