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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1988-08-24, Page 1punusHED IH 'mac. w HYa>R1c.' i' ,:. 4 4Ot plE r Puddle Ducks ready for the children By Rob Bundy Tracey McDonagh loves kids and she has turned that love into Lucknow's latest buisiness venture. Puddle Ducks Day Care Centre will officially open for business im- mediately following the Labor Day weekend. The daughter of Barry and Betty McDonagh of Lucknow, Tracey graduated from the Early Childhood Education pro- gram at Mohawk College in 1986. Since that time she has been working as an assis- tant supervisor with the Silver Circle in Wingham working with special needs children. "I always had it in my mind to run a day care centre," Tracey says while sitting in her newly painted office at the rear of the Puddle Ducks building on Willoughby Street. "I've been working in the field for a while now and have learned the ins and outs. I guess I just love kids." When Puddle Ducks opens on September 6', it will be Lucknow's only day care cen- tre. Tracey and her staff of Carol Rintoul, Karen Hedley and cook Shirley Gunter, will have the facilities to care for up to 32 children aged 18 -months to five -years. "The day care service is available to anyone in the area," Tracey says. "The cost is subsidized for people who can't af- ford it and we have the forms here if anyone wants to apply for the subsidy." At present, response to her idea has been tremendous. With two weeks to go before officially opening the doors of the business to the children, Puddle Ducks will care for 27 children per day, five days per week. "We actually have 54 children enrolled, but not all of them will be here every day all week," Tracey tells us while piling the newly bought building blocks. "I was originally planning on about 16 kids to make it work, so I'm quite happy with the response we've gotten already." Lucknow's latest business With less than two weeks before opening the doors of Puddle Ducks for business, Tracey McDonagh is busy preparing her building for the youngsters. Offering some vaulable insights into toys, snacks and playground equipment are Dan and Cal. Policies and procedures Day care centres in this province are closely scrutinized and a whole list of policies and procedures must be observed. Before hanging the Puddle Ducks sign on the old Royal Bank building which she now Fire claims 80 pigs The Lucknow Fire Department respond- ed to an alarm last Thursday evening which took them to the farm of Leonard Kerr of RR3 Auburn in West Wawanosh Township. When firefighters arrived, little could be done to save the barn or its contents. Lost in the blaze was hay, grain, straw and about 80 pigs, as well as the building itself. While damages were not estimated at the time, Fire Chief Bud Hamilton claims the loss is substaintial. The fire was first noticed by Mr. Kerr at 10 p.m. Thursday when he was in the barn. He reports that the lights went out and he immediately noticed a glow from the up- per level of the structure. While no official cause for the fire has been established at this time, faulty wiring is a prime suspect. By the time the Fire Department arriv- ed on the scene, there was little that could be done other than to protect the surroun- ding buildings. A slight wind kept the fire contained to the original site. Fire fighters remained on the scene for an hour and a half before returning to the fire hall in Lucknow. Annual MD drive In other news this week from the local firemen, area residents are reminded that the annual Muscular Dystropy Drive will take to the streets Friday, September 2. Members of the Lucknow Fire Depart- ment will be set up in the east end of the village, near the public school, to stop motorists and solicit a donation to the Canadian Muscular Dystrophy Society. Folks driving into Lucknow from the east are advised to have a donation ready when the fire fighters flag them down. Staging the campaign over a long weekend, as it is in many communities sporting a fire department, assures a large amount of motor traffic. owns, Tracey had to apply for a licence of intent, provide a specific floor plan of the building, and obtain a zoning code. "Community and.Social Sevices send a representative (Rosalind Brooks) to in- spect the facility and she'll be back in six months to have another look," Tracey says. "Only after that can we get a perma- nent licence. "Some of the regulations are pretty in- volved under the Day Nurseries Act," Tracey admits. "For example, you must provide one different toy per child, not just a couple of balls thrown out m a room. And the menus must be posted for the parents to see. If we make a menu change, we are obligated to make the parents aware of the change." Tracey began her plan to own a day care in Lucknow some months ago. She has taken into account things like the amount of air space per child, the number of win- dows, the best toys to have on hand and what to serve for Iunch. Along with some help from members of her family, she designed and built a special playground on the lawn adjacent to the building. "I like things done right the first time," Miss McDonagh says of herself. "I've put a lot of thought into Puddle Ducks and we have big hopes for the future. We seem to be starting off very well. Lots of people are asking about it that's for sure." Puddle Ducks will charge $15.50 per child for a full day of care including a mor- ning snack, a hot lunch and an afternoon snack. A half-day with lunch is $10.50 per child while a half-day without a lunch is $8.50 per child. All the meals served come straight from the Canada Food Guide. And what about that interesting name?. "I'm just a fan of ducks," Tracey laughs, pointing to the ducks that trim the walls of her new office. "It's a fun name and kids love it. You have to admit, it's not a boring name like `Children's Centre' or something like that." Puddle Ducks will be holding a special open house for parents, kids and anyone in- terested in Lucknow's latest business ven- ture on Saturday, September 27 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. Once in operation, Puddle Ducks will open for business each morning at 7 a.m., Monday to Friday. Rae to open office Bob Rae, leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party will open the new head- quarters of the Huron -Bruce Riding Association. He will open the newly renovated office in Dungannon at 3:00 pm on Saturday August 27. Following the ceremony, a family potluck picnic will be held at the McQuail farm which is south east of Lucknow in West Wawanosh Township. Everyone is welcome to attend and meet Bob Rae. The nomination of the candidate for Huron -Bruce will be held after the opening if the federal election is called before August 27. Bob Rae, who is Leader of the Official Opposition in Ontario, is visiting Huron County with his wife Arlene and their three children. He will attend "Fires in the Night" at the Blyth Theatre. Lucknow Tourism Committee Signs next on tourism list A number of good ideas on how the village of Lucknow can promote itself as a tourist area were presented at the recent meeting of the Lucknow Tourism Commit- tee. The committee was formed earlier this summer at the suggestion of the Grey - Bruce Tourist Association. Rick McArthur chaired the August 15 meeting of the newly formed Tourist Com- mittee which was held at the Lucknow Town Hall. The main topics discussed at the meeting by the 14 interested residents in attendance included the production and printing of a tourist brochure for this area. Other suggestions tabled Monday included the posting of a sign on Highway 86 at the outskirts of the village indicating to pass- ing motorists that Lucknow is a tourist area, and the posting of a village directory in a prominent position in the village. During the general discussion on the pro- motion of tourism in and around Lucknow, it was noted that the small park at the east end of down is badly in need of maintenance and that the litter on Camp- bell is quickly becoming a concern. It was felt that a clean, attractive village is the first step in appealing to the tourist trade. It was also decided that the local com- mittee would formally join the Grey -Bruce Tourist Association. The group, through the various commit- tees formed at the initial meeting of the Lucknow Tourist Committee, is intending to use the horseshoe and shamrock sym- bols on their proposed brochure and all future advertising. This committee is working hard, with many good ideas being presented at each meeting, to make Lucknow a viable tourist destination. The work being clone is simply "the tip of the iceberg" with the long term plan being for the benefit of the communi- ty as a whole. The next meeting of the Lucknow Tourist Committee is scheduled for September 11 at 8 p.m. in the Town Hall. All interested persons are encouraged to attend this meeting.