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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1975-12-04, Page 11 i I I I *No PROPOSED ALEXANDER ST. EXTENSION j tdi.stm sr, DESIGNATED STREETS SYSTEM t j Arterial Roads - Community Collector Roads Local Access Roads Town honors. women. for community deeds Bankrupt Hall Lamp settles with UAW entire court procedure for a complete reimbursement. "If we had pursued the matter through the courts, the litigation would have lasted for another two to three years", he said,"Secon- dly it would have been a precedent-setting case, had We won it, The Supreme Court of Canada had already ruled against a bankruptcy action involving employee claims for lost pay, We would have had to prove that the original intention of the company was to bring about a complete plant shutdown without notice to employees." His third reason was related to the time factor of legal procedure, how many of the employees would have still been available to accept their com- pensation, and how much of the money would have been worth in another three years, given the current rate of inflation, According to findings shared by the UAW and the Department of Labour, represented by Jim Fleming, the complete shutdown of the plant was done without proper notice to the employees. Under the Employment Stan- dards Act, a company must give its employees 13 weeks notice before a permanent shutdown. If the shutdown occurs before that time, the company is obligated to pay its workers up to 13 weeks severance pay plus all vacation pay owing to them. Hall Lamp gave no such notice, preferring to term the shutdown a "tem- porary layoff" at that time, No severance or vacation pay was ever received by the employees, The original claim by the UAW for $500,000 represented the amount of monies owing to the Marion Fletcher was com- mended for her work with both the young and the old* For many Years she lead a senior young peoples Sunday School class at the United Church and counselled and helped a great many young folk. The mayor recognized her as being an unassuming person who moves quietly in the com- munity helping wherever she can. Many youngsters interested in sports have been inspired and assisted through the fourth recipient of the honor, Ruth Durand. She has conducted a bowling program for many years for children and has been active in every phase of recreation in Exeter. Her interests also lap over to assisting the senior citizens whenever possible. In commemoration of the event, the ladies were presented with plaques by the mayor, and with a bouquet of red roses by Deputy-reeve Tom McMillan. This week is International Women's Week in Exeter and at a banquet given by the council Tuesday night, four women were honored for their outstanding contributions to the community. They were Marianne McCaffrey, Ruth Durand, Marion Fletcher and Elizabeth Schroeder. Marianne McCaffrey was singled out because of her ac- complishments in the field of music. She has been instrumental in producing many musical productions in the area for several years. She is also the director of music at Exeter United Church, As librarian for Exeter library Elizabeth Schroeder received the h onor of being chosen because of the effort she puts into her work and the help she gives to others, In speaking of her, Mayor Bruce Shaw states, "The library would not be what it is today without her services," Two years after the Hall Lamp Company of Canada Ltd., for- merly located in Huron Park, closed down due to bankruptcy, the 400 employees who worked there are finally going to receive some ' compensation for severance and holiday pay that they had never been paid. The average individual portion will amount to about $250. Those with claims can call the UAW Local 1620 office in London. Last week, Bob Nickerson, representative for UAW in- ternational announced that the union had been successful in reaching a $100,000 settlement with the trustees in receivership of the bankrupt Hall Lamp Company, which will go towards compensation to all of the hourly and salaried employees who had worked there. In an interview Thursday with the T-A, Nickerson said that 200 phone calls had already been received regarding claims. He could not say how long it would be before actual cheques could be distributed because the amount owing to each employee will vary according to pay rates and hours worked and must be calculated by a joint committee of trustees, the Department of Labour and the UAW. The settlement for $100,000 was one-fifth of the original claim put forth to the Department of Labour by local 1620 of the UAW. The settlement was reached out of court and according to Nickerson, was "about the best that the union could have hoped for." Nickerson listed three reasons for the out-of-court settlement, rather than going through the FOUR WOMEN HONORED -- Four women were honored for loyal and irreplaceable service to the town of Exeter Tuesday night at the annual dinner for council and town committees, held at the Burkley Restaurant. Each woman received a plaque and a dozen red roses.From the left;MarianneMcCaffrey,Mayor Bruce Shaw, Ruth Durand, Marion Fletcher and Elizabeth Schroeder. T-A photo Price Per Copy 25 Cents One Hundred and Third Year employees based on the 13 week severance rate and vacation pay, which worked out to about $1250 per worker. Nickerson stated that although each employee would only receive about $250 as a result of the union action, the fact that the UAW was able to reach a settlement with the company is significant and may affect future bankruptcy actions by workers unemployed with no notice given. One of the problems involved with a bankruptcy action is that there are usually other creditors involved, The trustees in receivership, or the body that takes over responsibility for a company's assets, has a great deal of the decision-making authority involved in setting up a priority list of creditors. In the case of Hall Lamp, there were many creditors and there was some question as to what priority the workers would have had once the assets of Hall Lamp were liquidated and distributed. In a possible payment scheme projected by the trustees and accepted by the Department of Labour, the union would have been able to recover only 50 percent of the claim, or about $250,000 had its case been com- pletely successful in the courts. In his account of what took place over those two years since the plant originally shut down, Nickerson stressed that the bankruptcy occurred due to manipulation by those in control, rather than by "accident". According to Nickerson, Harry Hirsch, president of the com- pany, and an American citizen, had been involved in several manipulations which helped to bring about the eventual downfall of Hall Lamp. He said that Hirsch had been refused price increases for parts made at the plant for the big four American auto com- panies. Hirsch was interested in obtaining a source of new funds for his company, which was an off-spring of a Detroit firm he was also involved in, Leader International Industries Inc. According to Nickerson when Hirsch could not pick up a price increase for Hall Lamp, he at- tempted to "lure" Chrysler Corp, into buying stocks in the com- pany, While the deal was still underway, "Hirsch began bid- ding against the stock to drive the price up. When Chrysler got wind of it, they told him to go to hell," Nickerson Said. At that point, Nickerson said, Hirsch decided to shut down the plant temporarily, hoping that when the auto companies couldn't get needed auto parts from Hall Lamp, that they would agree to pay a higher price for Please turn to page 3 EXETER, ONTARIO, DECEMBER 4, 1975 • il i'„', Ice er . First reading for official plan Once the meeting has been held, "The northeast sector of town council is free to give second and has a development capacity of third readings to both the plan 1200 people or about a fifth of the Upon a recommendation from the town planning board, Exeter Council passed the first reading of the revised official plan for the town of Exeter and a new restricted area or zoning, by-law at the regular meeting Monday night. The most significant factor included in the revised official plan is a recommendation by the consultants, Damas and Smith Ltd., that Alexander St, be ex- tended to become a secondary or "collector road", to serve the traffic requirements in the northeast sector of town. Plans would have Alexander St. extend to the east, then to the south, and finally to the east again, even- tually linking up with Rosemont, a street that will run south from Highway 83 when construction is completed. Under the Ontario Municipal Act, the town must now provide the public with copies of the of- ficial plan and the new by-law. They are currently on display at the new town offices, formerly the post office. A public meeting will be held on Thursday, December 18 at 8:00 p.m. in council chambers, to hear any objections to be proposed revisions to the official plan. Grant gets approval, will go to town half P.U.C. won't get share of fees town's potential population", he said. There are two potential land use areas in that area, industrial and residential. Present development has created a land- locked situation up there. Without entrances, that area will be land- locked." He said that the engineering consultants hired by council and the town planning board had looked at three alternatives with regard to providing another collector or road, but had decided on Alexander St. for a number of reasons. He said that the street would provide a "buffer between the residential and industrial land in the area. Shaw went on to say that because and the by-law,after any pertinent amendments have been made. At that time, the plan will be sent to the OMB for their approval as well as other government ministries involved. Any carry- over public objections can be sent to the OMB at that time and if the board feels that they are warranted it can move for another public hearingin Exeter. After that public hearing, final approval can be given to the zoning by-law and the revised official plan. Mayor Shaw gave a summary of the major proposals to council and explained why Alexander St. had been chosen as an additional collector road, was whether the town was prepared to go ahead with ex- penditures of $3,000, as promised for repairing the belfry which was taken down two weeks ago. Mayor Shaw answered this question by noting that the cost for bringing the belfry down, including rental for the crane, scaffolding and labour totalled $3,650, "That $3,000 would be spent already. We would have to look ahead to the 1976 budget to consider repairs", he said. Reeve Derry Boyle said that it was unfortunate that the bill from B. Phillips Construction was so high but felt that the respon- sibility for the bill fell back on council. The majority of the cost, which had originally been estimated at $1,000, was for labour. The work crew from Please turn to page 3 WHERE'S ALL THE SNOW, MOM — When Mark and Jeff Burton took to the "slopes" Tuesday in their miniature ski-doo they expected to see lots of the white, cold stuff. Unfortunately, some mean man who obviously doesn't like cute little kids, had salted the sidewalk along Main St. and the whole thing turned out to be a dry run. T-A photo $74,000 grant helps low income families most of the land in that area is still relatively undeveloped, it would he easier to bring the street up to the standards of a community collector road. Three other streets were considered as possible collector roads. Rosemont was ruled out because of industrial conflicts. The consultants felt that truck traffic from Highway 83, serving the industrial area, would in- terfere with Rosemont if it were a collector road. Secondly it did not provide direct access to Main St., a primary consideration in choosing a route. Pryde Boulevard was ruled out because it, too, would not provide direct access to Main St, Riverside Drive was also ruled out because it involved an extension to Main St. and the additionof rnoretraffic , " The restricted area by-law, which defines zoning within town limits, is also available at the post office for public scrutiny. Essentially, it defines the various zones, residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural, in more precise terms than in the past. Residential zoning has been broken down into several parts, R-1, single family, duplex, and triplex housing, R-2, town- houses, R-3, apart- ment buildings, and R-4, for mobile home parks. Commercial has been broken down into three categories, C-1, which is current commercial development in the core area of town, C-2, highway commercial, located at the north end of town, and C-3, or local commercial for corner groceries, or neigh- borhood stores. Industrial zoning has also been broken down into three categories M-1, potential in- dustry, M-2, current industrial use, and M-3, restricted in- dustrial use. The green belt designated on the map of the official plan, is agricultural land and has not been broken down into designations. Mayor Shaw commenting on the plan and new by-law, said, "I think that there is enough flexibility to incorporate good by- laws within the plan." • The fund covers costs for in- terior plumbing, heating, or electrical work and exterior painting and repairs that are not cosmetic. The scheme is a combination grant-loan program with the amount of grant or loan deter- mined by a sliding scale geared to an applicant's income. For instance, an applicant earning less than $3,000 a year can receive an OHRP gift grant of $4,000 maximum, Anything borrowed over that amount ($7,500 is the maxinium loan- grant per family) is repayed without interest. For families earning more than $3,000 the repayable portion of OHRP borrowings is repaid at interest rates increasing ac- cording to income up to a maximum of eight percent. For more information; please turn to the Grand Bend section of the Times-Advocate. Mayor Bruce Shaw announced to Exeter Town Council Monday night that the $11,400 LIP grant which had been designated for repairs to the town hall had been okayed by the federal govern- ment, despite the fact that council was unable to come up with $22,800 to match the grant as originally proposed. Bob McKinley, M,P., Huron- Middlesex made the an- ' nouncement to Shaw sometime last week. The citizens' Town Hall Committee was present at the meeting and welcomed the news with a request to council that they be allowed to canvass • the town for donations to help with repairs which would covcer costs of materials. According to the information before the mayor, the LIP grant could only cover labour costs, as it is a "winter works program" to provide jobs in the area. Several councillors felt that the citizens' committee should hold off on canvassing for additional funds until it had been deter- mined how the LIP grant would be spent. Coun. Ted Wright felt that an architect would have to be hired for consultation purposes. "It would be a must if any changes were to be made to the structure", he said. Doug Gould, chairman of the citizens' committee countered Wright's suggestion with the statement that no plans for radical structural changes had been made, and that the com- mittee would be'concentrating on repairs to the outside of the building, "I can't see where an architect is necessary when we are only going to make some minor physical changes", he told council. Reeve Derry Boyle reminded council that the mandate given to the committee was to bring the building back to reasonable use, and not "to attempt to restore it to its original condition in 1887, Gould's next question to council It may sound like you are ex- pelling gas to pronounce the letters, but OHRP is ready to cough up $74,000 to low income families in Exeter for home improvements. OHRP, part of the Ministry of Housing, stands for Ontario Housing Rehabilitation Program, and applies to families with in- comes of $12,500 or less. According to Chuck McMurry, OHRP supervisor for South- Western Ontario, Exeter's town council is eligible for a $37,000 grant for 1975-76 if they apply before April 1, Council can also apply for another $37,000 after that date to implement an OHRP fund for 1976-77, McMurry says council acts as a type of "junior mortgage company" through OHRP, providing funds from a "revolving account" to ap- plicants who want to upgrade properties but can't afford to. , Don t Forget The SANTA CLAUS PARADE Exeter Council turned down a request by the P.U.C. that a certain amount of town impost fees charged to subdividers be apportioned to the commission. Citing increased service, such as water mains, additional pump capacity, storage, and new wells as added expenditures to the commission whenever a sub- division expands, Hugh Davis, manager of the P.U.C. said in a ' letter to council, that impost fees charged by the commission would help to absorb expense for added service that would otherwise be charged to all town residents. Davis said that agreements between the com- mission and subdividers over administration of installation and service did not cover the water department, It was in this area that he felt impost fees should be charged. Commenting on his motion to refuse the request, Coun. Ted Wright said, "I don't think we should allow another' impost fee because we're trying to avoid direct taxation, while the P.U,C, is selling a service. They are in a position to recover costs through charges for service." Mayor Shaw said that he saw a difference between the P,U.C. and the town of Exeter, terming the P.V.C. !'essentially a profit- making organization," He also said that the town had rarely used the impost charge. Town clerk, Eric Carscadden, told council that he was aware of only one instance when the im- post fee had actually been charged, On a second request from the commission, that they be allowed to charge for Maintenance to fire hydrants located on private property, council agreed that fire hydrant maintenance was a town responsibility rather than a private one, The question was raised over three fire hydrants located in the Veri Mobile Home Subdivision. The town Of Strathroy was used as an example. There, "private areas are charged $135 afirivally and the maintenance and snow removal, etc. are the respon- sibility of The Owner of the property," according to 6 letter from the commission. IN EXETER Saturday, Dec. 6 Town to accept donation of land The subdivision and land use committee recommended to Exeter Council Monday night that the town accept a donation of land from Len Veri, owner of Veri subdivision rather than a monetary donation to the park fund. In a previous agreement between the town and Veri, the town was to receive either five percent of the value of the land being developed as in a prior development agreement with Veri, or five percent of the land, itself, The committee's recom- mendation came after con- sultations with the RAP com- mittee. The amount of land in- volved is .256 acres which will be turned into park land. The land's location has still not been determined, but yeti has been given the Option of donating land from another area in town that he 'owns rather than from the subdivision he is developing. An additional option would allow him to "swap" whatever piece was determined for use by the town at a later date if he found that he wanted to build there. This second option would be qualified by council's discretion to Make a trade. Exeter woman is injured in fall Mrs. Marion Fletcher had the misfortune to fall and break her arm as she was leaving the Burkley Restaurant after at- tending a banquet given by the Exeter Council, Tuesday night. She had just been recognized with three other women for the contributions they had made to the community in honor of International Women's Fear. Mrs. Pletcher is in South Huron Hospital where she is being treated. WISHFUL THINKING Christmas is coming and youngsters have the time -of their lives trying to figure out what they want. One of the best methods is window shopping and more and more thildren will be doing just that as the big day draws nearer and nearer. 14+ photo