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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-04-09, Page 1(-4 's'74 •Ir •„. rF ft) Chiefs say new fines too low Police departments in Huron County are upset that the Ontario government's new "simple justice" program could also be considered "simply cheap," Exeter Chief Ted Day said this week he is eoncerned that the fines for some of- fences under the Liquor Licence Act and the High- way Traffic' Act have been drastically reduced over the previous costs levied in Huron, The fine for persons convicted of underage drinking or illegal possession have been reduced to $38, while the previous fine was $104, The fine for un- necessary noise has dropped from $103 to us. Chief Day said the new fines won't serve as , the strong deterrents that the previous ones did. "That's peanuts to these kids," he said in reference to those who get caught with booze or are stopped for squealing ear tires, The new fines were an- nounced recently by chief provincial court judge, F.C. Hayes. Chief Day said the matter will be discussed with Huron Judge William Cochrane when he returns from holidays later this month. Chiefs from across the province are scheduled to meet with Attorney-General Roy McMurtry in Aylmer on April 23 and their concern over the lower fines will be broached at that time, The Chiefs indicate that the higher fines, which were imposed in Huron last August, were acting as a deterrent. They fear the lower rates won't discourage offenders. The fines being challenged by the chiefs apply to cases where an accused person admits the offence and settles out of court. When an accused takes his case to court, judges retain discretion available under the relevant statute. There has also been some concern raised that un- derage drinkers can admit their guilt and settle out of court. Some suggest that their parents will not find out about the offences under the new rules, LITTLE SUPPORT -- Instructress Liz Scott Is on hand just to provide some safety precaution as Johanna Morrissey per- forms a back hand spring in last . week's gymnastics gradua- tiOn at SHDHS. Staff Photo TWO GIVEN JAIL TERMS "Off again, on again, Finnegan" is a term from an old railway story, but, it applies to the Exeter rodeo. The rodeo 'which . was disbanded in 1977 was almost' revived, Tuesday night, but, not quite by the present rodeo executive, By Saturday afternoon it was a different story. The rodeo is well and bucking and will be back in business 1980:in It will be still -called the Exeter rodeo, but, will be held at a new location and under different sponsorship. The rodeo will' be staged July 19 and 20 at the Exeter saddle club grounds, south of Huron Park and under the sponsorship of the Stephen Optimist club, The event was last held in 1977 and was discontinued at that time because the rodeo ring and race track were disrupted by construction of the South Huron Rec Centre along with a decrease in manpower needed to operate the rodeo. While the Stephen Optimists will be providing the sponsorship, the rodeo will be produced and presented by High Country' Rodeo company ' bf Collingwood. The rodeo idea was first rekindled about a month ago when Doug Andrews of High Country Rodeo had an opening on his 20 date rodeo circuit. During a six months jaunt through the United States and Canada he learned that many rodeo performers felt Exeter had one of the pest rodeos ever produced. Andrews came to Exeter and after some difficulty located Dalt Finkbeiner and Jack Malone, members of the last rodeo executive. As a result of this initial contact, Tuesday's meeting was set, Secretary Jack Malone sent out 36 invitations, bet, only 11 persons responded, Andrews and his publicist B,J. Trombley outlined the complete program, the same as he is presenting at 19 , other locations including the, CNE and Western Fair. This is the largest rodeo circuit ever presented in Ontario, Dalt Finkbeiner said in past years the number of rodeos ranged from six to nine. The rodeo committee agreed the proposition from Andrews was exciting, Jack Malone told Andrews, "If you had come along a few years ago, we would have jumped at your offer." Dalt Finkbeiner who has been involved with the rodeo since its inception said, "I can't see us trying to start again. We quit because we only had the same few people to help." He added, "The turnout tonight shows there is no change in that regard and also, we don't have any objective. If we did make SIGN RODEO CONTRACT * Professional rodeo returns to Exeter area this summer after an absence of two years. The two day Exeter rodeo will be held at the Exeter Saddle Club grounds at Huron Pork on July 19 and 20 sponsored by the Stephen Optimist club in tonjunc- tion with the High Country Rodeo Company. Above, Doug Andrews of High Country and Bill McGrath, past president of the Optimist club sign, the contract. looking en ere Saddle club director Brian Hicks and Optimist vice-president Ran Morrison. T-A photo Stephen Optimists take over R deo off, then on again RUSH TO EXTINGUISH FIRE — A fire seven kilometer south of Grand Bend in Pinery Provincial Park Sunday destroyed an estimated 10 acres of forest cover, Leading the charge of area residents who helped put out the fire was Grand Bend fireman Garry Desjardine.' T-A photo Campers start Pinery blaze Runaway fire hits 10 acres For the second time in two years, a proposal calling for major changes to Exeter's community park has been made. In o report which was to be presented to town council last night, councillor Don, Cameron, chairman of the new grounds development committee, said his group's proposal was basically similar to the one which was developed by the earlier grounds committee with the major changes coming in the location of the facilities. One of the' major hurdles which was cleared in this latest Rroposal was the acceptance by the fair board of major changes to the property which they sold to the town for one dollar in the. late 1940's. The fair board have Development of park could • cost $142,000 REVISED COMMUNITY PARK, — In a proposal presented to Exeter council last night, a final development plan for the community pork was presented. Included in the proposal are two softball diamonds with lights, a new multi-purpose fair building, two horse rings, a new hardball diamond, a concession booth, a new soccer field and the possible addition of two tennis courts. & North Lambton Since 1873 ,N•vc vv-.410r. 4h, Two men were each, sentenced to 14 days in jail when they were convicted of offences under the Criminal Code by Judge G. G. Marshman in Exeter court, Tuesday. Garry Raymond Cottle, RR 1 Woodham, was sentenced to the jail term on a charge of having care and control of a motor vehi- cle while being impaired. It was his second offence. Cottle was charged on November 17 when he was found asleep behind the steering wheel in his vehicle in a ditch. The radio was on full blast, the arresting of- ficer advised the court, and the accused smelled of alcohol and had been sick. Also sentenced to 14 days in jail was Thomas Lloyd Finley. Stratford, who plead- ed guilty to a charge of refusing to take a breathalizer test after the vehicle he was driving Was involved in an accident. He too had a previous con- yiction and Judge Marshman suspended his driver's licence for three months. A passenger in the vehicle was injured in the collision in which the accused was in- volved on Highway 21. It was recommended that Finley be allowed tem- porary absence from jail to hold his job. Two area men were fined $200 or 10 days each after pleading guilty to possession or narcoti es . Robert Winston Evans, ' Huron Park, was charged on December 20 after four ounces of marijuana seeds were found ih an ice bucket in his apartment Which was searched by the OPP. Hewas given 90 days in which to pay the Me, Paul Joseph Backs, RR 2 Grand Bend, was given 30 days in which to pay his $200 fine. He was charged on November 14 after a securi- ty guard at the Centralia College of Agriculture smelled the odour of nar- cotics and advised police. Arlene Wood. RR 1 Hay, Was fined $200 or lil days after pleadirtg guilty to driv- ing a motor vehicle while disqualified. Her license had been suspended because she had failed to pay outstanding fines. agreed to the removal of the grandstand at the earliest possible date and the demolishing of the cattle and sheep barns situated to the south of Exeter Public school. Cameron emphasized that the sheep or cattle barns nested not be removed until a new multi-purpose fair building located near the rec centre is constructed in phase two Of the plans, Phase one of the proposal calls fbr the moving of the present softball diamond in an easterly direction, the construction of a new hard- ball diamond in front of the old grandstand site and the locating of a new softball diamond to the north and east of the present diamond. The revised softball diamond would use the Two men who pleaded guilty to • making false statements under the Unemployment Insurance Act were fined $50 on each count. Peter Overall, Huron Park, was fined a total of $100 or 14 days for two counts and Tim Vickery, Ex- eter, was fined astotal of $150 or 21 days on three counts. The latter involved an over- payment of $324. In another charge under the Highway Traffic Act, David Bruce McCallum, Goderich, was fined $108 or seven days • after pleading guilty to a charge of careless driving laid on December 15. Conditional discharges and six-month probation periods were given to two Please turn to page 2 existing lights while the new Softball diamond would have new lights, The hardball diamond would net be lighted. Another portion of the phase one construction would see the Installation of two horse rings in the north- east section of the property, When the preliminary report of the committee was accepted in November of last year, council authorized the committee to proceed with the drainage of the diamonds' outfield areas, The drainage was completed in the same month. Total cost of phase one has been estimated at $45,000. Cameron placed a high priority on the removal of the grandstand, saying that it did not enhance, the ap- pearance of the park and would serve no useful pur- pose as the fair board has agreed to the removal of the remnants of the horse track. There had been talk that the area in front of tte grandstand could be used for tractor pulls. No time frame has been set for the initial portion$ of phase one but Gerald Merrier, another member of the committee, was op- timistic that another diamond could be operational later this year, Cameron said the development's time frame was primarily dependent on the securing of funds from private and provineial sources, Cameron Said, it was the intent of the committee that no town funds, be spent on the community Park work. Phase two of the study calls for the construction of a large, pole barn-type con- struction, multi-purpose fair building which could be used Please turn to page 2 some money what would we do with it." Jack Malone said he was very disappointed with the About 10 or 12 acres of bushland in Pinery Provincial 'Park was destroyed by fire' Sunday afternoon. Park superin- tendent Bruce Houck said that the fire took place a few miles north of the park en- trance. A young couple camping on private property started the fire when their campfire got out of control, Houck said. "I kind of felt sorry for them when they owned up," he added. Houck said that the young couple didn't leave the scene, but worked hard all afternoon to put the fire out. Houck said the couple were from Toronto, and had permission from owner Roy Holt to camp on his property. They lost their tent and camping gear in the fire, Houck said that no one was injured in the fire, but the young campers "got their ego hurt." The park had its awn crew fighting the fire, and volunteer firemen from Grand Bend and Thedford were called in. Houck said that some campers in the Pinery as well as area residents pitched in to.fight the fire, ° He said that as yet it is difficult to assess the damage. Everything at ground level has been burned off, but he thinks that a larger trees Will Survive, Small pine trees had been planted in that area a few small attendance and didn't think it was • worth going through the same exercise of frustration again. years ago in a re-forestation project. The small trees and brush destroyed in the fire will not be replanted this year. Two minor injuries were reported in one of four ac- cidents investigated by the Exeter OPP this week. That collision occurred on April Fool's day when a vehicle driven by David G. Prout, R.R. 1 Centralia, fail- ed to stop at the intersection of Highway 4 and the Kirkton Road and hit a vehi- tie being (levee south on the highway by Verona Snider, H.R. 2 Zurich. Prout and a passenger in the Snider vehicle, Brenda Snider, sustained miner in- juries. Constable Jack Straughan investigated and listed total damage at $4,000 in the colli- sion which occurred at 6:00 p.tti. He also investigated an ac- cident on Good Friday in- volving vehicles, driven by Douglas Eckel, Zurich, and Wayne NafSigee, R.R, 1 Zurich. Roth had been proceedilig north on concession 10-11 of Hay and Eckel was making a left turn into a private lane After the decision by the rodeo committee, Andrews contacted Bill McGrath of the Stephen Optimist club Houck said that it takes about a year to order trees for planting, and the re- planting will not likely be done until next year. as the other vehicle was overtaking him. Damage was listed at $900. The other two collisions occurred last Monday and were investigated by Constable Don Mason. The first one happened around 4:00 p,m. when a rack and ladder flew off a truck being driven by Dennis Pastmore, R.R. 1 Centralia. A vehicle following it ran into the rack, resulting in damage of $750, The other vehicle was driven by Ronald Leitch, Thornhill. The mishap occurred on Highway 83 just east of Ex- eter, The other crash was in Zurich when the power steering malfunctioned on a Vehicle driven by Donna C. Hunter, Zurich, as she rounded a curve on Edward St, The vehicle left the road and hit a tree. Damage was listed at $2,- 000, No' area accidents Were reported Over the caster holiday weekend period. and asked if his group would sponsor the rodeo. A meeting was set for Saturday. Please turn to page 2 - r Houck said that he doubted if any birds or animals were hurt in the fire. He pointed out that birds would not be' nesting in the trees yet. The fire was contained in one area. The blaze started behind the HoIt property but was brought under control before it reached the Grand Bend municipal dump. "It's a good thing the wind wasn't stronger," Houck said. The fire didn't get into any pine plantations belonging to private landowners. The fire was nowhere near the 75 campers who were in the park over the Easter holiday weekend, The campers were in the Riverside camp ground. Houck said that the only people who had to worry were the homeowners along highway 21 in the vicinity of the fire. No one was in the Pinery Park watch tower at the time of the fire. The tower has not been manned during the winter months, and will not have anyone in it until tomorrow. "Next weekend there will be somebody in the tower," Houck Said. A look- out Would have spotted the fire immediately, he added, Hawk said that this is the largest fire since he took the job as superintendent of the park. He said that the last big fire was in the early 60's when the whole north end of the park Wet destroyed, as well as much of the near-by private property, Two vehicles are recovered Two vehicles and a quanti- ty of tools were stolen in the area over the weekend. A truck and about $1,400 worth of tools were taken in a breakin at Easton Trailers located on Highway 4 south of the Crediton Road, The truck was recovered in Lucan. The breakin oc- curred Saturday night. • A car owned by former Huron-Bruce MP Robert McKinley, R.R. 1 Zurich, was stolen Friday night from his residence, It was found in a ditch on County Road 21 near Huron Park. OVER SHE GOES — Little Sabfina Taylor is wide eyed (turn upside down to see) as she twists over the uneven bars in last week's gym- nastics demonstration. Liz Scott provides a reassuring hand for the youngsters, most of whom had to be lifted up to grab the bottom bar, let alone the top one. Staff photo EXETER, ONTARIO, APRIL 9, 1980 Price Per Copy 35 Cents One Hundred and Seventh Year Serving South Hlir05,4 North Middlesex Two people hurt in area collision t •