HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1986-08-06, Page 1Brussels loses out on explosives factory
Arthur Township last week won
the battle among a number of
western Ontario municipalities to
attract the Astra Pyrotechnics of
Canada Ltd. factory, leaving Brus
sels out in the cold.
The plant, which will employ 80
people when built, was dangled in
front of a number of towns
including Arthur, Mount Forest,
and Palmerston in the last few
weeks. The company needed to
find a community that was willing
to have the plant, which makes and
tests flares and noisemakers, and
that had a suitable site where the
testing of the explosive devices
wouldn’t bring complaints from
neighbours.
Arthur township won the plant,
company spokesman said, because
of the remoteness of its site from
other urban uses and the closeness
of the new location to the com
pany’s present plant near Guelph.
The company was forced to build
a new plant because encroaching
urban development on the old
plant had led to complaints about
the noise of the testing. Similar
worries had led to protests in
Mount Forest w here the company
had first planned to locate. It was
those protests that brought the
company to the notice of the
Brussels, Morris and Grey indus
trial committee.
The local committee, according
Drive on
to pay off
Brussels pool
After a first two months of
operationthat has seen the new
Brussels, Morris and Grey Com
munity Pool so popular that at
times there were lineups to^get in,
the Brussels Lions Club has set a
goal of having the pool paid for by
September.
The club has started a fundrais
ing drive to put the fund over the
top this month. So far $31,000 of
the $49,000 needed to pay off the
pool has been raised.
With the success of the pool in its
first summer, the club is hoping
that all those who have been
holding back will now drop off their
donations and make the summer a
complete success. More informa
tion on where donations can be left
can be found on the back page of
this paper.
to Brussels councillor Malcolm
Jacobs, called company officials
and asked if they could talk to them
and make a presentation on behalf
of the Brussels-area committee.
They visited the company the same
day which in turn led to a
. i ! /•„——-----------------------------------------: ;
izen
Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. \
VOL. 2 NO. 32 WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6, 1986.40 CENTS
chairman of the tournament presents the trophy to Roger Humphries
while Calvin Annis gets the championship banner from Wayne Lowe.
-Photo by Pat Langlois.
Walton Brewers won the consolation championship at the Brussels
Invitational Softball Tournament which wound up Monday evening.
W alton defeated Teeswater 8-0 to take the “B” title. Neil Go wing [left]
demonstration of the company’s
products in Brussels and a public
meeting to test public reaction to
location of the plant on land at the
north end of the village. Reaction
was very positive but in the long
run, the proximity of the Arthur
township site to the old Guelph
plant was the determining factor.
Mr. Jacobs said the committee
remains active, however. Letters
have been sentto five companies in
the United States who answered an
advertisement expressing interest
in locating factories in Huron
County.
Meanwhile, although the com
mittee lost out on this big plant, a
small company has located in the
old Morris township garage on
County Road 16.
Despite hitch, Morris gets new company
BYDOROTHYFOXTON
Despite a last-minute glich,
Morris township is gaining a new
small industry.
At the Morris township council
meeting held Tuesday night. July
29, clerk-treasurer Nancy Michie
Poor yields and quality
plague Huron farmers
Huron county farmers are curr
ently being blessed with good
weather to finish up the harvest of
winter wheat and start the harvest
of spring crops like barley and
spring canola but that’s about all
they have to cheer about.
Brian Hall of the Clinton office of
the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture
and Food says reports from across
the county point to crops that are
down inyieldand, inthecaseof
winter wheat, down in quality as
well. With the crop 95 per cent
harvested winter wheat yields are
dow'nfrom record levels of 80 to 100
bushels to the acre last year to 60 to
75bushelsthis year, Mr. Hall said.
As worrisome is the relatively
told council that aproblem had
arisen with the plan for R.
Harkness Victoriam Millwork to
locate in the old Morris township
shedandhall.Thecompany, which
has been located near Li st owe l,
had indicated it was not interested
poor quality compared to last year.
A rainy June provided perfect
conditions for diseases such as
head blight to attack the wheat
crop. As a result much of the grain
is grading third and fourth grade
compared to the top grade of two.
Huron county farmers are fortun
ate in one area though since little of
the wheat has been graded so low it
must be used for animal feed as is
the case in other areas.
In addition farmers in the
northern part of the county have
generally escaped the problem of
sprouting that has hurt farmers in
the south part of Huron.
With barley harvesting just
starting, yield figures are just
in the building after all unless
council agreed to put a new roof on
the building.
Butby Friday of lastweekthe
issue had been resolved and the
company was moving its equip
ment into the buildings. Mrs.
starting to co meinbutMr. Hall
said yields appear to be down from
last year when the average was 70
bushels to the acre. A more likely
average this year will be 60
bushels. On top of this barley
prices are quite disappointing, he
said.
The one bright spot at the
moment is corn and soybeans
whicharebothdoingwell. Thecorn
is filling well, he said and growth is
starting toeven out now after being
uneven early in the season.
Dairy farmers are presently
working on second cut hay trying to
make up for some of the poor
quality of first cut hay harvested
because of wet weather in June.
Michie said the company had
thought more work was needed to
repair the roof than really was
necessary and council and the
company had reached an agree-
ment.
In other business, Council re
ceived a letter from the Ministry of
Transport and Communications
saying that the township would be
getting a supplementary subsidy
of $30,000 towards the repairing of
the Richmond Bridge. Council will
be taking tenders on the bridge
which will be due August 14.
The Equalization factor for
Local OPP report quiet
holiday weekend
The long holiday weekend was
quiet in the area patrolled by the
Wingham detachment of the
O.P.P., officials said Tuesday
morning.
Only one accident involving an
injury was reported, a single
vehicle accident in Howick town
ship Saturday morning.
A 1978 Ford pickup driven bv
Morris Township for 1987 is 4.91
compared to 5.12 in 1986, 5.06 in:
1985, and 4.72 in 1984. The lower*
the township’s equalization factor7
is, the lower are the grants it can
receive and the higher are thq
school levy and other leveys which
they have to pay. These factors are
reached by assessing certain farm,
residential and commercial pro
perty values.
Reeve Doug Fraser said he di$
not feel that Morris’ factor for 198^ 4
was accurate. He said according to
Farm Credit, the price of farms has
Continued on page 17
Dale M. McFarlane, 17, RR 1,
Wingham skidded on the gravel on
Concession 12-13 of Howick town
ship left the road and rolled over.
The driver, and his passenger
Kevin Ratchford, 24, of Elora St.,
Clifford were taken to Wingham
and District Hospital with minor
injuries. Damage to the truck was
estimated at $3,000. No charges
were laid.