HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1998-04-15, Page 2osi or
Your Community Newspaper Since 1860 — Seaforth, Ontario
oun. Bali resigns.
John Batt submitted his resignation to Seaforth
last Tuesday night.
ills recently sold thei.rll»a on John Street in town.
of April 26, Conn. Battu resignation states, 1 can DO
r serve because I will no longer own property in town.
s Ietter:.cmphasized how much he had enjoyed his 30
r;p Seaf`nrth,
64404telier at Scaforth District High School for those th r
41000441* Win. Ball was first elected to Ioctt tounict „PM
.Scaforth Council in March 1 . He warn +t
s who ut their names forward iss replacements
Wbo
to use a similar process, and advertise
to fill the seat that will become vacant when
Yes.
one candidate applies, council will hold an
t
I's terns lasts until November 2000.
Council okays grass cutting tender
Council okayed a parks' estimated cost of $2,196. In
maintenance proposal from addition it hits hired individu-
works superintendent John , als to cut thc grass at the
Forrest last Tuesday night. Scaforth Library and at
they figure will save $858 Victoria and Optimist parks.
this summer, along with the
wear,• tear and maintenance
on town equipment.
Instead of continuing to
job -share with the arena for
lawn care using town equip-
ment at a cost of about
$5,490 ( 20 hours per week x
15.25/hr x 18 weeks), the
town will now only job -share
with the arena for eight hours
per week (on Monday and
Thursday mornings) at an
Forrest told council six ten-
ders had been received for
the work, and costing has
been done on thc basis of an
estimated 21 cuts.
Council approved hiring
Ray Cook to cut Victoria
Park and the library, at $27
and $14 per cut respectively,
and Harold Boyd at $75 per
cut for Optimist Park. He
used to cut thc grass there
before the town tookit over.
Student drives zamboni through door
Oops!
A local high school co-op
student "drove the flooder
through the overhead door in
the flooder room to the icc
surface during a work place-
ment," minutes of the
Seaforth and District
Community Centres managc-
mcnt board's March 30 meet-
ing note.
"The school will be paying
(he $2,373.26 cost of replac-
ing the door," arena manager
Graham Nesbitt's report
states.
April 15, 1998 — $1.00 includes GST
•
GREGOR CAMPBELL PHOTO
LONG WINTER NIGHTS - The log cabin design occupied these women in the winter just past, in a 10 -week quilting
course taught by Patti Spence (on extreme right) of London and put on for the first time in a long while in conjunction
with the local recreation department. Spence's mother, Marie Muegge, taught a similar course "20 odd years ago."
From left: Leanne MacDonald, Ruth Cambell Grace Corbett Mar• Un•arian K
County considers purchase of landfill sites
BY BLAKE PATTERSON
SSP News Staff
Huron County may soon
need another landfill site to
hold all of its landfill reports.
At Huron County Council
April 2, the county decided to
spend up to $5,000 for a
report to consider the impact
of purchasing landfill sites in
Exeter and Morris Township.
in light of the millions of
Local taxes remain mystery
BY GREGOR CAMPBELL
Expositor Staff
Precisely how much tax municipal ratepay-
ers will he on the hook for this year in
Scaforth remains a mystery.
Clerk/administrator Jim Crocker still main-
tains it could he as much as a 12 per cent
increase, with the figures he is working with
at the moment.
Applying thc towri's current surplus of
about $75,0(X) towards reducing this increase
would still work out to about a three per cent
hike, he said.
Crocker told Scaforth Council last Tuesday
night the province has now delayed the
return of thc tax rolls until May 29. Until
then and until this town finds out what the
county and education requisitions are for this
fiscal year, the budget process. usually done
by the middle of April, "can't be finalized "
and in a word is - stalled.
"We've gone as far as we can and 1 don't
know where to go from here in terms of what
we tell ratepayers what their taxes will he this
year," the clerk/administrator reported to
council.
"We have no operating room left, unless
you cut employees or services."
Crocker said Scaforth appears to he out
roughly $92,000 this budget in provincial
transfers. For example, Ontario has taken
away $281,500 and turned around and grant-
ed Scaforth $162,00( in special assistance.
Local ratepayers paid an interim municipal
tax hill earlier this year based on iast,ycar's
assessments.
The clerk/administrator said he hopes the
town's final tax hill can be ready by July 1,
as usual.
He said he expects council will have to
have a special budget meeting to get it all
sorted out whcn all the final figures comc in
from elsewhere.
dollars already spent search-
ing for a suitable county land-
fill site, $5,000 may seem a
pittance, but some of the
councillors at Thursday's
meeting felt any money spent
is too much.
Reeve Mason Bailey of
Blyth said the boundary
changes which may arise from
county restructuring make it
foolhardy for the county to
keep wasting money on waste
management.
"Stop throwing 'ratepayers
money at this issue," he said.
"We could well be throwing
money away for nothing."
Reeve Robin Dunbar of
Grey Township supported
14
BIRTHDAY GIRL - Sarah Finlayson turned nine last Thursday, so got to hold the tasty -
looking bunny students in the Grade 2/3 class at St. James School had been busy making
all morning as a pre -Easter project. The others in the photo are, from left: Kelly Verbeme,
Travis Lane, Adam Blake, Keith McMahon, Juliet Veens, Brittney Hendriks, Samantha
DeVtles.
Bailey in his opposition to
throwing more money "down
the drain." He admitted the
need for waste management is
real, but since the search for a
landfill has already taken 10
years, he asked the council to
let goof the issue fora while -
at least until thc questions
arising from, county restruc-
turing have been answered.
"The county has a fixation
on this landfill thing." said
Dunbar.
The county has spent about
$1.8 million on landfill stud-
ies and reports. The need for
this new report comes in the
wake of a recent request from
Exeter and Morris to have the
county purchase their dumps
before starting a 'zone' waste
management system.
County planners want the
Exeter and Morris sites to
accept waste from municipal
dumps which are nearing
capacity. Exeter and Morris,
however, have said they
would rather sell their landfill
sites than take on the resp%n-
sibility of handling Huron's
garbage.
in a letter to the county, the
municipalities said. "After
careful consideration. it is the
joint opinion of the Councils
of Exeter and Morris that if
our landfill sites arc to
CONTINUED on Page 16
Students twill receive drug education
BY DAVE EMSLIE
SSP News Staff
With the help of businesses
and service clubs, Huron
County students will be able
to take home a drug educa-
tion book which they can
share with their parents.
The Huron County OPP,
with the assistance of
Gateway Safety Programs,
will be distributing the book
Drug Safety to all Grade 6
students in 'Huron County
through the Values,
influences and Peers (VIP)
program, explained Constable
John Marshall, community
services officer with the OPP.
According to information
provided by Rosette Power,
the program coordinator for
the drug safety program, who
will be seeking sponsors for
the book, "This program pro-
vides the children with the
information they need to
make informed choices and to
protect themselves. The book
each child receives is spiral
bound and works as a
resource for the children and
their parents.
"The program teaches
young people about the prop-
erties of all the drugs that are
available to them on the
streets today, including tobac-
co, alcohol, marijuana,
cocaine, steroids and Ritalin."
Marshall noted that the OPP
fully supports the program,
and stated that it is an excel-
lent resource for students and
parents. One reason this is a
great resource, he said, is the
fact the children can take the
book home to their parents,
and then parents, "can get up
to speed on what their chil-
dren arc learning."
The book, Power pointed
out, has a 12 -page section for
parents to use as a resource.
Drug Safety will also help
children recognize drugs, as it
comes with a classroom
poster, "which gives the chil-
dren visual information on
what each drug looks like, so
they can't be fooled," the
information states.,
Power also pointed out that
the book gives the students
important tips on how to say
"no" to drugs. Shc explained
that children involved with
the program arc encouraged
to give feedback, and in many
of the testimonials, the stu-
dents said that they found the
methods for saying "no" to be
the most important informa-
tion provided.
Among the ideas shared in
thc hook that thc children
might use to say no. arc:
• i promised my family and
myself i wouldn't do that, and
I keep my word.
• I'd rather save my brain for
other things.
• I'm trying to solve prob-
lems, not create them.
• I'd rather die of old age.
The -circulation of the books
will he made possible through
sponsorship, and those who
offer their sponsorship will he
recognized through menti:n
in thc book. Power noted that
businesses and service clubs
from across the county will he
approached for their support.
She noted that the hook is
something the children can
keep at home, and refer to at
different times as the need
arises. "it becomes a resource
in the home for the child and
parent."
She also notal. "The pro-
gram works. It is being used
across the country."
Those interested in learning
more about the program are
invited to contact Power at I -
8(X)-665-4878.
sat in 'Authorizes $9,500 study
Scaforth is trying to determine if it could save money by
tinning the town's sewage treatment plant, rather than the
tario Clean Water Association (OCWA).
Council authorized a study nn that notion last Tuesday, at
estimated cost of $9,500 from I3. M. Ross and Associates
Ltd.
The consulting engineers, in general, will "develop a budget
for next year's sewage treatment plant operation, and then
that budget to the OCWA,"
thea result appears favourable, we would then review the
Is with council," the engineers' proposal states.
Rat oouacil has trade a decishm, we would assist in the
station of an action plan that would have Scaforth operat-
e plant by January 1, 1999."
town paid, $150,000 to the OCWA last year to run the
et>treStment planta just west of Scaforth, and south o
ownshi