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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1994-05-18, Page 5Town of Seaforth oppose J -K, other board programs Seaforth Council's Finance and General Government Committee recently passed a motion for Seaforth to support the Town of Exeter's recent letters to the Huron County Board of Education (HCBE) and the Minister of Education. The Town of Exeter wants the board to: • Take a stand against the province dictating local policy. • Cancel Junior Kindergarten pro- grams as this new service is not affordable. • Find innovative solutions to reducing expenditures including the amalgamation of school boards; increased use of technology in teaching; forging partnerships with the private sector and other agencies; finding operational effi- ciencies and consolidations in school facilities and transportation; and implementing user -pay pro- grams. Seaforth to add auxiliary police The Seaforth Police Services Board told the town police chief to appoint new auxiliary con- stables in the numbers needed. There is currently only one active member of the Police auxiliary. The auxiliary officers are used once or twice a month, said Hal Claus, Seaforth Police Chief. THE HURON EXPOSITOR, May 15, 1994--5 Local Town sets blue box policy TIM CUMMJNO PHOTO CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES - Work progressed last week on the new parkette which is being constructed near the post office in Seaforth. Here, the coloured cement is smoothed before being stamped. Carroll laments wayevents transpiredsome of ours got into it too," he said. "Maybe if the adults had let the kids settle it, the problems would have evaporated." The two boards were supposed to share the school for three years, but it stretched into five. The govern- ment caved in and promised to build new schools - but new prob- lems arose as opponents to that plan objected to one site after another. One opposition went to an Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Finally, after a year and a half, sites were approved, and two new schools were built for the separate school board. BY Mona Irwin ' Signal -Star Staff An attempt to share school facil- ities between the Essex County Catholic and public school boards failed miserably because neither board wanted to try the experiment in the first place, says Essex County Roman Catholic Separate School Board education director Ron Reddam. Reddam talked in a telephone interview about an attempt in the early 1990s at sharing an Amherstburg public secondary school building with the Essex County separate school board. A similar proposal for Central Huron Secondary School, in Clinton, has already floundered after an acrimonious public meeting and a reactionary vote by the Huron -Perth Roman Catholic Separ- ate School Board. Representatives of the Amherstburg public school system.. all their -(current) pace when their were invited to the April 19 meet- kids leave," he sa, adding that the ing, held at CHSS, but Reddam said ministry apparently believed many nobody from the Essex County of the students would switch to the Roman Catholic Separate School separate school system. Board was invited. That belief is not without some The proposal to split CHSS into foundation, because both Essex two distinct schools, CHSS and an County as a whole and its largest as -yet -unnamed Catholic secondary municipality, the City of Windsor, school, was mentioned in February. are 50 per cent Catholic, Reddam About 550 Catholic secondary explained. That's a higher percen- students currently attend public tage than anywhere else in the secondary schools throughout province, except perhaps in the Huron Counry. Their parents pay northern communities, he added. taxes to the separate school board, "The public school system had which in turn pays the HCBE for eight secondary schools plus a the use of its services and facilities. vocational school. We had one About 105 more Catholic students secondary school, and it was boom - are bused to St. Michael's, in ing." That school still functions, Stratford. with the aid of 25 portable class - James Brown, education director rooms, said Reddam. for the Huron -Perth separate school "We tried negotiations, but they board, aid Catholic students who fell through." The ministry kept are currently attending either a saying there was no money for a public school or St. Michael's completely new building. "They would not be expected to change said statistics showed General schools. Amherst (the public secondary The Huron -Perth Roman Catholic school) to be half empty, and told Separate School Board decided, us to use that school." after its April 25 public meeting, So the separate board went ahead that it would prefer its own separate and opened Villanova. school building. But the attempt was doomed from Reddam said the Amherstburg the start, Reddam said, as both debacle resulted from the fact that sides found it increasingly difficult neither board had ever wanted to to adjust to space limitations. share a single building. "Our numbers were growing and The Ministry of Education we needed more space," he said. rejected the separate school board's Education Minister Marion Boyd request for a new school, Reddam brought the four board chairmen said, and ordered them instead to together (Essex public and separate negotiate with the local public and Windsor public and separate) school board. and ordered them to iron the situ - "They (the ministry) told us the anon out, said Reddam. public school board wouldn't need The next suggestion was that the public board turn three.schools over, to the separate board. Essex County was to give two, and Windsor was to give one. "When that went public, the whole thing broke apart," Reddam said. "There were some very hot meetings." Whenever a recommendation was made to turn a particular public school over to the separate board, rallies would be organized to save that particular school. More often than not, the students were calmer than the adults, he added. "It was parents from both sides - "And now comes the problem," he said. The new schools have beuer facilities than the existing ones, so a lot of students - includ- ing non-Catholic families - are moving to the Catholic secondary schools - emptying the public schools. Blocking a proposal to share a school may satisfy a few people, who feel they've won, Reddam said. "But they've won nothing. They don't see five years down the road." Fewer parents are likely to change which board they support if there's a shared facility, he said. Would Reddam try to share a building again? "No," he said. "There are too many prejudices left here. We'd pressure the government to give us a new building, or we'd do without if we had to." Mixed views on shared schools What's disappointing about the almost -certain loss of a shared Roman-Catholic/public secondary school in Huron County is the way it happened, says Huron County J � Queensway Residents of Queensway enjoy Mother's Day Tea Last week started with a bang and a celebration for all the Mother's at Queensway Nursing Home. Family and friends honored mothers at the annual. Mother's Day Tea. Once again friends from the Hensall United Church Ladies' group sponsor our Monday afternoon bingo program. Reverend Mark Gaskin performed the weekly church service on Tuesday afternoon. Volunteer Joyce Pepper' provided the musical accompaniment. On Tuesday evening, The. Fellowship Singers visited with a new program of spiritual music. Residents have participated in various Fun and Fitness activities throughout the week. Friday at lunch a number of residents got together for lunch club. They made grilled cheese and stewed tomatoes and had delicious apple crisp for dessert. Following this and some walks outside in the nice warm weather, we watched a movie in the afternoon. The matinee was Cool Runnings and everyone had a good laugh watching this movie. director of education Paul Carroll. The Iluron-Perth Rohan Catholic Separate School board recently voted to build its own secondary school in Huron County, regardless of whether it negotiates a sharing agreement with the Huron County Board of Education. Negotiations for the shared facility have been going on for several months. Carroll said the separate school board's decision was not surprising. "If I were the parent of a child in Grade 5 or 6, who had thc pos- ..........TAKING.....` / / / / • / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / CARE OF USINESS AN IN-DEPTH FOCUS ON / THE PEOPLE, SERVICES & PRODUCTS WHICH MAKE SEAFORTH AREA BUSINESSES UNIQUE Taking Care of Business will let the people who matter most, YOUR CUSTOMERS, find out more about the various services & products which make Seaforth Area Businesses a valuable part of Our Community. This Special Section will consist of a picture of your business, as well as information about how you see your { q`ti,; business' future and an informative look / II:4.'1! I— at your business' current structure and ii past history. `i_ Special Prices for / - - ' "TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS" I . D -1 - I./4 Page `74.00 119 rage tc,otour included) '137.50 / / ! 1 Fuli Paga (Colour in<iu d'd)'250.00 To Reserve Space For Your . i :usiness Call Terri -Lynn or Mary at he Huron Expositor 527-0240. / sibility of being brought into an environment that was an absolute hornet's nest, I would be rather reluctant to let my trustees makc a decision that would cause that to happen," Carroll said. Seaforth Council's Transportation and Environment Committee recent- ly established a policy regarding blue box use in town: • A maximum of two blue boxes will be provided free of charge, upon request, to each commercial or industrial business in the Town of Seaforth. • Additional blue boxes will be provided upon request, and wilt be invoiced to the business ($5 per box plus $23 per box annual charge). • If a business requests a depot cart or smaller OMMRI barrel, the Town will invoice them the capital and servicing cost of the larger unit, less the cost of two blue boxes. The end result is that a depot cart will have a capital cost of $90 and annual cost of $184. The OMMRI barrel has a free capital charge and an annual cost of $69. The town of Seaforth has planted' 1,400 cedar seedlings on the west- erly boundary between Brantford and Railway streets. "Hopefully this will act as a snow and wind brake in the future," said Road Superin- tendent Forrest in his report. The Works Department has planted 20 maple trees around town to replace trees that have been removed. by 18litea •ifi1»t' • Mark Coulthard NATURALLY CHEMICAL Many consumers are sometimes confused by the terms natural and chemical when it comes to choosing lawn fertilizer. The term chemical fertilizer' does not necessarily mean that the product was created in a laboratory, but rather part of natures own chemical process. Mother Nature is the most reliable supplier of modern fertilizers. While sources vary, the nutrients themselves remain chemical- ly natural. In other words, similar as nutrients from animal manure. Only its origin may be considered different, such as the case with manure. Weed Man fertilizers are natural in their origin, meaning they are derived from common occurring ele- ments in our environment. The fact is that a nutrient is a nutrient. as they behave identical in nature, regard- less of their source. Next Week: Moss • See this space each week for a valuable Weed Man Turf Tip. GODERICH 524-2424 WE CARE FOR YOUR LAWN Proprietors Christine & Mark Coulthard TOLL-FREE 1-800-387-0342 " Woo Sauaag ouel 1400 lemma i.c ' wco t eNottg. , .a.rd we«g f " OFFICIAL OPENING AND BLESSING OF THE NEW ADDITION ST DAMES SCHOOL and ST JAMES ES CHU Rcpt 'The Huron -Perth County Roman Catholic Separate School. Board, Father Henry Cassano, and the St. _games Parish Advisory Board cordially invite you to join His Excellency, Bishopyohn Sherlock, Students, Staff Local Clergy Parents, Parishioners, Ratepayers, and guests at the Official Opening of the new additions to St. James School. and to St. James Church Sunday, 7vfay 29, 1994 Mass 10:30 a.rn. - St. games Church followed by Blessing of the Church and School- Additions Refreshments in the School Gym ***ST. JAMES CEMETERY SUNDAY Sunday, May 29th at 2:00 P.M. Paraliturgical Service and Blessing of Graves....invite former Parishioners and former students to attend our celebrations on this special occasion. CADET SPECIAL CADET T - LTS 125 12 Hp 38" E'1,899. ��A�, , (Add for Set Up CADET CADET 5 HP 100) PUSH MOWERS REAR TINE TILLER S 169. 51,075. W":174,0„.."' . 1 / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / .............• SHPS26CADET - 8 HP 80 CADET - 36' Hydro 8 HP YARDMAN - Reor Mount RM830 30'. 'As New'. 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