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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-06-28, Page 1June 28, 2000 $1 (includes GSTI Local weather Wodnasday--Sunny, afternoon cloud. High 24. Thursday --Mix sun, cloud, showers. High 24. Low 14. Friday --Mainly sunny. High 25. low. 14. Saturday --Cloudy, sunny periods, showers. High 26. low 17. From Environment Canada In brief Fun for all planned Friday and Saturday for Canada Day Canada Day, activities begin a day earlier this year at Seaforth Manor. Oil Friday, the retirement facility is hosting a "Celebrate Canada Party" with a'2 p.m. performance by the Seaforth All -Girls Marching Band. With support from the' Department of Canadian Heritage, the Seaforth Legion Branch 156 and the Seaforth Optimist Club,' a heritage 'garden has been developed at the manor and a ribbon cutting ceremony will take place with MP Paul Steckle. The events will take place on the Manor's front lawn and the public is invited to take part. The annual firefighters' breakfast follows Saturday morning from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Fire Hall with bacon, eggs, [bast, pancakes, sausage and juice and coffee. Following is The Heritage Walk Poker Rally starting a 1 p,m. at Victoria Park. People must register by 1:30 p.m. and start their walk around town to the various heritage homes where, at each location, participants 'are given a playing card with prizes to the highest and lowest hands. From 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. is the Seaforth All - Girls Marching Band reunion and chicken barbecue at Seaforth Lions Park. The fun wraps up at dusk with the annual fireworks display at Seaforth District High School. Inside... ...Walton Public School heads into Its last days -- see stories on Pogo 6and7. Second zflood hits Peoplecleaning sewage from basements second time in six weeks By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor Instead of feet, most basements that received flooding and sewage backups for the second time in six weeks measured the water in inches after flooding early Sunday morning. • Although there is no accurate count, fewer homes were affected this time as several inches of rain fell between Saturday and Sunday. This time. the didn't fall in as short a time period as it did May 13 when streets and basements were flooded with about four feet of water. A call for rainfall information from Environment Canada was not returned for an accurate account of how much rain fell on the area this time. Rob Simpson of Main Street North was one of the homes affected by a sewage backup a second time but feels lucky because the damage wasn't as bad. although he ended up with more sewage in his basement than the first time. He thinks he got more this time because a sump pump may have quit working part way through the night. He awoke to find about five inches of sewage in his basement. The luck comes from the fact he is a contractor who has spent the past several weeks working on repairs to other Seaforth homes affected by the flooding in May. He wasn't able to get any work done on his own basement that was gutted after a May sewage backup. "I just started putting in the insulation and vapour barrier," he said, adding he had plans to start the drywall that morning. Last time, he lost carpeting, furniture and about three-quarters 'of his two sons' toys, whose bedrooms were located in the basement. The boys are still sharing a bedroom upstairs with his one -and -a -half -year-old daughter. Plans in place to seize portable Board supposed to send cheque today for $15,000 court costs after civil case By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor The Seaforth community is ready to take legal steps, like seizing one of the portables moved to Seaforth Public School. if community lawyer Fred Leitch does not receive a cheque for $15,000 from the Avon Maitland District School Board. The- amount was awarded to several community members for court costs after community leaders filed a successful civil action against the school board which was found to be unfair in how it came to a decision to close Seaforth District High School. But the community members, including Mayor Dave Scott. Alf Ross, Carolann Doig and Charles Smith. are still waiting for 'a cheque. "If we don't have a cheque Wednesday, we'll have to make a decision on what to do then," said Leitch. who is hopeful a cheque will cone. If not. he said they are entitled to use "collection remedies" to get the money. He said they could seize property. like one of the portables just moved to Seaforth Public School for an influx of students in September. or they could get a court order to seize board banjo accounts. But director of education Lorne Rachlis said they will cut a special cheque on Wednesday, if needed, to make sure a cheque is in Leitch's hands. Part of the delay came from a letter received by Ross, requesting the payment be made to the Seaforth School Fund dated June 13. The board responded with a letter that arrived June 20 saying the board would pay the money to Leitch since the court costs were awarded to the specific people who fled the civil action and not the school fund. "We needed clarification," said Rachlis on Monday, who said board staff met with Ross that day to work out a solution. Rachlis also said to save money, they've reduced the number of times a month they issue cheques but that if one can't be cut under normal procedures, they will cut a special cheque to make sure the matter is settled. Leitch said they were already prepared to seize a portable on Monday but after meeting with board staff that All wet day, thought it was reasonable for them to give the board more time to issue a cheque. "I basically lost everything in the basement," he said of the first flood. With the water getting higher this time, he may have lost two television sets that were still in the basement and he isn't sure what kind of damage was done to the freezer or washer and dryer units that survived the first flood. But he could be weeks again before starting .repairs to his own basement with calls already to go back to three homes he had just finished repairing in the past few weeks. "Now I'm going back to houses and ripping them apart again," said Simpson. "It seemed to be hit and miss this time," said Simpson who suspects most of the damage occurred in the south end of town this time. The south end was hardest hit in May although homes across town were affected. "We got spared this time. It must have flowed See CLOSURES, Page tt Scott Hilgendorff photo Troy Hopkins, Grade 7, cringes as a wet sponge hits in a play day event al Seaforth Public School on Friday afternoon. Seaforth museum unveils its first pewter ornaments By Scott Hilgendorff Expositor Editor The Seaforth Museum's, two pewter ornaments will be unveiled on Canada Day and the public taking part in that day's special activities, will have a chance to get their first look at them. The first depicts Seaforth Collegiate Institute as it looked in 1878. With the current school crisis and an uncertain fate for Seaforth District High School, Deputy Administrator Cathy Garrick said the museum committee thought it would be an appropriate first ornament. The second is the Seaforth Town Hall, built in 1893 to 1894. "This is the last year ft will be just the Seaforth Town Hall," said Garrick. In 2001, the town officially becomes Huron East after an amalgamation with neighbouring townships takes place. "We thought they were two prominent local buildings that would be suitable for the first Christmas decorations to be released by the museum," said Garrick. If sales of the ornaments go well, the committee will develop more ornaments for a continuing series. Five hundred of each of the first two designs have been ordered and will be available for sale at the museum starting on Canada Day. . The museum is the last stop before people turn in their cards at Victoria Park for the poker heritage walk. The ornaments will be available at the See CLOSURES, Page Seaforth girls band to hold reunion event By Susan Hundortmark Expositor Staff. Since April, several local women have been pouring over Seaforth District High School yearbooks to find names of former all -girls marching band members to invite to an all -years' reunion this weekend. "We've been goingback as far as 1963 and it's been hard because not all the yearbooks have all the girls' names in them. And, girls' names change too when they get martied so sometimes we've just been sending invitations to their families and hoping for the best," says one of the organizers Brenda Kenny, of Seaforth. Gail Hoffman, also of Seaforth, says the reunion committee has hand - delivered close' to 100 invitations around Seaforth and mailed out another 100 as far as British Columbia, but mostly, around Southwestern Ontario. "We're hoping to have over 100 people here for the reunion. it would be really nice if we could have See CLOSURES, Page 2 Your community newspaper since 1860 •