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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1993-07-28, Page 1Ju1Y.?g.rq?3 One by one the bins were removed from the Lucknow Feed Mill last week. A fire at the end of May caused over $1 million in damages to the mill. The mill. Is temporarily set up at Snobelen Elevators on Canning Street, but owners are hoping to start rebuilding the mill on the . same location ..by ' the . end of September in order to be operationalagain by January 1994. (Debbie Davidson photo) Owners hope to rebuild feed mill on the same site Owners of the Lucknow Peed Mill have a "long-term vision" -- to rebuild the tnill on the same location and build it to last for 40- 50 years. About 40 people .attended a public meeting Monday night, July 26, and heard that preliminary plans to rebuild are in process. Mark Stever, one of five owners, said they have spent "a lot _ of time looking into the future" of the•mill and hope to have a decision by the end of August. There .are two main reasons why they would like to build on the same location. The first is that they own the hydro service, which wasn't destroyed by fire, at the site. The,second reason is that the foun- dation is still intact. Fire destroyed the mill at.the end of May and "it couldn't have hap- pened at a worse time," said Stever. They had only .owned the mill for about twomonths before the fire. Clean-up of the site is still going on, and he. said the majority of the steel should be out by the end of this week. They have, had offers of land around town for a new mill site, "but we're still .leaning qn the idea .,of building on the same spot." � The. new 40 by 40 structure would consist of 20 sets of bins. It would also be set • up to "handle more bulk ingredients and more bulk ingredients easier. We're looking at making the facility work." • Although the steel bins would have a higher capacity, he said the bins wouldn't appear as high as the old ones because they would be built at ground level.. Engineers have been in to check the structural safety of the foun- dation, and Stever said they are waiting for the results. As well, "we are still negotiating with the insurance company. The settlement with the insurance will decide whether we can rebuild or not." ,He said they should hear from the company in the next two or three weeks. The latest the owners could start construction ,is the end of Septem- bei iri order' to be operational by January. Stever said if they don't rebuild ,"it would be a loss to the community. A mill tends to operate better as a locally owned business and we want to keep it that way," Larry Kupecz, a dairy consultant, said small regional mills have a good performance record. ' "They have the ability to turn on • a dime and the ability to serve the. local ' marketplace. There is a tremendous future for small regional mills, but they have to be managed properly," said Kupecz. Stever admitted it will take a lot of dollars to rebuild, but added there's still time to look atmain- taining the operation as a warehouse business. - • The future of a mill is in the ability to, be,a low costTroducer. "You're chances of surviving are better this way, and we realize that's where bur future will be." 'With' the,, land in this area. more suited for livestock, Stever said a feed supplier is needed. If the decision to rebuild goes through, owners will..be looking at bring a nutritionist on staff. He said their •turn to page 2 Ambulance communications concern Wingham hospital Wingham Advance -Times issue has been an ongoing concern ------ Rest lotions—on--communications=—since-the haspitallnst-control'•Zsf its between ambulances and the Win- radio dispatch to the regional gham and District Hospital are a dispatch centre in Owen Sound a source of concern at the hospital. few years ago, Dr. Brian Hanlon explained the The problem is that the am- bulance attendant cannot directly Deadlines changed The Lucknow Sentinel will be closed on August 2 for the Civic holiday. Advertisers and correspon- dents are asked to note the change for next week. Please submit advertising and news as early as possible. Display advertising will be accepted until 3 p.m. Editorial and classified word ads until 2 p.m. Friday, July 30. Have a safe and happy long weekend! communicate with Wingham ,hospital staff -torte em on in- coming patients. It was noted the hospital has equipment to "eavesdrop" on com- munications between the ambulance and Owen Sound dispatch, but the Craft festival is set to go Over 80 crafters will have their hand -made articles on display at Lucknow Agricultural Society's 23rd annual Craft Festival. • At, Plans for the festival are finalized and the doors of the Lucknow Arena will open on Friday, July 30 at 12 noon. Friday's showing will close at 10 p.m. and browsers can visit the festival again on Saturday, July 31, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. While the majority of exhibitors will be displaying their articles inside the arena, co-ordinator Ross Errington said the overflow of exhibitors will set up their displays outside. The show has been booked since last year, and pre -registration of exhibitor`s for next year's show begins this weekend. Those attending the show, will be pleased with the variety of exhibits, and there are new exhibitors again this year: Various crafts will be for sale during the two-day event with many demonstrations as well. Many of the crafters are donating door. prizes for free draws throughout the weekend. There will also be a 50/50 draw with first prize taking 25 per cent, second place 15 per cent and third place 10 per cent. The Kairshea Women's Institute will serve meals on Friday, while the ladies from the Agricultural Society will look after appetites on Saturday. Pop and ice cream will also be available both days. Admission to the festival is $1 for adults. Children under 12, accom- panied by a parent, can get in free. ambulanceattendant cannoidirect contact the hospital, nor can the hospital directly contact the am- bulance. • If an ambulance is sent from the, hospital, but is diverted to another hospital, the hospital is not notified of that action. Hanlon said that until the am bulance arrives, staff may not know if the call is serious or simple. 'He said he presumed other hospitals in the area may have encountered the same problem. Although it was suggested a cellular phone' might be the answer, it was explained those devices (or separate radios) are not allowed under the belief it could impair the driver's and attendant's con- centration of the work at hand. Hospital CEO Lloyd Koch said there is also the difficulty of getting clear cellular channels in the Win- gham area. Pay equity The tentative agreement between the Ontario Nurses Association and the Ontario Hospital Association has now been ratified. "Our hospital is named as re- quiring further negotiation as to 1y_.__how eve will apply -the -agreement -to - our nurses who were certified part- way through the retroactive period," said Koch. He said Carrie Gallant, WDH's pay equity, officer, has been given -final copies of the agreements and will be following developments with a view to finalizing WDH's overall plan once the nurses' plan is approved. RNA concerns The Wingham and District Hospital Board of Governors ap- • proved a $75,900 budget to be' submitted to the Ministry of Health, despite a letter indicating the ministry would only allow for just under $35,000 in funding. Finance committee chairman' Doris Inglis said the ministry has suggested it is willing to pay $34,685 for the RNA school's final year. In effect, they have chosen to ignore the school's closing costs (including , severance packages)," said Inglis. She said the ministry should.pay the additional costs since it did not give the hospital enough forewar- ning to prepare for the closing. '