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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-11-25, Page 1A HELPING HAND — Explorer leader Ann Cann helps Diane Zachar with her uniform prior to the start of Saturday's bazaar sponsored by the Exeter United Church Women. T-A photo $64,000 to go! South Huron Recreation Centre - Donations.this week Harvey, Donna and Penny Smith 100 Ron, Pat, Susan and Bill Crawford 200 Interested Citizen 100 Laverne Stone 50 Allen Berry 100 Gary D. Parsons 100 Mr. & Mrs. Bill Hooper 100 Mr. & Mrs. Craig Webber 40 Harvey, Lois and Mona Hodgins 100 Anonymous S 10 30 A Friend S 11 25 Dalton Noels 5 Anonymous S 1 200 Anonymous S 2 500 Anonymous S 3 200 Anonymous S 4 100 Anonymous S 5 100 Anonymous S 6 100 Anonymous S 7 25 Anonymous S 8 100 Anonymous S 9 25 Anonymous 100 Anonymous 100 Mr, & Mrs. Wayne King and family 100 50 Earl, Marilyn Miller and family 100 Mr. & Mrs. Tom Hern Jr. and family 100 Hern Farms 400 Fred and June, Brenda, Charlotte and Karen Miller Anonymous UA 20 Interested Usborne Citizen UA 21 Interested Usborne Citizen UA 22 AnonyMous Usborne UA 23 Anonymous Usborne UA 24 Interested Usborne Citizen UA 25 Jack Essery & Son Drainage Anonymous UB 3 Farmer Mrs. Gretta Prout Anonymous UB 4 Anonymous UB 5 A Friend UB 6 David & Donna Prout Interested Person UB 7 Interested Family UB 8 Joey Fahie Doug, Judy, Jamie and Jason McBride Interested Family UB 9 Anonymous UB 10 Anonymous UB ,11 Paul and Dorothy Steve and Chris 1- .Rat, Liz Horne and girls - 100 100 250 25 25 30 250 100 10 200 100 5 50 5 100 2 50 10 150 75 25 100 200 200 CO-OP AWARD — Jack Schell, manager of the Exeter District Co- operative for the past eight years was honoured Tuesday night. Above, UCO district manager Bill Deyell, right, p'resents a 30 year service award. Schell began his Co-op career in ppilsley in 1946. T-A Photo , Anticipate settlement on teacher salaries e elteferciMinesabuocafe One Hundred and Fourth Year EXETER, ONTARIO, NOVEMBER 25, 1976 Price Per Copy 25 Cents INSPECTS ROTTEN BEAM — A large number of the trusses and beams from the recently ,demolished Exeter arena were badly ,deteriorated. Above, arena manager Alvin Willert checks one of the rotten beams. T-A Photo •_Southcott denies accusation over ark MPP Jack Riddell and Don Southcott, who locked horns in the provincial by-election in 1973 (won by Riddell) are involved in ' a controversy over the recent Ontario government donation of Severn Park to Grand Bend for recreational purposes. Riddell questioned on Tuesday whether there was a connection between the government tur- nover of the 28 acre park south of Grand Bend and the recent After a delay of several months, restoration will again commence on the town hall which is being restored by the Exeter and District Heritage Foun- dation. According to Doug Gould, the slow down of work was caused by the delay in receiving the official stipulations as to how and when the $47,100 grant from Ontario Heritage Foundation would be handled. Last week, three committee members, Mr, Gould, Art Whilsmith and Bill Huntley were in Toronto meeting with officials of the Ontario Heritage Foun- dation and one of the stipulations laid down by that group was that the local organization retain an architect to oversee all aspects of the' restoration. Brian Garrett of the Stratford architectural firm of Kyles and Garrett has subsequently been hired and he, working with town and country planner Nick Hill of Goderich, will guide all restoration work in the future. Expanded police ac- commodation and a heating system are the first priorities and today Mr. Garratt and Mr. Hill are meeting with police chief Ted Day to study two proposed floor plans before going before the town council's police corn- mission, Recently, another group from the local Foundation travelled to purchase of an adjacent parcel of land by Southcott, The Huron-Middlesex MPP put his question to Natural Resources Minister Leo Bernier, who denied there was any connection. A London Free Press story on Wednesday quoted Southcott as denying ownership of any property near the park. Contacted in Toronto, Wed- nesday, Riddell said that either Southcott was right or the Port Credit to view the town hall there which had been restored with the help of grants from the Ontario Heritage Foundation. Those who made this ex- pedition were Mrs. Joyce Mon- teith, Mrs. Melva Ecker, Mrs, Jennie Huntley and Marion Bissett, They reported that the Port Credit people were 'very pleased' with the way the Ontario Heritage Foundation had helped them with their restoration. Demolition of the Exeter arena is quickly being completed and it appears as if the structure was in a much worse condition than most people thought. Several of the trusses taken from the roof of the main arena structure were rotten at the ends and they could be hollowed out by hand for several inches. In fact, arena manager Alvin Willert said one truss was rotted out for more than a foot. He commented, "A small dog could have hidden in their quite nicely." Willert, who has been arena manager for the past 25 years said he was "amazed" with the assessment department was right, advising that a researcher had learned that Southcott purchased land near Severn Park about a month ago, although he said it had not yet been registered. In the Legislature, Riddell asked Mr. Bernier: "Would a factor in your decision (giving the park)have anything todo with the fact that a former executive assistant, known as Don South- cott, to the former treasurer, known as Charlie MacNaughton, within the last month purchased the adjacent lot to Severn Park", He went on to say that South- cott is a developer and that he wants to devlop the land for which severances have been turned down to this point in time. The MPP suggested that South- cott would be more likely to receive permission to develop his 97-acre parcej of land once the community centre is built and services installed. He said later he was going on rumors that Southcott wanted to develop the land, In his converstion with the T-A this week, Riddell said that his main concern was over the destruction of the trees in Severn Park by any development. He said he had many calls from area residents—many of them Con- servatives— suggesting it was a "crime" to give the park away. Riddell added that the province owned scrubland in the same area and he said this is the land that should have been donated to Grand Bend, He added that he wasn't con- cerned about what Southcott was planning as he was concerned about the loss of the fine oak and pine trees in Severn Park. Southcott, former editor of the T-A, provided this newspaper with a two-page statement on his involvement in the acquisition of Severn Park and said that since suspicion has been raised about his involvement, he would welcome any enquiry, meeting, discussion or forum or any other process by which any and all concerns can be clarified to the fullest extent possible. "I would be extremely disappointed if my strong ad- Advance polls this Saturday Advance polls will be open Saturday for all area municipalities conducting elections for any position on Monday, November 6. In most instances only one polling spot in each municipality will be open to receive votes from eligible voters. The Ontario Municipal Act states that, "the clerk of a municipality shall call an ad- vance poll on the Saturday nine days before the regular election day to receive the votes of electors who expect to be unable to vote on polling day. The Act allows for more than one advance polling day but it must be set by bylaw before nominations close. In most municipalities in this area, the advance polling booths on Saturday, November 27 will be held in the municipal offices. Santa parade is scheduled Exeter will have a Santa Claus parade after all! The Exeter and District CB Club have decided to organize the event and spokesman Gord Kirk said this week two bands have already been arranged and at least 20 floats have been promised. "Everyone's enthusiastic," he reported, adding that members felt there should be a parade for the children. It will be called "A Child's Christmas", Notices have been mailed out to all area businesses and organizations inviting par- ticipation. and prizes will be awarded for the best entries. The parade will be held on Saturday, December 11 and will commence at 10:00 a,m, from the Bethel Reformed Church area on Huron Street East. Kirk said three other CB clubs in the district have agreed to enter floats and will be assisting the local group in the organization of the event. condition of the trusses. He ad- ded, "They sure weren't as good as I thought they would be. I guess, the engineers knew what they were talking about," The arena manager continued, "One time I said I would have no fears at moving my family to centre ice to live, but I sure wouldn't say that now," Willert said four of the 1.1 trusses at the front of the ice surface broke in half when they reached a 45 degree angle when being brought down by a' crane. He added, "The trusses were made of cedar, I always thought the upper deck was constructed of fir, Many of the beams had cracks vocacy over the past several years of Severn Park as a community centre would hamper or hinder in any way the development of this site into what I believe would be an outstanding attribute to Grand. Bend and the Pinery community," he said. The resort developer explained that he was convinced that Severn Park is an extraordinary, outstanding, tremendous site for a tourism welcome centre with modest recreation facilities. It was suggested that at least 90 percent of the trees could be preserved, day camping facilities improved and vegetation already destroyed can be effectively restored, Southcott said a representative of the nearby Van Dongen sub- division should be named to the recreation facility steering committee and added that he does not believe a large hockey • arena or ball diamond should be erected on the site, simply because of the loss of trees. Huron County elementary school teachers are expected to hold a ratification vote early next week on a tentativeagreement for a 1976-77 contract with the Huron County Board of Education. The Board voted to ratify the agreement at a special meeting in Clinton on Monday evening. The new contract would cover about 360 elementary school teachers employed by the Huron Board. Those teachers could have gone on strike on November 13 following the release of a provincial fact-finders report November 3. According to that report the main points separating the sides were "money related" but no details will be released on the final agreement until it has been ratified. The fact-finders report in- dicated that the teachers were not satisfied with the over all financial offer made by the board initially and were concerned with allowances paid to principals of schools for the trainable retarded and vice-principals at other schools. Other areas of concern in- cluded the extension of the number of days of sick leave allowed, contributions to the staff improvement fund and the method of payment of a cost-of living allowance. At the time that report was released the teachers had rejected a board offer which included an eight percent salary increase, plus a 1.7 percent cost- of-living bonus. Spokemen for both sides have said the talks were amicable and the delay in settling was caused only by the inability to meet over the summer. Board chairman Herb running from where bolts and spikes had been driven in. This apparently is created from extra stress. Leonard Bourgeous, RR 3, Thamesford, who is in charge of the demolition said the roof over the gymnasium at the south end of the arena was in the poorest condition. Bourgeous said trusses in this area were badly bowed and any excess pressures could have caused them to give way. The contractor expects to have most of the demolition completed by the weekend except for bulldozing of some foundations. Most of the materials from the arena have been sold at the site. In reference to an arena, he said he does not feel the Grand Bend community can support its on-going maintenance and operational cost and it should work with Thedford for con- struction of an arena. "For Severn Park, I personally see an outdoor artificial ice skating trail winding around the trees and covered with an at- tractive canopy to keep out the rain and snow " he said. Beyond that lie envisions walking paths, smaller court facilities and perhaps a modest clubhouse for the community.. In his statement, Southcott no ted that the Grand Bend Lions had been interested in buying property from his firm north of Grand Bend, but he had en- couraged them not to spend their money on property, but rather make one last effort to secure Severn Park. "I think it is fair to say that no one was more happy, or more — Please turn to Page 5 Turkheim said Tuesday he felt the release of the fact-finder's report may have brought the two sides together sooner, He added he thought both sides would be satisfied with the new agreement. Under the old agreement, teachers received a starting salary from $8,400 to $12,400, depending on qualifications. Teachers with 10 years' ex- perience got from $16,100 to $21,900. Principals received a minimum $11,400 and a maximum, after four years, of $29,200. For that contract, the elementary school teachers were given a 29.9 percent increase. If the collective agreement is ratified by the teachers associations Monday, Mr. Turkheim said, the two sides can begin negotiations for the 1977-78 contract early in the new year, Total to date $190,324,44 Work on town hall soon on track again Arena trusses rotten It was in bad shape! It FIRE BRIGADE EXECUTIVE — The Exeter volunteer fire department has recently raised funds to purchase two wheelchairs for use by area residents. Above, fund chairman, Frank Brintnell tries out one of the chairs. He is flanked by fire chief Gary Middleton and captain Don Cowan. At the back are platoon chief Ray Smith, deputy-chief Don Wells, fire prevention officer John Morgan, captain John Wraight and platoon chief Bill Musser, T-A Photo Bendix layoff hits 62, adds to Huron totals Sixty-two employees at Bendix Home Systems Ltd. in Hensall were laid off Wednesday. The employees worked in the mobile home plant. Company spokesman Alec MacDonald said he had no idea at the present time how long the layoffs would be in effect, but emphasized it was temporary and hoped the workers would be recalled "very soon". He explained that the plant has been affected by extremely tough market conditions for the past two years. Several workers were laid off in June of this year, most, were later recalled. Mr. Mac- Donald said the firm was ex- ploring new markets to regain production levels. The 62 employees represent almost half the 135 workers at the mobile home plant. No layoffs were instituted in the recreational vehicle plant. Plant shutdowns and layoffs have been hitting Huron County harder than they have for several years, according to county development officer Spence Cummings. In the last month, two firms have closed and others have laid off more than 100 workers, with that total not including the Bendix employees. The closings at Textral Fibres Ltd. in Goderich at the end of October and at Barton Tubes Ltd. in Vanastra in early November threw a total of 95 people out of work, A total of 75 employees were laid off at Dominion Road Machinery Ltd. in Goderich due to a lag in their market. Mr. Cummings said he is waiting to hear how the federal government's make-work program, promised recently by Finance Minister Donald Mac- ' donald, will affect the county. He also hopes the area will be in- cluded in plans to decentralize federal government offices, He said both Ottawa and the Home ownership is made difficult Exeter developer Gib Dow wondered aloud this week if there was any way Exeter could with- draw from the senior levels of government. He made the comment at Wednesday's ratepayers' meeting, but quickly answered his only suggestion with the thought it was "probably a dream". He indicated he was concerned with all the demands placed on subdividers by governments, Dow said governments have so many controls and demands to protect the buying public, that the public can't afford to buy property. "The dream of home ownership for young people is just about done," he told the audience. provincial government should move to encourage industry. "The whole economy needs a kick in the fanny to get the thing going again." Despite the tight job market situation, the outlook is encouraging for the county, Mr. Cummings said. It should take no more than six months to get a new company to take over the Textral plant in Goderich's in- dustrial park. There have already been several inquiries and a new owner may be found within a month, he said. Former mayor finds problems not solved "I'm amazed at all the problems, I was sure we solved them all in the 1940's," com- mented former Exeter Mayor B.W. Tuckey, who was chairman for last week's ratepayers' meeting at the Exeter Public School. His tongue-in-cheek comment came at the end of the meeting, and he noted that many of the frustrations he experienced as a council member were still evident with today's elected officials. He particularly decried the amount of interference from the senior levels of government, saying it may even be worse today than during his terms. Mr. Tuckey brought a chuckle from the audience when he said his sidewalk was bad when he entered municipal politics, but he didn't have the guts to make improvements. "It's still not done after 25 years and it disturbs me," he said. The former mayor said the meeting was the first he had attended in a number of years and said he was there "to do my homework". During the debate over the race track, Mr. Tuckey had made comments in which committee members suggested he hadn't done his homework on the matter. A proposal from Borg-Warner Ltd. to build a new plant em- ploying at least 30 persons in Goderich will also help. The plant will likely be manufacturing cooling equipment for automobiles, he said. The county's $135-million-a- year agricultural industry is also showing signs of expansion„ he said. While the number of people actually farming may drop, more farm-related service industries are starting up, including trucking, elevators and equipment sales and service.