Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-09-30, Page 1The Citizen Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Volume 20 No. 38 Thursday, Sept. 30, 2004 $1 (93c + 7c GST) Inside this week • in Brussels Fall Fair g,• iu results • 2 Salute to area rs,. -1-.7 firefighters begins 14,,, Walkerburn Club Fg. Io marks 85th 1), 8• HurPn men get 1 . 17 scholarships P 1.7 Plenty of laughs in g. / Avon's 'Noises' HE does budget review By Elyse DeBruyn Citizen staff At the Sept. 22 meeting, Huron East council prepared themselves for the Grey ward budget review to be held Sept. 28. Huron East clerk-administrator lack McLachlan gave council a brief update on the power-point presentation that was made to citizens in Grey Twp. during the this past Tuesday's public meeting. .The meeting is to answer questions rasied by an informal group with concerns about services since amalgamation. Councillor Mark Beaven said a firm plan should be in place before the meeting so council "is not just flying by the seat of our pants." The total Huron, East budget is $9,939,660 and to understand it, the expenses have to be broken down into three categories. The first is $2,770,880 in user fee 'cervices which includes Brussels, Seaforth/Egmondville, Vanastra and Brucefield waste systems. There are total expenditures of $1,320,000, but there is no impact on the Huron East tax rate as users of the system are fully responsible for all costs. Users of the sewage systems in Brussels, Seaforth and Vanastra are responsible for all costs. Municipal drainage is also completely user pay at $205,800. The second category is area-rated services, which are specific to a ward (township) or part of a ward. These services form part of the tax rate for the ward or are within the ward. These services include streetlights costing $83,500, waste management costs of $269,450, partial policing costs of $616,824 and a BIA which costs $28,000. The third category is general municipal services which is everything not user fees or area Continued on page 6 Under clear skies and beautiful temperatures, the annual Brussels Fall Fair was another success. Ann Huffman, fair board secretary, said it was a well-attended "great fair" this year with one of the best parades yet and a very successful silent auction, which replaced the live auction of homemade pies and canning. - . "We (the fair board) thought we'd try something different this year which turned out to be a big success," said Huffman. The auction had everything from woodworking pieces to -handmade items, which were donated from fair board directors and other fair supporters. A total of just over $2,000 was raised through the silent auction, more than doubling what was raised during last year's pie auction. "We were really pleased. It was our main fundraiser this year," said Huffman. Another first this year that was not only enjoyable, but also well attended, were the funny clowns with their music and magic show, sponsored by fair board members Joan and David Perrie. A number of clowns made balloon creations, painted children's faces, making them laugh and have an enjoyable time at the fair. A lot of kids got their groove on as they took to the floor and began dancing. The beef and sheep shows were another successful event and Huffman said all the participants did a "great job.", The women of the area are well known for their delicious homemade pies, which were enjoyed by all those who attended the food booth or snack bar, Huffman said. "Audrey Cardiff and Bessie Johnston did a great deal of work with their helpers to make the food booths successful. Everyone did a wonderful job. It was pretty hot and busy in the kitchen but everything was fresh and delicious. Everyone was happy with the food." Another bonus for the fair board was that donations at the front entrance of the fair were up, which Huffinan said attributes to Alice Brothers who sat at the door most of the day on Wednesday. "She knows a lot of people and was reminding them that donations were gratefully accepted. People got into the spirit with Alice at the door," she said. The kids tractor pull was another big victory as well as the pony rides which drew in crowds. - These fun-filled activities and events helped to make the 143rd fair a success. Unfortunately the one main attraction that was sure to draw a crowd didn't. The Funland Outdoor Amusement midway, which travelled from Port Hope to set-up shop in Brussels, was not well attended despite the new rides. It was the first time that midway had been in this area and Huffman said the board felt it was a good one to bring to town. She said there were many fun rides for children, especially the merry-go- round and the Avalanche ride which was enjoyed not only by kids, but by adults as well. "We thought it was a nice midway, but traffic was down and we're not sure why. There were lots of new rides to go on," Huffman said, "If we can't support a midway we will have a problem booking one for the following year. The people who went said they were happy with it but a midway is a big expense. If they (carnival operators) Can't cover their costs and make a little money they won't be back. The board hopes it can continue to bring the midway in, but will have to have the community's support." Huffman said that unfortunately, she doesn't think the midway made a profit this year. The exhibits were also down this year, she said, but understandably so because each year the number of exhibits fluctuates depending on the amount of time people haye to get their items together. - She said the flower exhibit was down a little from last year, but since the fair was a week later, it was "hard for gardeners to get their best stuff in." But the fruit and vegetable stands however, were the"usual colourful displays." One of the bigger disappointments this year was the number of school exhibits that Huffman said were "noticeably down." "We found that quite disappointing. We encourage the schools to get involved in the fair because the board puts a lot of effort into making it (the fair) fun both in an educational and entertaining way for kids." She said the junior exhibits were also down this year. Despite a few minor setbacks, Huffman said the- fair was successful thanks to the terrific volunteer base and the support of the community. "There are always ways the fair board can learn to improve things. Overall it was a successful fair and we hope to make it even better next year." Expo at Trail, Saturday By Elyse DeBruyn Citizen staff The Huron Natural Environment Expo this weekend will not only better educate the public about the Blyth Greenway Trail, but also give the committee ways to improve and help maintain the beauty it has to offer. From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 2, the public is invited to join experts from the Ministry of Natural Resources, Maitland Valley Conservation Authority and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, who will educate people about several important environmental areas. Doug Scrimgeour, chairperson of the Blyth Greenway Trail,"-said these experts will hold demonstrations about water quality, benthic (aquatic insects) sampling, terrestrial wildlife which includes muskrats and beavers' and electroshocking the.. Blyth Brook. Electroshocking is when an environmental agency staff expert sends an electrical shock through the water simply stunning the aquatic life, but not killing anything. This gives the experts time to quickly gather various species and put them on display for the public. "It's quite unique (electroshock)," said Scrimgeour. "There are a lot of species in the Blyth Brook and this will give people a chance to see everything. It's a real learning event." Eight area schools will have a head start when they participate in the fun on Friday. Scrimgeour said there will also be great hands-on demonstrations as experts take the kids into the stream to watch Mother Nature work. "They'll look at all the things on rocks (in the river) then turn them over and see what's underneath:" This fun event will be offered to those who attend the Saturday afternoon ' demonstration and environmental agency staff members will be available to answer any questions. On Saturday morning a closed-to- the-public seminar will be held at the Greenway .Trail where environmental groups across Huron County will gather to swap helpful information. "This is one of the main points of the Expo, to help ourselves and other environmental authorities share information and networking like fundraising." Scrimgeour said there are hundreds of environmental groups in the area, but only 26 groups will be at the Expo for the seminars. He said the Blyth Greenway Trail committee will make a presentation about the how the trail started, how the committee keeps it alive and how it is maintained. Continued on page 6 Round and round we go Joining in the fall fair spirit, Amanda and Mathew Shadale hopped on the merry-go-round, a big attraction for the young ones who attended the Brussels Fall Fair last week. (Elyse DeBruyn photo) 143rd Fall Fair haled a success