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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-02-02, Page 1Fire guts Dashwood home Members of the Dashwood and Zurich fire department fought a loosing battle Saturday, as the home of Mr. and Mrs. James Rum- The South Huron rec cen­ tre board of management this week empowered chair­ man Bob Down to name a five-member committee to draw up plans for redevelop­ ment of the community park. The committee, which had been suggested by Bruce Shaw, would propose the design and costs of the redevelopment that is re­ quired due to the demise of the rodeo and the construc­ tion of the rec centre. Members for the com­ mittee will be drawn from various groups in the com­ munity who use the park. Shaw suggested that the board set a figure of $15,000 in this year’s budget to un­ dertake the work that may Highway 23 project let Transportation and Com­ munications Minister James Snow has announced the award of a contract for Highways 23 and 8 in Strat­ ford district. The contract is for resur­ facing on Highway 23 from Whalen Corners northerly to Mitchell for 15.9 miles; and updating of guide rails on Highway 8 from 5.1 miles west of Mitchell easterly to Stratford west limits at various locations. Work on the project is ' scheduled to begin in May, 1978 with completion set for mid-summer, 1978. The contract is awarded to Yundt Brothers Construc­ tion Limited of Stratford at a cost of $452,274. To pick committee for park project Gas line hit, clear building The apartment building at 176 Sanders St. E, (the former Simmons apartments) had to be evacuated Monday after snow removal equipment knocked off a gas connec­ tion. The incident occurred around noon, and gas com­ pany officials had the problem rectified around 2:30p.m. PUC manager Hugh Davis told the Commission that he had attempted to plug the connection, but was unable to do so. CLEAN UP WRECKAGE — Ministry of transportation employees used shovels to clean up debris from a two truck crash yesterday. The three men also helped free a woman trapped in this vehicle for 15 minutes. The Exeter firemen were called to the scene when the truck engine started to smoulder and there was a considerable amount of gasoline spilled. The two drivers were not seriously injured. T-A photo Women trapped 15 minutes Snowmobiler has leg fractures Eight people injured in district collisions A 16-year-old Hensail snowmobiler who suffered leg fractures was one of the eight people injured in area accidents this week. Several of the accidents were related to the blizzard. Timothy Hamather, Hensall was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in London after his snowmobile hit the rear of a parked car on Friday night at 10:45. The car was owned by Morley Obre, RR 3, Exeter, and had been parked on Highway 4 just north of Exeter. The snowmobiler was entering the highway over a snowbank when he struck the car. It was snowing at the time of the collision, OPP Con­ stable Al Quinn set total property damage at $270. ball of Roland street, Dashwood was completely destroyed by fire. Mrs. Rumball noticed smoke coming from the up- be recommended. In addi­ tion, grants would be re­ quested from various provincial and federal agen­ cies. Director Kirk Armstrong told Monday night’s meeting of the board that he had checked on grants and several could be made available depending on the work to be undertaken. One of the tasks of the special committee may be to determine if any of the rodeo facilities should be kept for community use. Howard Pym opined that some of the facilities — es­ pecially the portable seating — could be used for local purposes. No decision was made at the meeting about the rental fees to be charged for the current year at the rec cen­ tre. Only four members were present at the meeting and Down said he would like to have a full attendance before that matter is settled by the board. Armstrong said he would like to know what fee schedule is going to be ap­ proved so he can accurately draft this year’s budget. He told members that he has been advising people that they will probably pay higher fees for use of the centre for events they are now booking. The board plans to have the budget prepared by ear­ ly March so they can take it to the three area councils for approval at their first meeting of that month. Members will also provide a report of the past year to the councils at that time. In other business, the board: Learned that Armstrong is getting estimates on a rail­ ing to be installed in front of the concession booth for crowd control and also a railing to instal at the rear of the seating area in the arena, portion of.the facility. Delayed a discussion on the appointment of members to the recreation sub-committee until after Monday’s meeting. Held a discussion on an attempt to promote ringette for area girls, and asked Armstrong to investigate the possibility of staging a fund-raising beef barbecue this fall. Set their next meeting for Thursday, February 9. A Ripley area woman is in satisfactory condition in University Hospital following a violent collision on Highway 4 between two pickup trucks at 9:40 a.m., Wednesday. Joanne Mitchell was proceeding south and ran into the rear of another southbound pickup truck driven by Alexander Leblanc, 202 Colborne St., London. Both trucks were badly wrecked and it took police and volunteers almost 15 minutes to free the Ripley woman from the wreckage of her vehicle. Three ministry of transportation employees, Bill Essery, Ron Mitchell and Peter Kraft finally managed to get her free by prying open the door with per east portion of the home and phoned her husband at work who then phoned the fire department at ap­ proximately 10:15 a.m. Upon reaching the house via snowmobile a few minutes later, Rumball found the home engulfed by fire. After one hour at the scene of the fire, the Dashwood Fire department summoned the Zurich fire department as high winds fanned the blaze and created a threat to nearby homes. Calling it “the type of fire you don’t put out” Dashwood Fire chief Emil Becker said that his men remained on the scene until well into the evening hours. Extensive rebuilding of the interior of the four bedroom home owned by Mr. Rumball and previous owners hampered firemen in their attempt to keep the Serving One Hundred and Fifth Year imes - Advocate Serving South Huron, North Middlesex & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, FEBRUARY 2, 1978 Price Per Copy 25 Cents Exeter rodeo bites the dust After 15 years of operation the Exeter rodeo will not be held in 1978. The decision was made Wednesday night at a meeting attended by eight directors and supporters of the rodeo. Dalton Finkbeiner who was one of three persons who originated the rodeo idea more than 22 years ago made the official motion to disband the rodeo. Another dedicated sup­ porter Carf Cann said, “A lack of interest by the public in supporting the rodeo and the possibility of the grands­ tand at Exeter Community Park being condemned are the main reasons for ■ our move.” Jack Malone who has been rodeo secretary for the past three years told T-A this week, “It’s a shame. I’m sorry it had to happen. But, it boiled down to about six people doing all the work.” Malone continued, “Two years ago when we were thinking of closing down the first meeting brought out a lot of supporters but as time went on and the rodeo came steel bars. Both drivers were taken to the London hospital, Ms. Mitchell suffering injury to her chest and Leblanc having head, and chest in­ juries. ' The Exeter fire depart­ ment was called to the scene as the Mitchell truck engine was smouldering and there was - considerable gasoline spilled at the scene. The firemen were called back later when gasoline spilled from the Leblanc truck while it was being removed from the scene. It had ended up some 1,200 feet south of the point of impact. OPP Constables Frank Giffin and Jack Straughan investigated and set total , damage at $4,000. Two other snowmobilers fire under control. Wall pan­ eling and false ceilings fed the fire. The cause of the fire as of press time was still under investigation. The home which the Rum­ ball family lived in for two years, was covered by in­ surance. In an interview from the home of Mrs. James Fowler, where the Rumball family is presently staying, Rumball expressed gratitude to the members of the fire departments and friends and neighbours for their help during and after the blaze. “Everybody has been just super,” Rumball stated. Friends and neighbours have started a fund for the homeless family. Informa­ tion about the fund can be obtained by phoning Mrs. William Struyke in Dashwood at 237-3650. closer it was the same story again with a lack of volunteers.” Finkbeiner and Cann will be in charge of disposing of the rodeo facilities. On the Talk grant on Monday One of the major dis­ cussions at Monday’s regular meeting of Exeter council is expected to be the topic of a grant for the restoration of the town hall. Council met behind closed doors last Wednesday with representatives of the On­ tario Heritage Foundation to discuss future funding for the project. It has been indicated that council members are con­ sidering a grant of between $5,000 and $20,000 for the project, although they have requested more information on the financial status of the building from the Exeter and District Heritage Foun­ dation before making any decision. suffered minor injuries when their, machines collided on Highway 83, east of Exeter on Saturday morning. The drivers involved were Robert Rowcliffe, Hensail, and Gerald Cottle. RR 1 Woodham. Total damage was listed at $2,000 by Constable Jack Straughan. Cottle was also involved in an accident on Monday, when his car was struck by a CNR snowplow train at the crossing at sideroad 15 in Stephen Township. The train hit the rear of the vehicle as the latter was crossing the tracks. Cottle and two passengers, Cathy Triebner and Mark Whitney, both of Exeter, escaped injury. Engineer on the train was enjoy HOUSE DESTROYED — The James Rumball family residence in Dashwood was destroyed by flames in a fire Saturday. Members of the Dashwood and Zurich fire departments could do little but ensure that flames did not spread to nearby residences. Staff photo subject Cann said, “If the facilities are not producing for us they should be made available to someone else.” It was suggested that ser­ vice clubs or the town of Ex­ eter be given the opportuni­ ty to make use of the facilities. Norm Whiting suggested that the service clubs and other groups who supported the rodeo in the past should get the assets when everything is cleared up. Until the facilities are dis­ posed of and further decisions made on their out­ come the present executive will remain in office. The facilities to be dispos­ ed of include the rodeo ring, announcers and judges stand, seating, lights and fencing. The rodeo did enjoy a cou­ ple of good years financially during it’s existence but one year of torrential rain and another of intense heat created losses. Some profit was shown from the 1976 rodeo. These funds were turned over to the South Huron Rec Centre. The 1977 rodeo showed a profit of only $2.33. The ac­ tual rodeo show was in the red by $938.39 but this was compensated by a profit of $940.72 from the rodeo dance. The first rodeo was held on a farm on Concession 3 in Stephen township in 1964 un­ der the sponsorship of Dalton Finkbeiner, Wilmer Preszcator and Len Veri. The original rodeo idea came from a dedicated dream of Finkbeiner, Presz­ cator and Ron Swartz back as far as 1955. In 1963 Len Veri agreed to become part of the rodeo trio and the event was held on the Veri farm in Stephen from 1964 until 1967 when it moved to Exeter Communi­ ty Park. The rodeo then became known as the Midwestern Rodeo and was sponsored by a community group firstly sponsored by the Exeter Board of Trade. Portable seats were built in 1968 and the present facility was completed in Irvine Heimple, Stratford. OPP Constable Bill Lewis investigated and set damage to the Cottle vehicle at $650. The mishap occurred around 4:30 p.m. The train was northbound and the car was proceeding west. There’were four accidents investigated during the blizzard on Thursday. One was a chain-reaction collision during a white-out on Highway 83 just west of Exeter. Drivers in the initial collision were Sandra Johnston, Grand Bend,, and Ted Ducharme, Dashwood, Damage in that crash was set at $800 by Constable Larry Christiaen. Shortly after, a vehicle driven by Fred Gielnik, Dashwood, collided with the ■031 1969 at a cost of $5,476. Floodlights were moved from the ball diamond to the rodeo site. The first agreement with Exeter’s RAP committee for use of the park grounds was signed in 1970 when the TOUGH FOR EVERYONE — The violent storm of Thursday and Friday made travelling im­ possible for a lot of people. The unidentified snowmobilers in the above picture seem to be having a bit of trouble negotiating a deep drift. T-A photo Metric conversion will bring some lower bills People may complain about the problems associated with metric con­ version. but there are in­ dications that the change will have benefits for some. In reporting to the Exeter PUC this week about chang­ ing water consumption over to metric, manager Hugh Davis indicated that it would result in lower water bills for some local customers. The small reduction is due to the necessity of “roun- Ducharme vehicle which was stopped due to the previous accident. Damage in that one was listed at $700. Three people were injured in a two-car crash on High­ way 4 north of the Crediton Road during Thursday’s blizzard. The drivers in­ volved were Ivar Andersen, RR 2, London, and Hugh McGugan, London. Three passengers in the McGugan vehicle were injured. They were Lori Johnston, Nils Mann and Howley Brendan, all of London. Constable Bob Whiteford investigated and set damage at $1,700. In the other Thursday crash, damage was listed at $1,600 by Constable Ed. Wilcox. It involved two Please turn to page 3 late Gord Baynham was RAP chairman. The first rodeo in Exeter in 1967 drew crowds in ex­ cess of 8,000 and was termed very successful. CFPL radio personality Bill Brady was a feature at- ding off” the conversion measures. When conversion takes place, water will be measured by cubic yards and cubic feet, rather than gallons, for customers who have water meters. “Conversion is more com­ plex than most people realize,” Davis commented. “There will be a lot of changes.” DRIVER TRAPPED — A Ripley area woman, Joanne Mitchell, was trapped inside her pickup truck for almost 15 minutes yesterday after she was involved in a two-truck crash on Highway 4 just north of the Crediton Road. She is in University hospital suffering from chest injuries. The steering wheel of the vehicle is badly twisted. T-A photo traction for about five or six years. Brady took active part as bronc rider, wild cow milker and one year was thrown into jail by police chief Ted Day for violation of a town or­ dinance. new and After outlining the billing procedures reporting on the slight reduction that could result. Davis was told by the Com­ missioners to proceed as he had planned. “We’re not looking at a lot of money (due to the slight reductions in some bills) and it won’t hurt us to take a bit of a cut,’’ suggested Chan Livingstone. Mayor Bruce Shaw reported this week that the mice are the only things en­ joying equipment purchased for a group of senior citizens through a New Horizons grant a couple of years ago. The equipment — in­ cluding a pool table, stove and refrigerator •— were purchased by a group of senior citizens and installed at the Scout hall. That group of seniors has now disband­ ed. Shaw told the South Huron rec centre board of manage­ ment that some of it is being damaged by mice and should either be moved to better storage facilities or turned over to someone who could make use of if. The group also has $2,000 in cash in the bank that was intended for more equip­ ment purchases, but never used. No decision on antenna A discussion on antennae for communication systems in Exeter broke down Mon­ day due to an apparent lack of communication. Councillor Ted Wright, works superintendent Glenn Kells and Canadian Canners manager Jack Urquhart appeared at Monday’s ses­ sion of the Exeter PUC to discuss the antenna propos­ ed for the new water tower, but failed to reach any deci­ sion when information re­ quired on the needs of the proposed tower for the new Huron police communica­ tion system was not available. Canadian Canners had requested permission several months ago from the PUC to use the water tower as a base for their two-way communication system, and while that permission had been tentatively approved, it was held in abeyance until the PUC could determine if the police system would also require use of the water tower as the location for an antenna. Wright said he thought the information had been presented to the PUC by members of the police department or the police committee, but he was ad­ vised this was not the case. “I got fouled up somewhere along the line,” he said prior to leaving the brief meeting. He said he was at a loss to know what the police re­ quirements were so he could not advise the PUC if both antennae could be installed on the water tower. When it was suggested the Canners were being held up in their plans, Urquhart said the holdup was not a major problem, although they would like an answer soon so they know where they stand. He said the firm would probably not want to instal the antenna on the water tower until June. He told the PUC and town officials that he hoped a “trade-off” could be worked out in that Canners would be given use of the water tower in return for allowing the works department to use some of his firm’s land behind the works shed on Nelson St. Chairman Murray Greene announced that the PUC had considered asking Canners for a rental fee of $350 per year for use of the water tower and it was generally agreed that the PUC and the town should work out separate agreements with Canners in view of the need of the PUC to protect themselves in case any damage occurred to the water tower through the in­ stallation of the antenna.