Huron Expositor, 2001-02-21, Page 22 -nut HURON EXPOSITOR, fsMnwy 21. 1001
News
Logs left on roadsides
creating hazard for drivers
By Scott HNyondorff
Expositor Editor
It's going to be up to Huron East to
hold landowners responsible for logs
being left along the side of the roads
and have them removed because of
safety concerns for drivers.
"It's kind of an ongoing problem and
I don't know how we police it," said
Public Works Coordinator John Forrest
at council's Feb. 6 meeting.
He asked Huron County engineer
Sandra Lawson for help after she
attended the meeting for a county road
matter.
When properties are logged, the
contractors have been leaving logs on
the roadsides and Forrest said there are
currently three piles on are Huron East
roadsides with two piles coming within
about four feet of the travelled portion
of the roads.
Lawson said that poses a threat to
drivers, particularly in the winter when
the logs can be covered in snow posing
a hazard to a driver who may pull onto
the shoulder and strike the hidden logs.
Coun. Bill DeJong asked who was
liable if an accident occurred because of
the logs.
Lawson said even though they belong
to someone else, the municipality is
responsible for letting them pile up on
the road side.
She said bylaws can be written to
ensure the logs are still owned by the
property owner until the contractor
takes them away. That would allow the.
municipality to go to the landowner and
ask that the logs be removed. If they
aren't taken away, the municipality
seizes them and either the owner or the
contractor has to pay to get them back.
She said it's no different than a car
being abandoned at the side of a county
road. If the owner doesn't come for the
car, it's towed at the owner's
expense.
"In the winter, I'd say, 'you have 'x'
number of hours to more these logs,"'
Lawson said.
Forrest said he was concerned
because there had been more logging
applications made to Huron East
recently with one just last week.
"If that's the case, we're going to
have to police it ourselves," said
Forrest.
"What kind of equipment do you need
to move them?" asked Mayor Lin
Steffler.
"Chainsaws," said Coun. Larry
McGrath of Tuckersmith Ward.
Unhappy parents turned away
as daycare can't take extra load
From Page 1
the schools aren't open,"
said Brooker who doesn't
have the staff available to
take students outside of the
normal children's centre
program.
Roads have remained
open on some days that
buses haven't run and the
parents have still had to be
at work, left to find people
to care for their kids.
"When I come in at 8:30,
people are not happy," said
Brooker, adding they do
their best to accommodate
children in kindergarten and
younger. The facility is not
licenced to take older
children outside of summer
and the March break.
Seaforth Public School
principal, Jane Morton said
part of what's changed this
year is the percentage of
students taking the bus.
Since the school took on
students from Huron
Centennial and the now
closed Walton Public
School, more than half the
student body is bused.
Morton said the smaller
percentage of walking
students is part of the reason
she has decided to close the
school on days buses aren't
running when, traditionally,
children who walk would
still come to school.
Morton also doesn't
believe in expecting staff to
Mayor
wants
to work
quickly
to reduce
backups
From Pegs 1
when we need to," added
Wilson.
McLachlin said the
municipality had all kinds of
problems and phone calls
from the Vanastra area the
same night.
He added that Azurix will
be providing the
municipality with
emergency numbers, which
will be included in the next
tax notices, for the public to
use in case of flooding.
"We realize there are
problems and we're working
as fast as we can to fix
them. We are being
scrutinized by the public
very closely so we need to
work quickly," said Mayor
Lin Sterner.
Sterner added that Huron
East has inherited a bunch
of different systems and has
to determine where the
problems are before they
can be fixed.
"If there's something we
can fix, let's get to it and fix
it. Maybe it's the year for an
upgrade because anytime
you get sewage in your
basement, it's severe," she
said.
be on the roads buses won't
travel with the children and
several staff members at all
the Seaforth area schools
come from other
communities.
"I think about my staff
and whether or not they can
get in safely," she said.
That belief is shared by
St. James principal Larry
Murray.
Morton, Murray and
Seaforth District High
School principal Jeff
Reaburn consult with each
other before making a
decision to close the
schools.
The consultation follows
reports from the area bus
companies who determine
early in the morning
whether or not they will
send the bus drivers out.
From there, it is up to the
principals to decide whether
or not to open the school to
students who walk.
"If it's not safe for the
buses to be on the roads, we
don't expect our staff to be
on the roads," said Murray.
St. James School has
traditionally closed on days
buses don't run because the
majority of the student body
arrives by bus.
After the last two snow
days in a row, Morton met
with two parents concerned
about the closure policy but
said otherwise, she has not
received many complaints.
Leeming said town
parents don't realize how
bad it can be on the back
country roads sometimes
when the weather seems fine
in town.
Remembering being
storm -stayed at Huron
Centennialherself as a kid,
she would rather put up with
the inconvenience of having
to find someone to care for
her children than send them
on a bus in bad weather.
"The parents sure would
be irate if their kids were
storm -stayed or, worse yet,
had an accident," she said.
While her parents have
generally been able to look
after her school -aged
children, Leeming said other
parents have been able to
find high school students,
also not able to go to school,
to look after their kids.
This is the most number
of snow days Morton has
seen since starting in
teaching in 1988.
While she said staff might
have to be "more creative"
in how they complete the
curriculum, she isn't
worried that teachers will
not be able to catch up on
the lost days.
In some cases, particularly
the senior grades, students
may have some extra work
assigned at home.
Neither Morton or
Murray, in the separate
school system, have had any
indication from their
respective school boards
that March break would
have to be cancelled, despite
some rumours in the
community that would
happen.
MN - UM.CLIPASAVE Ewe mow —.,
FED UP WITH
II I E? I
WANT THEM PERMANENTLY
1 REMOVED FROM YOUR HOUSE?
NO POISONS USED
ALL WORK GUARANTEED
TOLL FREE 877-430-9304
L... MEM - RIM -+et-- MM. --1
NOTICE OF
ANNUAL MEETING
The 125th Annual Meeting of the Members
will be held in the
OFFICE BUILDING
of
McKillop Mutual
Insurance Company
91 Main Street South, SEAFORTH, Ontario
on
Wed., February 28, 2001
at 1:30 p.m.
• To receive and dispose of the 2000 financial
statements and Auditors Report:
• To appoint Auditors;
• To transact any other business that may
properly come before the meeting;
• Tvlect Three Directors;
• The retiring Directors are Matt Haney, Walter
Mcllwain, and John Tebbutt. All are eligible
for re-election. Matt Haney has chosen not to
let his name stand for re-election.
• Any person wishing to seek election or re-
election as a Director must file his intention to
stand for election in writing with the Secretary
of the Company at least seven days in
advance of the Annual Meeting
(By -Law No. 21 (d) ).
Ken Jones FCIP
Secretary -Treasurer -Manager
�r
Is
your
soybean
herbicide
flexible
enough?
•
m
meR�o�an�
PLUS
FLEXIBILITY, WITHOUT COMPROMISE
We've raised the bar. Until now, getting
flexible follow crop options meant you had
to give up some of the things you look
for in soybean weed control. Don't
compromise. MERIDIAN"' PLUS
provides the ideal mix. You get
effective, broad-spectrum, one -
pass, post -emergent control with
soil activity. Plus flexible follow
crop options and the freedom
to choose the best soybean
varieties. For more information
on MERIDIAN PLUS, call
BASF AgSolutlons
at 1 -877 -371 -BASF (2273)
or visit our website at
www.agsolutions.ca