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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1980-07-09, Page 17Page lA ht. Mother Nature YOU can't fool' Mother Nature, nor can you fight her. That was the general consensus at a meeting of Grand Bend council with property owners along the north beach. Several cottage owners attended Monday night's meeting after receiving an invitation from council. Council advised them that it would cost about $3500 to have sand bulldozed on the north beach and asked them to share the cost. Reeve Robert Sharen read letters from Cliff Maclean and William Brown who were unable to attend the meeting. Both men said that they would not share in the Costs of removing the drif- ting sand. Elaine Reynolds said that she would speak to council first because she has owned property in that area for the longest time. She said that there was no problem with 'Ming, sand until 1967 when the council of that time decided to "clear up the Morals" of young people Who Were using the sand dunes for "hanky-panky", Mrs. Reynolds said that the dunes which were covered with grasses were completely flattened at that time, She told council ever Since then, there has been a recurring problem of drifintng sand. Mrs. Reynolds said that she could see no point in council bulldozing the sand this summer because it would only return next year. She said that she would like to see a long term solution to the problem, such as the planting of sand grass. Cottage owner John Stewart said that not all the owners agree on what should be done. He said that council should bulldoze the beach and follow a regular grooming program, He said that the beach has not been groomed since 1975. Sharen pointed out that the beach is not really village property, bUt for Many years it was believed it was,. Sharen said that the beaeh was actually owned, to the Waters edge by Mrs. Ecclestone, The village is in the process of buying the beach from Mrs. Ecclestone's estate. They are paying, $2 for the beach plus the costs for legal work and surveying, Bruce Woodley said that he was speaking for himself and his mother-in-law and that both of them own lake front property, He said that he would consider paying for the removal of sand along the beach, if council would let him put up a fence to make the beach for his ex- clusive use. "I don't imagine you'd let us do that, so we're not willing to pay what- soever," Woodley said. Woodley said that the drifting sand is a real problem and that their fence is completely covered up, Mary Keller said that she was a. resident living three cottages from the beach,. but she felt that the village of Grand send should look after the beach for everyone's use. A resident of Centre Street, Harold. Langley said. that the village should move the sand on the beach to cover up all the gravel next to the water. He also com- plained about the broken glass and litter on the beach, Langley said he has been corning to Grand Bend for 45 years and the beach is in the worst condition he's ever seen. Village Foreman Gary Desjardine told the T-A in a later interview that, the beach was bulldozed and raked completely this spring, prior to the Victoria holiday .Desjardine says that litter is hand picked off the beach three times a week, and trash barrel.. on the. north beach are emptied four times a week, Desiardine said that he. went for a walk on the beach. Tuesday morning and that he didn't see -any broken glass, He added that it is a very large area, and that there may be some 'broken glass, but he did not find any. As for the problem of stones and gravel, Desjardine said that the beach changes with every storm. "You can't fight nature," he added. Desjardine Oiel that the problem of drifting ,sand each winter could be better controlled if the cottage owners got together and put up their fences in an organized fashion. Councillor Keith Crawford asked Langley to. come up with a list of problems concerning the beach, • Crawford said that he has only lived in. the 'send ,for eight years, and he has not noticed the beach. "deteriorating" as Langley said. Langley offered to come up with the problems and suggestions for improving the beach,. Sharen instructed the clerk to contact the Ministry of Natural Resources to find out about sand erosion. control, He said that they Should he seeking a long term plan and looking, into the planting of sand grasses, Stewart asked if anything would be done this summer. Crawford told him that was unlikely. "I'm not satisified," Stewart replied. He said he would seek legal resource. Sharen told him he would have to deal with Mother Nature. dvocate RECEIVES CITIZENSHIP AWARD — The Grand Bend Lioness Club presented a citizenship award at Stephen. Central School. Receiving the award from Mrs. Linda Arnold was Terry Hoffman of R,R. 2, Dashwood. T-A photo Imes ;;_,4L1;4,flumn..31h .43 "--0:•-"1" t. Plant flowers on village property No quorum, no decision EVERY KID'S WISH — It was a dream come true- jumping into a cool lake on a hot day wearing all your clothes. The children ore taking lessons in lake survival at Grand Bend's South beach. Staff photo No co-operation from casino Grand Bend council has threatened to withdraw their support of a zone change for the casino area, unless developer Paul F'raleigh has his tenant co-operate with the village. Council received several complaints about loud music coming from speakers in the old casino. Reeve Robert Send gift to Mrs. Lingard Grand Bend Council voted Monday night to send a gift to Pauline Lingard who is in University Hospital, London, recovering from injuries received in a car accident, Saturday night. Mrs. Lingard was chairman of the recreation committee last year, and she has been very active in the Grand Bend swim program'. She 'has also been on the committee of concerned parents for Grand Bend Public School, Friday was not a good day for village employees in Grand Bend. Clerk Louise Clipperton was harassed by an unsatisfied tourist who refused to pay docking for his boats. Then beach park- ing lot attendant Danny Green couldn't collect the parking fee from one of his customers. At Monday night's council meeting Reeve Robert Sharen instructed Mrs. , Clipperton to contact the village solicitor and have the Bill Vandenbygaarf Sharen reported that lessee Jim Gill has refused to turn down the volume of the speakers. Gill has been charged under the village noise by-law. Sharen said that Gill has also bee'n charged for not paying transient traders fees, and for infractions un- der zoning and site-plan by laws. Gill has also been reprimanded by health and safety inspectors in his attempt to re-open the old casino. Sharen also said that Gill owed the village money for fines charged him by the dog catcher. Gill paid the dog catcher by cheque. and then put stop payment on the cheque. Sharen said that he had been called out in the middle of the night, because of the loud music being played at the casino. He read a lengthy letter from Ron and Mae Piggott complaining about the noise. The Piggotts own a cottage near the casino. They said that when Sharen had Gill turn the music off, unhappy boater sued. The boater left without paying docking fees, He also used the village office telephone to make several long dis- tance calls to the RCMP and federal government officials in an attempt to prove the village can't charge docking fees. Mrs. Clipperton said that all his calls proved that the village is within their rights to charge for docking. The boater also took up at least two hours of Mrs. Clipper- ton's time, as well as the time of some of the town On Scholars Two Grand Bend students were among seven who received Ontario Scholar- ships at North Lambton Secondary School in Forest. Trevor Kobe, son 'of Mr. and Mrs. Don Kobe of Southcott Pines and Bill Van- denbygaart, son of Mr. and Mrs. Case Vandenbygaart of RR 2 Grand Bend graduated from grade 13 with better than 80 percent averages. it was on again 15 minutes later. The Piggotts said that Gill had no appreciation for the natural sounds of surf and birds. Gill is leasing the casino from London developer Paul Fraleigh, and has attempted to open what he calls the Heritage Mall on the ground floor. He also had plans to open the dance hall upstairs until safety inspectors made him remove the stairway. Sharen said that council should not change the zoning of that area for Fraleigh un- less Fraleigh can get Gill to co-operate with the village and pay his fees and fines. Council interrupted their meeting while Clerk Louise Clipperton tried to telephone Fraleigh in London. She was unable to contact him, but learned that his represen- tative will attend a planning board meeting to sort out the problems, Later in the meeting, Sharen asked council to raise the maximum fine for by-law infractions from $200 councillors who attempted to extract payment from him. Sharen said that the man should be sued for payment because every boater who ties up at village docks has to pay, It was also reported at the council meeting that the driver who refused to pay the fee for beach parking had his car towed away. The driver spoke rudely to atten- dant Danny Green, before Green had the car removed. to $1000. Sharen said that if the maximums were in- creased. judges would not be as lenient. Council talked to dog- catcher DonnaAitken and ad- vised her not to accept che- ques for her fines. Mrs. Aitken also asked for a raise from $6 to $7 an hour for her work. She said that she was not asking for an in- crease in her percent for each dog captured. nor an in- crease in her gas payments. After Mrs. Aitken left, coun- cil voted down her request for a raise. • It's usually the simplest of inventions that make some smart guy rich. We've all heard the stories of the pet rock phenomena. This guy just boxed up rocks and made a fortune selling them with a booklet of instructions - such as "to teach your pet rock how to do a trick, just sit it on the peak of a hill. Give the command 'roll over', and gently push the rock. It will roll over until it reaches the bottom of the hill." The guy that invented the hula hopp must also have made a few bucks, but like the pet rock it was a fad and eventually became passe. But not the Frisbee! It's one simple invention that's here to stay. Somewhere there must be a Mr. Frisbee who's a millionaire. Actually we shouldn't call it a Frisbee - that's just a brand name. We're supposed to say flying saucers, or flying discs or flying plates. But really how many people call a kleenex a tissue? Anyway those circles of plastic that come in every colour of the rainbow are not just another passing fancy. If you've walked through Victoria Park in London recently, you've probably felt the need of a motorcycle helmet. Frisbees glide in all directions and you're quite likely to get a whack on the bead. Most families probably Deputy Reeve Judy Uniac and councillor Keith Crawford declared a conflict of interest at Monday's meeting of Grand Bend council when the deputy reeve's husband Bill Uniac and Don Labelle came before council with a request for funds. Reeve Robert Sharen told them immediately that their request could not be dealt with because councillor Bill Baird was absent from the meeting, leaving only the reeve and coguillor Harold Green to doll With the problem. Sharen told Uniac that two people are not sufficient to form a quorum. Uniac and Labelle presented a bill for $6.10 which was spent on flowers that they planted on village property. They told the reeve that they also spent $36 on sodding for which they hoped to be reimbursed, Then men did the work on property along the riverbank adjacent to land owned by Bill and Judy Uniac, Keith and Halina Crawford and Don and Val Labelle. Uniac told council that the land was a disgrace, and that it was overgrown with weeds. He said that he and BY MARY ALDERSON haveseveralFrisbees in their possession. There are the faded pink ones that just show up in the spring when the snow melts. Then there's the kind that glow in the dark - you keep it in the closet so you can see the glow, Then there's the warped one that the dog chews on. And of course, the new larger professional model you bought last time you went to the beach. Some people have a built- in, natural talent for Frisbee throwing and catching. Not me, I can be looking at someone straight in the eye, toss the Frisbee to them, and have it end up on someone else's lap a hundred feet away. But for the pros - and there's a lot of them out there, if you've been to the beach lately - they hold an International Flying Disk championship each year. These people are addicted to Frisbees. As you might have guessed, I know one of these types. His love of Frisbees is literally unhuman. And as you might have guessed again, it's our dog Pepper, That dog will do anything to get a Frisbee. And I mean anything. He'll swim half way across Lake Huron to retrieve a Frisbee. He'll even resort to stealing Frisbees out of the hands of babes.He'll even go so far as to break bones. Labelle removed a broken wall before laying sods and planting flowers. He said that many boaters had complimented them for the work on the riverbank. Turkey on Civic Holiday? You might have thought that Civic Holiday is August 4. Wrong, again; Grand Bend council voted Monday night to set Civic Holiday on October 20, the first Monday after Thanksgiving. Council decided not to hold Civic Holiday on August 4 this year after receiving a request to change the date from the local Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber asked that the holiday be switched because they wanted the liquor store, beer store, and banks to open to provide full service to tourists. The council chose the October date, because Thanksgiving usually marks the end of the tourist season, You see, there's only one thing Pepper likes better than chasing a flying Frisbee, and that's playing tug-of-war. He sinks his teeth into the plastic on one side of the circle and then offers the other side to someone who will pull. Pepper hasn't yet celebrated his first birthday, but he's a very strong and healthy springer spaniel. So there was Pepper pulling one one side of the Frisbee and our friend Ray tugging on the other. Pepper was swinging his head back and forth and even providing a few growls for sound ef- fects. He gave a hard pull, yanking the Frisbee out of Ray's hand and spinning him around in a circle. Ray landed on the sandy beach with a loud crack. Now, here's poor Ray wearing a plaster cast and crutches on the second day of his vacation. His ankle is broken in two places. Pepper - 1, Ray - 0. It would be rather exotic if Ray could go back to work saying that he broke his ankle water skiing on his holiday. Or it wouldn't sound so bad if he could say he stumbled on the tennis courts, I mean, it's bad enough having to tell people he broke his ankle playing Frisbee. But with a dog? Sorry, Ray. He added that he and Labelle had donated their labour and that they would like to be repaid for the other costs. "The town should be glad that we did it," he said. Harold Green said that he shouldn't have done any work on the village property without getting a decision from council, Green said that the men did not have Bosanquet reeve Charlie Srokosz told Grand Bend council Monday night that he didn't think his council would be adverse to restructuring school boundaries in an effort to bolster enrolment at Grand Bend Public 'School. Grand Bend reeve Robert Sharen said. he invited Srokosz to the meeting to discuss their common problem, which Sharen described as jack of response from the Lambton County school board. Srokosz said that he hadn't discussed the school problem with his council yet, but he thought they would support the idea of keeping the urban school open. He said that a change in boundaries might jeopardize Bosanquet or Kinnaird schools, and his council would have to con- sider that. Sharen pointed out that many of the people con- permission to tear down the wall. Green and Sharen expressed concerns about the upkeep of the area. "You've got enough staff in. summer," Uniac said. Labelle said that the wall would have cost "a fortune" to replace. At one point in the discussion Green and Uniac exhanged insults. When cerned about keeping Grand Bend school open live in Bosanquet township. Sharen said that the portion of Bosanquet where these people live is particularly lucrative, and much of the tax money, for education comes from that area. A group of concerned ratepayers from Grand Bend were told at a board of education meeting last month that their school may be considered for a study to see if it will be closed, Wes Petch, spokesman' for the group, could not get reassurance from the board that Grand Bend school will not be closed because of declining enrolment. Sharen suggested that boundaries for Grand Bend school be moved from Pinery Park to the Ausable River cut to increase enrolment. Srokosz told council that Un;ac became upset Green said, "Oh, poop on you." Green said that the village could not start paying the public everytime they did something on village property without per- mission. Sharen said that a decision will have to be held over until the next meeting when Bill Baird is present. he would like to see better representation in our area in the next school board election. He agreed to have someone from his council attend the next meeting of concerned parents and ratepayers. Also at Monday night's meeting, council decided to hold onto a request for en- dorsement from the town of Latchford concerning education. The motion from Latchford requested that the Ministry of Education review the 95 percent fun- ding for school bussing, so that boards do not close schools because it is cheaper to bus students. Latchford cited the fuel shortage as one of their premises for their motion. Council decided to reserve a decision until they had time to read the lengthy motion thoroughly. One of those days ... Employees harassed Flying disc addicts Mary's itstsftv,o Bosanquet may support Grand Bend school SUMMER HELP AT MUSEUM — Mary Easton, Exeter, Maureen Hartman, Dashwood, and Angela Dekort, Dashwood are kept busy setting up new displays at Lambton Heritage Museum south of Grand Bend. Staff photo