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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times-Advocate, 2002-11-27, Page 22 Exeter Times–Advocate2 Wednesday, November 27, 2002Exeter Times–Advocate Regional wrap up C.O.P.Corner (Community Oriented Policing) WHO IS CHARGED IF THERE IS SOMEONE DRINKING IN THE CAR I AM DRIVING, BUT I HAVE CON- SUMED NONE? Huron OPP say everyone! The dri- ver is responsible for the vehicle, its occupants and any alcohol being consumed. Charges include driving with liquor readily available, being under 19 year with alcohol, driving with open alcohol, and any passen- ger can be charged with consuming alcohol other than residence. The driver’s fine is over $200 and the pas- sengers’ is $125. IF YOU WANT A QUESTION ANSWERED, LEAVE A MES- SAGE FOR JOANNE MORGAN AT 234-6605 OR E-MAIL SFORSTER@SOUTHHURON.COM. JOANNE MORGAN C.O.P. CORNER Suspect surrenders ILDERTON – The third suspect in the Aug. 20 robbery at the Ilderton Bank of Commerce turned himself in to Middlesex OPP. The Parkhill Gazette reports Frederick Oag, 26, of London faces charges. The get-away car’s driver was arrested in the Hyde Park area. Santa flips light switch ST. MARYS – After the Kinsmen Christmas parade, Santa Claus flipped the switch to turn on the Lights of St. Marys at the Flats Nov. 15. The Journal Argus reports the town coun- cil, Business Improvement Association, tourism committee and down- town merchants were involved in a successful parade and light dis- play. Church restoration AILSA CRAIG – Restoration work is under way at the for- mer Baptist Church to convert it into the Ailsa Craig Museum. According to the Middlesex Banner, The Ailsa Craig & District Historical Society bought the church for $1 from the estate of Don Hughes. “All drivers entering this area are completely aware of the situation and are generally dri- ving at very low speeds with greater care for all activities around them.” Kelly said eliminating parking on the north side of Victoria Street wouldn’t increase safety for children. One improvement Kelly does suggest is an adult school crossing guard to control children crossing Victoria Street to the east of the pro- posed new entrance to the Rec Centre. Also, ‘No Stopping’ signs should be erected on both sides of Victoria Street 15 m each way from the crosswalk. Kelly did note the 10 right angle parking spots on the north side of Victoria Street east of the stone gates could be a problem when the new day-care centre opens. Other notes from Monday’s meeting: Outstanding permits Building and development manager Wayne Dale reported to the committee of the whole the municipality has hundreds of outstanding building permits from the former municipali- ties before amalgamation. Dale gave the committee an overview of his department and said policies and procedures need to be put in place to start closing off the outstanding permits. He said it is up to the public to call the municipality for their final inspection on building projects but they often don’t. He said large municipalities have simi- lar problems, with outstanding permits num- bering in the thousands. He said when the public doesn’t follow through on its permit obligations, it only adds to the building depart- ment’s costs and staff’s man hours. Dale said one way to deal with the problem is to add fees if construction on projects starts before the necessary permits are attained. Deputy Mayor Dave Urlin said he has heard of other municipalities having such fees and Coun. Drew Robertson said he agrees there should be fees. “They’re breaking the law and it costs us money,” he said. Dale added while municipal building depart- ments aren’t revenue makers, “you hope to break even.” Dale also spoke about the provincial govern- ment’s Building Regulatory Reform Advisory Group that will have sweeping affects on the building industry including certification, quali- fications, training, fees and budgeting. He said the municipality has to be prepared for such changes. Dale said the building department is also planning a tour for council of South Huron’s industries, an industrial/commercial develop- ment open house, a review of the municipali- ty’s zoning bylaws and streamlining the build- ing permit process. Dale was also complimentary towards his staff — which includes a chief building official, a clerk and a part-time inspector and bylaw enforcement officer — and council. Consultant addresses Victoria Street traffic concerns Continued from front page By Pat Bolen TIMES-ADVOCATE STAFF VARNA – The munici- pality of Bluewater will be implementing new rates for sewage treat- ment outside the origi- nal service area of Bayfield. At the regular council meeting Nov. 25 at the Stanley complex, coun- cil voted to implement a rate of $3,500 per sin- gle family house for 2002, with an increase to $3,600 in 2003. The rates were based on a report made to council by Environmental planner Matthew Pearson from B.M. Ross Consulting Engineers. Pearson said the municipality must establish a charge rate system to enable it replace the treatment capacity it allocates to outside users. Although there is excess capacity avail- able in the system, existing vacant lots have paid for sewage service already, and this must be supplied when they are developed. New Computer system Finance manager Terry Brandon report- ed to council on her rec- ommendations for replacing the munici- pality’s financial soft- ware program It is unable to handle increased workloads and is becoming increasingly difficult to find support for. With transition funding of $119,000 still available for a new financial sys- tem, she has looked at a number of different packages. Brandon said the most popular software in sur- rounding municipalities are Microsoft Great Plains from Compupower Ltd. and Munisoft. She evaluated both software packages on a list of considerations including ease of use, software support, train- ing, upgrading, price, quote presentation, ref- erences and on-site inspection. Both systems came out roughly even in the areas of reports, ease of use, software support, and virtually identical with their base prices of $49,950 for Great Plains, and $49,000 for the Munisoft product. The General presen- tation quotes were a difference between the two packages with Munisoft not presenting Brandon with as much information, forcing her to call for clarification on several items. She reported Compupower’s quote was quite comprehen- sive, explaining what each module did, and how it worked with the other parts. The training packages were the biggest differ- ence between the two companies. Like the rest of its package, Compupower offered a training setup that was detailed and extensive, with a total of 39 days, showing how many days would be required for each part of the training. Although the $40,000 cost of the training was described by the com- pany as “the Cadillac” version, it suggested training times could be reduced with block training and set-up times, and staff may not need as much training as estimated. Offering only eight training days for its $6,000 training price, Munisoft was once again short on specifics on its training plan. The advice Brandon was given by other municipalities about training was to have a good budget. The total price of the Compupower quote for the Great Plains solu- tion came out at $117, 495 as opposed to $71,482 for the Munisoft. Brandon recommend- ed the Compupower product based on its ease of use, upgrade potential, on-site inspections, references other users, and Council voted to accept her rec- ommendation to buy the Great Plains software. Doctor Shortage A presentation was made to council by Dr. James Rourke from Goderich, and Fran Mclean, chair-person of the Alexander Marine Hospital board. They spoke on the shortage of doctors in rural areas, what doc- tors are looking for, and incentives being offered to doctors to bring them to the area. Dr. Rourke said new doctors today do not want the time and expense of looking after their own offices and will only work in clinics where everything is ready for them. Even with Western University increasing the number of medical students by 40 percent, it will be several years before the numbers begin to come up. For that reason, the hospital board is offer- ing incentives to doctors to work in the area. A lump sum payment of $15,000 is being offered for a doctor who stays six months.and agrees to operate an office clinicand do hos- pital service. An additional $10,000 a year for four years is available after that but Dr. Rouke said it will be a temporary measure until a new clinic is up and running. Council thanked them for their presentation. New sewage rates for Bayfield system Power surge damages equipment By Sandra Forster TIMES-ADVOCATE STAFF USBORNE – A hydo power surge Nov. 17 at 11 a.m. didn’t last long, but its repercussions will. Sandra Hern’s house at the end of the power line at Whalen Corners is one that suffered damage to electri- cal equipment. A stereo system, fax machine, microwave, stove and electrical plugs were “fried”. “It sounded like guns going off,” Hern said as the hydro went down momentarily, then surged back on. Neighbour Rob Morley spoke to the president of Hydro One at a meeting but has had no success with phone calls. The surge blew a hole in a power bar and melted the nylon carpet beneath it at his house. Morley lost a fax machine, microwave, satellite dish, computer, stereo and TV aerial. Those affected, including a number of livestock barns, are working with their insurance companies for cover- age. Downie Mutual Insurance adjuster Tracy Lamont said her company processed one claim for a TV, computer, stereo, satellite system and surge protectors. She said during a minor surge, a surge protector will protect other equipment and it may be damaged. “A major power interruption could be enough to blow out the surge protector and everything else that’s attached to it,” Lamont said. The company may look into “subrogation” (making a claim) against Hydro One. Usborne Hibbert Insurance adjuster Mike O’Shea received dozens of calls in an area south of Centralia, north of Whalen Corners, to Granton, Woodham and south to Hwy. 7. O’Shea says it was fortunate many people were at home when the surge struck to prevent a house fire. In any power incident, he urges homeowners to call Hydro One, then their insurance company. Hydro One A Hydro One spokesperson said there was an equip- ment and material failure on the line that caused the power outage. Some were affected from 10:25 a.m. until noon. She said only six customers reported being directly affected, as posted on their operations centre update. Quadro Communications general manager Tim DeWeerd says although the surge blew a $3,000 DC rec- tifier, Granton area customers did not lose service. A battery system keeps the equipment working. Most customers with surge suppressors found they worked well taking the surge without damaging the equipment they are plugged into. DeWeerd says the surge hit their central office in Granton and hydro customers were affected as far away as Hwy. 7 at Highbury Ave. Quadro will make a claim against Hydro One. Lucan Biddulph administrator Ron Reymer says the surge knocked out the controllers for the water pump at the Granton water system but flow was not disrupted. The equipment was “fixed right away” and Reymer hopes Hydro One will “come good for any costs incurred.”