HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-09-07, Page 8uderich will
new
ttor.
Vith The Wind
grew dark and then it came
hags will never he the same.
werful tornado touched down
vastated our lovely town,
pes and dreams of many folk,
e instead hearts that broke.
touse Park lost ali its trees
ought the merchants to their
n help came from far anti wide
pie worked side by side.
spite of all the grief
lents felt some relief.
Icorned the support and love,
i tied ourstrength from God
e face the days ahead,
vbe not with so much dread.
wn's people are strong and
oderich will rise anew.
To Goderiohi with love,
Shirley Huckins
unity will be
and stronger
of Goderit 11.
pe your. clean-up and repairs
shared local and regional
ity'effort and most things can
to normal before the end of
after your shocking Tornado
unday the 21st August.
been guests of your beautiful
. last May on a Choir Tour
couver with the Orpheus
• so enjoyed the hospitality
m of your lovely town and our
apes and wishes are with you
is shocking event in your
story.
:one pulls together to help
er we are sure your commu
►e even closer and stonger for
rience.
0 send our condolences to the
the gentlemen who was killed
)ren. A memorial event to him
e an event for the whole com-
e reflect and thank their God
e were not killed too.
artfeit wishes to all your
ity.
Savage, Vancouver Orpheus Choir.
TO THE EDITOR
Star welcomes letters to the editor
ust include the writer's full name,
aytime phone number and slg-
r verification). Anonymous letters
published. We reserve the right
editorial submissions including
clarification, style and length.
ust be signed and be in good taste
the laws of libefand slander.
Goderich is a place to
remember
ti► the editor,
My name is Bob McCullough.
I spent many years in Goderich living with nw
aunt (Violet Doak) during the summer on South
St,
I worked for many people during those beau-
tiful summers. My most mernorable summer
was working at Gardner's I)airy.
I enjoyed every minute in Goderich and
always enjoyed the beauty of the town.
The friends that I met in Goderich will always
he remembered in my heart.
Trusting victims in
troubled times
To the editor,
Thanks for putting the letter by Harry from the.
Cambria area, 1 appreciate his honesty and
humour. I too was a trusting victim of less -than -
honest tradespeople during a vulnerable time. I
want to reiterate Harry's more serious message
that thf'"e'are tradespeople who will take .advan-
tage of peoples' misfortunes. 'Tornado victims
with damaged property need to use good deci-
sion-making skills during the cleanup and
rebuilding process. Here are a few tips 1 teamed
through my experience:
• Tradespeople, like all people, come in all vari-
eties. Although I still believe that most trades are
trustworthy, I can attest that there are some who
aren't. __
• Local vs. Import -I noticed new ads in the
Signal -Star this past week lust because a trades-
person is from the local area doesn't mean they
are more skilled, more honest, or less expensive.
1-Iowever,1 do wonder about tradespersons who
need to travel into the area to get work. in all cases.
buyer beware. Get written references and follow
them up. Check online and with the Better
Heritage home damaged
by tornado
To the editor,
!fell in love with 122 West Street, Goderich as
a child of twelve years when I was biking one
day. 1 liked its white porch, white clapboard
and black shutters.
i did not know thatit had been built in 1853
for Mr. Parsons. All its history I would learn
later in 1979 when 1 Nought it from Mr. and
Mrs. Mathers who were ready to downsize.
So now it was mine and it needed a great
deal of restoration. i started slowly a side at a
time to side it, replace its shutters, its windows,
its porch, its sidewalks, its wiring, roof and
gardens.
It became the grand Victorian home with
vinyl and fiberglass replacements that it had
been in the 19800s. Inside 1 filled it with
antiques, figurines and chandeliers. it was all
that 1 could make it. Thirty-two years of plan-
ning and renovations. It was completely done
it,tne 2011.
Then on Aug. 21 as we cowered in the
.
1 cannot believe (lie devestitton that has hap-
pened here.
`i he entire downtown core is a disaster.
he beautiful buildings and the beautiful
town square look all but destroyed.
What bothers me a lot is the lack of support
from the Canadian newspapers with regards to
this tragedy.
The Toronto Star and the Sun spent very little
space to cover this disaster. •
The cost to repair the damage will go into the
lO's of millions of dollars to rebuild the town.
Dalton McGuinty offers $5,000,000 to start
things going.
This is a mere pittance of the actual damage
that this will cost.
The businesses and the lives of the people of
Business Bureau at www.bbb.org or 416-323-
9946. You only get once to do this job right!
• If using a local tradesperson, even one you
think you know personally, retnemberthis. Busi-
ness is business. As reasonable as you and the
tradesperson are, don't mix friendship and busi-
ness. Both you and they are under a lot of stress
right now and there is a high potential for disa-
greements and broken relationships.
• Get more than one estimate. Even though it
will be difficult to find contractors/trades don't
sell yourself short. Try not to rush. Shop around. It
could pay off and save headaches in the future.
• Get it in writing. Honest trades will put their
estimate down on paper - materials and labour,
Beware of verbal 'ballpark' estimates. If the
tradesperson refuses to give a written estimate for
any reason, politely wank away.
• Settle on a firm price. Be very clear what your
budget is and insist the tradesperson sticks to it;
Beware of the `upsell' in the middle of the job -
this can lead to a much higher bill. Don't pay up
front for the labour, and be clear that there will be
no payment until the job is done to your
satisfaction. •
• Timeline. Agree to a start and end date. Ask to
be made aware of other jobs the tradesperson
may be working on and may leave your job site
for Keep your own notebook with their hours.
basement, Mother Nature and her F3 tornado
took it all away. We emerged to a main floor .
still in tact but a second floor of utter devasta--
tion..Half the roof was gone and blue skies
looked down at us instead of its covering. Wet
Insulation, which had been blown in covered
everything: The windows were gone. The furni-
ture sat on the hardwood floors of the 1800s s
covered now in wet piles of grey and black.
Glass was everywhere in big and small chunks.
lhe front porch had gained the neighbour's
tree breaking the rails. The old trees in the
backyard lay across the deck and gardens. lhe
crab trees, which had been so beautiful in.lune,
were skeletons. The large maple in the front of
the house had crashed down and taken out the
wrought iron fence and lamppost. The steel
roof was twisted to weird angles. The siding
flapped, the chimneys titled and metal impaled
the siding in different places. The front porch,
where so many people had enjoyed parades
and happy times remained but was badly
injured.
Family and friends arrives, some cried some
jumped into action. Furniture was moved to a
section of the house with a tarp.
Get a trailer, move 32 years of possessions
V
Wednesday. September 7, 2011 • Signal -Star 7
www. goderichsignalstar. corn
(o&Jei lull t►tt}st feel devastated will) this
catastrophe.
1 hope your MP will he working overtirnt' to
make sure that the people ofGoderich (10 not
suffer the damage this storm created.
I plan on going up to Goderich in the next two
weeks to see the amount of damage .that has
caused.
Uptown Goderich must keep the facade that
has drawn millions of tourists to the town.
This is going to be expensive but it's a must to
make sure you get the nextmillion tourists com-
ing to Goderich.
Goderich is a place to go and Goderich will
always be a place to remember.
Regards
Bob McCullough
• • Materials list. Ask the contractor for the mate-
rials list for your job and if he/she adds a sur-
charge, Ask the tradesperson to get a couple of
quotes on the list and then get a quote yourself
We have learned how to save thousands by shop-
ping around and ordering items ourselves in and
out of the area. On large orders, ask retailers to
waive the delivery charge. Surprisingly, you can
negotiate with 'big box' stores.
• Check with the local building authorities
before starting a project. We have found Jim
Spence at the Goderich Building Department to
be excellent to work with and an absolute profes-
sional.l However do beware of inspectors who are
'buddies' with local contractors: Your best inter-
ests may be overlooked.
• When the work is complete, get a detailed bill.
If there are miscellaneous items, ask what they
are and ask to see the tradesperson' receipts for
them. This may .seem nit -picky but if the trades-
person can't reconcile the expense, don'tpay it.
This tornado reminds everyone of how little in
our lives is in our control. We need to trust each
other but we also need to be smart. Don't be a
victim twice. Remember - you have complete
control of the rebuilding process. You are the
boss. 13e strong in your decisions, have a dear
vision and try to find joy in the process.
Nance withheld.
into same in five days. Find another place to.
live and move possessions. A whirlwind, no
time to think about this grand old house, just
act.
Friends, volunteers, people I hardly:knew
wrapped china, moved furniture, provided
food cleaned the yards and gardens. Wonder-
ful, compassionate people responding in a cri-
sis as only people can. 1 packed our suitcases
for summer, fall and winter and we moved out
on Aug. 21 to friend's houses. We ate at friends
and with friends and family as they brought in
food so we could keep working. We showered
at the YMCA and wherever we found hot water.
We went into survival mode as did others.
122 West St. still has an empty shell standing.
ihe insurers have a structural engineer's report
being prepared. Heritage people are raising
money to save her but I know that on Aug. 21
she died. She will never be the same. Much of
her structure will have to be replaced taking
away so much that was original.
lb everyone that assisted us, hugged us, fed
us and cheered us, we say "thank you" from the
bottom of our hearts.
Sincerely
Karen Sturdy and Mike Russel()