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Lodge gets special
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Students walk for
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The high price of
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Brussels Cadet
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Volume 20 No. 21
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Barn burner
Blyth firefighters responded to a barn fire in Morris on Saturday evening. With assistance from
Wingham the firefighters worked to keep the blaze from spreading to several nearby buildings.
(Vicky Bremner OA
Day care,
recreation
still big
issue for
Huron E.
By Dale Newman
Special to The Citizen
Huron East council started off the
May 18 regular meeting off with a
long discussion on how recreation
and day care should be funded.
Everyone agreed that Huron East
should own all the facilities. It was
also stated that the arenas require
revenues of $1.000 per day to break
even.
The Vanastra Day Care Centre is
only used by half of Huron East
residents with the remainder of the
users coming from outside the
municipality. It is currently running
at a $10,000 deficit.
Councillor Joe Steffler proposed
using money from the reserves to
get the Seaforth Arena up to
standard.
He said, "Nobody planned for the
future when it came to capital
repairs."
Councillor David Blaney
suggested council should determine
what services are required and
what services are not and what
Huron East can afford. He
stated that the arena is there to
service the community not the
individual.
- Mayor Joe Seili questioned
council on why they carry a deficit
for the arenas but not for the
Vanastra Day Care Centre.
Presently the recreation boards and
the Vanastra Day Care Centre are
preparing a report for council on
what they feel are operating costs
and what should be capital costs.
Council made no decision on any
different way of funding these
facilities. They will discuss the
funding issues after the reports are
in.
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
The certain, yet unsteady increase
of gas prices started about a month
ago, but some local businesses and
public services say it is too early to
tell what effects this will have for
them.
Const. Don Shropshall with the
Huron OPP, said OPP cruisers do a
considerable amouiit of driving and
although gas prices have gone up,
driving won't go down.
"Cruisers are on the roads about
24 hours . a day with two 12-hour
shifts each. They (the cruisers)
usually use about a tank of gas a
day," said Shropshall.
Shropshall said since the budget
was just announced in April. they
"haven't thought about" the amount
of money In the budget to cover such
an increase in cost.
Dennis Harris, transportation
manager with the Avon Maitland
District School Board said the rising
cost of fuel will be addressed in the
contract for the 2004-2005 schOol
year.
"At this point the grants have' not
been sent out, so it's really
premature to make a comment.
There is no confirmation at this
point," said Harris regarding the
amount of money the board has for
bus transportation.
He said the grants will be out later
this week and each year "the contract
speaks to the kilometre rate" and the
2004-2005 rate will be set for "next
year" in the contract.
He said diesel increase is
noticeable, but fuel increase is
noticeable everywhere.
"We have to pick up the students.
Every year the (bus) routes are
looked at to be the best or efficient
route as possible," said Harris.
Paul Josling, chief building
inspector for Huron East, said he
uses his own vehicle to make
necessary tours around the
municipality and although he
receives mileage for the gas he uses
while working, the increase in cost
will affect him as well as the
municipality.
"I'll have to pay out more for gas,
but then somewhere, someone will
have to pay me for the gas. I'll just
have to keep closer tabs on it (the
mileage)," said Josling.
He said he fills up his vehicle
every two to three days. depending
on how much he has to drive, but he
can't cut. back on the amount of tours
he has to take.
"Most of my driving I have to do.
I might have to change my routes
and take a more direct way now, but
I can't cut back on my tours," said
Josling.
He said the effects of high gas
prices hasn't hit him just yet.
"It hasn't been up long enough to
hit really hard, but it will hit hard I
can tell. It will create some hardships
I'm sure," said Josling.
Jim Jutzi, owner of Brussels
Transport Ltd., said although diesel
prices have gone up too, it's "not as
high as it has been in the past."
He said on Feb. 24 last year, the
diesel price was 76 cents a litre, but
(as of May 21) the cost. was 64 cents
a litre.
"I try not to worry too much, but if
it (the cost of fuel) gets back up
again, I will probably start. It's
always a concern when the cost of
fuel rises," said Jutzi.
Shropshall said, "It's too early to
tell" if the police board should start
to get worried about the increase in
gas expense.
Jutzi said he hasn't made cutbacks
on any truck runs yet.
"We have to do the runs no matter
what. The rise in fuel cost is
noticeable, but not that noticeable,"
said Jutzi.
Barn
burns
Firefighters from Blyth and
Wingham were kept busy Saturday
evening battling a blaze that could
have proven much more costly than
it did.
Blyth chief Paul Josling said,
firefighters responded to a call at
8:10 p.m. A vacant barn, on property
owned by Lloyd Michie at Lot 7,
Conc. 6 of Morris, had caught fire. It
was fully involved by the time the
trucks arrived, and firefighters
worked to cover the exposures.
While the barn was a total loss there
was no damage to a house., shed
and hay storage, which were, said
Josling, "very close" to the blazing
barn.
The houSe was occupied by a
renter.
The estimate of damage was
unknown at press time. It is believed
the barn was struck by lightning.
Sunday night, a Drummond Street
resident had a close call after falling
asleep while cooking.
Josling said firefighters responded
at 7:45 p.m. A pot had been left on
the stove and. the homeowner
awakened to smoke.
Damage was limited to the kitchen
cabinets. Josling estimates the
damage at $3,000-$4,000.
"The main thing here is he did not
have a smoke alarm. He does now.
But had he had one then, he might
have woken up a little sooner.
Fortunately, it wasn't any worse than
it was," said Josling.
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
Last year, around mid-July, a large
population of mosquitoes thrived
around Brussels, causing a big
nuisance to citizens and this year the
Huron County Health Unit has
offered some tips on how citizens
should protect themselves from
West Nile virus.
John Forrest, Huron East's public
works co-ordinator and a member of
the Huron County Health Unit's
West Nile virus (WNv) advisory
committee, said he has "no idea
what to expect" for this season's
mosquito population.
He said the health unit has hired
university students to trap
mosquitoes and sample mosquito
larva around Huron County to
determine if WNv is present in the
county.
- Although mosquitoes can be
annoying and make people want to
stay indoors, Forrest said the health
unit's goal is to protect citizens from
WNv, not destroy the mosquito
population.
"We can't stop it (WNv) or we'd
have to kill all the mosquitoes.
People can kill them on their
property, but we don't want to kiuk.
Continued on page 7
Bug
Some businesses, public services battles
impacted by rising gas prices begin