HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2005-09-08, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2005.
Epilepsy Huron-Perth-Bruee keeps office
By Keith Roulson
Citizen publisher
Huron County will be looking for
alternate office space for some of its
employees after a vote by county
councillors not to evict Epilepsy
Huron-Perth Bruce from its Clinton-
area office.
Staff had given 90-days notice to-
the agency that it would be required
to vacate its office in the Jacob
Memorial Building, part of the old
Huronview complex south of
Clinton. But Caroline Simons,
executive director of the group
attended the Aug. 9 meeting of the
committee of the w hole to argue that
her group had the understanding it
would be allowed to stay in the
building for five years, even though
the lease was only for one year with
renewal clauses extending until
2008.
In an earlier letter to the county.
Simons noted that her group had
entered into discussions about
relocating to the Jacob Memorial
Building with former property
manager Claus Breed in April 2003,
had prepaid a year's rent in May
2003 and had received a five-year
lease from the county in July 2003.
Following renovations to the Jacob
Memorial Building the county
relocated the group to a different
portion of the building and in July
2004 Epilepsy Huron-Perth-Bruce
received a new lease which she
claimed was for five years.
In a recorded motion at the
committee, councillors voted 10-6 to
allow the group to stay but at the
Sept. 1 meeting of council, Rob
Morley of South Huron had second
thoughts. Though saying “I don’t
want to be the mean guy" he
recommended tabling the motion to
let the group remain in the location
until more information was available
on how much it will cost to relocate
other departments that might use the
space.
Staff, he said, was trying to save
the county money. Councillors had
spent a lot of time trying to find ways
to save money in last year’s budget
deliberations, and it would take more
time to find ways to come up with
money to cover the additional
expenses of finding new space.
County staff had estimated
allocating the space to a county
department at a rate of $7.80 per
square foot instead of $3.71 to the
charitable group would mean a gain
to the county of $5,300 annually.
But Ben Van Diepenbeek,
councillor for Ashfield-Colborne-
Wawanosh argued “We had agreed to
let them stay, not evict them.”
Several other councillors were
rethinking the earlier committee
decision. “I don't believe providing
space for charities is part of our
mandate,” said John Bezaire,
councillor for Central Huron.
“We're supposed to back up our
staff,” argued Ken Oke, councillor
for South Huron. “We threw out their
recommendation.”
But Goderich councillor Deb
Shewfelt argued: “I think we’re
missing the point. It’s up to council
to give notice (of termination of the
lease). We were upset with someone
not living up to an agreement (a
company that reneged on an
approved tender). We had a five-year
lease. It’s about keeping your word.”
In the end, the majority of council
agreed and Epilepsy Huron-Perth-
Bruce will stay in the county
building. It will mean another
location must be found for the
ambulance service administration.
David Lew, director of the land
ambulance service said the original
plans to the ambulance service when
it was downloaded from the
province, was that there would be no
management structure. There was
room in the courthouse for one
manager with each station to run on
its own.
Since then two more managers
plus support staff have been hired.
As well, the 911 co-ordinator is
sharing the same office and there
isn't enough room.
www.townofnorthhuron.ca
357-3550
of
North Huron
Municipality of
Morris-Turnberry
887-6137
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