HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-01-14, Page 1Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 —. Seaforth, Ontario
January 14, 1998 - $1.00 includes GST
Dagmar Breeder instructor for. St. John Ambulance puts participants Kristie•Moran through the
paces of emergency First. Aid as she tries nut her skills on Tammy Marten. The First Aid course
was held over the weekend and was sponsored by the Seaforth Recreation Department: (Fitton
photo)
Eight vehicles
stolenfrom area
BY JACKiE FITTOI
Expositor Editor
Police are urging Seaforth.
residents to remove their
keys from 'thc' ignition and,
lock their vehicles following
a rash of car thefts in thc area
Inst week.
Eight vehicles have been ,
stolen frorn resident's drive-
ways within a three-day peri-
od. says OPP. Senior
Constable John Marshall.
In each of the thefts the
keys were left in the ignition..
The first theft occurred
overnight Jan. 7: when a
1998 Ford Taurus. green in
colour bearing the license
number 040 LME was stolen
from L14, C7, Howick Twp.
Also overnight Jan. 8 a 1990.
Ford Acrosport van was'
stolen from Goderich St. East
Seaforth. This vchicic was
recovered at L6: C15, Grey
Twp.
Also overnight Jan. 8 at L7.
C16, Grey Twp (across the •
roadnfrom Highway 2) two
vehicles were taken. One was
ditched at the end of the dri-
veway.' The other a 1988
Chevy ,S10 truck was stolen.
This vehicle was located at
the rear of West 'William St.
Seaforth.
Again on Jan. 8.a .Ford
Aerosport van was stolen
from Centre St. Seaforth.
This vehicle was located on -
Conc. 2/3 Stanley Twp where -
it had been run off the road,
struck a tree head on and
rolled onto its side. This
vehicle suffered extensive.
damage.
On Jan. 9 while culprits
were in stolen vehicle num-
ber -4. two more vehicles
were stolen from L33,C3.
Tuckcrsmith Twp.
.First they stole a 1987
Chrysler auto .which had a
flat tire. this vehicle was
Helping hands
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Expositor Staff
Seaforth and area puhlic
utilities arc giving a helping
hand in eastern Ontario. dev-
astated by last week's icc
storm. along with Quebec
and the Maritimes.
As of Monday. more than
2 -million people in this
province, Quebec and New
Brunswick were still without
power.
Manager Tom Phillips says
Doug Smalc and Dennis
Medd of thc Seaforth Public
Utility Commission took a
truck and joined an area
PUCs convoy that assembled
in the Kitchener area at nam
Friday.
They have been there since.
and are still working 16 -hour
shifts around Winchester,
south -cast of Ottawa. where
Phillips says about 1.000
poles and 80 hydro towers
arc down.
The icc was 3 inches thick
on the wires there.
Phillips thinks it will take at
least a lew weeks until things
return closer to normal.
He says the Municipal
Electrical Association issued
a plea for help last Tuesday
and Ontario Hydro had a list
of area resources available by
f
early Friday.
Thc Huron -Perth convoy
that assembled that noon is
made up trucks and men from
Seaforth, Mitchell, Exeter.
Wingham. Listowcl,,Stratford
and St. Marys. Clinton and
Goderith sent some men. but
no trucks.
The area convoy joined up
with others on thc same mis-
sion. and there are now about
150 volunteer vehicles and
300 men in the Winchester
area.
Smale and Medd have been
in contact with their boss
since. The local PUC manag-
er says they arc staying at a
motel fed by generator. work-
ing 16 hours on. and eight
off.
Various fire departments
and Arthed Forces personnel
are also assisting in the
Ottawa region.
In addition, the western
region of . the Ontario-
Provincial Police sent 60
officers for one week on
Monday to help with the
aftermath of the vicious
storm.
Consts. Karic Robins and
Nigel Titley of the Huron
County OPP left Monday for
a rendezvous with other offi-
cers at Downsvicw before
heading east. r
found abandoned 301) metres
away. Secondly they stole
(from the same residence) a
1993 Ches. GM4 pick up
truck.
This vehicle was located on
khc Tuckcrsmith Twp.
sidcroad 25/26 at which point
it had rolled over, just East of
Highway 4. This vehicle also
suffered extensive damage.
Again on Jan. 9 (after
rolling vehicle 4) a 1986
Chevy KI0 pick up truck was
then stolen from L1'7. C2,,
Stanley Twp.
This vehicle was then locat
ed after bging run off the
road at the dead end of
Railway St. Seaforth.
Damage was confined to the
vehicle's under -carriage and
running boards.
The Huron County OPP are
requesting the Public's assis-
tance to help solve these
vehicle thefts. . .
If anyone has observed
these vehicles or persons or
has any knowledge of these
offenses they can contact
Seaforth OPP administration
number 524-0904 or
Godcrich' at (519) 524-8314
or the Huron County Crime
Stoppers at 1-800-222 TIPS.
(8477).
r
Briefly
Provincial police say four
local youths received minor
injuries and taken by ambu-
lance to Exeter hospital on
New Year's eve after a car -
van collision in Usborne
Township'.
A 66 -year-old Dashwood
woman also went by ambu-
lance to hospital with minor
injuries.
Both vehicles wcrc "severe-
ly damaged," and a highway
traffic act charge was laid.
The car was driven by
Curtis Costello, 19. of
Seaforth. it collided with the
van, driven by William
Chandler of Dashwood at
about 12:45 a.m. on Huron
Road 83 at Huron Road 12.
Thc other passengers in the
car wcrc Shawn Costello, 18,
and Dean Price, 17, of
Seaforth, and Mark Vock. 17,
of Egmondvillc.
The injured passenger in
the van was Rita Chandler,.
66. of Dashwood.
rth gouga.'
board officefor talks
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Expositor Staff
At Seaforth Council's first
meeting of the new year last
Tuesday night, it enthusiasti-
cally endorsed a letter by
Mayor Dave Scott sent to to
the newly amalgamated Avon
Maitland School. Board .scek-
ing an "opportunity to dis-
cuss with the hoard potential
office Locations in Seaforth."
Council formed an action
cominittec, made up of the
mayoi an: ('nt, ,. John Bali,
to pursue the .initiative.
"One c,: the challenges
Seaforth will likely face in
the near future is newly creat-
ed puhlic spaces as a result of
restructuring and downsizing
initiatives in Huron County,"
Scott's letter sent to hoard
director Paul- Carroll's secre-
tary on the , day before
Christmas states, 1
Carroll is from, Seaforth,
and the chair of the recently
amalgamated puhlic school,
boards of Huron and Penh is
also from this county.
Politically speaking, this
could prove a drawback in
this town lobbying for the.
new board office, deputy -
reeve Bill Teall said.
"One letter ,is not going to
do it. We're going to have to
work a lot harder if we want
it, as hard as we can," he
said.
ONCE BITTEN
The.deputy-reeve knows of
what he speaks.'' He put
together the town's presenta-
tion ' several years ago to get
the Huron -Perth District
Health Office here, but -when
ley Gatipastem
Expositor
Every cloud -his its silver
lining, as some are fond of
saying, and the decidedly un -
wintry and gloomy weather
we shave endured of late has
iMsbright side.
'Taxpayers are saving
Money.
Plows and road crest►$
'haven't had to be out as
:much shifting snow.
'Every day is a bonus for
ars," Works Superintendent
John Forrest told last
Tuesday night's meeting of
Seaforth Council.
Meanwhile, outside the
January rams continued to
fall, and wash away what lit -
push came to shove the ulti-
mate decision -makers inti-
mated Seaforth wasn't' "cen-
tral" enough, and chose
Mitchell instead.
The timing of the
'announcement was'suspi-
cious, a very shoo time after
presentations were due:
Seaforth Council made a hit
of a stink hecausc it felt it
was -a political decision
which had already been made
behind closed doors heforc
this town's pitch was even
considered.
In retrospect that' DHC
decision proved a mixed
blessing for Mitchell. which
converted an old bo.vling
alley to accommodate the
new healthcouncil office.
Now that�D�HC is in thc
process of amalgamating
with Grey and 'Bruce
Counties and has indicated it:
will he moving elsewhere
because Mitchell is no longer
Central to its nevi boundaries.
Once bitten, twice shj,.
Deputy -reeve Teall said
Tuesday night that if Seaforth
wants the hoard of education
office here iti s'itould get seri-
ous about the politics, target'
specific individuals and com-
mittees and' do it it fairly
.quickly. •
Other councillor's concurred
in general discussion.' saying
Seaforth should' sell itself.
with one of them suggesting
this town could perhaps
"sweeten the pot."
Both Coons. Lin Steffler
and Michael Hak 'stressed
Seaforth is logically central
to thc boa's new bound-
aries.
With thc recent passing of
the Ontario goiternment's
Bill 160, students and teach-
ers could someday be, trans-
ferred out- of Seaforth
District High School. deputy-
,reevc Tball, himself a teacher,
• said.
SDHS BUiLDIiNG?
Council felt the SDHS
building might he one the
hoard would consider.
Coon: Ball was wary of.,
this. He teaches there and
said it might be construed as
council,. in effect.' giving up'
_ without a fight and ,support-
ing the what perhaps might
ticct►me the eventual demise'
of the town's high schciol..
which he believes is of much
value to this "community."
Mayor- Scott said in previ-
'ous discussions with officials
at the board, they indicated
the now empty former local
Canadian Tire Outlet on Main
Street .wouldn''t be big
enough for what the Avon,
Maitland board requires.
We "would welcome a part-
nership arrangement with the ,
Avon Maitland Board of
Education. and any, other '
puhlic=bodies interested in
pooling resources." his letter
to the board states.
"Please keep us appraised
of your plans regarding the
future uses of public spaces
in the community, and any
changes in the board's space
needs. so we'can act accord-
ingly.
• "Seaforth Council is com-
mitted to working with your
hoard as the new roles of
local government and educa-
tion unfold."
getting a break
tie snow remained in town.
Forrest dug tip some figures
Monday to back up, his obser-
vation.
In both 1996 and 1997
Seaforth's plows first hit the
streets on, the same date -
, Nov. 12.
There the similarity ends.
From Nti+v. 12 to Dec. 31,
1997 this town's streets were
plowed twice. The year
before, for the same period of
time, Scaforth's streets had
been plowed 14 times.
The streets were sanded 13
times in Seaforth from Nov.
12 to the end of the year just
past, requiring 114 tonnes of
,sand and/or salt, more of
which is now required
because the town has taken
on additional responsibilities
• for Highway 8 because of
new restructuring arrange-
ments with the county instead
of the province.
Even so, in 1996 in the
same time frame, sanding and
salting Scafotth's street
required 144 tonnes.
It's the same story in the
adjacent townships.
McKillop clerk Marion
McClure reports that for thc
most recent November and
,December that township
spent $8,586.61 in equipment
and wages for winter road
maintenance. Thc compara-
ble figure for 1996 was
almost twice as much -
$15,019,59.
In Tuckcrsmith Township,
Continued on page 2
•
Learning new sounds and letters at the St. James Separate school are from left Braden Connolly,
Christoplt Hunch and concentrating very hard is David Ruston. (Fitton photo)
•
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