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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1976-05-06, Page 1T-A photo by Leight Robinson. doctor received a silver cup and statue of a "wise old owl" as tokens of appreciation for 50 years of dedicc.ted service to the Exeter community. DR. MALCOLM FLETCHER was honored Saturday night at a testimonial dinner held on his behalf in the Exeter Legion Hall. Master of ceremonies for the occasion was his friend and colleague, Dr. Don Ecker, shown here with Mrs. Ecker, Mrs. Fletcher, and Dr. Fletcher. The 414:1;k14P. LIVIVIVV:V%1 tA) the scene and allowed to go home. or were taken back to Usborne Public School from where the bus had left only moments earlier. Const. Bill Lewis of the Exeter OPP was the investigating officer ntror and in his initial investigation report it was indicated that the accident resulted from a child SCHOOL BUS CRASHES — at least 32 pupils and the driver aboard an Usborne Public School bus were in- jured Tuesday when the bus left the road and hit a ditch. Although most of the injuries were described as "slight", Ann Vanderweil, driver of the bus, and Donna Keller, a pupil were admitted to South Huron Hospital with more serious injuries. T-A photo by Fred Youngs. Council looks at restructuring People and events TENNIS ANYONE? interested residents of Huron Park are asking for your support to help form a tennis club. A meeting will be held Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Huron Park Fire Hall. LUCAN'S COMMUNITY TENNIS ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING, postponed from Wednesday, will be held Tues- day, May 11 at 8 p.m. at the Lucan arena. THE EXETER TENNIS CLUB will be registering members Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the tennis courts. RENOWNED CANADIAN ARTIST Coleman Bowman, from Elmira, will be at SHDHS May 8 with a variety of his paintings for sale. The show is open from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. and is sponsored by the Centralia UCW. THE NEW TOWN HALL was in the news for a change this week. It seems that sections of the roof, including the flagpole have been inspected and the judgement is that the whole roof should be replaced. Tenders will be called. It was reported that the flagpole was "three-quarters rotted through." THE TOWN OF EXETER will pay less for gas this year. An agreement has been reached with the Co-op, whereby the Town may get its gas for two cents below the going rate and will have its own gasoline pumps, available on a 24-hour basis. Reeve Derry Boyle stated that the new system for purchasing gas would cut down considerably on at least one facet of municipal bookeeping. COSTS TO THE EXETER PUC, involved with developing the Morgan Well as a second well site in Usborne have been es- timated at $70,000. It will mean additional debenturing for the utility even though the site is not required for about 10 years. According to manager, Hugh Davis, the well should probably be developed, as it is the only guarantee that the commission will have for a future water source at that site. Losing the well would mean putting in a $200,000 pipeline to some other well site in addition to the $200,000 pipeline planned for the Cudmore Well, which should be operating in a year's time. GETTING SET FOR THE RIDE to Granton for the Luton Great Family Ride for Cancer are Brad De craw, •Connie M5Intyre, and Julie Avery. A group from Granton started at the same time Saturday afternoon and the two groups met somewhere in the middle. 104 persons participated in the ride which raised dose to $1,- 000 for cancer research. T-A photo. One Hundred and Third Year EXETER, ONTARIO, MAY 6, 1976 Price Per Copy 25 Cents 31 injured in school bus acci ent, School oar will investigate Fund-raising to begin • Council will back SHRCC After a few weeks of un- certainty, the • fund-raising machinery of the South Huron Recreation Center Committee is finally into high gear, after a decision from Exeter Council Monday night giving them the go- ahead to contact other municipalities to line up financial support for an arena and hall, Council also gave assurance that if fund-raising fell short of the projected goal of $500,000, the local community's estimated share of cost for the centre, that the town of Exeter would issue debentures to oover the costs. Grants from government are expected to cover the other $500,000 required for the project. Reeve Derry Boyle said that debenturing was probably the last thing that the town wanted to do but said that Council would accept this responsibility to guarantee successful completion Upon a request from developer Len Veri, Exeter Council has decided to turn over its by-law regarding impost fees on sub- divisions to its subdivision and land use committee for further study. Veri charged that he was being discriminated against by Council because he was being assessed the fee while other developers were not. Veri said that the problem stemmed from a letter he received from Council back in 1974, which staled that all sub- divided lots would be assessed impost fees in the future and advised that the Town was considering assessing the fees against lot severances, as well. Veri said that he proceeded to pay the $500 fee that he was charged by the town because he was under the impression that other developers were paying it, too. Mayor Shaw told Veri that the situations were different. In Veri's case, he said, a subdivision' was involved, while the other lot adjustments in question were severances which did not come • of the arena and hall. "We've already given the 0MB a debenture forecast of $250,000 for a recreation centre so they know about it", Boyle said. SHRCC had come to the meeting armed with a brief stating the priorities that they wished Cbuncil to consider in making a decision. Preceding a six point outline of action recommended by the committee, chairman John Stephens told Council, "We are of the opinion that Council feels that with these motions (to raised money for an arena and hall) you have made a firm commitment and spelled out very clearly the task of the South Huron Recreation Centre Committee. However, it has become apparent to our corn- mittee that there are several elements of uncertainty surrounding this project. On several occasions, individual council members have appeared to contradict the intent of the Council motions of April 5th." Stephens was referring to comments that had been made at the last Council meeting that the old arena should not be torn down, just in case the new arena was not built. After the Council meeting, Stephens appeared to be pleased by the stand taken by Council. Under the new Council motion passed Monday night, Council will appoint a building committee as outlined in the SHRCC brief. Two of the members of that committee will be direct representatives of Exeter Council. The committee will be empowered to engage an engineer or architect to draw up final plans for construction of an arena and hall. SHRCC is now authorized by Council to ap- proach other municipalities to line up financial support and Council will reserve the right to work out final arrangements for cost-sharing of both the capital cost and operational cost of the centre. Before the decision was made, Council voted to go into "Com- mittee of the Whole", excluding the public and press, in order to discuss the proposals of SHRCC. The motion was made by Counc. Ted Wright and carried when Barb Bell's abstention from voting was interpreted as an affirmative vote under Council's new procedural by-law, breaking a tie, A discussion ensued between Coun. Wright and Deputy-reeve, Tom MacMillan. "I don't think that we need to go into Com- mittee of the Whole", MacMillan said. "I don't see where we have anything to hide. An arena is something that the whole com- munity is interested in." Counc. Wright said that he favored a closed session of Council because recent reporting in the press of Council decisions regarding the new arena has been "one-sided". "Newspapers can err too,but I don't think they put words in our mouth that. we didn't say", MacMillan responded. The closed session lasted about 25 minutes. A final provision will be in- cluded in Council's motion at the recommendation of SHRCC, that the 0MB be advised of the plan for a centre and the possibility of municipal debenture for the project. Some committee members were concerned that without OMB approval, the new Council for '77-'78 would not be bound bythepresent Council's commitment to a recreation centre. Chief states news position Clarifying the position that his department is taking on the relationship between police and the press in relation to the reporting of offences, Chief Ted Day had this to say this week: "Lately there has been very much discussion in the newspapers about the press and police relationship. This has been in regards to persons charged and offences being put in the paper prior to court appearances. "Sometimes it is necessary for the police to withhold information from the press so that it will not interfere with police in- vestigation. Often certain facts must be kept secret until the investigation is complete." Sometimes outward ap- pearances give the impression of lack of interest. or inefficiency on the part of the police. The press in this day and age is very powerful. Its influence on the public is very great, therefore, there should be cooperation between the police and press so that one function does not hamper the other and yet allows the community to be informed of important events," Council's new motion on the arena brings to an apparent close doubts and uncertainty that had been raised in the past few weeks regarding the construction of a centre. At the last Council meeting, a motion had been passed to send letters to other municipalities requesting sup- port for an arena and hall. The motion had replaced an earlier one that provided for Exeter Council to meet directly with municipalities to determine financial support for an arena and hall plus the possibility of another facility, such as a swimming pool, Now the SHRCC , will be empowered to meet with those municipalities to see if there would be at least some support for the- arena and hall as proposed by Exeter Council. Two municipalities, Hensall and Grand Bend, voted on the letter of request sent by Exeter Council Monday night. Both turned down a proposal for an arena, 30 pupils were injured Tuesday afternoon, including school .bus driver, Ann Vanderweil, 60, of Exeter, when a child aboard the bus apparently distracted her, causing the bus to leave the.road and enter a ditch. Mrs. Vanderweil was admitted to South Huron Hospital along with Donna Keller, 11, of RR 3, Exeter. Mrs. Vanderweil is reported in "satisfactory con- dition:' She reportedly suffered a broken knee, a concussion, and cuts to a leg. Donna Keller was released from hospital Wed- nesday. She received injuries to her neck and knee. Nancy ,Jef- frey, 10, of Hensall, sustained teeth injuries and was released from the hospital Tuesday night. The bus ended up in a ditch with the front end sticking up in the air and the rear end pushed into the ground. The frame appeared to be bent, the cowling at the front of the bus had been crumpled and the front wheels had been sheared off in the sudden mishap. The accident occurred on Huron St. East, just P lt miles from No. 4 Highway. Several of the other children who had been passengers on the bus were also treated and released from hospital the same day, while others were treated at Flowers of Hope campaign begins In Canada the second week in May is National Week for the Mentally Retarded. It's a time when focus is drawn to the tremendous advances these formerly forgotten Canadians are now making through positive training programs. The campaign is symbolized by the Flowers of Hope, the bright yellow packet of seeds. Mrs. Donna Greb, Zurich, chairman of the local campaign states that the 1976 goal is $8,000, a realistic objective she comments in view of the 75 results and the increased awareness of the work of the local association. All donations stay in the community to support the projects of the area organization. Trainees at ARC Dashwood supported by the campaign now total 41. They are bused to Dash- wood five days a week from an area encompassing Arkona, Egmondville and Londesboro. At this adult rehabilitation centre the trainees learn to develop the talents they possess and become capable, where possible, of engaging in . gainful employment either in the open market or in a workshop en- vironment. Spearheaded by Exeter United Church the Association is now involved as well in a residence housing four adults and a counsellor. This is its most recent project and one that was assisted by area citizens with time, materials and furnishings. The program at the residence is to foster a home-like situation so that the residents may develop social and housekeeping skills that may lead them to a less structured type of ac- commoda tion. The first project of the Association was Huron Hope Please turn to page On a motion presented by Exeter Reeve Derry Boyle, Huron County Council decided to postpone a decision on restruc- turing of County government until each local Council has had the o pportunity to look at and discuss the pending changes. Members of Huron County Council are considering the possibility of reducing its members from 45 to 29, but it isn't likely they will come to a decision until June at the earliest. A report of the local government study committee was tabled until the May session but council probably won't be ready to vote on the matter until the following meeting at the end of June. It was agreed at the April session, Thursday, April 29, to send a letter to all municipal councils in Huron asking for opinions concerning the feasibility of adopting Section 27 ca) of The Municipal Act which provides for a reeve for up, to 2,000 electors; a reeve and a deputy-reeve over 2,500 electors; the reeve with a second vote over 5,000 electors; and the reeve and the deputy reeve with a second vote over 7,500 electors. _What's more, Jim Mair of Morris township, hopes that there will be time for the Huron County people to express (heir opinion on the matter either by delegations to councils or by speaking directly to elected of- ficials in their municipalities. In the report of the committee chaired by Warden Jack McCutcheon, it was noted that in 1975, the population in Huron was 54,671. Based on that figure, council has at the present time a member of council for each 1,437 people. If Section 27 (a) was adopted, there would be one New county ensign to fly With any luck at all, the County of Huron will be flying its own ensign by the first of July this year. The property committee of Huron County Council reported Thursday it has ordered 114 ensigns - 27 " x 54" at a total cost of $2.078.22 from Gamester Advertising Service Limited. The blue and white ensign hearing the county crest and the trillium was the design agreed upon follom ing a flag contest in Huron last year. The flag manufacturer has modified the design somewhat to facilitate production. The flags will be for sale throughout the county for about $ 20 each member of council for each 1,885 people. Presently , there are 56 votes in council, an average of one vote for each 976 people, or 2.15 votes per municipality, or 1.24 votes per member. Under the system proposed, there would be 30 votes in council, an average of one. vote for each 1,822 people, or 1.15 votes per municipality, or 1,03 votes per member, "Many believe in the principle of one person, one vote," Warden McCutcheon said in his report. "tinder our present represen- tation there are 11 members with two votes each. At the present time if Section 27(a) were adopted, there would be only one member of council with two votes." The most interesting aspect of the proposal as far as the majority of council members was concerned, was the suggestion that between $25,000 and $30,000 could be saved in one year if the number of representatives on council was decreased. , The report noted that based on the present rates being paid to council for a full day session, the present cost is $2,402.18 per- Session, On an average of $53.38 per member per session. Using this average cost per member, for 29 members the cost per session would be $1,548.02 — or a saving of $854.1.6 per session, distracting the bus driver. Apparently a window of the bus was opened by the child, allowing air and dust to blow through the vehicle and some of the dust apparently went into the driver's eves. The bus was west-bound towards town about a quarter- mile away from the school when the accident occurred. Const. Lewis reported that several of the teachers at the school who had been at a meeting, rushed to the scene and applied first aid. "Persons Avho tame to^the. Stole' very effectively handled the incident", Lewis said. The teachers had found most of the seriously injured and had them ready to be transported by the time the ambulances from Hoffman Ambulance Service of Dashwood had arrived, several moments after the accident. Huron County Board of Education will conduct an in- vestigation of the accident. Protest zoning changes Heading a delegation of con- cerned ratepayers from the north end of William St. in Exeter, Gus Gregus told Council Monday night that he thought that it was unfair that property be zoned commercial in that area when almost everyone who lived there wanted it residential. Before the official plan was given first reading by Council, Gregus had informed Council that he wanted the lots zoned commercial. After the plan had received first reading, Gregus changed his mind and decided that he wanted to build homes on his lots and requested a change back to residential at the first official plan meeting. The matter had come before Council againjust two weeks ago and Council had decided to keep the commercial designation on the area. The reasons given at that time were that they were powerless to change a zoning designation once it had been incorporated into the official plan. Coun. Hicks had disagreed with the Council decision, claiming that llamas and Smith, the planning consultants hired by the town had advised that the change could still be included. Hicks' concern was that "a great deal of unnecessary red tape" could result from Council's refusal to grant zoning changes before the official plan had ac- tually been given final approval by Council and the OMB. A petition signed by most of the residents in the area was left with town solicitors, Raymond and McLean, and indicated that they were upset with the commercial zoning. Mrs. Elmer Willis, a resident of the area who had discovered that two of her residential lots had been changed to commercial, told Council that she had written a letter to the Iowa. protesting the change back in March. No one on Council, however, could remember seeing the letter. "All I want is a building permit so that I can build a house", Gregus told Council. Please turn to page 3 Veri charges impost fee discriminates under the impost fee. At a later date, Council had decided against impost fees for lot severances. Veri responded that he could not see a great deal of difference between a severance and a subdivision, especially when only five lots were involved. "When someone makes nine severances, it creates nine new housing units" Veri said in describing severance activities which have been taking place in the vacinity of where his five lots are located. "Why should I have to pay an extra $500 for my'five lots?", he asked. "The only way that you could build on those five lots was byway of a plan of subdivision," Reeve Boyle remarked. He reminded Veri that his lots had been required to he subdivided by the Ministry of Environment before they could be sold, and that it had not been a 'decision of Council. Veri reiterated his original claim that the letter from Council had left him with the impression that all developers were paying the impost fee on developed lots, regardless of subdivision or severance status. *2406V.MISARAMMOM .:.7FEE:1:1".31NMASAMIeltrTIM.'" ' rTMIONAM.