HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1978-08-10, Page 1Fire levels area turnip plant,
loss listed at quarter million
The cause of the fire which
destroyed a turnip
processing plant valued at
$250,000 west of Hensail
early Saturday morning is
still undetermined.
A spokesman for the
Ontario lire marshal’s of
fice said that his department
has determined they will not
conduct an investigation into
the cause of the blaze,
Ken Pipher, a senior in
vestigator with the office
said only fires where arson is
suspected or where a loss of
over $500,000 is probable are
investigated.
He said that the company
which insured the building
They'd be pleased
to see grandstand go
future of the
at Exeter’s
park remains
clouded, the
While the
grandstand
community
somewhat
town’s insurance carrier
would probably be happy to
learn that the facility may be
demolished.
Dave Reid of Frank Cowan
Insurance and local agent
Mel Gaiser attended
Tuesday night’s meeting of
council to review the town’s
insurance coverage and Reid
noted that the grandstand
has resulted in the major
No answer
on calls yet
The Exeter area fire board
has still not reached a
definite decision on how fire
calls will be handled when
the new Huron County police
communication system
starts operation next year.
Chairman Don MacGregor
told Exeter council this week
the board was still working
on the matter.
It has been indicated that
the local answering service
may terminate when the new
police system comes into
effect find at a previous
meeting it was reported that
the board was attempting to
have South Huron Hospital
handle the calls.
“We hope to
claims in the past two years.
The facility has been
damaged twice in wind
storms and the insurance
firm has paid out about
$5,000 in claims for repairs.
When Reid asked about the
future of the grandstand,
Mayor Bruce Shaw indicated
its future was undecided at
the present.
“We’ll keep it* as long as
we can collect from the‘in
surance company,” quipped
Reeve Si Simmons.
Few changes in the in
surance coverage were
recommended by Reid.
“Everything’s in pretty good
shape,” he advised.
He cautioned council about
acting hastily in
errors and
coverage being
municipalities
firms in Ontario.
The coverage is available
for council members and
employees, but Reid said in
40 years there has never
been a case where the
municipality was not held
liable for employees’ errors
or omissions.
had requested the in
vestigation by the fire
marshal .
Pipher suggested that the
insurance company may
conduct its own in
vestigation into the cause of
the fire.
The two year old building
which was owned by Peter
Oud of RR 3, Kippen was
completely destroyed along
with three trucks, the plant’s
machinery, plus records and
an amount of cash.
The blaze broke out al
around 5 a.m. Saturday
morning with neighbor
Richard Willert hearing an
explosion and notifying the
fire department.
By the time the Hensail
fire department reached the
scene, the building was
engulfed in flames with only
one wall left standing, ac-
cording to assistant fire
chief Bruce Moir.
Moir said there was very
little his pien could do aside
from watching two storage
buildings that were adjacent
to the processing plant.
Firemen remained on the
scene till about 12 o’clock,
Moir said.
Oud said “We just don’t
know what happened” with
regards to the 6,000 square
foot structure.
He said the building was
one of the most modern
turnip processing plants in
the area with the structure
being constructed with fire
proof materials.
The farmer who has been
in the turnip business for 17
years said he had left the
plant at 10 p.m. Friday with
“everything in ’perfect
condition”,
Oud who lives three miles
from the
said that by the time he
appeared
Saturday morning
was nothing left.”
The intense heat
burning building
contained wax and
chemical s caused the safe to
melt, he said,
The plant which employed
12 workers and which was
partially covered by in
surance will be rebuilt, he
said.
plant’s location,
at the plant
“There
of the
which
various
PLANT DESTROYED — A turnip processing plant owned by Peter Oud of RR 3, Kippen was completely destroyed by fire early
Saturday morning. The building which was valued at $250,000 was partially covered by insurance. Staff photo
taking out
omissions
offered to
by other
Full grant
is received
“We did very, very well
. . . there’s no doubt about
it,” commented Mayor
Bruce Shaw this week after
council learned that the
ministry of culture and
recreation had approved all
expenditures submitted for
Wintario grants on the South
Huron Rec Centre.
The grants covered all the
equipment as well as the
building costs on the ratio of
$2 for every $1 raised locally.
There was some question
whether the grants would be
paid on such things as tables,
chairs and other -furniture
and equipment.
imes
Hundred and Fifth Year
have
something definite by our
next meeting,” Mayor Bruce
Shaw advised.
MacGregor also advised
that Exeter and the Town
ships of Usborne and
Stephen haveagreed to setup
a reserve fund for the future
purchase of a new fire truck.
Hay ins derided not to go
along with the scheme,
which would build up funds
for a new truck over the next
few years.
Pays $200 penalty
for $2.50
A fine of $200 or 20 days
was levied Tuesday by Judge
W. G. Cochrane against an
Exeter man convicted of
stealing $2.50 worth of air
rifle pellets.
Michael Lloyd Keller
pleaded guilty to the charge
when he appeared in Exeter
court.
The court was told that the
accused stole two containers
of pellets on July 10.
He was given 90 days in
which to pay the fine.
item theft
IN PARADE — Two of the youngest par-YOUNGSTERS I
ticipants in Saturday's Friedsburg Days parade in Dashwood
were Chris Watson and Stacey Rader. T-A photo
A Listowel driver, George
John Vandereyk, was given
a conditional discharge and
placed on probation for one
year after pleading guilty to
three counts of wilful
damage.
He was charged after
spinning his tires at Cen
tralia College on April 20 and
sending stones flying into
several nearby vehicles.
Total damage to the three
cars was listed at $365 and
Vandereyk was ordered to
make restitution for the
damage.
Terrance Laframboise,
Clinton, was found guilty on
a mischief charge and given
a suspended sentence and
placed on probation for one
year.
The court was told he
damaged a relative’s motor
vehicle, exceeding $200.
William Lloyd Medd,
Exeter, was fined $150 or 15
days on a charge of refusing
to provide a sample of breath
for a breathalizer test.
Robert J. Dobson, Exeter,
was fined $250 or 25 days and
had his licence suspended for
three months on a charge of
impaired driving.
The charge was laid on
May 20 when he was stopped
because he had no headlights
on. A breathlizer test gave a
reading of 220 mgs.
A Huron Park man, Robert
H. Stuckless, was also fined
$250 or 25 days on a charge of
driving with a reading of
over 80 mgs, laid on March
31. His licence was also
suspended for three months
and he was given 15 days in
which to pay the fine.
A breathalizer test gave a
reading of 170 mgs.
&
TWO ARE BETTER Suzanne
attempted to persuade visitors to
and Leeanne Sleeper
Saturday's Fun Day in
Granton that two heads are better than one. T-A photo
Grant is available
if town matches it
The restoration of the
Exeter town hall could
receive another grant of
$17,500 from the Ontario
Heritage Foundation, but the
money won’t be forthcoming
unless council agrees to pay
a similar amount in a
municipal grant for the
project.
The Ontario group has
already provided a grant of
$47,100 for the project, and
an additional amount
requested by the local
Heritage people is being
offered, but is contingent
upon council making an
equal contribution.
‘‘The partnership prin
cipal is important,” the
Ontario group said in a letter
recently sent to local
association chairman Doug
Gould. A copy was sent to
council and read at Tuesday
night’s meeting.
The letter went on to say
that the Ontario Heritage
Foundation regretted that
decision may create some
financial difficulty for the
local group.
Mayor Bruce Shaw said
the $17,500 was probably the
maximum additional grant
available and any amount
under that granted by
council would be eligible for
an equal grant.
“It may cause you to do
some thinking,” he told
fellow council members, who
in the past have not seen fit
to aid the restoration
project.
At the suggestion of
Councillor Ted Wright, the
matter was tabled until the
September meeting due to
the fact three members were
absent this week.
Bad holiday weekend Damages over $20,000
Crashes seriously hurt three
Three people sustained
serious injuries, several
others were victims of minor
injuries and property
damage amounted to over
$20,000 in accidents in
vestigated by the Exeter
OPP this week.
The majority of crashes
occurred over the Civic
Holiday weekend period.
Seriously injured were
Gladys Quinton, Sarnia;
Robert W. Brand, Exeter;
and Robert Scott Ma ver,
London.
The Sarnia woman was
injured in an accident at 6:30
p.m., Friday, at the junction
of Highway 83 and Huron
Road 11 east of Exeter. She
was a passenger in a car
driven by Robert Quinton,
Sarnia, which was involved
in a collision with a vehicle
driven by Wilfred Reeves,
Exeter.
Quinton had been east-
bound on Highway 83 and
Reeves was northbound on
the county road. The latter
suffered minor injuries.
The injured woman was
taken to University Hospital.
Constable Bill Osterloo in
vestigated and set damage
at $3,100.
Brand was also taken to
University Hospital after his
car went out of control on
concession 8, Stephen
township, around 4:30 a.m,,
Sunday.
The vehicle went off the
right shoulder, veered back
th the other side, jumped a
ditch and hit a tree.
Constable Frank Giffin set
total damage at $5,000.
The other serious injury,
sustained by Robert Scott
Maver, occurred at 2:00
a.m,, Sunday, when his
westbound car veered across
Highway 83 near the main
intersection in Dashwood
and flipped onto its roof.
He was taken
Huron Hospital.
Giffin set total
damage at $4,500,
A Huron Park man, Larry
Parsons, suffered minor
injuries in a crash on Friday
at 7:15 p.m, when his
westbound vehicle left
county road 21 west of High
way 4 and came to rest on its
roof in the south ditch,
A fence owned by William
Elliott was hit and total
damage was set at $1,700 by
Constable Giffin.
In another collision in the
Dashwood area, a car driven
by Mark Stire, Dashwood,
hit a parked vehicle owned
by Glen Thurman on Helen
St. Total damagd in the 2:30
a.m. collision was listed at
$1,700 by Constable Giffin.
A car owned by Douglas
Meidinger, Zurich, was hit
by an unknown vehicle
to South
Constable
property
while parked on the Thuss
Garage parking lot in
Hensail earlier in the week.
Damage to the Zurich
vehicle was estimated at
$600 by Constable Jim
Rogers.
On Sunday at 9:30 p.m. a
car driven by John
Cascadden, London, backed
into a parked car owned by
Barry Dawson, Oshawa.
That collision occurred near
Turnbull’s Grove and
damage was set at $150 by
Constable Bill Osterloo.
Cyclist injured
An Exeter teenager,
Michael Paul Sass, sustained
minor injuries when he fell
off his motorcycle while
travelling on a trail east of
the Morrison Dam on Friday
at 4:45 p.m.
The machine hit a bump
and the youth was tossed
from it and injured his loft
knee.
Constable Osterloo in
vestigated. There was no
damage to the motorcycle.
The other two accidents of
theweek were investigated by
Constable Larry Christiaen,
the first at 12:55 p.m.,
Sunday, involving vehicles
operated by John Wilson,
London: Thomas Staples,
Hanover; and Theodore
Dockstader, London. They
collided on Highway 4 just
south of Exeter.
Dorothy Day, a passenger
in the Staples vehicle,
sustained minor injuries.
Damage was listed at
$2,700,
The other crash involved
vehicles operated by Jeffery
Oesch, RR 2 Zurich, and
Jerome Dietrich, RR 3
Zurich, They collided on
concession 12 of Hay at 2:30
p.m., Monday.
Estimate of damage was
$1,350.
Serving South Huron, North Middlesex
Advocate
& North Lambton Since 1873
EXETER, ONTARIO, AUGUST 10, 1978 Price Per Copy 25 Cents
Parking group makes headway
on developing lot behind stores
The Exeter parking
authority cleared the first
hurdle this week in their bid
to develop parking behind
the stores located on the west
side of Main St. between Ann
and John Streets.
It was a hurdle they’ve
been
their
ago.
At
recommended to council that
the lot owned by Fopex
behind G & G Discount
fronting on William St. be
purchased to provide
parking as well as a suitable
access to the area behind the
stores.
Earlier attempts to pur
chase the property were
unsuccessful but this week
council agreed to make an
offer to purchase it at a price
of $15,000. That was the price
set by Fopex officials at a
meeting last month with the
parking authority and other
merchants in the area.
The offer is contingent
upon other owners agreeing
to provide easements on
their property for a storm
sewer and development of
parking, as well as reaching
a suitable cost-sharing
agreement with the town for
the lot purchase and the
overall development of the
area.
At Tuesday night’s council
meeting, Reeve Si Simmons
initially side-stepped the
parking authority’s
NAB CATS
Exeter’s animal control
officer has started a cam
paign to capture the many
stray cats that once foraged
for their sustenance in the
vicinity of the former Cann’s
Mill on Main St.
Councillor Lossy Fuller
reported that four cats had
already? been captured and
destroyed and the report
from the Exeter Animal
Hospital indicated that as
many as 10 others may still
be on the loose.
trying to clear since
inception five years
that time, they
recommendation to make a
purchase offer when he
presented a motion that
council write Fopex and ask
for written confirmation of
the price.
After that motion was
approved, parking authority
chairman Bill Batten ad
vised council that the motion
would do little to further the
project, as some definite
commitment was required
so steps could be taken to
proceed.
This led to a discussion on
the merits of purchasing the
lot and Councillor Ted
Wright suggested the town’s
solicitors be asked for an
opinion on how to handle the
matter.
Gerry Gray, who was in
the building for another
meeting, was called in and
said that Fopex had given a
firm price on the
recommended that
accept the offer.
“I’ve never seen
buy land and go
Wright said after Gray
explained that the lot could
be resold by the town if the
parking project failed to
materialize.
“I was under the im
pression the municipality
land
Sim-
share in those costs, in
cluding the purchase of the
Fopex lot.
At a meeting in July, the
property owners involved
indicated a willingness to
share the costs, which Kells
has estimated at around
$45,000 including a storm
drain which will be borne by
the town.
While Victoria & Grey
Trust have since indicated
they are not interested,
Batten and Gray said they
felt the company could be
convinced of the need for
their participation.
It has been estimated that
up to 87 parking spots could
be created in the area under
study, including the Fopex
lot, which presently provides
the only suitable access to
the open area behind the
stores.
Area firm expects
sizeable contract
lot and
council
anyone
broke,”
was not in the
speculation game,”
mons replied.
Councillor Lossy Fuller,
who said that the parking
authority has asked to have
the lot since she joined
council, said it was
“something we have to do.”
She presented a motion to
rescind Simmon’s original
motion and to make an offer
as recommended by the
parking authority. Those two
motions were approved.
After the meeting, it was
arranged to have the parking
authority meet with Sim
mons and works superin
tendent Glenn Kells to
review the cost of developing
the parking area and to
formulate a suitable system
for the property owners to
Bell Aerospace expects to
be back in production
building Voyageur hover
crafts for the United States
Government.
The Americans plan to
order $12 million worth of kir
cushioned vehicles and Bell
Aerospace in Grand Bend
thinks it will get part of the
action.
‘‘I am very confident the
contract will come through,”
Jim Mills manager at the
plant, said yesterday.
‘‘Nothing in this life is
certain though,” he added.
The Grand Bend plant has
been out of production since
1976 when it built its last six
units. The staff has been cut
from 200 to 14.
If Bell Aerospace gets the
contract, part of the work
may be done by its sister
company in the United
States. Mills said they are
hoping most of the work will
be done in Grand Bend.
‘‘A certain amount of the
work will have to be done
here,” he said.
Mills declined to comment
on the future of the Grand
Bend operation if the con
tract didn’t come through.
‘‘I’m not even thinking
about that. I’m confident we
will get enough of the con
tract to keep us busy.” he
said.
Bell Aerospace has other
prospects for selling its
Voyageur units. * The
Canadian Coastguard will
likely be adding air
cushioned vehicles to its
inventory in 1979. This could
mean a contract for one or
two units a year, Mills said.
If the company gets the
contract, 80 extra people will
be hired. At least a quarter
of the new staff will come
from the immediate area, he
said.
FRIEDSBURG QUEEN AND ATTENDANTS —- The 1978 QOeen for Dashwood's Friedsburg
Days was Daryl Webber of RR 1, Exeter, representing the Dashwood Tigers. Second runherup
was Debbie Towers of Hensail, representing Dashwood Industries while Lisa Hamather also of
Hensall and representing Jim Becker construction was first runner-up. • Staff photo
London lad
dies on ride
The Ausable-Bayfield
Conservation Authority
hasn’t reached a final
decision whether to continue
their
following
year-old
night.
Jeffrey
fell from
hayride
Conservation area
injured by the wagon’s
wheels. Several
and adults were riding on a
pile of straw with the victim
when he fell off.
“The Conservation
Authority is treating it as an
accident,” said resource
manager Don Pearson.
The hayrides were
suspended on the weekend
after the fatality, but they
may be resumed this
weekend. No decision has
been reached yet, he said.
Driver of the tractor
Daniel Kennaley,
Parkhill. Kennaley
recreation co-ordinator
the Conservation Authority.
hayride program
the death ot a six-
child Saturday
Hutton, London,
a wagon during a
at the Parkhill
and was
children
was
20,
is
for
New crop
looks good
The cauliflower crop
currently being harvested
commercially for
time in this area
cellent condition,
said Wednesday.
Veri, who introduced the
crop this year to Huron
County, said the harvest is
progressing very well.
“The quality is looking
excellent and the demand is
good,” he said.
About 50 workers have
been hired to harvest the
crop. There is 175 acres
planted in the area.
The pepper crop harvest
will start next week. The
crop didn’t do as well as the
cauliflower crop because of
the cool nights, but there
should be excellent quality
peppers harvested, said
Veri.
the first
is in ex-
Len Veri