HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-03-06, Page 1e Citizen ei
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 18 No. 9 Wednesday, March 6, 2002 75 Cents (70c + 5c GST)
NORTH HURON PUBLISHING COMPANY IN..
Inside this week
pa z Girl signs as
5.• -7 apprentice
pg
8 Brussels PeeWees
• lead series
Blyth battles Pg. 9 Bothwell
Three survivors Pg. rt remain
Drama students Pg. 26 perform at Sears
Grey
mom
wants
bus stop
sign
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
A Grey Twp. mother is hoping
that a recent crash involving a
school bus will be enough to
convince Huron East's road
superintendent that a sign is needed.
Veronica Stevenson of
Browntown Road approached
council to ask for a school bus stop
sign near their property. On the
morning of Feb. 18, her six-year-old
son was crossing the road in front of
the bus to board it, when a car
crested the hill and, unable to stop
because of road conditions, rear-
ended the bus. "He saw the car
coming, so he started running," said
Stevenson, of her son.
According to information from
the Avon Maitland District School
Board, there were 17 children on
the bus at the time. Two buses were
dispatched to take the students to
school and to pick up the remaining
children on the route.
Saying she has been worried
something like this would happen
for some time now, Stevenson noted
that other people have also
expressed concern. "It's a blind spot
and many have said that they've had
the same problem coming over the
hill."
Stevenson is hoping for a quick
resolution to the issue. However,
council told her the
recommendation for a sign would
have to come from the roads
superintendent. he would assess the
area and determine if a sign was
necessary. His recommendation
would then be brought back to
council at the next meeting.
"I'm hoping that now there has
been an incident (the
superintendent) will see something
needs to be done."
By Stew Slater
Special to The Citizen
Moments after trustees of the
Avon Maitland DistriCt School
Board voted 6-3 in favour of closing
Seaforth District High School, Chair
Colleen Schenk found herself
looking --across the table into
the eyes of, as-always, calm but
determined Huron East Mayor Lin
Steffler.
Steffler strode quickly to the table
immediately following the vote,
seizing the opportunity provided by
Schenk's decision to call a short
recess.
In previous public delegations to
the board, Steffler has pledged to use
taxpayers' money to legally
challenge any decision to close
SDHS.
The municipality already
bankrolled an advertising campaign
which accused the board of targeting
Huron East schools.
The threat of an SDHS lawsuit
hung over the entire -meeting, which
began Tuesday, Feb. 26 but didn't
reach a close until the following
evening.
It was heightened by the
knowledge that the last time Avon
Maitland trustees 'voted to close the
high school, in November of 1999, a
Seaforth-based community group
successfully challenged that decision
in court.
"How much money are we going
to spend trying to defend in court
what's right or wrong?" asked
Goderich-area trustee Butch
Desjardine at one point, during
discussions about a motion to cease
the entire closure process. That
motion, put forward by Stratford
representative Rod Brown, was
defeated 5-4.
Most often, however, the threat of
legal action was raised by Seaforth-
area representative Charles Smith.
The Seaforth factory owner, not a
trustee at the time, spearheaded the
1999-2000 effort to save SDHS.
This time, speaking as a trustee, he
warned the board "has an elephant
by the legs" and suggested it's time
to let go.
"I've heard it before and I've
heard it here again tonight —
(comments that) this school's being
subsidized," Smith said, as he spoke
to the SDHS closure motion.
He pointed to other Avon Maitland
secondary schools in which the
board spends more money than
recommended under legislation,
either to provide specialized
programming or, as is the case in
Seaforth, to retain full programming
in a school which has below-
capacity enrolment.
"I'm damn sick of hearing (about
SDHS being subsidized) when
Huron OPP are continuing the
investigation into a crash that took
place last Feb. 20 shortly after
midnight.
On that evening two youths were
walking near the centreline of
County Rd. 15 approximately one
km. east of Londesboro. That
evening there was a slight fog in the
air due to a heavy rain that was
falling.
The two youths had been walking
eastbound in the westbound lane
there's bigger inequities going on in
other schools in other parts of the
board."
During discussion about the final
motion. of the evening — a recently
switched recommendation to keep
Goderich's Robertson Memorial
Public School open — Smith said he
could have voted in opposition out
of "spite" for the 6-3 vote against
SDHS. Instead, he joined a
unanimous vote in favour of
Robertson, but stated, "we'll see you
in court."
near the centreline when a vehicle
travelling eastbound struck the
youth. Fifteen-year-old Richard
McKinnon was struck in the side•ot
the head by thg, mirror of a truck on
the driver's 'IMP, and knocked
unconscious.
The second youth, 15-year-old
Andrew Bessinger provided first did
and stayed with the victim until
ambulance paramedics arrived and
took the youth to Clinton Public
Continued on page 7
Going, going • • •
Blyth saw an infusion of young talent this past week as students from several secondary schools took part in the annual Sears
Drama Festival. In addition to attending workshops, the youths put on performances on the four evenings of the event. These
were adjudicated and winners, such as Listowel District Secondary School's entry The Farm Show (here in the livestock auction
opening scene) compete at the regional showcase in Sudbury. See more pictures on page 26. (Bonnie Gropp photo)
HE mayor goes eye to eye with Schenk
Youth home from hospital