Huron Expositor, 2000-06-07, Page 1Menillft
Huron '
RVING THE RE/VIER SEAFORTH AREA
June 7, 2000
$,
(includes GST) •
Local weather
Wednesday --Increasing
cloud. High 20.
Thursday --Sun, cloud,
showers. High 26.
Low 13.
Friday --Mainly Sunny.
High 28. Low 15.
Saturday --Sunny. High
near 30. Low near 18.
From Environment Canada
In brief
Trillium
Foundation
application
to be
resubmitted
at
month's end.
A scaled down,
redirected version of
$1.25 million Trillium
Foundation application is
in the works.
Jane . Taylor, who
oversaw the original
application_ put together
almost a year ago while
working as acting. deputy
administrator for
Seaforth, continues to
handle the; application, to
be 'resubmitted at the end
of June.
The original
application did not meet
Trillium foundation
requirements and was
turned down last year.
"Ours was more about
downtown
revitalization," said
Taylor about the first
ePPlicaticon,..ACkfing Otte
Trillium Foundation was
looking for more
community focussed
projects, rather than
economic development.
Now, the rules have
changed further and
Trillium Foundation is'
looking at more cultural
and arts based programs.
The Trillium
Foundation. made up of
residents from Huron,
Perth, 'Grey and Bruce
County; • examines
proposals and, as a
board, determines where
funding will be sent,
using money generated
through provincial
Lotteries and gambling.
The ' original
application linked a
number of old plans for ,
the downtown that had
never had a chance to be
completed with the
' development of the
Seaforth Museum,
opened last year, and the
ongoing ,Business
Improve'ment Area's
mural project.
Taylor won't release
information about the
application until it is
ready to go at the end of
the month, while she
works with the
foundation to make sure
this application matches
the foundation's new
mandate.
By Scott Hilgendorf
Inside...
Book collection
given to
school..
Page $
Unusual frtizirgs
at yard sales ..
Pag6 6
V
Communty
meds in
Eyrrtatdui....
Page 6
Child learns about world without sight
Mom and child raise most money
for Lions' walk-a-dog-a-thon
that supports guide dog programs.
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
While nine-antha-half-
month-old Jason Lamont,
who is,totally blind in both
eyes. is 'still happy being
wheeled around town in a
stroller by his moor Tracy,
he'll someday need a guide
dog of his own.
That's why the two were
the top fundraisers, gathering
more. than $500 from
sponsors, for the first,
Seaforth walk-
a-dog-a-thon.
held Sunday by
the local Lions
Club, to raise
money, for
guide dogs for
the blind.
Jason and his
twin brother
Jacob. who
only sura ived
for 35 hours
because_ of his_.
small birth
weight of 14
ounces. were
born four
months -premature.
Jason, born at one pound 8
ounces. spent 103 days in
hospital' undergoing a
successful heart surgery at
two weeks .and two
unsuccessful eye operations
before going home to RR 5
Seaforth with his parents
Tracy and Ray Lamont.
"It's been a tough year."
says Tracy, adding that
doctors originally didn't
expect either twin to make it
through the night following
their birth.
She says her son's
blindness was caused by a'
disease related to his
premature birth.
"The doctors and nurses
stood and cried when they
told us he was blind. While
premature babies often need
glasses, they don'tusually
have a total loss of vision.
One of the specialists told us
Jason was only the fourth
he's seen in a long career,"
says Tracy.
While he's still a babe in
arms, Jason is already
receiving monthly visits by
the an early childhood
specialist
with the
Canadian
National
Institute for
the Blind
(CNIB) and
his parents
have . been
talking to the
W. • Ross
McDonald
School for
the Blind in
Brantford.
Helping a
blind baby
develop has
some special challenges and
the CNIB specialist is
helping the Lamonts face
those challenges. -
Because vision provides 85
per cent; of the stimulation
needed for a baby to develop,
the Lamonts have to take full
advantage of Jason's hearing
and touch for everything
from playing to eating.
"We need to use noisy toys
with lots ofdifferent textures
and put them in the same
place all the time so he
knows where they are. When
he's able to find them, he
gets all excited and yells and
screams," •says Tracy
Quoted
When I go into'
a store, I have
to close my
eyes and feel
the toy before I
can imagine if
he d like it, --
Tracy Lamont
Susan Hundertmark photo.
Tracy and Jason Lamont raised more than $500 for the lions walk-a-dog-a-thon which will go.
toward a program for guide dogs. Jason was born blind and will eventually be able to have _a
guide dog to help him. •
"When I -go into a toy
store, I have to close my eyes
and feel the toy before I can
imagine if he'd like it," she
says.
Dropped toys are an
opportunity to teach Jason
how to find objects he cannot
see.
In fact,'the whole day is
spent talking and explaining
what's happening to Jason.
Bottle feeding is
accompanied. by the words.
"Here it comes," while meals..
of pablum have the
instruction, "Open.," ,with
every bite.
As Jason starts to feed
himself,• his parents will have
to sit behind him so helearns
the action of bringing the
food towards himself.
"A lot of it common
sense but the early childhood
specialist enhances that for
us," says Tracy.
• Jason is already becoming
'familiar with braille, a
system of writing and
reading for blind people
made up of groups of raised
dots read by touch.
With a. braille labeller, the
Lamonts have labelled many
items around the house, such
as his bottle, crib and dresser
and the fridge and counter
top, and will run his tiny
fingers over the label while
repeating the word.
"We're not trying to teach
him to read already but at
least he can getused to the
See JASON, Page 2
Student load will be handled by portables
Walton students will still come to Seaforth
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Staff
Walton students will be accommodated by
moving three portables to Seaforth Public School,
rather than the director's recommendation of
moving Grades 7 and .8 to Seaforth District High
School, trustees decided last Tuesday.
The Avon Maitland District School Board held a
special meeting last week to decide what it will do
in light of the. May 19 court ruling which found -its
closure process unfair, preventing an earlier
decision to close Seaforth's high school and mo4e
the public school to the high school building.
The possibility of keeping Walton'Public School
open was discussed briefly at the special board
meeting, but trustees were told that option would
cost approximately $100,000, compared to the
$15,000 cost to move the three portables.
"I was hoping the costs to keep Walton open
would be lower - that's the option most people i
talked to last week wanted. But, having seen it is
$100,000, the kids have accepted moving to
Seaforth and that's where they should go." said.
trustee Colleen Schenk.
Keeping Walton open was also suggested by
parents Steve Bowers and Brian McGavin, who
both also spoke against moving Grades 7 and 8
Hey there Little Red Riding Hood
Leah Craig as little Red Riding Hood and Tara 0 Reilly as Granny helped bring the story to fife in
St. James School s production last Tuesday and Wednesday.
Heather Roe photo
'into the high. school.
McGavin said a survey of Walton parents
•showed 33 of 34 parents in favour of portables at
SPS. He added that despite the fact keeping Walton
Public School open was not presented as an option
in the survey, 40 per cent wrote it in as their
preference.
Bowers.called moving Grades 7 and 8 to the
high school a "majorstep backwards" and
wondered if. the 11 to 13 -year-olds would be
smoking, "hopping in cars at lunch to cruise the
streets or do a little gravel running" or getting
involved in drugs and alcohol if exposed to the
high school.
"I'm not trying to paint a negative picture of the
See TRUSTEE, Page S
Town will repair
Legion cenotaphp
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
Almost $3,000 worth of work will be done to the
Seaforth Legion's cenotaph in Victoria Park by the town.
A written request for the work was made to council at
its May 23 meeting where making the repairs was
supported after some questions about responsibility from
council.
"I can see offering to help move the bushes but to pay
for the work on the cenotaph?" asked Coun. Michael
Hak.
The Legion is requesting repairs to the cenotaph and
the removal of bushes in front that provide a hiding place
for people who damage the monument. Work includes
repairing cracks and rebuilding damaged areas.
"We cut the lawn, have flower beds and keep the park
up but who put in the cenotaph?" he asked.
However, the cenotaph, although used by the Legion
See VANDALS, Pogo 5
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