HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-02-28, Page 10PAGE 10. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019.
Huron County now finds itself in
the unenviable position of having to
fund an entire sprinkler system
replacement for its two retirement
homes at a total cost of $1.7 million.
The issue was first discussed by
Huron County Council last year
when a pipe burst at one of the
homes, causing a unit to have to be
evacuated. That emergency led to a
review of the status of the sprinkler
system and, according to those at
Allan Avis Architects, the original
work when the homes were first
built left much to be desired.
Jason Morgan from Allan Avis
Architects spoke to Huron County
Council at its Feb. 20 meeting,
saying that numerous mistakes were
made during the installation of the
system that led to its failure.
Morgan told councillors that there
should be a “dry” system in the attic
of the building, while a wet system
would run through the rest of the
building, essentially anywhere the
building is heated.
Not only was the wrong style of
system installed in the first place,
Morgan told councillors, but he said
that proper sloping had not been
implemented, meaning that the
system couldn’t properly drain.
Because the wrong system was
installed in the attic and it wasn’t
sloped properly, there was no way to
handle condensation. What that
means, Morgan said, is that
condensation would build up in the
pipes and sediment would then
accumulate, and then gather at low
points of the system.
In some areas of pipes in both the
Huronlea and Huronview Homes
they found nearly complete
blockages as a result of sediment
build-up. Many other sections of the
piping were built up to high levels,
blocking well over half of the
passable pipe.
Morgan said that the new system,
using PVC piping, would cost $1.7
million for both homes. He said his
estimates were as conservative as
possible and that it’s possible that it
could end up costing less.
Huron East Mayor Bernie
MacLellan was the first to voice his
frustration, saying there should have
been a consistent system of checks
and balances during the homes’
initial construction so something
like this could never happen.
He said that this time around if
council is paying for work to be
done, it needs to be inspected and
approved.
Bluewater Mayor Paul Klopp
agreed, saying he was very
frustrated with the $1.7 million price
tag associated with the project.
He added that, if an emergency
were to take place right now,
essentially neither of the homes
would have a working sprinkler
system and Morgan said there would
definitely be gaps in the system until
it’s repaired properly.
Due to the intensive nature of the
replacement, he said whole areas of
the buildings will have to be shut
down in some cases for the
replacement to take place. It’s the
nature of the building and of the
replacement, he said, and there is no
way around it.
Some councillors were concerned
about the suggested use of PVC
piping, asking if perhaps metal
piping may be better and last longer.
Morgan said the PVC piping, if
installed properly, would be the
better choice and wouldn’t corrode
like the existing piping or other
metal piping on the market.
If installed properly, he said, the
pipes should last at least 30 years.
Council approved the
recommendation, with several
councillors pointing out that they
really didn’t have much a choice in
the matter.
TINIE (Benjamins) STRYKER
Safe in the arms of Jesus, our Lord
called home our dear mom and
grandma Tinie (Benjamins) Stryker
on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019. She was
in her 92nd year.
Tinie was the beloved wife of the
late Ralph Stryker (2007) for 56
years and loving mom of Jenny and
John Hoonaard, Blyth; Evert and Liz
Stryker, Wainfleet; Henrietta and
Fred Vander Sterre, Brussels; Carl
and Wilma Stryker, Kitchener;
Albert and Deb Stryker, Blyth and
John and Charlene Stryker, Selkirk.
Tinie was loved and will be sadly
missed by 25 grandchildren and 31
great-grandchildren. She is survived
by siblings Jantje (late Albert)
Stryker, Geke and Evert Benjamins,
Holland; brothers and sisters in- law
Tinie (late Jan) Benjamins,
Hamilton; Lammy (late Simon)
Benjamins, Drayton and Hendrik
and Marije Otten, Grimsby.
Visitation was held at the Clinton
Christian Reformed Church on
Sunday, Feb. 24. The funeral service
was held on Monday, Feb. 25.
Spring interment at the Clinton
Cemetery.
Memorial donations to World
Renew would be appreciated as
expressions of sympathy.
Arrangements were entrusted to
the Falconer Funeral Homes,
Clinton, www.falconerfuneral
homes.com
JOHANN “JOHN” MENZI
John Menzie of RR 3, Monkton,
passed away, surrounded by his
family at University Hospital,
London on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019.
He was 77.
John was the beloved husband of
Heidi Menzi and loving father of
Sibylle Menzi Landis, Priska Menzi
(Ed Havenga), Michael Menzi
(Karen) and Adrian Menzi and
proud grandfather of Ryan, Philip
and Amanda; Katherine and Julia;
Gwen and Phoebe. He was the dear
brother of Alfred Menzi (Ursula)
and Rudy Menzi (Hulda) and the
dear brother-in-law of Werner
Haenggeli, Hans Haenggeli (Esther)
and Verena Vogel (Hans-Ulrich).
Also surviving are his nieces and
nephews.
John was predeceased by his
parents Alfred and Magdalena
Menzi and son-in-law Peter Landis.
John emigrated from Switzerland
in January of 1979 with his
cherished family. He lived for
working on his farm and enjoyed
taking care of his many Swiss
Mountain Dogs over the years.
Friends were received by the
family to celebrate John’s life at the
Lockhart Reception Centre, Mitchell
on Monday, Feb. 25. Words of
remembrance were spoken at
2 p.m.
Memorial donations to Stratford
General Hospital Foundation or
London Health Sciences Foundation
may be made at
LockhartFuneralHome.com.
Home sprinklers
to cost $1.7 mil.
Making beautiful music
In Mrs. Middleton’s Hullett Central Public School class, the students worked on their science
by way of music. Learning about different tones and how they can differ depending on a
number of factors is as scientific as it comes, but Mrs. Middleton chose to teach them through
music and encouraging her students to make homemade musical instruments. The class
became an instant attraction for their fellow students, who visited the classroom that week to
hear what the students were up to. From left: Bryce Dale, Emily Blair, Sheldon Lee, Lukas
Greidanus and Hunter Simonsen. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
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Obituaries
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen
ON $6.00 THURSDAYS
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The Citizen
The County of Huron has been
granted up to $124,000 in funding
from the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities’ (FCM) climate
change staff grants initiative to help
address staffing gaps and increase
the county’s capacity to adapt to the
effects of climate change or reduce
greenhouse (GHG) emissions.
The County of Huron is among 59
communities across Canada
benefitting from this initiative.
The county will use the funding to
dedicate staff to activities such as the
development and imple-mentation
of a climate adaptation plan,
including a greenhouse gas
inventory and reduction strategy, as
well as the development and
implementation of county operat-
ional and institutional changes that
will lead to savings and reduced vul-
nerability to climate change impacts.
The climate change staff grants
are offered through the
Municipalities for Climate
Innovation Program (MCIP)
delivered by FCM and funded by the
Government of Canada.
“Through participation in
programs such as the Huron Clear
Water Project and Huron
Stewardship Council, Huron County
has a strong tradition of
environmental leadership”, says
County of Huron Chief
Administrative Officer, Meighan
Wark. “This funding from FCM will
enable the County of Huron to
Further its leadership role relating to
environmental sustainability and
climate adaptation strategies”.
County receives FCM funding