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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-11-18, Page 1Blyth continues $500 tug o' war with county Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel, Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships. VOL. 3 NO. 46 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1987.45 CENTS Remembering their community’s heroes who gave their lives in wars long before their time, Brussels Legion Pipe Band drummers Darrin Johnston and Linda Ten Pas place the poppies they wore with pride on wreaths commemorating the dead at the Brussels Cenotaph, while Cadet Jeff Boynton stands watch in the background. Remembrance Day ceremonies were held in brilliant sunshine in both Brussels and Blyth on November 11. Brussels Hotel to re-open Friday The Brussels Hotel re-opens for business this Friday, after being closed for the past 16 months. Brussels Reeve Gordon Workman Bodmin Farms big winner at Royal Bodmin Farms Ltd. of RR 5, Brussels, has captured four cham­ pionships at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, re-affirm­ ing its reputation as one of the premier market hog producers in Canada. Oneofthecorporation’s part­ ners, George Procter, captured the Premier Exhibitor Award for tally­ ing the most points in the National Market Hog Class on Friday, as well as taking the silver tray for the Champion Market Hog carcass after showing the same animal in will officiate at the ribbon-cutting ceremony planned for 4 p.m., and the doors of the completely renovated facility will open for the conformation class. Awards in the Carcass class are given on the total numberof points scored in both sections of the class. At press time, Mr. Procter did not have the sale price figure for the champion carcass, the name of the purchase, northenumberof points it had scored out of the 100 possible. In winning the Premier exhibitor award, Mr. Procter also showed to a third place win in the Group of Three Market Hogs class; took a Continued on page 25 business immediately afterwards. It is an event eagerly looked forward to by many residents in both the village and surrounding community, who anticipate that the re-opening of the first-class facility will give a tremendous boost to the already booming economy of Huron County’s fastest growing village. Owned and operated by June Warwick and Gerry White, the hotel was purchased early last Spring in a dismally run-down condition; but over the past summer and fall has been restored to much of its original glory as the New American Hotel, one of five such “fine establishments ’’ in Brussels described by the Belden Atlas of 1879. The opening date was set back several times as the new owners ran into one structural problem afteranother that had not been anticipated, but using almost exclusively local labour and mater­ ials, the finished building, with its two elegant dining rooms, large lounge and tast-food take-out kitchen, will be a source of pride to the village for many years to come. Thehotelplanstofeature live entertainment every weekend, and for the opening engagement on Friday, has engaged the country and western band “Nashville Bound”, which by coincidence w as the band that played at the hotel's last engagement, in July of 1986, before it was closed by former owners Ken and June Webster. The three-member band con­ sists of Steve Marks, formerly of RR4, Brussels, singerand lead guitar; Lisa Glanville of Brussels, base guitar; and Mike Jardin of RR 1, Belgrave, drums. Well-known throughout the area despite being formed only a little more than a year ago, Nashville Continued on page 22 Blyth village council finally got an answer from the Huron County Planning and Development Com­ mittee to its presentation request- ingthereturn of aseve rance fee sent in an error but councillors didn't like the answer and plan to pursue the matter further. The councillors at their Nov. 10 meeting received the short letter apologizing for the delay in replying to the presentation to the committee made by Councillors Lloyd Sippel and Bill Manning on May 21. It gave no details about why the committee didn’t feel any refund should be coming. “To me it is very unsatisfactory, ’ Councillor Manning said about the letter. ‘‘It doesn’t alude to any reason this decision was reached.’’ He said if the committee still thinks that because a secretary at the planning office automatically pro­ cessed the applications without any direction from a higher authority the county isn’t partly at fault “then I think their system stinks’’. The only explanation he and Councillor Sippel had been given at their May meeting was that if a cheque was attached to the application a secretary just went ahead with the processing of the application. Although municipali­ ties are exempt from paying severance fees, Blyth sent a cheque under the mistaken im­ pression it was required. Councillor Manning said it appears to be as much the fault of the county department as the fault of Blyth. The committee is suppos­ ed to be working for the good of Huron County and this didn’t look as if they were. He said he didn’t want to be “a blockhead’’ and push council in a direction they didn't want to take ontheissueand wondered what the councillors wanted to do. Reeve Albert Wasson defended the county’s system saying that all decisions from the committee had to be passed by the full county council and that generally the system had been working well for years. The committee didn’t al­ ways get its way, he said, and pointed out a decision of county council to overturn a planning department recommendations at the November meeting. “They don’t by any means win them all”, hesaid. “They don’t go unchallen­ ged.” But, Councillor Manning asked, what was the alternative for a municipality that is not satisfied with the county decision? Then, the reeve said, the next step probably would involve lawyers. Councillor Manning said that although he wanted to see the money refunded and wanted to fight for the principal involved, he worried about what could get to be “a horrendous-sized legal bill.” Councillor Bill Howson agreed and also worried that the village might need some co-operation from the Planning and Develop­ ment committee somewhere down the road and perhaps it is counterproductive to keep up the fight. Councillor Manning said that was the carrot that the committee could alw ays hold out in frontofthevillagebut, on the night before Remembrance Day, he said “we’re coming up to the anniver­ sary ofahell of al ot of guyswho fought to get freedom and when you turn around, they’re trying to takeitawayon us.” He said he didn’t want to spend taxpayers moneybutifthere wasn't some co-operation shown by the county he might ask the council for permission to pursue the matter legally on his own. In the end, council passed a motion to send a letter asking for a detailed explanation of the reasons the refund request was turned down.