HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2000-11-15, Page 1MOW
November 15, 2000
$1
(includes GST)
Local weather.
Watintttsday--Scattered
flurries, showers in
morning. High 5.
Thursday--Strowers.
High 6. Low O. •
Friday --Cloudy with
•
showers. High 4. Low 2.
Saturday --Cloudy; few
flurries, High 3. Low -2,.
From Environment Canada
In brief
New
council
won't
take over
until
January
The newly elected
council for Huron East
will have to, sit tight for
the next month-and-a-
half before being sworn
in.
That's when the
provincial restructuring
order takes. effect that
allows Seaforth and
Brussels to amalgamate
with Tuckersmith,
McKillop and Grey
Townships.
The current councils
are placed in.a "lame
duck" • situation. no
longer allowed to make
long-term decisions for
their municipalities.
However. the councils
have already been
operating under a similar
system since spring when
the transition board was
set. up. This board has.
been : developing the
system under which the
new municipality will -
operate come Jan. 1 and.
is. made up of current.
council members and
staff from the five
municipalities.
Major changes or
expenses occurring in
any of the . municipalities
have had to be approved
by the transition board.
preventing. any
municipality: from:.
making _ significant
changes to the
municipalitybefore it can.
join with the other four.
The new council will.
be sworn -in this January
and will begin operating
under a new system with
weekly meetings taking
place.
•
Stolen truck
found in town
A 271 pickup truck,
stolen from Centralia
'Oct. 21, showed up in
Seaforth Nov. 4.
A concerned citizen
bad reported to police a
vehicle that had been left
parked behind The
Commercial Hotel for
about a week.
The truck was
undamaged an has been
returned to its owner.
Election results for Huron
East, Bluewater, West
Perth and Centro) Huron
Pages 2 and $
Veterans
honored.
Popo 5
Federal al
sand dales
meeting.
Pops •
Steffler wins mayor race
scoff Hilgendorff photos
Seaforth s• Reeve Lin Steffler was elected Mayor of Huron,
East Monday niiiht and is congratulated by Jim Sills and
Administrator. Jack McLachlan. 'Tuckersmith Wards Bernie
MacLellan was elected'Deputy Mayor.
Mural concept an idea
for old water tower
By Scott Hilgendorff
Expositor Editor
Mural 'painted around the old Scarorth
water tower is one _possible solution to the
now. obsolete. rusting monolith.. •
"We're just about down to milking a•
decision." said PUC manager Tom Phillips.
• "Personally, that tower.would look good
with ,umething.around it and maybe lights,
, said Phillips. •
-
The other option -the .PUC has considered
is. tearing the structure down.:
The PUC had engineers n town this
summer to examine the tower.' . .
"Structurally. it's very, very sound." said
Phillips.. .
Despite the sale of the.PUC to a Stratford
hydro cpmp,ur., the tower is still owned by
the town but has hecn operated by the PUC.
The town can ,y11 make. a decision about
the tower alter the sale of the PUC takes
effect this•Jan. 1.
'Phillips is still researching the options for
the water tower and may be ready to make a
recommendation to council belore the new -
municipality of Huron East is formed in
January.
Right now. he's trying to get a price on
cleaning the surface of the tower up and how
much it would cost to have a mural, painted
on it. .
He said the tower would provide a suitable
surface fora mural and Would 'require less :
maintenance' •than some of the brick
buildings in town.• _
Extra care has to be taken in selecting
mural sites on building walls because if they.
break down at all; it ruins the mural in too
,hon a time. '
Phillips said a mural on the steel tower ,r
'Could last longer.
But they don't know.: how much the total
project. may cost.
He said it could turn out to, be much
cheaper to tear the water tower down.
"it's a .bit of• a landmark. If it's solid,
you'd tike to keep some heritage there," he .
said.
Christmas bags go in newspapers
as bureau prepares to help kids
Ry Scott HNgt ndorft
Expositor Editor
The number of donations
to the Huron County
Christmas • Bureau have
almost doubled since the
introduction of Christmas
bag,. inserted in this
newspaper November 29.
The bag program, initiated
by The Huron 'Expositor.
Seaferth Lions Club and
Seaforth Agricultural
Society. was started two
years .ago as a way to
encourage people to donate
to the bureaux which helps
provide Christmas gifts to
more than 1.000 county
children whose families are
in need of extra help.
Community newspapers
across.tho county have joined
The Expositor in providing
thousands of the brown bags
through their newspapers.
The b.ags Can be used to
take items to anx of five
bureau locations in the
county: the Ontario Street
United Church in Clinton,
the Christian Reformed
Church in Exeter. St.
George's Anglican Church in
Goderich; Seaforth Agriplex
or St. Paul's Trinity Anglican
•Church in Wingham.
Or you can bring your bags
to The Huron Expositor
;office to b+i entered in a draw
for one of eight copies of the
latest in the popular series of
Company's Coming
cookbooks., Each person
bringing a bag to the
Expositor office will be
entitled to a ballot for the
draw. Winners will be
announced in Dec. 13's issue
of The Huron Expositor.
Bureau locations will be
open Dec. 4 to Dec. - 8
between 10 p.m. and 3 p.m.
to, drop off the Christmas
bags or individual donations. ,
While all donations of new
clothing and toys ,are
appreciated, including .
financial contributions, the
Christmas Bureau finds,a
shortage of clothing for
teenagers, children aged
eight to 23 and children's
sizes from six to 12. While
there is often plenty of toys
for younger children, the
bureau also needs gift items
for mid -aged children and
teenagers,
Sea BUREAU, Pogo 2
Your community newspaper since 1860
Close race
sees Steffler
defeat Dunbar
by Zoo votes
as new council
elected
for Huron East
By Scott Hilgsndorff
Expositor Editor
Newly -elected mayor. Lin Steffler
hopes the new council will be ready
to "hit the ground running" when
Huron East forms on Jan. L
Aware there.will be much, work to
do. she wants to meet informally with
the members of the new council.
elected Monday 'night. to " start
•brainstorming and preparing to take
over the leadership of •the new
municipality.
• "It's a great bunch of people. We're
going to be able to accomplish a lot."
said Steffler Tuesday morning. after
being rendered" speechless Monday
night by a close 1.782 votes to 1,578
victory over Robin Dunbar.
She "expects there wi l l -be--man y
different opinions around the new
council table when Stefflerjoins with
• deputy Mayor Bernie MacLellan and
councillors Larry McGrath and 13111
Deiong •of Tuckersmith Ward. Sharon
McClure and Ferg Kelly of McKillop
Ward (acclaimed), Bill Teall and•Dick
Burgess of .Seaforth Ward.,Greg
Wilson and Joe Seili of BrusselWard
and Alvin McLellan and Graeme
MacDonald of Grey Ward.
Meanwhile, • • Tuckersmith'.,
MacLellan .feels "vindicated" by the
election results.
He said results from Tuckersmith
are close to an_ informal poll
conducted about a year and a half ago
when the township council. was
.deadlocked on the restructuring issue
and whether or not it should he
linking with Seaforth and McKillop
Township or a group to the south
,including Stanley Township and
Bayfield.
MacLellan led a poll of the
municipality in the spring of 1999 in
which only 28 per cent 01- 1.061
people polled were in favour of the
current restructuring plan with
Seaforth,
.In this election; McLellan defeated
current Tuckersmith Reeve Bob
Broadfoot for the deputy mayor
position with 1,432 votes to 1.211,
Also seeking the deputy. mayor seat
was McKillop reeve, Bill Siemon,
who received 651 votes. .
MacLellan said the results
confirmed what he was. saying a year
and , a half ago.
"that the current council was not
listening to the people." •
MacLellan has hopes both the rural
and urban areas can be well -
represented between himself, as a
•rural resident, and .Steffler of
Seaforth. •
He said one of the first issues the,
new council needs to address is the
concerns across the new municipality
that ,each area's best interests were
not looked after by the current
transition , board that has been
overseeing the amalgamation. •
• He said a major issue to .address
right away is to get across to
everyone that they are not working
for individual municipalities now.
"We have to work together as.one,"
he said.
S.. WORK, Pogo 2
'four now
councillors
Alvin Mclellan
Graeme
MacDonald
Bill Teall
.Ferg Kelly
horon r cC xe
Sill Dejong
lorry McGrath •
Joseph Sell
Brag WIlion