The Citizen, 1991-05-08, Page 15PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 8,1991.
Trustees split on Brussels tennis court decision
While the trustees of the Huron
County Board of Education
(HCBE) may have passed a recom
mendation to relocate the tennis
courts in Brussels to the school
property, it was not without some
reluctance from a few of them.
Superintendent of Operations
Paul Carroll told the board May 6
that he had received a letter from
Brussels principal Dave Kemp the
previous Friday withdrawing the
request, but was telephoned later
that day to say there was to be fur
ther discussion at the village coun
cil meeting on Monday night.
Brussels council, had, at a joint
meeting with the recreation com-
mittee last week, rejected the pro
posal.
The Leo club, who constructed
the tennis courts on the Elizabeth
Street property when the old arena
was removed, feel it would belter
serve the community if moved to
the school. Brussels councillors,
however, made a commitment a
year ago to relocate the courts to
the arena.
HCBE trustee Jim Chapman said
that he would not feel secure in
passing the recommendation with
out some clarification on the board
's commitment for long-term
maintenance of the property.
While the board has had similar
agreements with other schools Mr.
Chapman fell that they needed
some commitment from the Lions
Club should any major repairs be
needed.
Trustee Allan Carter agreed. "If
the reconstruction is not done prop
erly can the board afford to be
liable for any repairs."
Mr. Carroll said that to his
knowledge there has never been a
problem with the agreements with
other schools but noted that the
items brought up were worth con
sideration.
Goderich trustee Norm Picked
made an amendment to the motion
saying the courts should be built on
specifications satisfactory to the
board's designate.
Mr. Chapman was not in favour
saying that while the intention may
be good, he is looking for long
term capital commitment. "I have
no problem with daily mainte
nance, but for things like resurfac
ing or a new chain-link fence, I
wouldn't want the board to be
responsible."
Hullclt trustee John Jewitt said he
did not want to see the board put
any roadblocks in the way of this.
Trustee Audry McClennan support
ed that saying the board needs to
have more good faith in the com
munity. "I feel comfortable sup
porting the motion as it stands."
Brussels trustee Don McDonald
said, "I expect the service clubs
would do their part should any
major expense come up."
The amendment was lost and the
original motion passed.
BLYTH
‘Thanks a 94iUion ‘Tivice Over
Workman says decision final
Continued from page 1
used by the physical education teach
ers at the school and the cost of its
maintenance would be borne by the
Board of Education. They also felt
that with several Block Parent homes
in the neighbourhood, the school rite
would be safer.
Councillor Mary Stretton, council's
representative on the Brussels, Mor
ris and Grey Recreation Committee
said there had been a joint meeting of
the committee and councils of the
three municipalities and it had been
decided the best place for the court
was at the arena. The Brussels coun
cil had said earlier that if they bought
more land at the arena it would use
some of the space for the tennis
court.
Reeve Gordon Workman said that
council had decided earlier that if it
sold the cunent tennis court property
it would move the tennis court and
rebuild it. "We'll still do it but not at
the school." He worried that once the
tennis court was at the school the vil
lage would lose jurisdiction over it.
But the Leos argued that if the
council was going to rebuild the ten
nis court they should put it where
people will use it, arguing there
would be more use at the school.
Reeve Workman argued back that the
amount of use the court has had in
the past "wasn't worth peanuts".
"It's going to be worth less than
peanuts if it's at the arena," the Leos
argued.
Councillor Bruce Hahn said there
were valid points to support putting
the court at the school but he could
see problems too. The three young
men present were all high school stu
dents, he said. What if they wanted to
play tennis on a day that was a holi
day for high schools but not public
schools? They mightn't be allowed to
play during school hours. "If the
school property belonged to the vil
lage it might be a different story but
we have no control over what they
might do in a few years down the
road." Other councillors touched on
the same issue of lack of control.
But John Harrison of the Lions
argued that there is already an agree
ment in place that guarantees public
use of Board of Education properties.
The Board had, earlier that afternoon,
passed a motion ensuring long-term
maintenance of the facility.
The Leos, he said, has put up the
fence around the original tennis court
and had never given up ownership of
the fence so still owned it. Yet, he
said, they had never been consulted
on the move (one councillor pointed
out after the delegation left that the
Leos had only recently been
reformed after several years of inac
tivity and council had made its deci
sion a year ago when the club wasn't
active.)
Mr. Harrison said having the court
at the school would allow teachers to
teach tennis in phys ed classes giving
more students a taste of the game.
Lions member Alan Teeft agreed
saying the only place you're going to
learn tennis is if you're taught it in
school.
Councillor Hahn said, however,
that most of the people who use a
tennis court are teenagers who could
n't use the courts during school hours
at the school.
Reeve Workman said area munici
palities are trying to create a recre
ation complex by concentrating
several facilities in one place. If train
ing needed to be done, he said, the
recreation committee should look
into setting up lessons. "What are you
asking us to do?" he asked Mr. Harri
son.
"Just take a look at it," Mr. Harri
son replied. Nobody was at the joint
recreation-council meeting to defend
the idea of putting the court at the
arena, he said. The Leos were never
invited although they had a vital
interest.
But Reeve Workman maintained
the decision had been made and he
was not prepared to reopen the issue.
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