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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2005-01-05, Page 1Doug Elliott, CFP, B.Math Financial Rimer GIC Dies aet how /,20Q5 AI ors we mid M 'bpi odrip slim mks aryt Ismat claimed co dilycbils Mos Best o.1.c. Rates Tar 33.W 96 3:4% DieI VA= tavairrems awlawlUNDEE I�IET�Tii I_11U1■lull 26 Main St., Seaforth 527-2222 •a.lae.UWlir0elre,.V Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2005 $1.25 includes GST Discount Moetirege Canada Inc. Joy Finlayson & Sharon Medd Mortgage Consultants "Finally, a company that starts with a discount" 1 SII \I:un'N1.. ♦. .c:itm Ili (5 19 X 27-05611 MINTEE 4ti;ri r Shat oe Mei, Axed* Bac M.V.A. Appraiser VWt: mach for Informadoa of tatter t. Maya/Perth In brief Seaforth window breaking spree causes more than $1,000 in damages More than $1,100 in damages were done to three windows in Seaforth on Dec. 26 and 27, reports the Huron OPP. Police received three calls about windows smashed by stones in houses on James and Duke Streets as well as to a Ford Explorer pick-up's rear window on Victoria Street. During the evening of Dec. 26, a stone was thrown through the front window of a home on James Street, completely destroying it. Police followed the tracks in the snow, which showed someone had walked from a nearby parking lot to the residence and back again to a waiting vehicle. Within an hour of the first incident, a stone was thrown through the window of a pick-up truck at a Duke Street home. The resident told police a 1989 Ford pickup truck was left parked at the end of the laneway near the road and the stone was thrown through the driver's side window before the truck drove away. The next day, police received a call about the rear window of a green 1997 Ford Explorer having its rear window smashed by a stone. • In all three cases, the stones used were pieces of patio stones stolen from a local lumberyard and were all of the same design. Anyone with related information is asked to Call the Huron OPP or Crime Stoppers. Money, chocolate taken from St. James Church Money and chocolate were stolen during a break- in at St. James Catholic Church in Seaforth on Dec. 26. The thief forced open a door of the church after breaking a small window in the door and took a small amount of money from a number of collection boxes along with a quantity of chocolates left in the church from Christmas Day. Anyone with related information is asked to call the Huron OPP or Crime Stoppers. Steckle makes New Year's resolutions... Susan Hundertmark photo Blood donor clinic Sandra Morey, of Seaforth, was one of 180 local people to donate a unit of blood during the Dec. 29 blood donor clinic at the Seaforth and District Community Centres. Christmas season 'pretty good' for local merchants By Jason Middleton Expositor Staff It wasn't as holly and jolly a Christmas as the Business Improvement Area (BIA) and business owners in Seaforth would have liked, but "all and all it was a pretty good season." Gary Betties owner of Box Furniture said that this Christmas season wasn't as successful for his business as years past. According to Betties, sales were down this year because of a hurting farm trade. "The farm trade is slowed up because of the economy with the price of corn, beans and cattle — it's hurt our business," said Betties. Seaforth BIA president Nancy Anstett said that from what she saw from working as a manager at Seaforth Jewellers that "all and all it was a pretty good season." Anstett said that the BIA tried some new promotions this year such as their home tour and employee shopping day. "We tried to do some new promotion's to keep business in town," said Anstett. "You always have to try and do something new" As well, the BIA also used their BIA Bucks promotion this year. Liz Cardno, owner of Cardno's Mens' Wear, said that her sales during the holidays are about par with last year. Cardno said that she saw a jump in sales around the third week in November. Pete Martene, owner of Pete's Paper Clip, said that business for the Sears catalogue outlet he operates started to pick-up in the middle of November. Martene said that business for his office supply store doesn't really pick up during the holiday season. "We don't really rely on the Christmas season," he said. "With Sears obviously we do." Martene said that it is getting tougher to attract local shoppers to his store. Local businessman Doug Elliott wrote a Letter to the Editor in the Dec. 15 edition of the Huron Expositor where he asked citizens to consider the price of shopping out of town for holiday bargains. Elliott said that he received a good response about the letter from local business owners. Although he doesn't condone shopping out See LOCAL, Page 3 Mayor Seili happy with first year in office By Susan Hundertmark Expositor Editor Trying to keep Huron East's budget under control was Mayor Joe Seili's top priority for 2004 and looking back on his first year at the helm of the municipality, Seili says he's pleased. "Last year went real well. Our biggest job was getting the deficit under" control and I think we've gone a long way with that," he says. Huron East council faced a $275,000 deficit from its 2003 budget along with increases in policing and insurance costs. "We're kept a great balance in spending in all wards and we've kept it fair," says Seili. And, while recreation and daycare budgets are still facing deficits, Seili says the daycare budget has "come a long way with still a ways to go." "We can still improve a lot more. The rec facilities are going to be an ongoing project for the coming year," he says. Seili says he hopes to see Huron East's three recreation facilities in Seaforth, Brussels and Vanastra become more self-supporting and able to cover their operational costs, while council will become responsible for their capital costs. "My idea is that the municipality shoudl look after the four walls and the roof," he says. "And there has to be more uses for the facilities. They're under- used." "The discussion will be coming up at budget time this year," he adds. Seili says one of his biggest surprises in 2004 was the movement in Grey ward to explore the possibility of deamalgamation from Huron East. Mayor Joe Seili While the movement to deamalgamate was based on a perceived loss of identity, another large argument made by organizers was that Grey residents were not getting "a bang for their buck" when paying taxes. "It was a shock," says Seili , of the move to deamalgamate. But, he adds that some Grey' residents don't understand how many costs are forced on municipalities by higher levels of government. "It's very easy to raise people's costs, take more and send back less. The province has been doing that for years and people haven't been as vocal about that. We're trying to do more with less and you can only do that for so long," he says. Seili adds that Huron East still has the lowest tax rate in Huron County. "And, we want to make sure it stays that way," he says. The budget is an ongoing battle, he says, pointing out that Huron East's recent donation of $50,000 to the Seaforth Medical Clinic adds See SEAPORT'', Page 2 Plan to restart Seaforth's Junior D hockey team, the Centenaires, a focus in 20Q4 Leah Craig, 17, of Egmondville made her final decision and planned to attend the University of N e w Hampshire, U.S., in the fall with a four- year hockey scholarship. "It's like a dream come true. I'm really looking forward to going there in the fall," said the St. Anne's Catholic Secondary School Grade 12 student and Canada Games gold medallist. Paul and Lisa Vandendool, of Kippen, had the area's New Year's baby in 2004 even though they saw their new baby boy as a late Leah Craig Christmas present. Sean Michael was born on Jan. 2 at Clinton P u b l i c Hospital at 4:36 a.m., weighing 7 lbs., 4 oz. Rick Agar, of London, approached the Seaforth arena hoard at its December meeting with a proposal to start up a Junior D team two years after the Centenaires failed to put a team on ice. 2001 in Rcvie Ontario Hockey Association president Brent Ladds predicted an "uphill climb" for the formation of a new Junior D team in Seaforth. While the Seaforth community development trust agreed to Huron East council's requests for monthly minutes, quarterly financial statements, an audit by the municipal auditor and a public meeting for Seaforth taxpayers in the spring, it resisted any changes to the actual trust agreement in January, 2004. "They can't amend the trust agreement. It's not legal," said Seaforth Coun. Lou Maloney during a January meeting of the trust, the first since November's municipal election, which included an invitation to the Huron Expositor. While he hasn't found a room or a desk of his own yet, Huron East Mayor Joe Seili is setting up office hours at town hall in Seaforth every Friday. "Right now, I'm using a corner of Jack's (Clerk- Administrator McLachlan's) desk - that's where all the information I need is stored," says Seili. Seili will be spending several hours each Friday morning or afternoon during his term as mayor. Eighty-five questions are being posed to residents of Huron East in a community survey about business, recreation, seniors, youth,agriculture, the environment and tourism. "This is the first time we've ever given residents of this area a chance to express their .opinion about their community in a survey," says Ralph Laviolette, Huron East's economic development officer. February, 2004 Despite months of hard work and a week of stormy weather, the Seaforth Figure Skating Club hosted a successful regional figure skating competition for the first time in 10 years. Approximately 200 skaters from 12 area clubs participated in the Interclub North Regional Competition See THE, Page 7