HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1979-03-21, Page 6Page 6-Lueknow Sentinel,. Wednesday, March 21,. 1979
The Lucknow Sentinel
LUCKNOW, oNTA1UO
"The Sepoy Town"
On the Huron -Bruce Boundary
A
Established 1873
Published Wednesday
Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd.
Sharon J. Dietz - Editor
Anthony N. "Johnstone - Advertising and
General Manager
Subscription rate, 811 per year in advance
Senior Citizens rate, 89 per year in advance
U.S.A. and Foreign, $21.50 per year in advance
Sr. Cit., U.S.A. and Foreign 819.50 per year
in advance
Business and Editorial Office Telephone 528-2822
Mailing Address P.O.. Box 400, Lucknow, NOG 2110
Second class mail registration number - 0847
Letter from Ontario Hydro
explains power outages
March 7, 1979.
Mr. George Joynt,
Reeve of Lucknow,
Lucknow, Ontario.
NOG 2H0
Dear Sir:
Interruption to Lucknow
February 10, 11, 1979
This is in reply to your
request for information relat-
ing to the power interruption
to Lucknow, February 10 and
11, 1979, We refer specifical-
ly to an article appearing in
the Lucknow Sentinel, Feb-
ruary 21, 1979, which report-
ed discussion of the interrup-
tionby Lucknow Village
Council. Several items in the
report contain inaccuracies
and 1 feel create 'wrong
impressions. The following I
hope will "set the record
straight".
The interruption was caus-
ed by two simultaneous
failures. 1. a defective reclos-
er at Kinloss and 2. .a
defective lightning arrester
at Lucknow distributing sta-
tion. Both of these failures
were undetected and indeed
undetectable by any normal
maintenance procedures. In-
ability to by-pass the recloser
was due to an excessive
amount of snow around the
operating handle. The article
quotes Councillor Murray as
charging inefficiency be-
cause there was no spare
transformer for Lueknow
D.S. in stock in Walkerton.
Ontario Hydro maintains 3
mobile substations in the
Georgian Bay Region. One of
which, a 4000 kVA unit is
stored at Hanover Service
Centre. This unit is, more
than capable of handling the
load of Lucknow D.S. The
mobile substations are main-
tained for use in such emerg-
encies. They 'ire hauled by
transport tractor.: Ontario
Hydro uses independent'
transport companies to haul
the units whet, required, In
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Lucknow needs a summer program for children
Lucknow needs a summer pro-
gram for children.
A program which will interest
the children with awide range of
activities, which is well supervised
and organized by leaders who have
been trained in recreational leader-
ship, of children .and` which will
provide a child care arrangement
for working mothers through the
summer months.
Lucknow. Recreation Committee
never has enough moneyleft from
their recreation grant to sponsor a
well co-ordinated summer pro-
gram. Expenses- for the minor
hockey league, baseball teams and
swimming instrugtors deplete the
fund.
In the past, Lucknow received
grants under a provincial, Exper-
ience program which•enabled them
to operate a playground program in
co-ordination with the swimming
program at Caledonian Park. The:
progranh was to provide supervi-
sion of children who were .attend-
i.ng the swimming classes atthe
pool, while they waited for parents
to pick them, _up or waited for a
sister. or brother to finish their.
class.
Lucknow received grants for two
successive: years but at that time
the grant was to assist a; recreation
committee set up a program which
would then be carried on by the
municipality and the rec committee
without government funding. Un-
der this criteria Lucknow did not
receive ,a grantthe third year
because they Were expected to
fund it on their own.
For the past two years Lucknow
has not received a grant to fund a
summer program for children and.
the rec committee is Left with the
conception they must come up with
a super idea which will attract the
attention of the Ministry of Recrea-
tion and .Culture before they will
qualify .for a grant.,
Perhaps one of the reasons
Lucknow has not qualified for
funding the past two years, is the
quality of the program they_ are_.
offering.'
The program which has been
operated at the playground is not a
satisfactory program -for children.
The leaders who were respon-
sible for the Supervision of the
children had hot been to a leader-
ship training camp and were not
qualified to supervise 15 - 20
children between the ages of five
and 10.
The recreation 1committee says
they did not. have the money to
send the ,girls to a training camp.
The Ministry .of Recreation and.
Culture told the Sentinel this week,
they wouldfind the money to pay.
for leadership training, if neces-
sary.
•
Supervising children in any pro-
gram requires skills that cannot be
learned through babysitting or the
process of growing up.. It' is a
serious disadvantage to the leaders.
to be placed : in the position... of
operating a program when they
have not been trained.
The recreation committee would
not expect swimming instructors to
teach children to swim if the
leaders had not received intensive
swimming instructions themselves.
The recreation committee did not
provide the leaders with any
resources to conduct a well corgan-
ized interesting program. The play-
ground program operated from the
food booth used at the baseball
diamond. There is no electricity or
running water in the booth. When
it rained the children and the
leaders were forced to stay in the
booth in relative darknessio work
on arts and crafts and there was no
roomto play indoor games. Even
the simplestcraft such as water
painting, requires the use of water
and there was no water available in
the facility provided for the pro-
gram..
A creative summer program for
children could be offered at the
park in conjunction.. with the swim-
ming program. Studentswho are
studying recreation at college or
university are looking for summer
positions leading summer pro-
grams. Summer; jobs for students
are scarce and students realize any
job is better than "none. They will
work for minimum wage lust to
gain experience and several. area
recreation directors could probably
provid'e 'Lucknow Village Council
and the Lucknow Recreational
Committee with the names of.
qualified leaders for a summer
program here. None of the area
programs can provide work for all
the applications' they receive.
The new community centre sits
on the hill overlooking the park and
on rainy days the children ,could
use the community centre.or their
activities. Children do' not like to be
indoors in the summertime' there-
fore, the community centre would
only be required on rainy days.
Surely the Lucknow and -District
Lions Club could be approached for
their assistance in a summer pro-
ject for children. The Lions could,•
perhaps see their way clear to
provide an area at thecommunity
centre for the children free of
charge as, their contribution to the
proJect.
If Lucknow were to design a well
organized, stimulating program for
children with qualified leaders
perhaps, they would not have as
great a problem • qualifying for
grant money.
- A summer program for children
could include such activities as
soccer, baseball, orienteering and
hiking, arts and :crafts and swim-
ming. A trained recreation student
who would lead the program could
advise the rec committee and
suggest ways to make the program
better:'
A summer program for children,
is a recreational right for the
children and the parents of the
community. It is a responsibility of
the village council and the recrea-
tion _.committee just as hockey,
baseball and swimming.
In this year, The International
Year of the Child, when the rights
of children are being emphasized,
a program for Lucknow children.
this summer would have '•been a
great way to celebrate the year of
the child.
The applications for the Exper-
ience '79 grant which applies to
such . a program is, this Friday,
March 23`. Extensions of the dead-
line are available but only to those
municipalities who. have already
submitted • an :application and re-
quire further time to worls -out
details. So again, Lucknow will go
without government 'funding for a
program seriously needed here.
Last year as every year, the
qualifications for the grant change.
Basically it is a grant to provide
summer employment for the youth.
of the province and to provide
programs needed in municipalities
which could not be started or
funded by a municipality on its
own. Last year, emphasis was
placed on municipalities •where
there was need. Lucknow would
have qualified, but the recreation
committee did riot apply for an
Experience '78 grant. At least,
there is no application on record at
the Ministry of Recreation and
- Culture in Hanover.
It is possible Lucknow applied
for an Ontario Works Grant last
year and were rejected. • �y
The point is, the council and the
rec committee should be exploiting
all avenues and they obviously
overlooked the details of last year's
Experience '78 grant or they would
have learned' that if organizing a
quality program, they would have
stood a good chance of getting a
grant.
All around us good summer
programs are being offered to the
children in neighbouring commun-
ities. An excellent program was
run in. Ripley last ,summer to the
delight of the children who partic-
ipated. Because their council did
not apply, in time for one grant, a
mem, ber'of council took the respon-•
sibility of hiring -the leader of the
program on his own as a private
individual to allow program to
qualify for a different grant.
Any endeavour takes this kind of
determination • and interest. Luck -
now council and recreation commit-
tee should recognize their respon-
sibility regarding a recreation
program for children during the
summer that provides more than a
morning of supervision while they
go swimming.
The Ministry of Recreation and
Culture is willing to work with
council and the reccommittee to
1 develop a program for Lucknow
which will qualify for grants and
provide the beat for the village's
children.
Lucknow's consultant at the
Ministry office is Melanie Mc-
Laughlin and she is willing to meet
with council and/or the rec com
mittee to discuss setting up a
program for next summer.
° There is a need for such a
program in Lucknow; There are
parents• in Lucknow who would
rather their children spend their
summer days in constructive,
supervised activity than roaming
the streets looking for something to
do to pass the time:
There are working: mothers in
Lucknow who would like to see
their children in a program that
proviaes quality day, care.for their
children while they work.
Lucknow doesn't have many
organized baseball teams forboys
and the girls do not have a ball
team at all. The swimming pro-
gram at the pool: is •excellent but
lessons use up only an hour of the
day per child. .Not all children
between the ages of 5 and 10 can
CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 ,
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