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Home My WebLink AboutThe Brussels Post, 1976-01-28, Page 1costume fatEfel§nittels Figure Skating Carnival, corn ing,u34 week from Saturday on February 7: The theme of Ihid yearS :barnivar it.'a Valentine: Geeeting-cin ice. (Photo by Langlois) NoW•41bLOSTiLL...• . ar.loW.-• rib e ee The Majestic Women's Insti- tute are doing their- bit in aid of the Heart Fund Campaign. You can help by attending, the card party they are having in the BrUsSels Library on Monday, February 2nd The proceed 'from that event will do to the Heart Fund. Enjoy a pleasant social evening of cards and at the same time do your bit fora Very worthy fund; **• Arrangements tot that Minna fun event, "Polar spon, kited by the. total Lions CIMi are. well under way: Sonid new items have been added to the pfogratti which includes Dog Sled Races, ShowtriObile Poker Rally as well as other favoured events' such tiS Fall Fair set for September At special meeting unciFok's sewers 105th Year — Issue No. 4 WEDNESDAY., JANUARY 28, 1976 Members of the Brussels Council decided unanimously to Short Shots by Evelyn Kennedy Torchlite Parade, Polar Dip; Thunder Mug Races, events at the, arena, Dance, Sunday break- fast and curling. Watch for full particulars and plan not to miss any of the fun and excitement. *44** Snow 'with high Winds; then rain followed by temperature. dropping, combined to play havoc with road conditions throughout a wide area in this part of Ontario. Travelling Sunday night was extremely hazardous when not impossible. Many secondary school students got 'yet another unscheduled holiday on Monday with P.E. Madill Secondary School bus transportation can, celled when travelling on roads and highWaSy in the: area was go ahead with the $3 million dollar sewage system for the village at a special council meeting on Monday night. Reeve Jack McCutcheon said it would have been• easy to call a plebiscite on the issue that more than 300 ratepayers asked for a petition to council. But, he said, the majority of the taxpayers depend on council to make these kind of decisions. He said he was concerned that a delay of a couple of months getting the sewers underway now could set back the project five or six years and the costs would be much higher. Really sewers should have gone in in 1965 when they were first contemplated, he said. The reeve said he feels the deciSion to go ahead with the sewers is in the best interests of Brussels. One councillor wondered Whether people were knowledgeable enough about the seWerproject. Other councillors commented' that the December 2 OMB decision in favour of sewer's `Woiltirined on Page 8) settled and if there was any sense tcarrying on the fight. The reeve -replied that council could still back down or decide to put the question to a vote, even at this point. $3 million is quite a debt for a village like Brussels where pay rates are low and there, is little industry, one person suggested. Couldn't the sewers be done in . stages of a quarater of a million dollars, perhaps the main street ' and back a block first, it was asked? Reeve McCutcheon said the • sewer program would cost a lot more if it was done in stages and added that it's not just part of the town that needs sewers. Ministry of the environment people • testified at the OMB hearing that significant ' pollution is coming from all four corners of the village. Mel Jacklin said the sewers would be an awful burden on senior citizens. There should be a vote and sewers would probably be voted down, Mr. Jacklin said. Councillor Harold Bridge said they probably would be.. ' A ratepayer asked who would pay for the sewer system if only 25% of the population hooked into it. According to village clerk Bill King, council would have the authority to pass a by-law insisting that paople hook up and health authorities would also probably require hook ups. Every property owner who has sewers going past his land has to pay a frontage and connection charge of roughly $70 a' year whether they hook in or not. Once hooked in, the- sewage treatment :charge-. is about $130- a year, in addition. TenteW septic tanks' 44.Ve been put into the village- owned mobile home park, which is scheduled to go on sewers, but clerk King said the septic system at the. park is really only temporary and approval for it was given by -the health unit with the under- standing that sewers would be replacing it soon. Ian McDonald asked Reeve McCtitcheon and • council members if they didn't feel obligated to give the people, who elected them a vote when they ask for it. Mr. McDonald said he knew people who would volunteer to run polling booths • for an election on the sewers. Reeve McCutcheon commented that costs will go up if there is more delay and Brussels could lose its provincial subsidy. The $3 million dollar tag is a firm price for 1976, Reeve McCutcheon told a questioner who wondered if inflation would put the price up still further. The reeve explained that the Ministry of the Environment owns the sewage system and will bill the village according to the amount of sewage they treat. The village will have to collect from sewer users to pay this Ministry bill- and clerk King said the $200 a year per household should pay the bill. - Members of the citizens committee which is asking for a sewer vote asked councillors to say whether or net they favpared a vote. Councillor Bridge was the only one who committed hiniself. he said he wants to go ahead and put sewers in. What happens if you can't pay your share of the sewer costs, 'someone asked., "DO they take your property or what?" Clerk King told the Post that he isn't sure if sewer charges could be applied to taxes or if civil actiori .would have to be taken to get payffietit. $3 million is 'too much Crowd knocks sewer cost September 21 and 22 were se t -ipoomionimm, as the dates for this year's Brussels Fall. Fair at the Agricultural Society's annual meeting Wednesday night. About 45 people braved bad weather to attend the dinner meeting at St., John's Anglican church and-hear Huron's ag rep Don Pullen speak. Mr. Pullen praised the agricultural society for their hard work on the fair and in 4-H activities. He had special thankS (Continued on Page 8) About 60 people showed tip for ameeting ,,,on the proposed $3 million dollar sewer system in Brussels on' one of the stormiest nights of the winter' so far and made it clear that the decision to go ahead with sewers is not a dead issue in BrusselS. Brussels council approved a sewage system for the village last year. After about 15 letters questioning the cost and need for the system were received, the Ontario Municipal Board scheduled a hearing for the village in December. After testimony from objecting citizens and health -and environment officials, the OMB ruled that dangerous and frightening pollution from inadequate septic tank systems in the village made the sewers necessary and over-ruled the objectors. More than 300 Brussels rate- payers signed a petition to council asking for" a vote on whether or not to proceed with the sewer system, which would see the average homeowner paying about $200 a year for 40 years, for connection, frontage and sewage treatment charges. Brussels Reeve Jack McCutcheon called Wendesday night's meeting to explain, the need for the system. Spokesmen from the Ministry of the Environment were asked to attend, but according to Brussels clerk Bill King they felt that after two public meetings and the OMB hearings on the sewers, not much new would -be discussed. Most of those at Wednesday night's meeting spoke against the sewage system and favoured a plebiscite, to ,deeide whether or not. they couldbe , One . ratepayer, Leonard Lament asked 'Reeve' MCCuteheon if the sewer question was all considered too dangerous. ***** The gremlins got into the Brussels Post computerized typesetting machineS • last Week. Short shots should have read 90% not 20% of those approached by some gentlemen a petition opposing the compulsory seat belt law, agreed with the petition. In another Short Shots item we should have said that Murray Bremner of Brussels shOuld get credit for photos of etirling Minters and a fire which were in a recent issue of the- Post, *-* If an-yone desttes sign the (Continued -Ott Paid 5)-