HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-08-14, Page 1First museum in place
Forklift operator Gary Courtney gently sets the first of Blyth's mini-musuems in place under
the watchful eye of Doug Scrimgeour. The kiosk, which tells the story of the Blyth Greenway
and the Blyth Brook, was built by the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority based on the
design which will be used at various sites around Blyth to tell the village's history. (Keith Rouiston
photo)
School fight costs $33,000
NH
I NORTH HURON PUBUSHING COMPANY INC.
Inside this week
Pg. 6
Pg. 8
New exhibit opens
at Gallery
Hullett PeeWees
Tri-County champs
P g. 12 A full-colour look at
Homecoming 2002 (and Page 13)
Acclaimed play back Pg. 22 in Blyth
Aylmer makes
Pg• 2 3 triumphant return
e Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Volume 18 No. 31
Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2002
75 Cents (70c + 5c GST)
No leads
in siren
theft
With no leads and no further
information regarding the missing
Brussels fire siren, local taxpayers
could be anteing up for a
replacement.
The siren is valued at
approximately $5,000 and if not
located, the purchase of a siren may
result in increased taxes for Brussels
ratepayers.
There were no signs the siren,
which weighs 150 lbs., was either
dropped or lowered to the ground
using ropes from atop the B&H
Mechanical building. Sr. Const. Don
Shropshall said it is believed the
siren was carried down by two
people.
Fire Chief Murray McArter had
contacted the Huron OPP on the
morning of Aug. 2 to inform them of
the theft. Sometime during the
previous night, at least two people
ascended 30 feet to the roof of one
building before climbing another 30
feet to the roof of B&H Mechanical
where the siren sat, said Shropshall.
It is presumed a ladder was used to
make the climb.
Though McArter says the effect
will not be significant to the
firefighters because they all carry
beepers, the main impact will be in
alerting the people on the streets.
Anyone with information
regarding the theft of the siren are
asked to contact the Huron OPP or
Crimestoppers.
Blvd) Storm
Can. champs
The Blyth men's slo-pitch team
which travelled to Saskatchewan for
National Championship truly took
the tournament by storm.
The Blyth Storm, competing in the
Aug 2-5 championship in Yorkton,
defeated a team from British
Columbia in the final.
The team had taken on eight other
squads, winning five of those
contests.
Blyth is the smallest community
to ever win the national title.
By David Blaney
Special to The Citizen
The bill for Huron East's school
closure fight has arrived and some
on municipal council are not
pleased. The councillors were
informed of the final cost of their
legal battle to prevent the Avon
Maitland District School Board
from closing area schools at their
July 30 meeting.
It was clear that councillors were
surprised by the size of the legal bill
that totaled $33,066.55. This was
added to money already spent for
advertising and other expenses
incurred during the school closure
battle.
The cost of the municipality's
fight with the school board was
nearly $44,000. A contribution of
$10,000 from the Seaforth Student
Success Foundation, a group
dedicated to saving the Seaforth
High School reduced the municipal
portion to approximately $34,000.
This amount included a court
award of $7,500 to the board, which
also had to be paid by those fighting
closure.
In commenting about the court
award Mayor Lin Steffler said, "The
judges made it very clear that they
expected the municipality to pay the
court costs."
Councillor Bill DeJong said, "I
am surprised the bill was this high
when it (the case) didn't go very
far."
Steffler commented rather dryly,
"Aren't we lucky it didn't."
The municipality began the fight
when elementary schools in Grey
and Brussels, as well as the Seaforth
high school, were listed for possible
closure during the last year.
Eventually the two elementary
schools were dropped from the
process.
By the time the case went to court
it had become the second round in
the legal fight to preserve the
Seaforth high school. A Seaforth
citizens' group had successfully
used the courts to prevent a previous
attempt by the board to close the
school.
Several councillors said they had
been under the impression that the
original allocation of $20,000 for
legal fees was only to be spent after
canvassing the ratepayers.
However an examination of
previous council minutes revealed
that no motion to that effect had
been made although several
councillors remembered it being
discussed.
Councillor Fergus Kelly
complained that he thought they
were to be updated by the lawyer
prior to spending the council's
allocation on the case. "When we
started I thought this was $20,000
now its $35,000 and I want to
protest that. I intend to vote that
way."
Steffler replied that, "... the costs
were not foreseen at the time of the
(original) motion." She added, "We
got into this on economic grounds.
Several courts have accepted that
losing a high school has devastating
effects on a community.
Unfortunately, this court ruled they
didn't have the authority to prevent
the board from closing the school."
Even councillors who eventually
voted to pay the legal bill appeared
to do so reluctantly.
Councillor Greg Wilson
commented, "It's over, it's done
with, let's pay the bill and get on
with it."
Councillor Graeme MacDonald
hesitated prior to voting yes on the
motion to pay the bill but eventually
did so, saying quietly, "We have to
pay our bills."
The motion to pay the remaining
$8,947.79 not previously approved
was passed by a five to four vote.
Councillors DeJong, Kelly, Sharon
McClure and Alvin McLellan voted
against while Mayor Steffler and
councillors Larry McGrath, Joe
Seili, Wilson and MacDonald voted
for the motion.
Councillors William Teall and
Dick Burgess did not vote as they
had a conflict of interest. Deputy
Mayor Bernie MacLellan was not at
the meeting.
Crow
tests
positive
for
West
Nile
A crow from the Clinton area has
tested positive for the West Nile
Virus (WNV).
The Ontario Ministry of Health &
Long Term Care advised the Health
Unit Aug. 8 of the final positive test
result conducted by Health Canada's
Zoonotics Diseases - National
Microbiology Laboratory in
Winnipeg.
This is the first positive bird in
Huron County since surveillance
began in Ontario in 2001, according
to a report from the health unit.
"The risk of becoming seriously
ill from West Nile Virus is very low,
but this finding emphasizes the need
for the public to take precautions
against mosquitoes through
personal protection and reducing
mosquito breeding sites." says Pam
Scharfe, a public health manager at
the Huron County Health
Unit.
To
T
date there have not been any
reported cases of WNV in humans
in Canada.
Seventy-three birds in Ontario
have been confirmed positive for
the virus so far this year, affecting
27 of 37 Ontario Health Unit areas.
The public are to continue to report
to the Health Unit sightings of dead
crows only.
This past weekend a dead crow
was found in the Grey Ward of
Huron East. This has been sent to
the health unit.
West Nile Virus is spread to
humans through the bite of an
infected mosquito. Mosquitoes get
the virus by feeding on infected
birds.h e T
virus is not transmitted from
person to person or from bird to
person.
For personal protection the public
are advised to wear light-coloured
clothing, long-sleeved shirts, long
pants, socks and shoes when
outdoors in the evening or early
morning, and if they choose to use
insect repellent, to use a repellent
that contains DEET.
To reduce mosquito-breeding
areas it is important to "drain the
rain" by removing or changing all
standing water around homes,
cottages or businesses by turning
over or removing containers that
hold water, like tires, garbage cans
and pool covers, and by changing
the water in birdbaths every few
days.
For more information about West
Nile Virus, contact the Huron
County Health Unit at (519) 482-
3416 or check the website at
www.srhip.on.ca/hchu