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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-06-07, Page 1I The Citizen Serving the communities of Bly th and Brussels and northern Hu ron County Volume 16 No. 23 Wednesday, June 7, 2000 75 Cents (70c + 5c gst) County may relocate ambulances Inside this week Lifeguards ready for summer at BMG pool Blyth girl to compete at Youth Talent Search Blyth teacher receives recognition Auxiliaries meet for D-Day service ‘Death’ returns to Blyth stage Ambulances may be relocated to reduce the number of ambulance stations when Huron County takes over operation of the ambulance service in January. Two options outlined in a consultant’s study would reduce the number of ambulance stations from six to four and change locations to broaden the area the ambulances can cover within a 15-minute response time. In one option an ambulance would be located north of Brussels near the corner of County Rds. 12 and 86 to provide more complete service to Grey and Howick Twps. The options, being discussed at public meetings this week, were presented to Huron County council Thursday by Jon Hambides of Marshall, Macklin, . Mona- ghan/Potmax Inc., the company studying the redeployment strategy. Currently ambulances are located in Wingham, Seaforth, Clinton, Zurich and Dashwood with the Wingham ambulance serving a section of Bruce County and Dashwood serving a section of Lambton and Middlesex. Three options discussed range from leaving ambulance stations as they are to moving all stations to rural locations that would allow a more equal coverage. Under the latter model the Wingham station would be moved to north of Brussels, the Clinton and Seaforth stations would be amalgamated and moved to a location midway between the towns on Hwy. 8, the Goderich station would be moved to The Nile and the Zurich and Dashwood stations would be amalgamated and relocated west of Exeter on County Rd. 83. The third model, based on population density, would keep stations in Wingham and Goderich and relocate the amalgamated Clinton and Seaforth stations to Hwy. 8 east of Clinton. The Zurich and Dashwood stations would also be amalgamated and located west of Exeter. This model would still leave areas of Grey and Howick 'to get primary service from ambulance stations in Listowel, Palmerston and Walkerton. Hambides noted there is a low incidence of “code 4” (urgent, life­ threatening) calls from this area. Howick Reeve Norm Fairies questioned the accuracy of the figures but Hambides said that even if the figures are out 100 per cent. there would still be few emergency calls from the area. Jack Coleman, reeve of Stanley also questioned figures on ambulance use along the lakeshore noting that in some areas on the edge of ambulance coverage rather than wait for an ambulance “I’d be in a car and having somebody take me to the hospital’’. Relocating ambulances to rural stations also caused concern with Goderich Reeve John Doherty wondering if Hambides had taken snowbelt winters into account. The ambulances could be snowed in out in the country, he suggested. Hambides said in bad weather ambulances would be temporarily relocated in nearby towns. Water test School bd. approves portables By Jan|ce Becker Citizen staff With the decision not to appeal the court ruling regarding the closing of Seaforth schools, the Avon Maitland District School Board trustees agreed on an option to house all students for the coming school year. While the Seaforth high school and public school will remain open for September 2000, pupils from Walton Public School and transferred children from other neighbouring schools will be accommodated in the elementary school building with the use of portables. Though the administration had offered three options for discussion at the May 29 special board meeting, the shift of Grade 7 and 8 students to the high school building as an annex of the public school facility was recommended. Seaforth area trustee Abby Armstrong suggested a fourth option which would keep Walton school open for another year. However, trustees soon decided the $100,000 cost could not be rationalized The other two proposals were to use portables at the public school or meld the Grade 7 and 8 students and teachers into the high school operation. Prior to discussion by trustees on options suggested by administration to handle the non-closures, two delegates from the Walton area had an opportunity to present their views. Steve Bowers, the parent of a Grade 6 student, said he was pleased with the education his child had received in Seaforth, adding that an education is more than academics. "It is both the social and educational environment. It is the positive, friendly environment with positive interaction and a feeling Continued on page 6 Dishing the dirt Senior students at Blyth Public School got a chance to play in the dirt last week. With the village entered in the national Communities in Bloom contest, everybody is getting into the spirit of beautifying Blyth. Dane Corneil and Jessica Aldrich were among those top-dressing the beds, while others planted flowers or cleared out weeds. requests intensify In the aftermath of deaths from polluted water in Walkerton, the concerns of Huron County residents over the safety of their drinking water have brought an explosion of requests for water tests, Sheryl Feagan, acting director of the Huron County Health Unit told county council, Thursday. On Monday and Tuesday of last week, she said, 400 water samples were submitted for testing, up from a normal number of seven to 10. There were over 200 calls to the health unit from people seeking information, Feagan said. “It’s an understatement to say water safety is an important issue,’’ Feagan said. There was also an increase in testing by health unit staff that resulted in the temporary closing of the East Wawanosh Public School and a bo-il-water advisory to users of water from two communal wells. "I think in general, water supplies (in Huron) are safe,” said Feagan but she said the Walkerton tragedy shows the importance of regular testing of wells. It's a lesson she hopes won't be forgotten as the Walkerton story fades from the news, she said. But more than just monitoring the safety of water, Feagan said, “We need to ensure that the water supply stays safe.” A study, currently ongoing, of the quality of water in aquifers beneath the surface of Huron County .is an important step, she said. She praised the work of Wayne Caldwell, senior planner with the planning and development department, in exploring safer ways of disposing of manure from livestock operations. “It will be important to look for strategies and ways for the water supply to stay safe,” she said. Mason Bailey, reeve of Blyth, agreed that “this is an issue' that is going to be one of our major issues.” There are so many aspects to it. he said, but one of the problems will likely turn out to be the economics of farming that force adoption of larger and larger farms with the attendant problems of more manure to be disposed of.