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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-04-29, Page 7• • 1 Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, April 29, 2009 Page 7 State of The Square laughable according to writer 1b the Editor; In response to the editorial written by Dave Sykes, let me quote a paragraph, "Deputy -mayor John Grace is right in his assertion that many community events would be ideal for pedestrian -only traffic and more people on the sidewalks would translate into more people in the stores;" You, have lost your mind, to put it bluntly. How, myself included, with a torn ante- rior cruciate ligament (ACL), pulled liga- ments, damaged cartilage, am I going to shop at my favourite store and carry a jug of bleach, laundry detergent and litres of pop to my car if I cannot park in front of that store? Once again, you are not considering what the consumer wants. To have this idealistic dream of people gathering on The Square and greeting each other is like the scene in Gone With the Wind when Rhett Butler had Scarlett walk through town, pushing their daugh- ter, Bonnie, in a carriage to upgrade their socialstatus in Atlanta. Have you considered why we don't have people walking and strolling around The Square? Lifestyles have changed. Both spouses work to pay bills and council inci asses taxes and the. Mayor has taken a raise. My street has not been paved for the last 45 years as residents of Palmerston Street get the 'tar and feather''treatment. Have you ever sat on the benches around The Square on Friday night? Only a few stores are open and have to deal with groups of young people intimidating customers. If you think I am wrong, go and see for yourself. Also, groups take over the gazebo. Where does aur deputy -mayor spend his summers? Would people be able to walk to a fly -in fishing camp? Remember the late 1970s when two blocks of The Square were closed for the Kinsmen Carnival? One merchant threat- ened to tie himself naked to a lamppost if' it happened in front of his establishment. And now you are talking about shutting down The Square. Have you thought of asking what the consumer wants? They tell me with a resounding No. The Square is not progressing with events. It is digressing.. The Christmas decorations are laughable. We had more decorations and spirit in the 1980s. Council drove the Kinsmen off The Square for over five years. I am a participant in the Arts and Crafts Festival and traffic is not a problem for that show. Most consumers complain that stores are not open Friday night. We are not a European country where streets are narrow, not allowing for traffic or parking. Council, get with the times. If you want to place Goderich on the map, bring industry to town. We are a diamond in the rough, just unmined. Council has an idealistic approach to business and is bent on killing the Square, not prompting it. I could plan events on The Square that would draw more people to our down- town and the community. Goderich has so much to offer, but you cannot lead with blinders on. Sincerely, Cindy Bazinet Witty or slapstick, the Livery has a dose of both Dear Editor, What if there was a mistake and you died before you were supposed to? What if the actors in a play couldn't see a darn thing while the audience can see every- thing? The hilarious answers to these questions will be presented in two one -act plays at the Livery, by our own local actors in the Goderich Little Theatre. You'll see local deejays from the Beach radio, Kevin and `Ibm, pleading with the Angel of Death (played by Blanche Savage) in The Death of Me. Canadian Idol .finalist Kati Durst vies with her sister Kelly for the same beau in Black Comedy. There's a delightful assortment of others involved onstage and backstage; our big- gest problem in our three rehearsals each week is to keep a straight face during the wild and crazy antics being staged. I con- tinue to be very proud to beta small part of the live theatre scene here in town. If you're overdue for a couple of hours of infectious laughter, I highly reconimend you come and see these shows. A pay - what -you can 8 p.m. preview on Thursday, April 30 will be followed by five evening performances (May 1,2,7-9) and one mat- inee (Sun. May 3). Hope to see you there. Call 519-524-6262 for details. P.S. For my "friends" who would love to see me hurtle out of a rocking chair, get a drink thrown'in my face and see me get nailed in the head by a chunk of metal, this is your opportunity. Floyd Herman Goderich No water, no sewer, no hospital- mayor cracks down on cows The current state of the township of Wainfleet is grim. Now into the third year of a 'boil water advisory.' children are still brushing their teeth with bottled water and adults are sealing up wells that are con- taminated by either human, 'animal or agri- cultural waste. Nobody seems to know, Old weeping tiles and holding tanks are crum- bling causing,the sewer situation to worsen each day. The mayor's big pipe solution for clean water and waste management is too grand, too expensive and will only result in over- loading Port Colborne's systems as well as turning vital agricultural land in Wainfleet into suburbs rich in tax dollars. (Would somebody please explain to Mrs. Dithers, you can't actually eat cookie -cutter hous- ing! If you could, Mississauga would be the world's largest bakery.) Our nearby hospital in Port Colborne is about to be closed by a bunch of unelected, overpaid bureaucrats in St. Catharines who are way too willing to sacrifice our health for their state-of-the-art mega hospital. If the heart attack doesn't kill you, the forty minute drive for medical attention: likely will. And the mayor of Wainfleet, by con- tinuing to fund St. Catharines' dream and our nightmare, does not see a problem in adding a half hour of ambulance time while attempting to save a resident's life. So with the township's infrastructure and health care disintegrating all around, the uia.u�.a.:,wgri�w.�<.+nv�:✓Wiw•.,..:;..: .,wirr...e..v�i. a..a mayor and her council decided last week to launch a major crackdown on . t, cows. That's right. In a unanimous vote, township council passed the "Animals Running At Large" bylaw that has bovines frotn Longbeach to Attercliffe, quak- ing in their barns. This ground -breaking legisla- tion holds aninml owners respon- sible for damage caused by their pets or livestock. I'm thinking this is experimental governance, if' it works, a follow-up bylaw will hold parents respon- sible for the actions of their teenagers. "No owner shall allow, permit or cause any animal to run at large or trespass ill the municipality," Sc., reads the "Cow Pie Proxy." Exceptions will likely be inade.for Santa and his reindeer, the Easter Bunny and the Mounties' Musical Ride, (As yet, no provision has been made for tasering Mounties riding wild through the munici- pality, brandishing loaded staplers:) Unfazed by ATV's ripping up our beach- es and wooded paths, the illegal and indis- criminate setting ofd' of fireworks over rows of wooden cottages serviced by a volunteer fire department and all the spent shotgun dings I keep finding on our walking trails -- Wainfleet council focused its legislation attention on ... cows. Deciding we needed an animal bylaw, AA council initially considered some truly ridiculous proposals like a mandatory two -foot dog leash and the compulsory disinfection of pet food dishes until they crystallized their thinking and decided to target trespassing cows. Other rural municipalities have solved the problem of meander- ing livestock with a long metal thing they call a "fence." But apparently here in Wainfleet cows have either got their hooves on a pir.ated DVD of The Great Escape or they've learned how to open the gates.. Whereas many rural communities are concerned about the unusually large amounts of methane . produced by cows, here in Wainfleet we just need to know of their whereabouts at all times. Finally in answer to the question: "Why did the cow jump over the moon?" To get away from Wainfleet council. And who will enforce the crackdown on cows? The dog catcher, of course. I'm seri- ous. The "pound keeper" will respond to homeowner complaints about trespassing cattle but he has to "See the animals in action." Well, I think at one time or another we've all seen animals in action which is no big deal unless you have to explain it to young children. If the animals are gone by the time the dog catcher arrives, "no action can be taken." So the viability of the "Animals Running At Large" bylaw depends on the response time of a guy who has a full-time job in Port Colborne and is already kind of confused because he signed on to catch stray dogs and now he's rustling cattle. In the midst of a lively discussion at the council meeting, residents expressed their opinions on such topics as chickens, roost- ers, dogs,a donkey, a pony and manure. The owner of the pony • claimed the manure wouldn't be a problem "because manure is spread over fields by farmers." Maybe so but they're not laying it on as thick as the mayor and her council. It was with great hope, two and a half years ago, that we elected the first-ever female mayor of Wainfleet. I am a huge proponent of putting women in positions of .power, mainly to clean up the mess men have made of this world. Yet from Margaret Thatcher to Kim Campbell, it seems we never elect the right ones. When the mayor and her loyal councilors are more concerned about the dog catcher's response time to apprehending stray ani- mals than the time it takes to get a dying Wainfleet resident into aq emergency ward at the other end of the peninsula -- it's time for the dogcatcher to take over as mayor. The Cow Pie Proxy proves once and for all, the mayor andher council have become an udder disaster.