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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2009-11-25, Page 2as Int b.% 'i;J`(4 ;y.•4. (•a...•t11 • .•.4*. •._01 nry• �! i.. Page 2 The Huron Expositor • November 25, 2009 News Ongoing vandalism has Seaforth couple at their wits' end From Page 1 On other occasions, lawn ornaments have been stolen, their truck has been broken into with the truck stereo and some prescription sun- glasses stolen. The most serious incident happened last August when their front door was kicked in and $7,000 of electronic equipment and six rifles were stolen from the house. That time, the police came and investigated and two lo- cal youth were charged and found guilty. But, the couple is frustrat- ed that the vandalism and theft just keeps on happen- ing. "There is a small element in town I call the drunken horde. They're loud and ob- noxious:. and they don't care about anybody," says McGil- very. "Seaforth is a really nice town but this is inces- sant." "I hate to point the finger at kids because I don't think that every teenager is a bad teenager," adds Beasse. • The total damage caused by the seven incidents goes into the thousands of dollars and the couple says it's hard to claim the losses to insur- ance when the individual incidents aren't that expen- sive. They also complained to town hall and were told by the clerk -administrator that he'd ask the Huron OPP to increase their presence in town. Both Beasse and McGil- very are at their wits' end and don't know what to do. "We've thought two or three times about putting our house on the market and getting out. We've also joked about putting infra red sensors on the house and a SWAT team on the roof," says McGilvery. Const. Joanna Van Mierlo, of the Huron OPP, says that while , she un- derstands the frustration of the couple, such incidents are difficult for police to deal with. "They requested patrols and we did pa- trol but we couldn't find any groups of kids," she says, add- ing that even if they did, there's little the police can do without evidence tying some- one to the incident. The Hog Industry Loan Loss Reserve Program �4 \ f .,yX rffy'7•, sa :t. •c, y� The Hog Industry Loan Loss Reserve Program assists pork producers in dealing with immediate liquidity pressures by providing Tong -term loans to hog operations. To be considered for a loan under the program, hog producers must provide a business plan to a participating financial institution which demonstrates that their business can be viable and has a reasonable prospect of repaying the loan. Eligible producers are individuals, partnerships, corporations and cooperatives that currently contribute to hog production in Canada. Applications will be accepted until March 1, 2010. However, producers are encouraged to present their business plan to a participating financial institution before the deadline to ensure access to government backed funding. For more information: Call 1-877-842-5601 Visit agr.gc.ca/HILLRP I4pNI Agriculture and Agriculture et Agri -Food Canada Agroalimentaire Canada Canada yd• _..i �.�....• _ ... ,.--.. Mierlo. Beasse and McGilvery are both involved in Scouts and are frustrated that there aren't more activities for teenagers in Seaforth which might prevent such vandal- ism from happening. "The town could rent one of the empty storefronts and invite the youth to come and contribute what they want the space to look like," suggests Beasse. "They could get .a Trillium grant and hire staff to run it from '6 p.m. to midnight every night," adds McGilvery, add- ing g>r that drop- in centres for youth in Mitch- ell and Kincar- dine are very successful. They say it's possible other homes are also being targetted and wonder if it's necessary to form a Neigh - •4 Ve resort times about putting our house on tai+ market and getting out. •.'{.f'i,✓moi%ff.,� ./,.;£l4fl•Si We've also joked about)ri putting • pa red sensors''' the house and a SWAT team on the roof,'-- Alex McGilver She adds that it's important to re- quest that an officer come to your house when you make a call to the police if that's what you want since the police are very busy. "We get plenty of calls about people wandering the streets at night but it's like finding a needle in a haystack. Each in- cident on its own is very difficult 'to solve," she says. Van Mierlo says in- stalling outside lighting to dissuade anyone from skulking around at night and video cameras to pro- vide evidence for police might both be helpful. "I know it's frustrat- ing and I can see why they're ready to pull their hair out," says Van • bourhood Watch program in Seaforth. They also wonder how par- ents don't notice that a doz- en eggs are missing from the refrigerator or wonder where their kids are wandering at night. "There needs to be a town response so kids have an op- portunity to do things that are healthy," says McGil- very. Van Mierlo says she's un- certain about whether Sea - forth has more incidents of mischief and vandalism than other communities in Huron County. "It could be on par or a little higher - it's certainly there. You often hear of youth com- plaining there's nothing to do and sometimes creating your own fun means doing something at someone else's expense," she says. •