HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1998-08-05, Page 1See page 3 See page 6
Vol. 14 No. 31 Wednesday, Aug. 5, 1998
700 + 50 GST 750
Started small
The lack of rainfall this summer has been keeping local firefighters busy as dry grass and
woodlands become increasingly vulnerable to fire. Late Friday afternoon, what was a normal
commonplace activity had firefighters from Grey Twp. battling a blaze at the home of Keith
and Carol Nicholson, Lot. 1, Conc. 2. Mrs. Nicholson had been burning a small paper bag of
paper garbage. After watching it carefully, when she believed it to be extinguished she went
back into the house, only to have a neighbour inform her shortly after that the lawn was on
fire. The blaze, in close proximity to the barn, spread quickly setting fire to some railroad ties
as well. A neighbours bulldozer scraped the earth back to help get the fire under control.
Defunct server leaves K-W users in a bind
Community Feature Entertainment
Former resident
donates
to Festival
Local family hosts
child from
Chernobyl
See page 19
Citi School bd.'s draft budget Zen shows $500,000 shortfall
The North Huron
Frustration for many internet
users in Huron County was averted
when Steffen Computer Systems of
Wingham picked up the user list for
the defunct huron.net server.
Sometime over the July 25 week-
end, huron.net, which had been the
internet server for many homes and
businesses in Huron County, went
out of business, without prior warn-
ing.
For users in this region, Steffen
Computer Systems quickly picked
up the abandoned clients, inform-
ing them by e-mail July 27 of the
change of address.
Anyone whose e-mail address
had been huron.net should adjust
the e-mail settings, changing to
scsintemet.com.
Particularly for business, every-
one on the mailing list should be
informed of the change.
Unlike Huron County users, cus-
tomers in the Kitchener-Waterloo
area who had signed up with the
server were left with no carrier.
huron.net , located in K-W, had
been purchased from Steffen Com-
puter Systems late last summer,
with owner Mark Steffen selling
his final shares this spring.
According to a media report, a
sign on the company door asked
clients to go to another address for
refunds as many had paid a year in
advance.
The address apparently led to a
cornfield in New Hamburg, it stat-
ed.
Steffen says most K-W clients
have now been picked up by Gold-
en Triangle.
The biggest headache was
switching domains for web sites,
says Steffen. Approximately 10
home pages carried by huron.net
had to be moved.
For e-mail customers, Steffen
says they did some technical work
to allow huron.net users to pick up
their mail via a relay system
through Steffen Computer Systems.
Steffen says most customers
should now be converted to the
new address.
Anyone still having difficulties is
asked to phone Steffen Computer
Systems at 357-3700 or through e-
mail at mark@scsintemet.com.
Those with web pages on
huron.net are asked to contact
www.internic.net to have the
domain name servers changed.
By Lee Ann Waterman
Special to The Citizen
No matter which way you slice it,
there just doesn't seem to be
enough money to go around at the
Avon Maitland District School
Board.
Administrative staff presented
preliminary budget figures for the
1998/99 school year to board
members on Tuesday, July 28.
When they added up all the
numbers — calculations regarding
funding from the province,
projected expenditures and
additional revenue — the end result
saw the board with a $500,000
shortfall.
Marilyn Marklevitz, superinten-
dent of business and finance, said
that the board had been anticipating
a shortfall and the numbers simply
back up the prediction.
"We need to get on the
bandwagon and notify the Ministry
that potentially we will have a
significant problem trying to deal
with the amount of money we have
been given," said Marklevitz.
"Ultimately, we need to submit a
balanced budget."
Vice-Chair Ray Ford
commended staff for their work on
the budget in the face of sometimes
confusing, contradictory and
changing information from the
province.
"It's like trying to do a head
count of a crowd of kangaroos in a
dust storm," said Ford.
The biggest factor contributing to
the shortfall is a$440,000 reduction
in transportation grants.
The province is asking the board
to shave three per cent of the 1996-
1997 transportation budget and is
not allowing for any additional
Thursday, Aug. 13 Walton
begins hosting the seventh annual
Walton TransCan Moto races
presented by Honda and Brick
Brewery and sanctioned by the
Canadian Motorsport Racing Club
(CMRC).
A population of 100 becomes a
population of 2,500 for four days in
August each year as over 800 of the
finest amateur motocrossers battle.
The program is headlined by the
final round, on Sunday, of the
Snapple Canadian National Pro
Series. This is expected to draw
over 10,000 spectators.
Walton and the event are located
just 16 kms. north of Seaforth. This
is at the midpoint between Stratford
and Goderich on Hwy. 8. It is well
signed up from any direction of
approach.
Amateur racers qualified by
placing in regional qualifiers co-
ordinated by the CMRC across the
country. A maximum 40 are
accepted for each classification.
Classification is established based
costs even though it has mandated
additional instruction days for the
upcoming years, explained
Marklevitz.
"It's just another case where
boards that were already frugal are
being penalized," said Marklevitz.
"If we had not (already) made cuts
(to transportation costs) we would
still be getting funding."
Chair Abby Armstrong said that
it is difficult to make further cuts to
the transportation budget.
The only way to reduce costs is
to cut entire bus routes; taking a
few students off each bus does not
save the board any money.
Armstrong also noted that if the
board decides to close schools to
bring enrollment figures at all
schools up to ministry standards, it
will mean increased transportation
costs.
When compared to the 1996-
1997 budgets of the former Perth
and Huron boards, the proposed
budget also includes a $700,000 cut
in funding for technology and a
$1.4 million cut in funding for
school improvement or renovations
projects.
Typically, the building fund is
the first to be cut at budget time.
And for this budget staff has
allotted the minimum amount,
under provincial regulations, for
school improvement projects,
explained Marklevitz.
The proposed budget does not
allow for any expansion of
programs or services.
Marklevitz said staff will
continue to fine tune the budget and
is awaiting further information
from the ministry of education.
The board is planning to meet
with MPPs Helen Johns and Bert
Johnson to discuss the provincial
funding and the expected shortfall.
on engine displacement, age and
ability. Entries have been received
from every province in the country-
and many American states.
Many of today's pro riders first
came to prominence as amateurs at
Walton, Marco Dube, Ryan Gauld,
Brett Lee, Chad Fleck, Jimmy
Wilson, Randy Valade, Chuck
Mesley, Joel Rickert, Simon
Belzile, Marco Dube, Darcy Lange,
Travis Pastrana, Josh Woods.
The pro nationals consist of
seven events across Canada with
Continued on page 9
Holiday here
The Citizen staff is taking a
holiday.
The offices will be closed
beginning Aug. 7 and will re-
open Aug. 17.
The publication date for the
next issue of The Citizen will be
Aug. 19.
Walton gears up for moto cross