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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2004-03-24, Page 1HP DESKJET 3527 PRINTER Only For a Limited Time! PETE MARTEN r, PETE'S PAPER CLIP Y 51'Main St., Seafo 527-1681 Wednesday, March 24, 2004 In brief Sinkhole study to be revealed to public at March 3o meeting The public will get its first look at a study on sinkholes in Tuckersmith and Hibbert at a public meeting on March 30 from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Dublin Community Centre. The $100,000 sinkhole study, funded mostly by the Ministry of the Environment with $5,000 contributions from Huron East, West Perth and the Ausable Bayfield. Conservation Authority, was expected to be released to local politicians last night at a joint council meeting of Huron East and West Perth in Dublin. It was initiated in August of 2002 after a Tuckersmith resident attended a Huron East council meeting to express concerns about manure contaminating the aquifer through sinkholes. The study began with seven known sinkholes but has mapped 50 in four main clusters in Tuckersmith and Hibbert. They range in size from five to 100 feet in diameter and two to 25 feet in depth. Along with locating the sinkholes, the study's aim was also to determine the threats to groundwater posed by sinkholes and provide a plan to address any concerns about water quality. Ten primary recommendations will be announced at the meeting, including a push for a groundwater protection strategy collaboratively developed with the municipalities, counties and the ABCA. "It was recommended that municipal councils could use the report as a road map to decision making, essentially making the sinkhole report a background document for Official Plans," said recent minutes of the sinkhole steering committee. Other recommendations relate to the storage and distribution of information, future education initiatives, actively managing water resources near sinkholes, long term groundwater quality monitoring, encouragement of best management practices, spill contingency planning, groundwater protection planning, enforcement of existing rules and regulations and future work that would further improve the understanding of sinkholes in the study area. Inside... Huron- Brucevotes for Stephen Harper. Ms 5 Seaforth Mites hold Friendship tournament .. page 14 Vanastra Curling Club planning fundraising auction ... Peg* 7 'ft $1.251 udes GST Tony Arts CF P. Cw.CNF. C. Daly isistest Ssvisigsktuoust 2.55" 2.65% lomat cdaikd on dilly doig tone. CIC riles rdMrd2).2001 Mind limo kW ain St. Seaforth 527-0794 Dogpile on Clifford Children were invited to swim with Clifford the Big Red Dog at Vanastra Recreation Centre last Thursday. (Above, centre) Tredna Fraser and staff member Julie Consitt wave as they float along with Jessie Payne, Kerigan Parish and Nicholas Braid. Sara Campbell photo Huron East still investigating million pipeline option By Sara Campbell Expositor Staff Huron East council will investigate the $11.1 million proposal of joining a pipeline project that could connect Hensall and Exeter with Lake Huron. "Council will express its intent to investigate the project to the municipalities involved," said," said Huron East Mayor Joe Seili. Steve Burns, public engineer and president of B. M. Ross and Associates Ltd., who was asked in December 2003 by Huron East to investigate the costs of joining the pipeline project, presented his study at council's March 16 meeting and asked that their interest in the project be made to the other municipalities. South Huron voted in favour of building a Lake Huron pipeline on Dec. 15, 2003 to solve the problems with one of Exeter's four wells and its spring -fed supply that requires improved disinfection and filtration. Hensall, which is part of Bluewater, is facing problems with high nitrate levels in its water. The total project cost of $26.5 million for a pipeline to run from Exeter (which includes Dashwood) to Hensall to Seaforth is based on a 40 year demand. The cost for South Huron to build a pipeline from Lake Huron to Exeter totals $10.8 million while it would cost an additional $4.6 million to extend the pipeline from Exeter to Hensall. "The size and cost of the pipeline extensions to Hensall and Seaforth are sensitive to the demand. Municipalities will want to look at growth needs and projections carefully," said Burns. The water demands, based on population and a projection of 40 years, shows that Exeter would require 12,648 cubic metres of water daily, Hensall would require 3,141 cubic metres of water daily (3,314 cubic metres of water daily with a watermain extension to Seaforth) and Seaforth would require 5,246 cubic metres of water daily. "Once the pipe to Exeter gets built, it will be difficult to expand its capacity and service area," said Burns. He said that the pipeline from Lake Huron to Exeter will be a 16 - 20 inch diameter pipe and from Exeter to Hensall it would be a20-24 inch. If Seaforth joins the pipeline, piping will have to be changed to 24 inch pipe to accommodate the community's needs. "We have to make provisions in communities in case of pipe breaks and we'll have to have storage areas to meet a town's water demands for two days," said Burns. The Exeter pipeline includes the purchase of land at the intersection of Airport Line and Huron Street on which to build a booster pumping station and reservoir. He said a pumping station, that would also have to be built at the intersection of Staffa and Kippen Roads, could also include storage. Burns said council would have to increase water rates to generate another $6,000 a year for their water demands. He added that council could be eligible for a proposed 50 per cent provincial grant and debenture at an estimated three per cent interest rate. "I wouldn't count on a 50 per cent grant. I really "don't like assumations from the federal government," said Deputy Mayor Bernie MacLellan. If Huron East is interested in looking at the project further, Burns said he recommends that it should delay adding a new filtration system to the Welsh Street well which is part of $1.7 million in upgrades. S.. INTEREST, Pogo 2 Huron Centennial's balanced school day pilot project found to be success By Sara Campbell Expositor Staff The balanced school day pilot project offered at Huron Centennial Public School is proving to be a success. "The reaction has been very positive from students, staff and parents. And that is what was found through the survey, that the project has been a positive one," said Deb Gill, principal. The Brucefield school is one of eight schools in the Avon Maitland District School Board participating in the .pilot 'balanced school day project' for the 2003-4 school year. To monitor the results of the pilot project, the school board surveyed the participating schools' students in November to compare how the balanced schedule compares to their previous schedule. Another survey will be conducted in May. The survey was completed by students in Grade 2 to 8 and shows the project has been most beneficial in the primary level but there are areas of concern in Grade 6 to 8, said Gill. She said the one concern, found through the survey, from students was the lack of physical activity. "The intermediate students feel they don't have enough time to play outdoors," she said. The new timetable features three 100 -minute instructional periods, separated by two .40 minute breaks. The overall total of instruction time remains unchanged at 300 minutes. Each of the breaks are divided into two 20 -minute nutritional breaks and two 20 -minute break for outdoor play. "We are looking at what can be done to implement more physical education for next year," she said. Teachers have expressed concerns over the lack of networking and class preparation time, said Gill. "There is less opportunity for the teachers to get together and no prep time for them to prepare for subjects between each classes," she said. Gill said junior and intermediate teachers have divided the instructional times into two periods as necessary for the rotary French program, but the periods are grouped together into longer blocks for language and math classes. "It is a pilot project so we are doing some fine tuning." As a result of the survey, Pat Stanley, curriculum administrator for the Avon Maitland board, said the board is looking at the trends between the participating schools and what areas need to be improved. "We're very pleased with it so far but we do recognize the fact that we are now in a changing process," she said. "We'll Bee IIIMORTH, Pape 2 OHA league says no to Seaforth Jr. D bid By Susan Hundertmark and Sara Campbell Seaforth's proposal to start up a Junior D hockey team after a two- year absence was turned down Sunday by the Ontario Hockey Association's junior development league. While organizer Jason Papple pointed to the loss of Seaforth players from the Mitchell Hawks for the 7-6 league vote against Seaforth, the OHA's junior development chair Karen Phibbs said the whole league was concerned about the number of available players in the area. "You can't lay it all on Mitchell's doorstep. They're the closest team being only 19 kilometres away but Exeter and Lucan will be impacted too. Any team in that division will be impacted," she said Monday. Phibbs, while praising Seaforth's "solid, tremendous" presentation made by Papple and Graham Nesbitt, said the league was not convihced that there are enough players, now and in the future, to field another competitive Junior D team in the Huron -Perth area. She added that the league was concerned that Seaforth's application was only made in response to the London, Ont. investors, who applied for the Seaforth franchise and then withdrew the application when local investors came forward. The league wants to know the interest is ongoing and will carry throughout the long term in the community. If they reapply next year, it would show the Seaforth group really wants a team there," she said. Phibbs added that Seaforth's application was overshadowed by the McGafka Pro Group's bid, that she said included a desire to turn junior hockey into a for- profit enterprise. "The first group from London had spoken to the community and to various teams about hoping to make a profit from the team and there was concern that you can't make a personal profit from junior hockey. These are teams that usually only break even," she said. Papple said the decision was based on the affect a Seaforth team would have on the Mitchell team. Papple, who has been leading the local effort to Se. LACK, Page: