HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1997-12-03, Page 1News I_________Sports I Education
County councillors’ last
meeting emotional as
many bid farewell
See page 6
Blyth Bantams show
some winning ways with
2 victories
See page 10
Blyth Festival
productions earn 7
nominations
See page 23
County plows will be
out early, home sooner
In an effort to make sure roads
will be plowed in time for people to
go to work in the morning, Huron
County Road Department will be
starting winter maintenance an hour
earlier, and shutting down at 11
p.m. at night.
Sandra Lawson, county engineer,
told council that with crews starting
work at 5 a.m., it was sometimes
difficult to get over their entire
patrol in time for people to get to
work and school buses to travel
roads. With the county becoming
responsible for Hwys. 4 and 86 on
Jan. 1, this was going to be an
increased problem.
After provincial funding cuts in
1995, the department had slopped
24-hour winter maintenance of
county roads, pulling plows off the
roads at midnight. Under the new
policy, the plows will stop work at
11 p.m.
But Bill Vanstone, reeve of Col-
bome Twp., pointed out that since
it can take two hours to complete a
route, it might mean some roads
weren’t plowed after 9 p.m. He
wondered what message this was
sending to taxpayers. "Are we say
ing we'll get you to work so you
can pay your taxes and we'll get
you home and then you can stay
home."
Lawson said she realized that it
would mean there will not be as
much service at night, but in some
storms the roads would be filled in
right behind the plows anyway.
Mason Bailey wondered how
much is actually being saved by not
Christmas in Brussels
Santa Claus is coming to town
this weekend as he makes his spe
cial guest appearance in the annual
Brussels parade on Saturday.
Kicking off al 3:30 p.m. from the
north edge of the village, the
parade will wend its way down
Tumberry Street, before circling
back to The Ark, where Santa will
visit with his young friends.
The parade is just the beginning
of the festive highlights in Brussels
this Christinas season. Chairperson
Karen Darling said that a number
of special events, some familiar,
some new, leading up to the holi
day are planned
In keeping with the Home for the
Toddler hit by car
Tragedy has come to former area
residents.
A grandson of Lorraine and Jack
Nelemans, of Gowanstown, for
merly of Walton, was struck and
killed by a van, at approximately
6:10 p.m., Nov. 29.
Wesley Jacob Coombs, the 23
month-old son of Christine and
Stephen Coombs of Bayfield, had
wandered away from his residence
keeping crews on the road 24 hours
a day. "One of my concerns is that
we seem to have more and more
heavy truck traffic at night," he
said.
Lawson said she had no figures
al hand on the cost but said it could
run up to $100 an hour in time,
equipment and materials to have a
truck plowing, sanding and salting.
She said there hadn't been com
plaints about not having 24-hour
maintenance, but Vanstone said
he'd heard people saying they had
to take township roads to get places
because the county roads weren't
passable.
"This is the only place the tax
payer really sees his tax dollars
physically in action," he said.
Although the county will be tak
ing over the existing maintenance
contracts between the Ministry of
Transportation and private contrac
tors, the same hours will apply on
Hwys. 4 and 86 after the highways
are downloaded Jan. 1, Lawson
said. The contracts will be hon
oured until the end of the winter
maintenance season in April in
order to reduce disruption in ser
vice, she said.
While several councillors sup
ported the mo'Ve'to have plows out
earlier in the morning, Brian
McBumey pointed out that Wescast
Industries, the largest employer in
northern Huron, has shift changes
at both 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. "People
are trying to get to work when
we're pulling the plows off," he
warned.
Holidays theme, on Thursday, Dec.
11, there will be a "Twas the Night
Before Christmas" fashion show,
featuring clothing from the 5Rs
Community Thrift Shop, modelled
by local businesspeople and their
families. This will lake place at the
Legion beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 14, is the lighting
of The Tree of Hope, outside The
Ark. There will be wagon rides,
sponsored by the Optimists.
As well, prior to the tree lighting
the winners of the best decorated
home and business will be
announced- Judges are encouraging
everyone to gel their place looking
its festive best before Dec. 8, when
judging will take place.
and was walking along Hwy. #21,
south of Cameron Street, before
being struck, said an OPP report.
He was taken to Clinton Public
Hospital by ambulance where he
died several hours later.
Richard A. Erb, 58, of Stanley
Twp., driver of the 1995 GMC van
which struck Coombs, has been
charged under the Liquor Licence
Act.
CitizenThe North Huron
Vol. 13 No 47 Wednesday, Dec. 3, 1997 70c + 5c GST
Dreaming of Christmas
More than just sugar plums could be envisioned by young Laura Albers of Brussels as she
sat surrounded by tasty treats, delicious baked goods, wonderful crafts and one large, fuzzy
teddy bear at Brussels’ St. Ambrose Catholic Church annual pre-Christmas craft and bake
sale, held Saturday. With only three weeks to go before the holiday, locally-created crafts,
decorations and baked goods can be purchased at numerous businesses across the region.
County wants downloading delay
Huron County council, Thursday,
joined a growing number of munic
ipalities across the province in ask
ing for a delay in the downloading
of provincial services to municipal
ities.
Council supported a motion by
outgoing Exeter Reeve Bill Mickle
to ask for a delay of one year the
the "Who Does What” recommen
dations (lhe province's proposals to
download services) to allow good
municipal financial impact studies
based on factual information, lead
ing to lhe development of a fair and
workable program.
The move came after even more
confusion was created by press
reports that the government was
going to restore $667 million in
municipal support grants which it
had earlier announced it would cut.
(Those grants totalled $10 million
for lhe municipalities in Huron.)
‘‘It’s showing that Who Does What
is not revenue neutral,” Mickle
said.
‘Citizen’ has record year
North Huron Publishing Compa
ny Limited, parent company of The
Citizen, reported a record profit at
the annual meeting of shareholders
held Nov. 27 at Blyth Memorial
Hall.
A small turnout from the compa
ny’s 48 shareholders, heard that the
company enjoyed a record before
tax profit of $25,618, despite a
decline in local advertising in The
Mickle said that when he was
president of the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario in 1995,
he had understood lhe government
Continued on page 7
Citizen. President and Publisher
Keith Roulston reported that lhe
profit had come from three areas.
More than half was generated by
The Rural Voice, the company’s
farm magazine. Because of hun
dreds of hours of donated staff
time, the company managed a prof
it of $7,000 in producing a village
Continued on page 21