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Goderich Signal Star, 2017-03-15, Page 66 Signal Star • Wednesday, March 15, 2017 opInIoN Goderich Signal -Star VOL. 26 — ISSUE 10 PUBLISHED WEEKLY — EST. 1860 Signal Star Publishing 120 Huckins St. Goderich ON N7A 3X8 519-524-2614 www.goderichsignalstar.com POSTMEDIA JOHN BAUMAN Group Manager, Media Sales jbauman@postmedia.com ext. 232 JANET SHRIER Office Manager jashrier@postmedia.com ext. 220 SUSAN MCINTOSH Sales smcintosh@postmedia.com ext. 228 TARA CORRAN Sales tcorran@postmedia.com ext. 230 STACEY SCOTT Inside Sales sscott@postmedia.com ext. 229 RHONDA BUTT Accounting rhbutt@postmedia.com MARY JOHNSTON Accounts Receivable majohnston@postmedia.com CURTIS ARMSTRONG Group Director of Media Sales 519 376-2250 ext. 514301 or 510 364-2001 ext. 531024 Editorial Deadline - Friday 2 p.m. Advertising booking deadline - Friday 1:30 p.m. SUBSCRIPTION RATES ADVANCE: Regular $50.00 includes GST (12 months) Seniors $50.00 includes GST (14 months) US $249.00 plus GST Foreign $416.40 plus GST Single Copy $1.50 includes GST Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064683 RETURN UNDELNERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 120 Huckins St, Goderich ON N7A 3X8 For any non -deliveries or delivery concems: 519-524-2614 Goderich Signal Star is a member of the National Newsmedia Council, which is an independent ethical organization established to deal with editorial concerns. For more information or to file a complaint go to www.mediacouncil.ca or call toll free 1-844-877-1163. The Goderich Signal Star shall not be liable for failure to publish an ad for typographical errors in publication except to the extent of the cost of that portion of the ad in which the error occurred. The Goderich Signal -Star reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement. The Goderich Signal -Star is a proud member of the Canadian Community Newspapers Association (CCNA) and The Ontario Community Newspapers Association (OCNA). Member of the Ontario Community Newspaper Association and the Canadian Community Newspaper Association. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. letters to the editor Idea for the Marine Museum Dear editor, A contemporary Huron County Marine Museum would host a life-sized, virtual reality, interactive video game! Its main exhibit would feature a triple flat screen console with joystick controls - next to the forward upper deck wheelhouse win- dows - equivalent to what you would find on a modern-day lake boat. Visitor -operators could steer their own 'virtual' freighter in and out of Goderich Harbour. Other would-be shipmasters could learn how to control a smaller lake tug using a virtual mock-up of the new rotating steer- ing -propulsion systems being introduced on new vessels around the world. There would be line-ups to use these real-life video game enhancements! The computer software already exists for Goderich Har- bour. It has been used at Open House meetings sponsored by the Goderich Port Management Corporation. It was incorpo- rated into the highly popular exhibits at the 2013 Careers on the Water Show at Br. 109 Royal Canadian Legion. In partner- ship with the Owen Sound Georgian College Centre for Marine Training, the local GLS1913 Remembrance Com- mittee hosted hundreds of young people and adults at this 2 -day hands-on exhibit. If the Marine Museum could be retained, the best -option would be to re -locate it to a new concrete pad, thus optimizing the land swap' under current discussion between the Town and Parrish-Heimbecker to go forward unimpeded. Both levels of the 1907 wheelhouse could be essentially gutted and repaired. On the lower level, a 'cutter's torch' would remove much of the partitioning that divides it into several small rooms. In the upper level, the old asbestos - laden linoleum would need to be removed and the 'old' equip- ment could be re -organized/ removed/supplemented with sufficientartifacts to show how the original wheel house might have been laid out. But, space for a 3 -screen navi- gation simulator would be placed in the same location as a wheelsman would steer and stand watch. (Goderich Eleva- tors has a large collection of marine heritage artifacts in storage.) A second joystick -operated, sin- gle screen station, to simulate steering a smaller vessel, could be located elsewhere in the upper level. The lower level could be turned over to the local Huron County railroad modellers' group, to pursue in conjunction with heritage volunteers, the construction, over time, of a large-scale model of the old Lower Town Harbour as earlier proposed with the more ambi- tious marine museum plan nixed by the Town last year. The current Marine Museum has Staying positive and loving others Dear editor, "Two men looked out from the prison bars, one saw the mud, and the other the stars." There are two ways to see our challenging world. All around us is gloom vs. doom, fighting and hostility; as Robert Louis -Stevenson wrote, "The world is so full of such wonderful things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings!" This is how I feel when I choose to see the good in everyone, even love them. What good advice came not been changed or updated in any major way since the days of Ray Scotchmer when it was first established under the 1970s efforts of Malcolm Campbell, then Chair of the Goderich Tourist Commit- tee, with the support the then - Town Council. This is certainly not the fault of the succession of County Museum Curators or Program- mers. The reality is that the strange budget process for the Huron County Museum & His- toric Gaol historically 'takes back' more than 40% of that budget for rent and maintenance costs. After staff costs, about 5% is left curatorial, exhibition and program costs. (Normal commu- nity museum cost distributions would allocate 25% to 30% of the overall budget to support exhibi- tion, program and related costs. See 1-ICMHG Strategic plan 2013 to 2018 for details.) Such a transformation is within the realm of possibility. The 2015-16 Waterfront Master Plan Process has had difficulty dealing with heritage matters. Up until late Fall 2016, the exist- ing Marine Museum wasn't even shown on its maps. The text of the document makes no recommendation about the existing facility, but it is very clear about the old Siddall fish shanty. The final text of the Master Plan has not yet been made available (until Council receives it). It is not clear what the final version will recommend. form Thumpers father, "If you haven't anything nice to say, don't say nothin' at all." Perhaps especially on Twitter and Facebook where it brings out the worst in us. How could we for- get our own faults and busy our- selves with the faults of others? The Town could dedicate funds from its waterfront reserve to support this project. The GPMC could allocate a portion of its annual income to support the ongoing costs of such an undertaking. Compass Minerals could become a financial part- ner in finding a way to tell the full story of salt at any appropri- ate location. While the outcome will be determined by Council, it will be in response to staff recommendations. It is unfortunate that the County has decided to offload this portion of its marine herit- age display. But it is understand- able, given the way the annual operating budget is set. The future of the Marine Museum has been under quiet dis- cussion since before the last elec- tion. The much-needed land swap between the Town and Parrish- Heimbecker, announced recently, has been under study several times since at least the 1980s. With a coordinated, open, and transparent approach, eve- ryone could be winners. The needed separation of land use between industrial and park/ recreational purposes could be achieved. The economic bene- fits of commercial tourism could be enhanced. And, the celebration of our marine herit- age could be continued in a vibrant, dynamic and contem- porary manner. Sincerely, Paul Carroll Goderich, ON Call me Pollyanna if you like, but dwelling on the negative depresses me, and I'm not going there. For me, love is the answer. Sincerely, Phyllis Durst Goderich, ON goderichsignalstar.com ocna Canada 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 verifica- tion). Anonymous letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit all editorial submissions including letters for clarification, style and length. Let- ters must be signed and be in good taste and follow the laws of libel and slander.