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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2002-09-11, Page 6For more information you can also contact: • the Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for Ontario at (416) 306-2207 or toll-free at 1 866 237-1375 • Elections Canada toll-free at 1 800 463-6868, or TTY 1 800 361-8935 Cookin' Andy Toll, left, and Cole Stewart were tending the fires for the Midget hockey team dinner at the Blyth fairgrounds on Thursday night. The dining event was well planned for the many campers on site for the annual Huron Pioneer Thresher Reunion which officially kicked off on Friday. (Vicky Bremner photo) Federal Electoral Boundaries Commission for FEDERAL REPRESENIATION_, 7 T/IT Ontario Canada's federal electoral boundaries are changing Get informed. Get involved. Find everything you need to know about the process at wwww.elections.ta; Just click on Federal Representation 2004. 1[01Mir Elections canada PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2002. County council closes libraries By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher After much debate Thursday. Huron County council approved closing libraries in Auburn, Bluevale, Gorrie. Fordwich and Centralia. The motion, approved 14-4 iii a recorded vote, means delegations from the Huron County Library Board will visit the councils of all the affected municipalities to seek approval from that level for the closures. Under provincial regulations, in order to close the last library in a municipality there must be approval of the local municipality as well as the county and library board. Chief Librarian Beth Ross said she had already contacted all municipalities involved to set up meetings. Central Huron Councillor Carol Mitchell said she couldn't support the motion because the consultations didn't come before the vote to close the libraries. There were huge cost implications, she said. Alt -municipalities except Goderich and Exeter, where new facilities are under construction, could face costs of renovating and enlarging libraries under the options the library board has adopted from the the library's strategic plan prepared by Jim Morgenstern of dmA Planning and Management By Keith Roulston Citizen publisher Huron County will be advertising for two people to fill the shoes of former Clerk- Administrator Lynn Murray, councillors decided Thurs- day. Separating the job of the chief administrative officer (CAO) and the clerk had been recommended in the study by consultant Hugh Thomas that preceded Murray's departure last spring. The working group set up to study the hiring of the replacement further polled 10 nearby municipalities, said Gary Davidson, director of Continued from page 1 section has expanded to the point where art and photography will now have its own display area to accommodate the number of entrants. The field crop competition has been a feature of the fair for most of its 141 years. As usual area farmers will be competing in the grain, forage crops and field crops section as they display the products of their land. For fair visitors that find baking and canning a mystery, or something they just don't have the time for, the Tuesday night "Best of Fair s auction will provide the Services. The plan calls for the remaining town and village libraries to be upgraded once the five smaller level three libraries are closed. But North Huron Councillor Doug Layton was concerned about the cost implications of this proposal, noting his municipality would have to upgrade both the Blyth and Wingham libraries. Ross sympathized with Layton's concern saying there had been a debate at the library board of what direction they should take. The consultant simply recommended improvements to libraries without studying the implications on municipalities with more than one library. As well, if the trend continues with people bypassing level two libraries like Blyth and Brussels to go to larger, better-equipped level one libraries, they might need to be closed down the line. "The consultant was iffy about the expansion of level two libraries," Ross said. If these were closed in the future, level one libraries like Wingham would need. to be expanded even more. "Which crystal ball do you choose (to look in)?" she said. The discussion of whether the consultation should take before or after the county voted for closure took up a planning and development, a member of the group. Eight of the 10 had separated the two positions. The committee didn't make a recommendation as to which way the county should go though the consensus was to split the jobs, he said. Huron East Councillor Bernie MacLellan moved to hire a clerk, and CAO and to advertise for an engineer to replace Sandra Lawson who left that job in May. The motion was appro- ved. At the same meeting, council introduced Richard Hulley who will become the county's new human opportunity to take home some real Huron County home cooking. Local auctioneer Kevin McArter will be on hand once again to entertain the crowd as he auctions off the best of the best from the baking and canning section. Before the auction several local performers will be on hand to entertain the opening night audience, including the step dancing of the Dixie Clicks. A chance to take home some prize-winning food seems appropriate, as the theme of this year's fair is A Taste of the Coun- try. good portion of the council's time. "You're putting the cart before the horse," said Mitchell in calling for consultations first before the county committed to one direction. Rob Morley, South Huron councillor, complained that there are no additional costs for the county in closing the libraries and upgrading other, all the new costs will be borne by the local municipalities. -"I also want to khow what will happen for North Huron when they have to expand two libraries," he said. But Joe Hogan, South Huron councjIlor and member of the library board wondered what stance library board delegates would take if they visited lower-tier councils without a clear plan for closures set out by the county. A tour of library facilities last year showed most needed to be improved, he said. But Paul Klopp, councillor for Bluewater, said councillors are always upset with the province when it announces a policy and then has consultations so the county shouldn't get involved in the same kind of tactics. Morley proposed a new motion that would support the choosing of the option to close the libraries but that the final approval wouldn't be made until after resources officer beginning Sept. 16. The hiring of an executive to oversee personnel issues was also recommended in the Thomas report. Previously such matters had also been carried out by the clerk- administrator. Donor wall planned for arena Continued from page 1 on a donor wall at the arena entrance. Anyone wanting tickets, or to volunteer to help at the auction, donate to the auction or the arena fund can do so by calling Fran Cook, 523-9040; Diane Ferguson, 523-4563; Linda Stewart, 523-4840 or Doug Walker, 357-3555. Giving credit to the committee for the "tremendous amount of hard work" that has gone to this project, Elliott adds, "Something like this doesn't just happen. It takes planning and hard work." "It also shows when a community puts its mind to something great things can be achieved." consultations. "What 1 see is a lot of backsliding and waffling," countered Deb Shewfelt of Goderich. "What I hear is that nobody wants to make a decision. You really have to be supportive of the library board." In the end councillors clearly were, with their 14-4 vote. Arts get own display area County to hire separate CAO, clerk