HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1988-09-14, Page 1PUBLISHED IN LUCK NOW ONTARIO Wedlleber? 19$$ 404 PER COPY(
Tower power project is ahead of schedule
By Rob Bundy
The $285 million power line project cur-
rently under construction in the area is
ahead of schedule and is expected to be in
full service by August, 1990, according to
Ontario Hydro officials. The purpose of the
mammoth project is to move inexpensive
nuclear power from the Bruce Nuclear
Power Plant to areas south of the city of
London.
The tower line project, referred to by the
work crews as the `Bruce Longwood
Line', was started last spring and will
stretch double circuit, bulk transmission
line a total of 186 kms when completed. '
"The first 12 kms between the Bruce and
Willowcreek are completed and energized
now," said David Grant of Ontario Hydro's
communitty relations department. "All
700 towers should be in place by spring and
we expect to start stringing lines from
Willowcreek early in the new year."
Having the first 12 kms of the route ser-
viceable allows Ontario Hydro to pull a
further 56 megawatts of power out of the
Bruce plant.
"The actual savings to us by doing this,"
explains Grant, "is about six -and -a -half
million dollars."
Once completed, this will be the second
line to take power out of the Bruce B plant.
When it eventually reaches the
transformer station in Longwood, south-
west of London, it will feed into a number
of smaller external lines and will carry
power as far south as Sarnia and Windsor.
Economic spin-off
The Bruce - Longwood Line has resulted
in the establishment of a number of `field
offices' along its route. Over and above the
administrative staff, there will be 298 con-
struction workers employed year-round.
Many of these men are area residents.
"There are economic benefits to the
area through the use of local manpower,"
Grant said of the project. "Local gravel
pits are getting the contracts and hotels
are being used for the crews. The spin-offs
to the community in dollars spent at
restaurants, shops and gas stations is
noticeable."
Many of the crews involved in the
dangerous task of erecting the 175 -foot
towers are very experienced and have
been brought to the project for that
specific purpose. One such crew, presently
erecting towers south of Highway 9, bet-
ween Kinloss and Lucknow, just came
from a similar project near Ottawa.
"It takes a special type of guy to stand
on top of those towers and tighten bolts.
They are very experienced and that's part
of the reason we're ahead of schedule at
this time," said Grant in praise of the work
crews.
Land access
To string power lines over 700 towers
across a distance of 186 kms, Ontario
Hydro had to gain land access from a'total
of 463 land owners. Hydro officials began
contacting area land owners, mostly
farmers, over a year ago.
"We make a special agreement with
residents to gain access to the property,"
explained Grant. "We do our utmost to
minimize any damage and, of course, we
compensate farmers for any loss of crop.
They get a good price."
While Ontario Hydro now has temporary
access to most of the total route of the
power line, there are a few land owners not
giving in easily. At least one farmers'
group in the area, the Foodland Hydro
Committee, was formed as early as 1982 to
oppose the project, but such opposition has
The power line project underway in this areawill eventually stretch hydro lines
from the Bruce Nuclear Power Plant to Longwood, south-west of London. Works
crews can now be seen in fields erecting the huge towers which will carry the lines.
Most of the line crosses private land and some farmers are less than satisfied with the
price being paid for the expropriated land. (Rob Bundy photos)
done little to halt the Bruce -Longwood
Line.
"Admittedly, we don't have access to all
the property yet," said Grant from his
Toronto office. "It can be a very lengthy
procedure. Our final step would be ex-
propriation, but we don't expect to have to
resort to that."
Gerald Dustow is a director of the
Foodland Hydro Committee and he,
among others, is not at all satisfied with
the action.
The Dustow farm, located on Colborne
Township Concession 12, has been in the
family since the land was bought from the
Crown and cleared. Ontario Hydro paid
market value for a total of 25 acres and
will erect 8 towers across the Dustow
farm.
"This will completely disrupt the farm,"
says Dustow. "It will lower the value of the
land and the injurious effect to the farm
simply can't be given a dollar value. But,
we are at their mercy. If we hadn't permit-
ted them access, the land would have been
expropriated by November."
While Dustow admits the . Foodland
Hydro Committee can't stop the power line
project, he says they are still attempting to
negotiate a better settlement for farmers
i
whose land is affected.
"Ontario Hydro picked the best route for
this line - the most economical route for
them," said Dustow. "They also picked the
best farmland in the province and it has
left some people very dissatisfied."
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No advertising allowed in parade
The Lucknow Agricultural Society, at its
August 23 meeting, passed a motion to
restrict any floats in the Fall Fair parade
from "political or religious advertising".
The motion was made following a request
from the Huron -Bruce NDP Association to
include a float in the parade.
The NDP float hasn't appeared in a
Lucknow parade in the past, but did par-
ticipate in this year's Dungannon and Kin-
cardine parades earlier this summer.
According to Agricultural Society
secretary Ross Errington, the move was
made to stop political advertising from be-
ing handed out during the parade, but
would not restrict local political
dignitaries from riding in the procession.
Tony McQuail, president of the local
NDP association, made the request to the
Ag. Society to register the float which pro-
mpted the restriction.
"The move is not appropriate at all,"
Mr. McQuail told the Sentinel Monday.
"We just want to be friendly, open and
honest."
Apparently, the Ag. Society heard a
number of negative comments about the
float following its appearance in the
Dungannon parade and decided at their re-
cent meeting to curtail such comments
here by not allowing religion and politics to
enter into the Fall Fair Parade.
Mr. Errington did say however that this
motion would not in any way restrict the
appearance of floats representing such
groups as the Lucknow Christian School
because they do not hand out literature.
Mr. McQuail maintains that ap-
pearances by local MP's and MPP's in the
parade is "as much political advertising
as anything we do".
In a letter to the Editor which appears in
this issue of the Sentinel, McQuail says he
will ignore the restriction and pull the
NDP float into the line-up with all the
others Saturday morning.
The Sentinel was unable to contact
Agricultural Society president Leo Murray
prior to press time.
What action will be taken by the
Agricultual Society on Saturday should the
NDP float appear remains to be seen.
Rabies confirmed in dead llama
It has been confirmed that a llama found
drowned at the exotic animal farm of
Harry Burgsma, RR6 Goderich, had
rabies.
The animal had been exhibiting "very
strange behavior" a day before it was
found dead in the Nine Mile River, accor-
ding to Burgsma. Tests done on the car-
cass confirmed the presence of rabies.
"It was kind of acting wild," says
Burgsma. "It was jumping around alot
and the next day we found it in the river."
Four other animals, two zebras and
another two llamas, are believed to have
been in contact with the infected animal
prior to its death and have now been
quarantined at the Burgsma farm, located
north-west of Nile. Following rabies vac-
cinations, the animals will be closely wat-
ched by the Hruon County Health Unit for
a period of 60 days.
"I've been told not to ship them and to
watch their behavior," Burgsma told the
Sentinel last week.
In a statement released by the health
unit last week, anyone having visited the
Burgsma farm on Ashfield Township Con-
cession 3 between the dates of August 20
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