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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1977-11-24, Page 1EXPLOSION SCENE — Two men were badly injured Saturday mor- ning when an explosion occurred in a rail tank car at the Dunline Divi- sion of Dunlop Industrial Limited, Huron Park. The injured workers are Bryan Finch and Harry Plantenga. The explosion ripped open a huge hole in the plant roof, as shown above. The top of the tank car on which the men were working is shown at the bottom of the photo. Plantenga was standing on the top of the tanker and Finch was work- ing inside. T-A photo Buy snowblower also police cruiser is in satisfactory condition in University Hospital. He suffered burns to 25 percent of his body, 'plus cuts and bruises, The two men were injured when the explosion occurred during the application of the internal coating of a 16,000 gallon rail tank car at the Dunline Division of Dunlop Industrial Limited. The explosion, which occurred around 10:30 a.m., startled residents throughont Huron Park. It ripped a 20-squere foot hole in the roof of .the Dunline plant located in one of the former RCAF hangars. Plantenga, who was standing on top of the tank car as a safety man, was knocked to the floor by the explosion. He sustained a bad wound to his head. His co-worker, Finch who was working i'nside the tank car, had all his clothing burned off and most of his body was burned with the exception of the area protected by the safety air mask he was wearing on his head. Finch managed to make his own escape from the tank car. The Huron Park division of the Stephen Township fire brigade responded to the alarm and assisted the victims prior to the A WHOPPER — Scott Bogart and Jeff Wareham faced an impossible task when they attempted to lift this huge squash, which had been judged the largest at this year's Royal Winter Fair. The entry weighed in at 406 pounds. T-A photo Fact finder reports distrust between oard, PS teachers In a report virtually identical to the study done on negotiations between the Huron County Board of Education and the local of the Ontario Secondary School Teacher's Federation, Professor J.W. Samuels of the Faculty of Law of the University of Western Ontario in a fact finder's report released last week, stated that negotiations between the board and the branch affiliates of the Federation of Woman's Teachers' Associations of Ontario and the Ontario Public School Men Teachers Federation had reached an impass due to a breakdown in communication. Samuels said in the report that he was convinced that both parties are equally to blame for the poor communications. He said it was the 'overall spirit' which was at fault, claiming the board has not heard what the teachers are sure they have said and the teachers have not heard what the board is sure it has said. 'In my view each party is sincerely convinced that it has explained its argument to the other and that it is willing to negotiate in good faith if only the other side would agree to do likewise,' Samuels reported. He added that the negotiations have been a 'dialogue of the deaf'. A third party chairman, agreeable to both sides said the avenue which the board and the teachers must pursue if negotiations are to be wor- thwhile, according to Samuels. This third party should open up the lines of communication, stated the report, In terms of salary, the board is using county economics as a basis for its argument on salary increases. It claims that the county per capita income is very low compared to surrounding counties and that the industrial compositex for Huron was low compared to its neighbors. The board argues that the incomes in the county are relevant in the consideration of the ability of the taxpayers in the county to pay teacher's salaries. On another bone of contention, the cost of living allowance, Samuels felt that logic as professed by the board, in that the cost of living affects the middle income wage earner less Please turn to page 3 Serving South Huron, North Middlesex Highway commercial curtailed Shopping centre helped Make final revisions on new , official plan A GOOD CROP — Lorne Potter, John Street West, Exeter is shown with an excellent crop of potatoes which he harvested Moeddy from his small garden. A number of potatoes weigh close to two pouads. Worker remains in critical condition following ,explosion at Huron Park One Hundred and Fifth Yeqr For the second time this year, Exeter council members have approved purchase of, a new police cruiser, However, they're only buying one car. • Tenders had been called some time ago for a 1977 model, but it was too late to•secure a model of the type approved. . So, this week, council approved is purchase of a 1978 model after ; three bids were received. ' The lowest of the bids received this time came from Larry Snider Motors Ltd. The price, with the trade-in, will be $5,350. When police committee chairman Ken Ottewell presented a motion to accept the Snider bid, Councillor Lossy Fuller questioned whether the firm paid taxes in Exeter. She was advised they did not and she reported that there had been complaints from local garages about council doing business with outside firms. Councillor Derry Boyle said council had always considered Larry Snider Motors as a local firm and noted that most em- ployees lived in Exeter. Mayor Bruce Shaw suggested if one outside firm was considered, then council should have perhaps secured prices from dealers in London or Hensall as well. However, council ended up approving the purchase from Snider Motors, Their bid was about. $600 below the other two bids received for the new police cruiser. Snow blower Exeter council approved purchase of a new • tractor and snowblower this week in preparation for keeping sidewalks cleared this winter. Cost of the equipment will be $11,650. The unit being purchased is a demonstrator model, although it has been used for only 77 hours. The purchase price is about $3,300 lower than a new model. Works superintendent Glenn Kells, who had outlined the machine at a special meeting of council last week, said the machine could also be equipped with a mower, sweeper or bulldozer blade for other uses during the year, Councillor Derry Boyle asked if a snowblower could create some hazards, particularly if it picked up a pop bottle or some other item while being used on sidewalks. Kells indicated there would be no danger as the snow is blown downwards beside the machine. A Huron Park man, Bryan Finch, 26, remains in critical condition in the intensive care unit at Victoria Hospital after suffering burns to about 80 percent of his body in an ex- plosion at a Huron Park plant, Saturday. Another worker injured in that explosion, Harry Planteriga, 25, Agree on idea to fine owners A suggestion that fines be imposed on the owners of vehicles which illegally pass school buses has, been endorsed by Exeter council. In a resolution circulated throughout Ontario, the council of Sandwich West noted that at present, only the driver of such a vehicle is liable to a fine and in many instances it is impossible for a school bus driver to be able. to properly' identify a driver. The resolution suggested that the owner of the vehicle be liable in the same way they are liable for parking violations, where the identity of the driver may not be known, Deficit near budget figure Exeter's recreation program and facilities —7 including the South Huron Rec Centre — has built up a deficit of about $12,000 this year. That information was provided to council this week by deputy- clerk Liz Bell, who said she had decided to prepare a statement to the end of October. It was the first indication of the financial picture of the programs this year. Mayor Bruce Shaw, chairman of the rec centre board of management, noted the deficit was close to that which had been estimated in the budget. The budget had predicted a deficit of $14,000. The question of the financial picture had been broached by Councillor Derry Boyle, who noted that council had been asked to approve bills throughout the year but had never been given any indication of what the revenue was, At the outset of the discussion, Shaw said the board of management didn't know where they stood financially as they had not received any statement either. Earlier in the meeting, Mrs. Bell had told council that Jack Underwood was acting as chairman of the building com- mittee as a:replacement for King McDonald, who 'recently suffered a heart attack. She said that a final inspection had been undertaken at the rec centre, and as soon as the 37-day period expires for any mechanical liens, the contractors will be paid all but $16,000 of their bill. A payment of $8,600 owing the engineers will also be held back until that 37-day period elapses. arrival of two ambulances front Hoffman's Ambulance, which took the injured men to the London hospitals, The only other person in the building at the time was Fred Bowers, who was cleaning the office area when the explosion occurred. He set off the fire alarm and help arrived within only a few minutes. Nine people were injured in the five accidents investigated by the Exeter OPP this week. None of the injuries was of a critical nature. Most of those injuries resulted from accidents in the Centralia- Huron Park area. On Thursday, vehicles driven by Donald Smith, RR 1 Centralia, and Jack Cutting, Huron Park, collided on County Road 21 at Victoria St., Centralia. Both drivers were injured as were their passengers, Janice Smith, RR 1 Centralia, and Thomas Barrett, Huron Park. Constable Jack Straughan investigated and listed damage at $2,000. Early Sunday morning, two accidents were reported in the same vicinity, about 1.2 km west of Highway 4 on County Road 21. In the first collision at 1:35 a.m., an eastbound car driven by Cecil Nickles, RR 3 Granton, collided with a parked car, The latter was owned by Algoma Tire Limited. The driver and his passenger, Shirley McNair, were slightly injured and damage was set at $2,500 by Constable Larry Christiaen. About five minutes later, a car driven by Raymond Morneau, RR 1 Lucan, was westbound and skidded into the Algoma Tire vehicle which had been pushed onto the roadway. He and his passenger, Ann Banks, Huron Park, were injured in that collision, Damage was set at $1,400 by Constable Christiaen. On Sunday as well, vehicles driven by Robert Pavkeje, RR 2 Centralia, and Grace Albiston, Huron Park, collided at the junction of County Road 21 and Columbia Drive in Huron Park. Ms. Albiston was injured in the collision and Constable Frank Giffin set Val damage at $1,400. The only other accident of the week occurred on Highway 81 north of the Cxediton Road, Friday. A vehicle driven by Peter The cause of the Saturday accident is being investigated by Inspector John Creery of the London Industrial Safety Branch of the Ministry of Labor. Inspector Creery advised the T- A just prior to press time that his inspection has still not been completed. In the meantime, the coating operation of rail cars has been suspended at Dunline. Price Per Copy 25 Cents Buglass, Waterloo, rolled over and ended up in the ditch, He was slightly injured in the mishap and damage was listed at $1,800 by Constable Bob Whiteford. During the week, the detach- ment officers charged 15 people under the Highway Traffic Act and laid three charges under the Liquor Control Act, Santa comes on Saturday Exeter's annual Santa Claus parade will be held this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The parade will begin at the south end of Main Street, pass along the downtown area and conclude at the South Huron Rec. Centre. Officials report that a large number of floats will be participating in this year's event making it one of the best and biggest ever. A bus service making round trips every half hour from the South Huron Rec. Centre to the downtown shopping area will make it more convenient for people who want to leave their cars at the rec centre parking lot, It will also help ease parking congestion along the Main Street. A free baby sitting service will enable parents to leave their children at the rec centre from 2 p.m. on if they wish to go downtown and do their shopping. There will be plenty of activities to keep the youngsters interested and Santa Claus will stay at the rec centre after the parade ends. The downtown businesses have also rented ice time at the arena to provide free skating between 3 and 5 p.m. Organizers of this year's parade are Ted Butler, Gord Kirk and Bob Swartman, The Exeter and District CB Club will help make sure everything runs smoothly along the parade route. EXETER, ONTARIO, NOVEMBER 24, 1977 Nine persons injured in district accidents Exeter council approved several changes in the new of- ficial plan this week following a lengthy meeting with county planner Gary Davidson, but there was an indication that some of those changes will be appealed by local residents. In fact, Davidson said council members were making a mistake in one of the items approved; namely the designation as core commercial for the east side of William Street and the west side of Andrew between Gidley and Simeoe Streets. This designation was made at the suggestion of several downtown merchants who had earlier complained that retur- ning this area to residential would restrict commercial growth and parking potential for the existing core area. Under the 1962 official plan, this area had been commercial, but Davidson noted that in the last 10 years, no commercial growth has been experienced, However, Councillor Derry Boyle said there had been no complaint with the former designation and it should be left, Davidson said that even if it was toned as residential, it would not prevent the establishment of parking areas, although there may be stricter controls on the nature of those parking areas. He warned council that one way in which core commercial areas expand is by depressing • property values in adjoining areas, "It's been zoned commercial for 15 years and there have been no complaints," noted Reeve Si , Simmons. "There have been no com- plaints, because there's been no action," Davidson suggested. Merchant Bob Swartman, who attended Monday's meeting with Ron Cottrell, said that just because there had been no development to date did not in- dicate there wouldn't be any in the future, Davidson, however, argued that any core commercial development that would take place would be along Main St. where there was still con- siderable commercial property being used for residential pur- poses. It was noted during the discussion, that core commercial could take place with no building setbacks and could raise com- plaints similar to those being expressed over the fact the new bank building at the corner of Gidley and Main is being built so close to the street and to the of- fice of Dr. R. W. Read, In a show of hands on whether the William and Andrew St, areas would be left as residential, only councillor Steve Pfaff favored that designation. The balance of council members voted for the core commercial designation. When Davidson expressed some concern over the decision, Mayor Bruce Shaw asked him if he felt council had made a mistake. "Yes", Davidson quickly replied, adding that councils were elected to make mistakes, while he was paid only to advise. Request denied Gabbie Mol of Sherwood (Exeter) Ltd., was also in at- tendance at the meeting to raise his objection over the fact council planned to give status zoning to the commercial uses already in existence in the area between Victoria St. and the river on Main St. Mol said he would prefer to have his property zoned as general commercial. The property includes his showroom and service building on Wellington St. as well as a house on Main St, Davidson told council that under status zoning, an existing commercial use could be con- tinued, but it could not be ex- panded or allowed to be tran- sformed to some other com- mercial use without consent of council or the local committee of adjustment. He said the committee of ad- justrnent could turn down any requests for changes if they felt the proposed new commercial use was not compatible with the area. Swartman said that according to one commercial owner in the area (Dobbs Motors) their property had been zoned com- mercial for years and now they would be given only status zoning. Councillor Derry Boyle said the town had an obligation to protect the owners of residential properties in the area. About nine commercial owners will be given status zoning in the new plan. When Mol again asked for general commercial designation, this was turned down by council. Reduce area The other major decision made by council was a sizeable reduction iii the amount of land to be designated as highway commercial in the north end. Much of the land which had been suggested for this purpose will be zoned as industrial, This includes most of the High- way 83 area west of Highway 4, With the exception of the area on the south side between William and Carling St. This will be zoned as residential in keeping with the wishes of residential owners in the area. The designation of land on the east side of Highway 4 and north of 83 was not accomplished as easily., It was suggested by Reeve Si Simmons that the present commercial designation be moved easterly by 60 feet to accommodate nlaps Of developer ?leak, turn to page s FIT FOR A QUEEN — In commemoration of queen Elizabeth's jubilee, this huge floral crown wets one of the interesting displays viewed by the students of Exeter Public School who visited the Royal Winter. Pair last week, Shown "wearing" the crown are Janice Bishop and Kathy Jolly. T-A photo