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THE HURON EXPOSITOR, MARCH 24, 2004-7
Vanastra Curling Club plans fundraising auction
By Sheksy McPhee -Hoist
Special to The Huron Expositor
The Vanastra Curling
Club is a cool place to be -
and members hope to keep
it that way.
The busy club is looking
to replace the 50 year old
compressor and chiller - no
small task - with a price
tag of some $60,000.
The investment is worth it
as the club is one of the
most active in Huron
County with more than 180
members - including men's,
women's and mixed league
as well as a large junior
league with some 60 curlers
on Thursday nights. As
well, there's weekly Special
Olympics curling.
Brenda Jarrett speaks
about her love of curling
noting, "I love competitive
play and the social aspect
and curling offers both."
For that reason she is
helping to head up a big
fundraising auction on
Saturday, March 27,
starting at 11 a.m., with
proceeds going towards the
new equipment.
The auction promises to
offer more than 200 items -
including appliances,
entertainment packages,
new furniture, trips, auto
supplies and special items
including a 1995 Pontiac
Grand -am,
As well there will be a
food booth, entertainment
and some hot bidding.
The Vanastra Curling
Club receives excellent
community support - both
with regular season play
and through private parties
and bonspiels.
The facility has long been
used as a curling rink -
dating back to the days
when the it was run by the
former military base.
The equipment dates back
that long too, but Alex
Townsend knows how to
coax the compressor along.
He's been the icemaker at
the club for the last 27
years - and has seen his
children and grandchildren
also take part in the curling
fun.
In 1981 the curling club
saw significant renovations
with a new building and
four full-sized sheets of ice.
The facility also has a fully
Shelley McPhee Hoist photos
Brenda Jarrett and Alex Townsend look at the 50 -year-old compressor that the Vanastra Curling •
Club plans on replacing.
equipped kitchen and
dining room that overlooks
the ice.
From young children
learning to curl, to longtime
enthusiasts - like the
Knights of Columbus and
Shriners who have held
their bonspiel for the past
30 years - the Vanastra
Healthy Futures to offer water quality
By Jennifer Hubbard
Special to The Huron Expositor
With the most successful
Healthy Futures program in
Ontario, Huron County
council is hoping the
provincial government won't
be able to ignore their
awesome statistics when it
comes to water quality
program funding.
Between July 2001 and
December 2003 more than
$1.9 million in grants was
distributed to farmers and
rural landowners in Huron,
who completed $4.2 million
in water quality improvement
work.
As a partnership between
Huron County, the Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and
Food, Maitland Valley
Conservation Authority and
Ausable Bayfield
Conservation Authority,
Healthy Futures helped rural
landowners respond to their
specific water quality
concerns.
Through Healthy Futures
for Huron Agriculture,
farmers and rural landowners
could apply for grants that
would cover up to 50 per cent
of their water quality
improvement project costs.
Over the 30 month program
more than 1,000 projects were
reviewed and 937 approved
by a technical review
committee.
Septic improvements were
✓ the most common projects,
with 189 upgrades to faulty
systems at a cost of
$2,089,995.
"What we learned is that
there are a great many septic
systems within the county in
need of upgrading and
although we provided 50 per
cent grants that need exceeded
the money available," Tousaw
explained.
Thirty-six liquid manure
tanks and high trajectory gun
units were modified to reduce
manure run ' off during
application and 26 kilometres
of watercourse fencing was
erected.
Upgrades were also
completed to 95 rural wells,
while an additional 89 wells
were decommissioned. Clean
water diversion projects were
implemented in 121
barnyards.
County councillors continue
to encourage Dalton
McGuinty's new Liberal
government to establish a
water quality project similar
to Healthy Futures.
So far, county
representatives have met with
both the Minister of the
Environment Leona
Dombrowsky and Minister of
Agriculture Steve Peters to
push for such a program.
However, Tousaw said he
doesn't' expect a program
commitment until the
province's budget — expected
later this spring — is released.
And if provincial money
does become avail ble,
Tousaw is confide uron
will have a strong case to
receive funding.
"We have a good model to
build on," he said. "The
partnership between the
ministry, the county and the
conservation authorities was a
good match of expertise."
Other Healthy Futures
initiatives:
• 190,500 trees planted
• 288 fragile/erodible acres
of land retired
• 16 kilometres of buffers
along watercourses
Curling Club continues to
offer fun and recreation.
For more information call
the Vanastra Curling Club
at 482-3055.
funding
• 18 kilometres of
windbreaks on erodible fields
• 67 nutrient management
plans
• 38 erosion control projects
lean, safe
drinking water
is up to you.
If you serve your community, you have
a responsibility to serve your community
clean drinking water.
Everyone has a stake in clean drinking water. Our families and
friends; our clients and customers. Under Ontario's new Drinking
Water Systems Regulation, owners of drinking water systems now
must comply with strict water quality and operating standards.
If you own or operate a business or service facility of any kind that
serves the public and relies on its own source of water, then you are
affected by the regulation.
Mobile home parks, campgrounds, small hotels, gas stations and places
of worship are some of the establishments subject to the regulation.
So are children's camps, schools, hospitals and any social care facility.
In short, any place where the general public has access to a drinking
water system, such as a washroom, drinking water fountain or shower.
You are also subject to the new regulation if you own or operate
a system that supplies drinking water for a seasonal or permaneint
community of six or more residences.
We all share the same water resource. Small drinking water systems
now join municipalities, industries and the agricultural community
in doing their part to protect the quality of Ontario's drinking water.
Find out what you need to do as a responsible
provider of clean, safe drinking water.
Call 1-800-565-4923
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