HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-04-02, Page 1 (2)Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
VOL. 2 NO. 14
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2, 1986.
40 CENTS
The historic Ball's Bridge in Colborne township, south of Auburn will
be part of the scenic landscape for at least another 10 years according to
a decision reached by Huron County Council cast week. The county is
still planning a modern structure to more adequately meet the heavier
traffic needs of the area, but the new bridge will be in addition too, not
instead of the old bridge.
County vote saves Ba//'s Bridge
for at /east 10 years more
BY BOB MURPHY
Huron County council gave its
approval Thursday to a road
committee recommendation that
the existing wrought iron Ball's
Bridge south of Auburn remain as a
county structure open to traffic at
the existing standard for a maxi-
mum period of 10 years.
The approval, however, is condi-
tional on the following:
• the bridge will not be replaced
in the event of any excessive
damage or removal by natural
causes.
• at the end of the 10 -year period,
the status of the bridge will be
Huron
Federation
to discuss
debt
solutions
Huron County Federation of
Agriculture will discuss the On-
tario Federation of Agriculture's
policy on debt writedown or
set-aside at its April meeting at
East Wawanosh Public School on
Thursday night, April 3.
Guest speaker at the meeting
will be Bill Benfen of the OFA
executivewhowill also discuss a
farm development corporation as
an alternative and commodity
based mortgages.
The meeting begins at 8:30 p.m.
reviewed as to whether it should be
maintained for an extended period
or closed and/or removed.
The committee also recom-
mended council continue its pur-
suit for the replacement of the aged
crossing at a point which would
directly connect Benmillerthrough
to Londesboro as part of the county
road system.
In its recommendation, the road
committee reported that engineers
had estimated maintenance costs
to keep the current Ball's Bridge in
its existing condition for the
10 -year period at $6,000 annually.
County Engineer Bob Dempsey
said there were "no surprises" in
that estimate.
The estimate was also based on
the condition that a two -tonne load
limit be posted for the structure,
Dempsey said.
Engineers had indicated to the
road committee that if the existing
Ball's Bridge structure were to be
left as a foot bridge across the
Maitland River, some of the
anticipated costs may be reduced.
However, there would still be a
liability risk for the county if the
bridge were "not properly main-
tained for pedestrian traffic," the
engineers said.
Steps should be- taken, the
committee felt, to retain the
existing bridge to public access.
In addition, the move would
mean a preservation of county
heritage, the committee reported.
Council also,gave its approval to
a road committee recommendation
that the county engineer organize a
public meeting to outline the
proposals for Ball's Brit' --
The committee reported it would
be considered timely to allow the
public opportunity in which to
"understand the county's action
and to provide some input on
proposed alternatives for replace-
ment of the existing structure.
Dempsey advised council the
public meeting is scheduled for the
Auburn Hall, Apr. 11 at 8 p.m.
Brussels
storefront
goes
to museum
A little bit of Brussels' Queens
Hotel will live on in the new Huron
County Museum thanks to the
interest of a Brussels -born archi-
tect involved in the new museum
expansion program.
With the 'hotel coming down
John Rutledge who works with
Chris Borgal of Blyth, the firm
recently contracted to design the
new museum, remembered that
under the boarded -up front of the
old hotel was a storefront of what
used to be a pool hall and
hamburger stand operated by his
aunt Maggie Rutledge. He asked if
the boards could be torn off so he
could get one last picture then was
impressed enough with what he
saw that he contacted Klas Breed
at the Huron County Museum to
come have a look. Mr. Breed,
whose plans for the new museum
include a reproduction of a typical
Huron county main street, decided
to buy the storefront.
The elegant storefront was
originally the sample room of the
hotel, the room used by travelling
salesmen to lay out their wares for
public viewing.
Blyth
architect on
Huronview
shortlist
A list of six architects who will be
asked to tender bids on the
proposed renovation project at
Huronview was given approval by
county council at its regular
meeting Thursday.
The list was culled from a larger
roster of 11 and includes the firms:
Snider, Reichard and March;
Brock and Ritz, Architects; Hyles,
Garratt and Marklevitz; Christo-
pher Borgal, Architect and Plann-
er; Rieder, Hyman and Loblaw;
and Mark, Musselman, McIntyre
and Combe.
The list was recommended to
council by the management com-
mittee for Huronview, the county
operated nursing home near Clin-
ton.
Top Huron herd owners
honoured at Brussels_ banquet
The top dairy herds in Huron
county were honoured Thursday
when the Huron County Milk
Recording Committee held its
banquet and annual meeting at the
Brussels, Morris and Grey Com-
munity Centre.
The audience of 180 saw the
award for highest herd average
presented to Allan Martin.
Bob Vodden of Hol -den Farms
took the award for runner-up herd
average and for greatest produc-
tion increase. The awards for
Breeding Efficiency and Highest
Plus Production Cow went to Jim
McKague of Belmore.
The top 12 herds in the county
according to figures released by
the Ontario Dairy Herd Improve-
ment Corporation (ODHIC) which
measures member dairy herds 11
timesayear,belongedto: Allan
Martin, Hol -den farms, Joe Win-
kel, John H. Oldfield, Lloyd and
Betty Dale, Lyle Martin, Siebolt
Siertsema, Robmarann Farms
(Bob McNeil), Tony Van Dorp,
John Branderhorst, Wayne Lichti
and Jack Armstrong.
The past year has been a her
one for the ODHIC Robert Ro
ODHIC representative for Hurt.
Perth explained to those present.
With the amalgamation of the
Record of Production and Dairy
Herd Improvement laboratory fac-
ilities last summer and then a
rewriting of the recording forms
used by the farmers and the milk
testing employees, there have
been problems keeping service
up to standards many producers
expect.
Ray Pennington of Teeswater,
Region 8 Supervisor for Huron
admitted "the fellings are getting
pretty thin in some places"
because of the delays in farmers
getting the reports back from the
herd testing. In addition, he said,
there was an attempt last year to
make sure all herds got 11 tests
which created a lot of extra
paperwork and required the hiring
of more testers. "So when 1 hear
that so and so isn't happy, he's part
of the majority right now", Mr.
Pennington said.
Once the backlog is caught up
ani everyone is familiarized
ns the syst
rove sere
rier
eg
A the milk
and these will be delivered to the
lab in Woodstock by the next day
for testing and the information
should be available for processing
by the computers in the Toronto
office by the next day. "The
intention is that the sheets (re-
ports) should be out in six or seven
working days" he said.
Another problem is the shortage
of testers with both staff turnovers
and an increase workload that has
seen more than 30 new herds
added to the program in Huron in
the last year. Currently there are 29
miik testers working under Mr.
Pennington in region 8.
Guestspeaker at the meeting
was Keith Roulston who told
farmers that they must work
sngether with each other and with
aeir neighbours in the towns and
villages of the cou-: ^rntect
their rural wav '
Elected de
were Jim M
tarsi ill,
Aub
ohn
masers, . vei. g,
•'1 Vincent, Wingham
odden, Clinton.