The Citizen, 1998-09-16, Page 1{Vol. 15 No. 36
Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998
(70e 4 5¢ GST) 750
Lighting the night sky
A beautifully renovated old school house, Hullett Twp. #11, went up in flames in the early
morning hours of Sept. 12. The Blyth and Area Fire Department was called at 12:07 a.m. to
Part Lot 16,Conc. 10, to the bed and breakfast owned by Adriana Maathuis and Jens
Schoenrank. The residents got out with only the clothes on their backs, said Blyth Fire Chief
Paul Josling. "The building was basically destroyed." The firefighters were recalled before 7
a.m. when it flared up again. There has been no official cause determined though it has
been ruled accidental.
Brussels taxpayers hit hard
Feature Community
Schoolwork
results from the
Belgrave fair
See page 8
Sports
Brussels Midget
Girls win the A
championship
See page 11
Feature
Man's hobby
fills yard
with history
See page 14
itize 11 may face closure
Some area schools
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen staff
The tax notices have finally gone
out and in Brussels at least there's a
lot of unhappy people.
Clerk-Treasurer Donna White
said that there have been many
complaints at the office, but it was
something the staff anticipated.
"With education taxes not coming
off commercial and industrial, in
addition to the extra services we're
now paying, plus the county
increase, this was something we
couldn't control," she said.
She said that the biggest problem
has been the cost of policing. "We
had the same revenue as last year,
however, we did receive $43,000
more in grant money. But then we
got $100,000 on expenditures for
policing, leaving us with a shortfall
of close to $60,000 and nowhere to
get it from."
White noted that while the total
residential increase is significant at
11.6 per cent, commercial was even
worse.
At the Sept. 8 meeting of Brus-
sels council, White said, "I have
answered people's questions as best,
I can and now we can only hope
that the promise (Finance Minister
Ernie) Eves made at the AMO con-
ference means funding will be
maintained next year."
"I know small business couldn't
take another hit like this year."
Grey Clerk Brad Knight said that
some industries in that township
are looking at a jump of 30-40 per
cent. In one example he explained
that the realty tax for this particular
business was $14,600 last year,
while the business tax was $4,200.
Even though the latter figure has
been taken off, this business will
pay $24,600, this year.
"Commercial and industrial have
unquestionably been hit pretty
good," said Knight.
Grey, however, is not seeing a
big increase in residential rates,
Knight said because of a large sur-
plus from last year, plus increased
funding under the new program. "If
that money stays frozen we should
still be in good shape for the next
year," he added.
While Morris Twp. residents
have had a slight increase, Clerk-
Treasurer Nancy Michie said the
commercial and industrial educa-
tion tax is three to four times high-
er. "Some ,of the commercial
landowners I have talked to real-
ized this was coming and calculat-
ed so they were prepared."
Bev Shaddick, clerk-treasurer of
Hullett Twp., said that using an
average assessment of $100,000
and comparing the tax rate on the
same assessment this year, there is
an overall increase of about $54 a
year residentially.
Though she has no such compar-
Continued on page 3
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
Schools in the Avon Maitland
District School Board are once
again being considered for closure.
The provincial government has
informed the board that any excess
space in schools must be eliminated
by June, said Lorne Rachlis, new
director of education for the
AMDSB.
Rachlis said excess space is
determined by allotting a specific
number of square feet per student
and multiplying by the number of
students in the school.
There will be no funding for
excess space not filled, he said. The
board would have to fund the
space.
To eliminate the space in schools
with less than optimum enrolment,
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
The tremendous success of the
37th Annual Huron Pioneer
Thresher Reunion and Hobby
Show was evident not only in
increased gate receipts, but the vol-
unteerism of the community.
When the Blyth firefighters were
preparing for the breakfast Satur-
day morning, a fire call came in,
taking many away from the hall,
said Fire Chief Paul Josling.
However, the community came
to the rescue as members of the fire
board, retired firefighters and resi-
dents volunteered to fill in as the
firefighters undertook their other
duties.
As well as a success in spirit, the
breakfasts had tremendous
turnouts, bringing 1,500 to 1,600
people in the two days.
Over 200 pounds of pancake bat-
ter was mixed while 40 gallons of
milk, 350 pounds of sausage, 275
pounds of bacon, 80 gallons of
orange juice and lots of coffee
served.
Thresher Association Secretary.
On Sept. 9 at approximately 3:25
p.m. Acting Sergeant Barry Ellis
was responding to an alarm in
Howick Twp on Conc. 12 in a
marked cruiser. The officer was
eastbound on County Rd. 16 about
five miles east of County Rd. 4.
According to the OPP, he was
travelling at a high rate of speed to
the alarm when he came across a
1987 Mercury Cougar driven by
Gavin VanCamp, 17, travelling in
the same direction.
As the officer was passing the
Rachlis said there are two options.
Those schools'with low enrol-
ment may be closed with the stu-
dents shifted to another facility or,
if the partially empty school is in
better condition and requires fewer
upgrades, a full school may be
moved to that building.
The board has been told to have a
closure list prepared by the end of
the year, with closure dates set for
June.
With a committee studying the
issue, Rachlis said the district has
to be looked at as a whole, to see
the total impact.
Rachlis also noted that with the
current conditions defining excess
space, funds would be withheld if
the space was not eliminated. If a
school in the north of the county,
for example, had excess space after
Continued on page 24
Marian Hallahan said the food at
the park went just as well with
many outdoor booths selling out by
festival end.
The warm sun and dry days
brought more than 13,000 campers
and visitors through the gates, an
increase of about 1,000.
Those staying for the three-day
event on the grounds jumped 70, to-
920 trailers.
Friday attendance was up by 500,
largely due to the great participa-
tion by nursing homes and seniors'
centres, said Hallahan.
Though the Friday night dance
was slightly under attended due to
great outdoor weather for an open
air jamboree at the new shed, the
Saturday evening dance was full.
Outside vendor numbers were up
and all the crafters were very
happy, she said. "One said the
reunion made his year."
Gate, camping, souvenir and
membership receipts were up nine
per cent.
People attended from as far away
as Port Huron, Michigan, West Vir-
ginia and Edmonton as well as
from across Ontario.
VanCamp vehicle it made a left
turn into a private drive in front of
the cruiser. The officer avoided
colliding with the car by going to
his right and losing control. The
cruiser skidded off of the roadway
where it struck a tree then a hydro
pole before coming to rest against
another tree.
Acting Sergeant Ellis was
transported by ambulance to
Wingham Hospital where he was
treated and released with non-life
threatening injuries. The collision
is still under investigation.
T e North Huron
Volunteers rescue
firemen's breakfast
Cruiser crashes