Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-07-13, Page 7'Wench Signal -Star • Wednesday, July 13, 2011 rich goal Star 154 -ISSUE X SHED WEEKLY -- EST. 1860 !nal Star Publishing 0 Huckins St. 1. Box 120 Goderich ON N7A 4B6 9) 524-2614 - :goderichsignalstar.com SUN MEDIA A Quebeeio( Meda Company YKES (she( SHIM 'sits* Manager MILBURN Dqs Mods & Subscriptons BUTT JOHNSTON •. tinting WRIER Manager ECZNY ORELAND MCIVOR t ay Sales *wskibowesnet. com portsebowesnet.com dsebowesnet corn Irtchads Dbowesnet.coni mai dine Friday at 2 pm. RIPT1001 RATES ADVANCE WS loft. le copy $4? plus GST 139 plus GST $r1AROplus GST S:l9S 60 plus GST $1 25 including GST xis Mall Agreement 064683 SRN u1MELJVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TION DEPARTMENT Hocking St., PO Hos 1;4n Goderich ON N 1A 481 deitvertes or delivery concerns `•21- 2614 EMAIL: ponewsebowesnetoom ,ra:h Signal Star she not be habie for fuilur an ad for typographical errors in publication • the extent of the cost of tat portion of the ad the error occurred The Godench Signal -Star ttw right to refect or edit any advertisement • tch Signal -Star S a proud member of the Ca munity Wallpapers Association ((',CNA) and Gomm -nay Newspapers Amoctetrnn (OCM*4 nnwledge the financial yuprnrt of the ment of Canada through the (.anadian al Pund (01110t our publishing acdvlti Canada Mornbrr d M Grin Cuomnrlty • 1 Nimucavoi Mandarin and the Ontario Community NivapmersAmocialian editorial Harbour project secures port and jobs ews of the harbour expansion and the poten- tial it creates beyond the immediate creation. of construction -related jobs is welcome news indeed. For Goderich and Huron County. As outlined at a special announcement at the har- bour Just north of Sifto's new storage facility June 30, up to 47. million will be spent to create up to 15 acres of new land off the north harbour,as well as two new loading terminals and improvements to existing infrastructure including work on the breakwalls and. needed improvements to North Harbour Road. The town and its adminstration has been savvy and diligent in creating public-private partnershipsthat work to the benefit and satisfaction of all involved. This port expansion project is testament to the enviable working relationship that exists between municipal and provincial government and industry, namely Sifto Salt. On the face of it, the timing of the announcement doesn't hurt an election campaign, but it must also be stated that the riding's sitting member, Liberal MPP and Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell has been more than an ardent supporter of this part of the province at the cabinet table. There were considerable negotiations, lobbying and a lot of hard work that went into the partnership and funding agreement to move this project to the next level. Credit the persistence and working rela- tionship between Port Management president, Al Hamilton, Sifto's Rowland Howe, MPP Mitchell and her office, and the town's Mayor, Deb Shewfelt and CAO, Larry McCabe. Through their dedicatio.1 and persistence to see this project take shape, the importance of the harbour facilities at Goderich is secured. It means that there will indeed be a future and as Mayro Shewfelt intoned, "Generations will look back and see this day as the start of a bright future." The provincial government will contribute $15.7 million to the project that will be phased in over sev- eral years and result in rnany area construction jobs and up to 150 new local jobs over time. The remain- der of the funding will come from Sifto and increased wharfage fees. This a progressive and proactive move by the par- ties involved that will secure the movement of goods and services from the harbour. With increased stor- age and shipping capacity, Sifto will he able to main- tain more consistent employment and shipment lev- els with new storage and loading terminals. Conspicuous by its funding absence was the federal Conservative Government despite persistent and per- suasive lobbying. While millions of dollars were spent in a more remote part of Ontario to beautify parkettes and create smooth roadways for the G8 summit, this project was passed up. A far more prudent investment, for less money, should have been invested in the Goderich harbour project. DS letters to the editor It is time the town gated the .beach entrance To the editor: 1 hope you will spread the good news among the taxpayers that property taxes in Goderich are coming down. This happy development is due to the fact that the town has gone intothe hay business-. . They have made the first cut on. . Newgate Street and it is now curing. Parts of Elgin Avenue and Kingston Street are yet to be mowed. The Town is obviously considering expanding this dynamic experiment since, at various times this spring, the grass in Courthouse Park and at the harbour has been in Oscar Hammerstein's immortal words "as high as an elephant's eye." The overall expectation is that the cash flow from this initiative will be considerable and the Council is to be congratulated on their clever entrepreneurship. Less heartening is the Council's dilatory management of the garbage problem at the beach, particularly around the picnic areas. here the day trippers leave their mounds of refuse and local taxpayers pay the cleanup costs. To suggest that these picnickers leave any money in town is congenital nonsense. It is time that the town gated the beach approach and charged a nominal amount to these guest garbage distributors to defray costs and .finance waterfront improvements. A windshield decal, allowing free entry for local taxpayers, could separate them from the "guests." Several student gatekeepers could earn their summer wages doing monitoring duties. There is, at best, a miniscule economic return to town business from these "guests" and in fact they leave nothing in Goderich but their garbage. If the council prefers the status quo they could perhaps set up a lyric writing contest for the theme song Left my Garbage in Goderich'; which with the town flower, the pansy, could immensely enrich the cultural life of this County Town. With several aspiring poet laureates on. the Council, the judging of the entries would be of the highest quality. Accommodation needed for Celtic Festival To the editor: The Celtic Roots Festival is fast approaching and will be here before we know it. As you know It is one of the largest events in Goderich each summer, attracting over ten thousand people. As a result, accommodations including campgrounds, hotels, motels. and bed & breakfasts fill up quickly leaving many last minute visitors without a place to stay. Tourism Goderich is once again offering a solution and we are asking the citizens of Goderich and area for their help. If anyone has ever wondered what it would be like to run a Bed & Breakfast, here is their opportunity. Anyone wishing to offer Bed & Breakfast accommodation during the Celtic College, August 1 to 5 and/or on the weekend of the Celtic Festival, August 5, 6, 7 is asked .to come to the Tourist information Centre, at the corner of Hamilton and Victoria Streets (by the Dutch Fountain) as soon as possible and we will coordinate overflow Bed & Breakfast Sincerely, Peter Sturdy accommodation. When they speak to us, they should be prepared to give us information about what they have to offer and rates. Our Travel Counsellors will be happy to assist them with this. So as not to offend established tourism operators, we will attempt to help fill theexisting accommodations first, but we need to be informed when they are full. Our sources indicate that many are full already. We will then refer visitors to our Celtic Bed & Breakfast Program. This can only be accomplished if everyone works together. For more information about the Celtic Bed & Breakfast. Program, please callus at 519-524-6600. Let's welcome our visitors to Goderich during the Celtic Roots Festival and, in fact all year long and let them know that we are not only Canada's Prettiest Town but the most hospitable. Thank you. Bob Marshall, Tourism Manager LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Signal Star welcomes letters to the editor. Letters must include the writer's full name, address, daytime phone number and signature (for verification). Anonymous letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions includ- ing letters for clarification, style and length. Letters must be signed and be in good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander.