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26 Main St.,
Seaforth
527-2222
111 1)Fit't
Seven guns
stolen
from two
Huron East
residences
during
break-ins
Seven guns were stolen
from two Huron East
residences during break-
ins over the weekend.
Two rifles, a .22
caliber semi-automatic
Remington rifle and a
.303 older army rifle
were among the items •
stolen from a house on
Beechwood Line
sometime overnight on
Aug. 12.
Someone entered the
house between 6 and.
11:30 p.m. while the
owner was away and
ransacked it.
Also stolen were two
Bell Express view
satellite receivers and a
20 -inch Hitachi colour
television.
Five firearms,
including a Cooey Model
$40 20 -gauge shotgun,
Savage Model 1904 .22
caliber bolt -action rifle,
Savage .22 caliber Model
87D semi-automatic
rifle, .38 caliber Colt
revolver and a .32 caliber
Hopkins and Allen
Dictator revolver, were
stolen from a Sports
Drive residence in Huron
East the next night on
Aug. 13.
Again, the house was
ransacked sometime
during the night.
Other items stolen
included a DVD player,
movies, a cordless
phone, American and
Canadian currency,
alcohol and a gun
cabinet.
Anyone with any
related information is
asked to call the Huron
OPP or Crime Stoppers.
Three thefts
in Seaforth
Huron OPP are
investigating three thefts
that were reported over
the weekend in Seaforth.
Two • colourful
hammocks, valued at
$250, were stolen from a
fruit stand and
greenhouse on Main
Street.
Three black Noma
lights were stolen from a
residence on Sparling
Street and two solar
garden lights were stolen
from an Ord Street home.
Anyone with related
information is asked to
call the Huron OPP o
Crime Stoppers.
Man
Seaforth
Public School I!
planning peace
garden...
pair 5
Tyler Listman
competing at
motocross
nationals
...page 12
Susan Hundertmark photo
Close call at home
Seaforth Pee Wees' catcher .Craig Windsor concentrates as the ball comes in too late to tag a Stanley player during the
first game of a year-end tournament in Kirkton on Friday. Seaforth went on to win the game and the tournament. For
more details and pics, see page 14.
Trillium Foundation approves
funding for three local projects
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Three Huron East organizations have received Trillium
Foundation funding as part of $675,400
awarded to 20 not-for-profit and charitable
groups throughout Huron, Perth, Grey and
Bruce counties.
The Van Egmond House in Egmondville will
receive $20,500 to renovate a shed into an
interpretive centre for school groups and
community gatherings.
Funding will add heat, lighting, insulation,
new doors, storm windows, drywall and
wheelchair access and improve the use of the 24
by 32 -foot building behind the main house and
carriage house.
"We had our fingers crossed - we were
certainly hopeful we'd get the funding," says
Peter Spittal, of the Van Egmond Society.
While school groups now tour the main
historical house, mostly in June, Spittal says an
Spittal says the educational programs will begin with the
Grade 3 curriculum on pioneer life, with demonstrations of
pioneer life skills, such as rope making, rug hooking, butter
making and spinning and weaving.
"We usually have all those people around for
O11Ute d
'We had our
fingers
crossed - we
were certainly
hopeful we'd
get the
funding,' --
Peter Spittal, of the
Van Egmond Society
interpretive centre would allow schools to spend
more time on site in a classroom setting studying ocal history.
A seven -member education committee, comprised mostly of
retired teachers, has been set up to create the education
package for schools, predicted to become available in
September of 2006.
"The grants
Ciderfest," he says. "But, before, we couldn't
do it (offer the school program) because the
house was too insecure and too full of
antiques."
Eventually, the program will also be aimed at
Grade 7 curriculum on the history of Upper
Canada and the Rebellion of 1837, which
involved Col. Anthony Van Egmond.
As well, Spittal says the program could turn
into a tourism attraction in the future.
The renovations are expected to begin after
Ciderfest is held at the end of September, says
Spittal..
As well, the Seaforth Lawn Bowling Club is
receiving $11,000 to replace equipment and
maintain the quality of the lawn bowling green
and the Vanastra Curling Club is getting
$29,000 to replace ice making equipment.
are meeting the needs of groups that support our
rural communities. All of these groups improve the quality of
See VAN EGMOND, Page 2
Test wind tower giving Suncor some
troubles with transmitting local data
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
While it was erected at the end of
June, a test tower that will determine if
four country blocks of McKillop can
become a Suncor wind farm, has been
giving the energy company some
difficulties.
"We've been having a few problems,"
says Kolja Vainstein, a tenewable energy
engineer with Suncor Energy in Alberta.
While the 80 -metre tower is supposed
to transmit the data it's collecting to
Alberta by cellphone, problems with the
antenna have created the need for an
employee to collect the data by visiting
the site.
"It stores a lot of data - it measures the
wind direction, speed, temperature and
barometric pressure. But, someonti's had
to pick it up during the last few months,"
he says.
The tower was erected on the faun of
Christa Eckert, of Hydro Line Road and
if the data is favourable, a wind farm
could be a supplemental source of
income for close to 30 landowners in the
arca.
Farmers who live within the section of
McKillop that is bordered by Hydro Line
Road, Roxboro Line, Hensall Road and
Summerhill Road have been approached
by Suncor avid a number have signed
lease option agreements with the energy
company.
Farmers could make approximately
$10,000 a year for the acre or two of
land that will house a wind turbine.
Vainstein says the data needs to be
collected for the next two or three years
before a decision will be made but adds
that the test tower is showing local
Zoning
first
hurdle
cleared
for beef
plant
residents that Suncor is serious about its
plan to explore the option.
"Everyone's hoping it will turn out
since it's in everyone's interest," he says.
Steps that need to be completed before
a wind farm can begin include an
environmental sensitivity analysis,
looking at the local wildlife and
socioeconomic effects of the proposed
project.
"It takes a look at migratory bird
paths, whether there's any endangered
species in the area and whether we
should go ahead with it," says Vainstein.
As well, transmission studies must be
done, stakeholder meetings mpst be held
and permission must be sought from the
local government.
"There arc a lot of steps involved and
we've crossed a few small bridges so
far," be says.
By Susan Hundertmark
Expositor Editor
Huron East council
approved a zoning
amendment on Tuesday,
clearing the first hurdle for a
proposed beef packing plant
in Brussels.
"It's the first hurdle and the
biggest hurdle. Without the
zoning, we can't do much,"
said Mayor Joe Seili.
The amendment changed
45 acres (18 hectares) on
Newry Road and on the same
property of the Brussels
livestock yards from general
agriculture, restricted
agriculture and recreational
residential to agricultural
commercial -industrial -
special.
The new zoning category
includes a holding symbol
that will be removed by
council when it is satisfied
that conditions of a
development agreement will
be met.
While the amendment was
passed without much
comment by council, Seaforth
Coun. Joe Steffler said he
thought the situation was
"win-win, a no brainer."
Close to a dozen farmers
appeared at the Aug. 9
council meeting to support the
proposed development and
Clerk -Administrator Jack
McLachlan said council had
received more than 50 letters
of support.
Paul Nichol, manager of the
Huron Business Centre who is
involved in the writing of the
beef processing plant's
business plan, attended the
meeting as well.
Nichol said after the
meeting that planning is going
well and that he's seeing a lot
of enthusiasm both from the
public and from area beef
producers for the idea.
"We're starting with a fresh
plan. It's going to be state of
the art," he said.
Nichol said a similar plan
was floated 12 years ago
when a Toronto beef
processing plant looked into
relocating to Brussels but
added the timing wasn't right.
"The mentality has changed
with the BSE crisis.
Producers are eager to see it
happen and this needs to be
producer -driven," he said,
adding that 12 years ago,
producers could ship their
cattle to the United States
more easily.
"Brussels has one of the
major livestock sales barns in
the province and this is the
heart of beef country - it
makes a whole lot of sense,"
he said.
Seili said a meeting of
farmers and industry groups
was held Friday in Wingham
to continue planning the
business and feasibility plan.
Huron Federation of
Agriculture president Nick
Whyte attended the meeting
and said the more than 20
participants were feeling
See FARMERS, Page 5