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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-12-18, Page 9Arge fie / filarrolati/e, CRAIG NICHOLSON Use at own risk - By Craig Nicholson (©2002 by Craig Nicholson. All rights reserved.) THE OREP tr Sticking it to him The Brussels arena was busy with broomball action this past weekend. In this tournament match-up A Few Good Men took on the Rang-A-Tangs from Arthur in a Saturday contest. (Vicky Bremner photo) .41 • ffit efiltiattnao, Made Open Sunday 12-4 p.m. December 22 Open Evenings beginning Dec. 13th GREAT SELECTION OF CLOTHING By: •G Hammill Tough Duck 44. Carhartt •G Point Zero .0. Non-Fiction sg. Stanfields Levis/GWG Jeans Works op FEATURING MEN'S WORKWEAR AND CASUAL WEAR 180 Josephine St., Wingham 357-4503 1 *Liar INGHAM FLIGHT CENTRE ODERICH FLIGHT CENTRE Is pleased to offer Winter 2003 Ground School Classes Private and Recreational Pilots: begins January 14, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. Classes will be held at the Wingham Municipal Airport, and will run for 14 weeks. Commercial Pilots: begins January 16, 2003 at 7:00 p.m. Classes will be held at Sky Harbour (Goderich) Airport, and will run for 20 weeks. We also offer pilot training, including Multi-Engine, Instrument, and Instructor Ratings, and sightseeing flights. For more information, please call: Goderich Flight Centre 524-7301 . Wingham Flight Centre 357-4999 you can also visit us at www.gfc-wfc.com Ad• Auto Parts Plus AMBIIIIIMIIIIMINE Auto Parts We stock a full line of snowmobile parts & accessories See us for your snowmobiling needs! "Quality Parts plus Personal SerAce" Turnberry St., Brussels 887-8002 fax 887-8004 G&M -Z7.,a4A9ny 13 f-A 1-1 E "Your Arctic Cat Sledquarters" ARCTIC CAF What Stiownlobf ling's All Aboo TM Service to most makes of small engines Automotive farm and tire service Jim Bauer 519-345-2248 Mike Kells agreement at Stratibrd's SERC site, which is shared by St. Michael and the Avon Maitland hoard's Northwestern Secondary School, due to the fact St. Michael students now represent a larger percentage of the total student body than when the site first opened. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2002. PAGE 9. HPCDSB gets pleasant surprise Ontario snowmobilers will see a bright, new, red sign on the trails this winter. In bold letters, it proclaims: "Use At Your Own Risk", a reminder to riders that snowmobiling is a choice, not a right. Each of us chooses to be a snow- mobiler or not. Each of us chooses where and when we go, how we get there, our style of riding. who our companions are and where we stop for a break and what we consume. , Each of these -personal decisions will help determine the eventual outcome of our ride — and could make the difference between arriving home safely or not. We can make smart choices or foolish ones, and as a result, are responsible to ourselves for our own fates. But the new "Use At Your Own Risk" sign also conveys another key reminder: snowmobiling occurs in a natural setting, over which humans have very little control. This concept is easily ignored by snowmobilers, most of whom hail from places where people exercise considerable control over nature. Our civilization has gone a long way to managing, accommodating or protecting itself from such natural phenomena as water flow, tree growth, terrain challenges, erosion, wind, rain, lightning and seasonal variations. - But civilization tends to peter out past the edge of settlement, meaning that most of the land mass is subject to very little direct human contact. And it's in those remote locales and back country areas that snow- mobiling Occurs — so why would any of us expect to have the same protections and controls in place way out there as we do at home? So the "Use At Your Own Risk" sign is both reminder and warning for snowmobilers about the risks inherent in any outdoor natural setting, where trees may be down, branches overgrown, or where rocks, roots, stumps, and washouts may offer hazard to the unwary or the careless. The sign is a heads up about the unpredictability of weather, snow, ice, temperature or the movement of animals. Just like any other adventurer, a snowmobiler ventures forth at the mercy of Mother Nature. And just like any other adventurer, each of us does so by personal choice, in acceptance of the inherent risks. Finally, the new red "Use At Your Own Risk" sign is a statement that snowmobiling is an off-road activity. Regardless of where the snowmobile trail may be, how often it is used, or what' shape it may be in, the bottom line is that it is only intended to be a pathway from one place to another that is less ardu_ous than travelling the same ground without any defined corridor. Neither the fact that snowmobile clubs try to keep this pathway open, nor that you may choose to use it, means that anyone should expect it to resemble a maintained and engineered public roadway. This "civilized" standard is simply impossible to achieve in a natural setting without massive resources, engineered planning and design, state-of-the-art construction and an ongoing public works maintenance program. What local snowmobile club or its volunteers could do so? None that I know, and what snow- mobiler would really want trails that way? After all, it's the natural surroundings and the off-road experience that make snowmobiling so special. And it's your personal choices that will enable you to deal properly with the risks. Until next time, remember to be a Safe Rider this winter. For trail condition reports check www.ofsc.on.ca Craig Nicholson is a regular contributor to Snow Goer, Canada's Snowniobiling Magazine. The Intrepid Snownzobiler also appears on radio and on Snowmobiler Television. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author. By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen Like their counterparts at the "coterminous" Avon Maitland District School Board, the number- crunchers at the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board were presented with a pleasant surprise when they recently received final word on their 2001-02 budgets. Huron-Perth Management Superintendent Gerry Thuss presented the board's 2001-02 financial statements at a regular meeting, Monday, Dec. 10, and revealed.that revenues for the year surpassed expectations by $834,155. A small part of this arose from the increased government funding generated by a greater-than- projected enrolment, but Thuss explained that the biggest factor was a series of one-time grants, issued by the government to cover programs unveiled over the course of the year. Examples include the money provided to update water systems at those schools served by on-site wells; and funds to Cover shortfalls in such things as transportation and textbooks. Thuss says some of these contributions only went far enough to cover what the government had in mind, but prudent spending sometimes meant parts of these grants could be used to offset expenditures elsewhere. Thuss would rather have those grants included in the government's established funding formula, since the piece-by-piece application makes for a complicated budgeting process. Still, the result of the added grants is this year's surplus, much of which — $692,767 — has been placed in a capital reserve fund for possible use in future years. There was some discomfort expressed among trustees about the drawing down of reserve funds, during budget deliberations last spring. Almost $450,000 was already earmarked in the 2001-02 " budget for placement in a working reserve, and Thuss agreed that placing much of this year's surplus into a capital reserve would ease those concerns even more. The balance of the surplus, plus a bit more, was offset by significantly larger-than-expected maintenance expenditures. At over $550,000, these amounted to almost $250,000 more than the projected amount. Thuss explained that the cost of some heating renovations at both St., Michael and St. Anne's high schools "were greater than our historical pattern of spending." Meanwhile, there were changes in a maintenance INSTANT FAX AS F.A.S.T AS A PHONE Send your paperwork by FAX instantly! eg. statements, contracts, auction ads, favorite recipes, obituaries, messages... The Citizen has a FAX machine in our office that lets you contact any other FAX machine in the world ... instantly. Our FAX number is also your number so if you want to be reached instantly - we will receive your messages as well Cal! Us Today For Details 523-4792 or 887-9114 FAX 523-9140 or 88.7-9021 The Citizen