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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times-Advocate, 2002-11-27, Page 13By Stew Slater SPECIAL TO THE T-A SEAFORTH — After deliberating about cutting back on the number of regular meetings, trustees of the Avon Maitland District School Board decided Nov. 12 to contin- ue its two-meeting-per- month schedule. The discussion began after several changes in board policy were brought forward from the policy committee, which is a sub-committee of the board. Past-chair- person Wendy Anderson raised a number of con- cerns, including the make-up of two other sub-committees: the audit committee and the chairs committee. These were dealt with through amendments, which were approved by the board. In response to the Policy Committee’s recommen- dation the board perma- nently eliminate the first meeting in January from its annual schedule, Anderson wondered whether all months of the year should be reduced to just one regular meeting. She noted the agenda had been fairly light in recent months, making it possi- ble that all the month’s business could have been achieved in one meeting instead of two. Board vice-chair Rod Brown, who serves as chair of the Policy Committee, informed Anderson the prospect of moving to one meeting per month had not been addressed formally by the Policy Committee. But he confirmed the notion had been the object of informal discus- sion. And he said his personal feeling is that it should be considered, especially since the board recently rejected moving ahead with what would have been a controversial and complicated accommoda- tion review process. But Listowel-area trustee Don Brillinger was quick to criticize the idea. "There is a lot of rea- sons to have regularly- scheduled meetings," he said. "Lord only knows, I sit on other boards, and I would love to sit home for a night watching hockey, but I don’t think that serves the taxpaying public as well as it deserves to be served." If agenda items are scarce, he suggested, board members should go to the work of finding important issues that need to be discussed. He referred to the difficult discussions about cutting the Tech 21 program last spring, and said the board will find it just as chal- lenging to balance its budget in June 2003. "I think there are some very important issues that this board should be looking at all the time, not just in June when its time to cut," Brillinger argued. Stratford representative Meg Westley agreed, adding the board should establish some sort of process by which trustees can add items to an agen- da for discussion. The Policy Committee recommended eliminating the first meeting of the month each January, because "this meeting has been cancelled each of the past two years . . . because there has been no or insufficient business for trustees to examine." Already, the months of December and March only have one regular board meeting due to the Christmas and March Breaks. All other months have two regularly scheduled meetings, with special meetings called either at the discretion of the chair or at the request of three board members After the discussion, trustees approved elimi- nating the first January meeting. Wednesday, November 27, 2002 15Exeter Times–Advocate Will’s Wheels & Deals We will be opening the doors of two great new stores to serve the people of Exeter and area. Will’s store is for the money conscious consumer of Quality family clothing at affordable cost. He will also carry an extensive line of die-cast vehicles including Nascar (cars & appar- el), CMC, Hot Wheels, U T Models, Speccast and if it is not in stock he will gladly order it. GRAND OPENING - Where - 411 & 413 MAIN ST. When - Nov. 29, 2002 Outstanding Value are the best words to describe Debbie’s store. The fashion conscious buyer of fine clothing may pur- chase the following lines: Garduer, Mario Serrani, Della Spiga, Louben, Como and many more to follow including the spring/summer line of Catherine Stewart. Save 10% off Purchase expires Nov. 29, 2002 109 King St. 262-9999 Kome Tan where at Katch A Ray in Hensall where the sun always shines no GST or PST Fri 9-9 Sat 9-5 Sun 12 to 5 Specia l G i f t s for th a t Specia l Person Gift Certifi c a t e s Availa b l e 1st & 2nd Mortgage MONEY AVAILABLE at 6.5% interest or less Personal Loans Totally Unsecured if you qualify, monthyly payments as low as Amt. App. $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 Mthly Payt. $27.68 $54.16 $81.25 UP TO $400,000. We specialize in difficult mortgages. Local 364-0448 1 (800) 387-1932 Astral Funding Inc. EXETER – With one cut of a rib- bon, ambulance services in the Exeter area have been greatly improved. On Nov. 23 members of Huron county council and emergency med- ical staff cut the ribbon, officially opening Exeter’s new ambulance base on Highway 83 beside the rail- way tracks. With more room for vehicles, bet- ter crew quarters and training areas, and improved communica- tions, Operations Manager Brad Lucas says it is a big improvement on the old facility. As well as the other upgrades, the base has speak- er paging throughout the building, which will lead to faster response times. Municipality of South Huron Mayor Rob Morley said with the other two new ambulance bases in Goderich and Seaforth identical to the Exeter one, it will make it easier for para- medics to rotate between the three bases without any loss of efficiency. The other new item on display was the Crestliner ambulance. With bet- ter lighting, easier access for stretchers, and more room inside, it is another significant upgrade over the old equipment. New ambulance base officially open Present at the offical opening of the Exeter ambulance base Nov. 23 were front left: paramedic Rob Taylor, Operations manager Brad Lucas, paramedic Jerry Hetherington, paramedic Amanda Kowall, regional manager Kevin McNab.Back:South Huron Deputy Mayor Dave Urlin, County Warden Ben Van Diepenbeek,ambulance manager David Lew,South Huron Mayor Rob Morley.(photo/Pat Bolen) Board retains two meetings per month Tools stolen CENTRALIA – Sometime between midnight and 3 p.m. Nov. 17, a window in a garage on Saskatchewan St. in Centralia was forced open Huron OPP report $3,000 worth of various mechanics, impact and special purpose tools were stolen. Tracks show a vehicle was used in the break-in. Anyone who can help solve this crime is asked to call Huron OPP or Crime Stoppers.