HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1984-11-30, Page 4Lucknow Sentinel, Wednesday, November 28, 1984, --Page 4
Hospital. board unanimously approves open public meetings
By Henry Hess
Starting in January, members of the
public will for the first time be permitted to
freely attend meetings of the Wingham
and District Hospital Board.
As is the practice of most other boards
and councils, however, their status will be
.limited to that of observers, and they will
not be permitted to take part in discussion
or to address the board unless they have
been placed on the agenda as a deputation.
The board vote also will have to ' be
ratified by a vote of the members at next
Tune's annual meeting of the hospital
association in order to become established
as corporate policy
The decision to open board meetings to
the public came during last week's meeting
of the board following several months of
debate, both at the board and in public
forums, over the proposal, which had been
turned down by a previous board but was
resurrected when a large majority of
members at the June annual meeting
asked the .hoard to re-examine its policy.
In the end, the change in policy came in
by the back door as board, members turned
down by a vote of 9 - 4 a recommendation
that meetings remain closed except to the
press.
Following the defeat of that motion, the
board then voted unanimously that,
effective January 16, 1985 (the date of the
first regular meetingof the new year)
meetings will be opened to the public as
observers, with a procedure for receiving
deputations to be worked out.
Both votes followed a lengthy: 'round
table discussion during which most mem-
bers present expressed their willingness to
open the meetings. (Fifteen members of
e 8 member board were at the meeting,
w13 eventually voting, on the original
motion.)
Marian Zinn; newly elected trustee for
Ashfield -West Wawanosh, led off by com-
menting that she has sat on public boards
in Huron County for almost 20 years and
has heard the arguments over opening
board and committee meetings time after
time. • She said she definitely favors
opening not ,only the board meetings but
also the committee meetings.
"Weave to be open," she said,adding
she had been ,appalled at the amount of
discussion which ft -fit on in closed session
at the previous meeting,
Wingham . trustee John Schenk also
argued for open meetings, • saying that
whether people know it .or not, a large
proportion of their taxes is going to pay for
health ' care.
' `We're spending public money and they
deserve to see 'how we spend it."
Robert Middleton from Wingham also
spoke in favor of openingthe meetings, as
did Hans Kuyvenhoven from Turnberry,
Shirley Garniss from Morris, Alex Graham
from Howick and Isobel Arbuckle from
East . Wawanosh-Blyth,
Hospital Auxiliary president Marilyn
Wood said she .had previously 'favored
keeping meetings closed, but has changed
her mind.
Nancy McDonald-Exe1 from Brussels,
attending her first meeting since being
named toreplaceDon Jolley who resigned,
noted that she had missed out on previous
discussions of the matter, but said she
could see few good reasons for keeping
meetings closed.
Lucknow trustee Jean Whitby, also in
her; first term on the board, said she had
riot made up her mind.
Dr. Brian, Hanlon, board vice chairman
and. medical ' chief of staff,led the
• opposition . to the proposal, declaring he
could not see what purpose it would serve
to have people sitting at meetings if they
would not be allowed to participate,
How is it that 90 per cent of the other
hospital boards in the province do not
admit the public, he asked,: adding h>,
thinks that 80 per cent do not admit the
press either.
He inquired how the board would accom-
modate large numbers of people 'if they
showed up, rePeating .that he would be
willing to have them if it served some
purpose, "but I don't see how it serves the
running of the hospital."
If people are , concerned about the
hospital, they can approach their board
members, he said, and it they don't trust
• the board ' members they can get rid of
them in the next election.
He received support from new Wingham
trustees Ross Daves, who said opening the
meetings probably wouldn.'taccomplish
anything since the' board had already been
Turn to page s.
West Wawanoshjatepayers discuss Lucknow arena proposal
A meeting of West Wawanosh. Township
ratepayers has decidedto call another
meeting to discuss the proposal to build a
new arena in. Lucknow, when more reliable',
cost estimates are available.
Approximately 15 ratepayers met at the
St. Helens Hall, November 20 to discuss an
/arena board proposal to build a new arena
rather than repair the existing arena roof.
Some members of the arena board are of
the opinion no more money should be spent.
on the present arena building which was
restructured. in 1969.
The board's proposal was explained to
the meeting by Kathryn Todd, chairman of
the arena board who is West Wawanosh's
representative on the board. A new arena
is estimated to cost $900,000 if the present
structure is replaced enlarging the arena to
the north to the edge of the sidewalk.. This
would allow the arena ice surface to be
enlarged at a later date by removing the
bleachers along the north side. The
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$900,000 is an estimate which includes a
bigger structure andmore dressing rooms,
but: does not make any changes to the ice
surface or the refrigeration unit or the
plumbing pipes ,beneath the ice surface.
Additional dressing room space would be
included to the west side of the arena:
West Wawanosh councillor. Bruce Rayn-
ard made the observation it ' was his
impression nobody at . the meeting was
against the proposal for a new arena. "I
don't think we're getting a whole lot of
feedback here against this either way,
whichever way we go," said Raynard.
Todd suggested an engineer prepare
accurate estimates or tenders be called to
learn what contractors would come inat
and then a raepayers meeting be called
to discuss the proposed costs.
Todd told the meeting the arena board
was originally anxious to learn if the four
municipalities which operate the arena
•
board borrow the money to build a new
arena ` and hold the debt while the com-
munity conducted a fund raising campaign
to raise the funds. The Ministry of Tourism
and . Recreation had indicated a new
program of : funding was to be announced
before the provincial election, but these
programs have been put on hold because
the Conservative leadership campaign.
The announcement was expected by the
first of November.
Since funding is not imminent, 'the arena•
board can now consider their decision until
after the Conservative leadership conven-
tion in January.
Todd . said recreation minister Rueben
Baetz assured the arena board committee
which metwith him in ' August, ,;that
Lucknow arena would be first on' the
priority list for funding when it becomes
available.
"The arena board fe is the days of big
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grants' are gone, the only money available
is one-third of the cost from a Wintario
grant," said Todd, This ' leaves $600,000 to
be raised. by the community.
Ratepayer Neil Rintoul told the meeting •
he thinks $200,000 sounds ridiculous for
just covering- the roof of the arena, He said
the cost might be more reasonable if there
was going to be restructuring. Todd, replied
the arena board thought too the estimate to
cover the roof was, high, but the board has
nothing else to base' their decision on but
an engineer's estimate . from Maitland
;Engineering in Wingham.
Todd said Lucknow recreation director.
Bill Hunter told her the engineer who
prepared the estimate, brought a scratch -
pad and looked over the building and came
up the figure of $200,000 to repair the roof:
T? t� engineer didn't say what type of steel
or how much. ,It's a ball park figure, she
said. .
Turn to page 11'
The
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December 8th
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WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 12, 2 -4
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of Coronation Rebekah Lodge and will be
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December 13 from 10 5.
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