HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-11-08, Page 1Brussels site chosen for Huronview North Home
The 81-bed northern unit of
Huronview will be located on the
Morris township farm of Bill and
Marie Turnbull, just south of
Brussels, Huron County council
decided Thursday in a recorded
vote.
A gallery packed with about 25
Brussels, Morris and Grey resi
dents there to give moral support to
local politicians making a final plea
for the Home to be located at
Brussels, nervously tried to count
votes as each county councillor’s
vote was recorded, then broke into
applause when the final count of
19-14 was announced. Not so happy
were supporters of the Wingham-
Turnberry proposal. They had lob
bied hard for the last month to
overturn the recommendation of
the site selection committee that
the Brussels site be chosen.
For members of the Brussels,
Morris and Grey delegation it was
the culmination of months of
preparation. It was a victory made
sweeter by the announcement the
week before that Brussels would be
losing the 34-bed Callander Nurs
ing Home. The beds allocated to
the Brussels home will be moved to
Wingham where Home owner Mac
MacGowan will amalgamate them
with the beds he owns at the
Brookhaven Nursing Home in a
brand new nursing home, ironically
on one of the two Wingham-area
sites optioned by the county as a
possible location for the Huronview
North Home.
The Reeves of Brussels, Morris
and Grey all expressed their de
light in the decision following the
meeting. Morris Reeve Doug Fras
er said that he was sure that
common sense prevailed and said
the Huronview North site is cer
tainly needed in Brussels. He said
that the day after the county
council had decided there would be
a separate northern unit of the
county home for the aged, he had
gone to Brussels, seen the Turnbull
property and felt it would be the
perfect site for the new Huronview.
Brussels Reeve Gordon Work
man said he was awfully pleased
county councillors could see the
issue Brussels’ way and said he
thought it was good judgement on
the county’s part. “They talk about
economic development and now
we’ve got a piece of it,” he said.
Grey Township Reeve Leona
Armstrong, for whom a new
Huronview has been a dream for
years, said she was happy with the
results of the vote and was over
whelmed with the response of the
people of Brussels, Morris and
Grey in supporting the efforts of
their leaders. She said there would
be an exciting time ahead as the
new home goes into the planning
stages.
In the end after weeks of
sometimes acrimonious lobbying,
the decision was made by county
councillors with little fanfare.
Reeve Armstrong was one of the
few to speak on the issue, rising to
support the motion that recom
mended the Brussels site. Counter-
Continued on page 8
Brussels residents applaud
county’s decision.
Serving Brussels, Blyth, Auburn, Belgrave, Ethel,
Londesborough, Walton and surrounding townships.
VOL. 5 NO. 45 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1989.50 CENTS
County wants rail corridor in public hands
After months of seeking a com
promise position on the future of
the abandoned CP Rail line from
Guelph to Goderich, Huron County
Council approved a policy that
would see the rail corridor remain
in the hands of senior govern
ments.
The county’s position as defined
by the Planning and Development
Committee would see ownership of
the railway lands remain in the
Blyth library move
approved by county
The Huron County Library Board
has approved the move of the Blyth
branch to expanded quarters in
Blyth Memorial Hall once renova
tions at the Hall are completed.
The new library would be located
in the former box office and art
gallery in the north wing of
Memorial Hall once the south
wing, containing new box office
and gallery facilities, is completed.
The move would nearly triple the
space available to the library to a
total of 900 square feet. There are
three rooms available to the library
hands of either the federal or
provincial governments for possi
ble use in the future for a utilities
corridor such as a water pipeline
from Lake Huron to the burgeoning
Kitchener-Waterloo-Guelph area.
The position also would see local
municipalities decide what is the
best interim use, including turning
over the land for rehabilitation for
farming by adjacent landowners.
The future of the railway lands
in Memorial Hall: the former box
office/administration office; the art
gallery; and the room originally
intended as a community activities
room when the building was con
structed in 1980 which has been
little used for that purpose.
The change in location will mean
an increase in rent payable to the
village. At a rate of $4.05 per
square foot the annual payment to
the village will be $3,645.
It is unknown if village council
has given approval to the
since the subject has never
discussed in open council.
move
been
along with other abandoned lines is
currently being studied by the
interministerial committee of the
provincial government. Landown
ers along the right of way in Huron,
under the name the United Ground
Hog’s Day Committee of Huron
County have been lobbying to have
the land turned over to adjacent
landowners while a Rails to Trails
group has been pushing to have the
land designated as a recreational
trail.
Dr. Gary Davidson, Director of
Planning for the county said that it
may be 20 to 25 years before the
line might be needed for utilities
use and that there may be varying
uses for the land along the entire
length of the line and it may be the
local municipality that can best
determine the interim use of the
land. ®
Meanwhile the county is becom
ing concerned that there may be
other abandoned lines to deal with
if the railways have their way.
Bill Mickle, Reeve of Exeter said
that a map circulated at the recent
Associated Counties and Regions
of Ontario convention indicated
the Canadian National Railways
could abandon the Stratford-
Goderich rail line. Reeve Tom
Tomes of Stephen said he’d heard
that maintenance crews had been
called off the CN line from Clinton
south.
Dr. Davidson said that while no
actual submission had been made
by the railways to abandon more
Huron county lines, it is fairly well
known that CN wants to abandon
all remaining lines in Huron and
that the railways want to abandon
all lines in southwestern Ontario
north of Highway 401.
The council accepted a recom
mendation that the county planning
and development department pre
pare a report in support of retain
ing rail service in the county.
2 injured in crash
Two Brussels teenagers received
injuries as the result of a single
vehicle accident in Morris Town
ship on Saturday evening at ten
minutes to twelve.
Shawn Jacklin, 16, was driving a
1979 Ford LTD southbound on
sideroad 5-6 of Morris at a speed of
85 kilometres an hour, an OPP
spokesperson said, when he lost
control on the soft, west shoulder of
the road and entered the ditch,
And now
for the bill...
Now that Brussels has apparent
ly won the right to be home to the
northern unit of Huronview, it can
start figuring out how much the
victory will cost the local taxpayer.
It is up to the village to provide
for the extension of Elizabeth
Street to the south to service the
site, as well as providing water and
sewer lines to the property line.
The cost for the extension of
sewers, Donna White, assistant
clerk-treasurer, told council Mon
day night, has been estimated at
$21,000. No estimate of the cost of
extending the road has yet been
determined.
Councillors agreed that as soon
as provincial government approval
has been given to the site, all
development costs will have to be
determined so they can be put in
next year’s budget. Councillors
agreed they wanted to be ready to
move on the improvements as
quickly as possible so as not to hold
up the construction.
One benefit to the extension of
the street and sewers and water
will be to open up more land for
development. Several individual
lots and space for a 10-lot subdivi
sion will be made accessible by the
extension of Elizabeth Street.
hitting a tree.
Mr. Jacklin and his passenger,
16-year-old Laura Duklos, who
were both wearing lap belts at the
time of the mishap were transport
ed to Wingham and District Hospi
tal by private vehicle. Mr. Jacklin
sustained minimal injuries while
Miss Duklos was treated for minor
injuries.
OPP state that the vehicle was
demolished.
School safety
Light, crossing guards
considered at Brussels
school crossing
See page 12
ip
H
Hockey begins
Local teams
swing into action n
HI
Music review
Ensemble entertains
kids with wierd
instruments
See page 22