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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1983-01-05, Page 14 FU Vj o E 1- '- w 4— C‘ — Whitings Phone 235-1964 PUC ,writes .ff record dellnquentf accounts New commissioner Harry for known poor -risk residen- cash over the PUC counter. DeVries was welcomed to the tial consumers from the pre- The commissioners voted to • fust meeting of his three-year sent $45 to $100, with simple retain their $goo honorarium. term when the Exeter PUC interest at prime less three at the existing level for the met on December 30. percent to be paid on the next year, with no extra bill - The members approved -a deposit after six months. ing for special meetings. motion to write off un- The cost to customers of When engaged in PUC collected hydro bills of heating cable repair is also business they will continue to $1,761.10 and $589.66 in water going up, from a fixed amount claim for expenses only, charges, the highest amount of $35 to the actual cost of two although some commis - ever dealt with by the Com- menand the repair machine. sioners in other localities are mission. Manager Hugh Davis estimates the amount paid an extra per diem rate, Davis explained that some of could reach $200, and sug- and more for special the debts were due to gested the purchase of a meetings. The commis - bankruptcies, bit other non- baseboard heater would b(a sioners' last pay increase was paying customers had left less costly alternative. in 1980. tows. Davis commended the ac - He added that the PUC does curacy and efficiencyof his not give up; if someone who office staff. When the books left owing money returns, he were tallied at the end of the must pay the back bill plus a year, the bottom line showed security deposit before the' a shortage. of 90 cents on utilities are turned on again. revenues of •$1,901,738 which The commissioners agreed indluded, besides the bulk in to raise thesecurity deposit pheques, many bills paid in DeVries will attend a seminar for new commis- sioners in Toronto on February 2. The new Ontario fire code requires all fire hydrants to be flow -tested and then colour-coded according tosize of main feeding each hydrant. This will assitfiremen in determining how much water to expect from each. In case of a disaster, outside firema would' also know which hy�ants would best suit their n . Exeter's approximately 114 hydrants will get paint jobs next year. The installation of street lights on north Main Streetfrom Wellington to the bridge was completed within the past two weeks.. The contract to supply gas for PUC vehicles was award- ed td the Exeter Co -Op. Harper Detroit Diesel was given a one-year $840 service contract on the three standby generators at the substations now -that their warranty has expired. The Ontario Municipal Electric Association advised members that special presort postal rates for municipal utilities had been agreed to by the Canada Past Corporation. Davis anticipates' a • substantial grant to assist in the cost of heating the PUC • building. He has complied with the stipulation that electricity usage be metered for one year, and will submit his application at the beginning of the new year. NEW PUC COMMISSIONER — Chairman Murray Greene and new commissioner Harry DeVries study some of the commission's rules and regulations. Serving South Huron, North Middlesex A CHAIR RIDE Pat Hann uses the assistance of a chair in going skating with sons Geoffrey, Andrew and Bryce at Tuesday's moms and tots skating session at the South Huron kec Centre. 4 T -A photo • • • cessories like cut flowers for rthe table to. perk up their lifestyles. Although customers were more selec tive, she deemed 1982 a very good year. Ben Hoeeenboom claimed a fairly successful yehbegunti One Hundred and Tenth Year & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER. ONTARIO, January 5, 1983 Price Per Copy 50 Cents Past year required extra efforts Businessmen face '83 optimisticll January, named after the two -headed Roman god Janus, isa time to review the past 12 months, and attempt to peek through the curtain hiding thefuture. An informal poll of area merchants and businessmen showed most had either done as well asthe previous yeas of gained ground. This had been achiev- ed by tightening management practices and expending ex- tra effort to please customers. High interestrates were a boon or a bane, depending on one's point of view. Those whose money wass garnering 15 or 18 percent could afford little luxuries. Both Exeter jewelry stores reported an in -crease .in sales. Both Mike Anstett and EarlCampbell are optimistic the economy will improve, and 1983 will be a prosperous year. Flowers, too; though - not necessities, are a pleasant added touch., Joanne Dinney t'Cbuntry itlo cern 'found people were buying ac - Give businessman yea to meet zoning pOlicy In a split vote. Monday. Ex- eter council decided to give a local man 12 months to prove That the bus�i ess he plans ,to open.+ill npt`he in contraven- tion of local zoning bylaws. In the face •of opposition from three members. plus doubts:as to the legality of - their plan,-council.agreed to give perniission:to Hillcrest Drive resident Pat Knight to. Open a video movie outlet in the formfir Canadian- Fur- niture Restorers -building at 185.•Thames Road. West. The building is now owned by•Smith-Peat Roofing and is zoned as heavy industrial. in an 1112 area. • After a ,regular meeting: ---that lasted -less than half an hour. council Moved into dos- ed session to consider the ap- plication - from Star -Time Video. ' Mayor, Bruce . Shaw. who had earlier discussed the ap- plication. with Knight and building owner Bruce Peal. advised council that the business would include a warehousing ,opera lion. f Ile said retailing connected with a.warehousing opera ion . was permissible in the M2 zoning. ' When • asked by ,Deputy- Heeve' Lossy Fuller why building inspector • Brian Johnston had tint approved a building permit ,uid had turn- - ed the matter „�ei-tocouncil, Shaw said.that Johnston had ex(rressed conce'r'n that the business would hrr‘•e an em- phasis on retailing and would therefore be in contravention of the zoning. • , Bruce Peat then. appeared before council to explain the nature of the business and ad - that Knight hoped to est,ihlish a franchise system fur the distribution 'of home u.5 and computers. ` lie saki (hal Knight was �•'.rtainl> going tri be involved• ur retailing, but that it even- tually would he a small por-• tion of -the business. Noting that the computer business was one of the fastest growing, Councillor borothyJ'lineman said it was the type of business that "could take off" ' "Why go all the way to Ger- many when someone is rapp- ing on the door?" she asked in • originally supporting the idea of permitting (he business to operate from th r•Industrial zone • - However. freshman council member Bill Rose asked if there was any reason why Knight was not on hand to present council with informa- . tion on his,proposed business. He said it was important for council tohear the informa- tion first hand, anti not second hand from Inc man who was renting the building. Clerk Liz Bell was then ask- ed to phone Knight to see if he was available to meet with council and he soon appeared at the meeting to outline his plans. • Please turn to page 2 year avmg cu ting out extra frits, watching the pennies, and belt -tightening over the past three years. The recession worked to the benefit of Griff Thomas' fur- niture store in Grand Bend. The past year was "a total success, the best I've, ever had', due in large part to r eft • WIND DAMAGES SIGN -- The extremely high winds of December 28 damaged the sign over the Victoria and Grey Trust office on Main Street and it was removed. Above, Brian O'Neil of Huron Pork and acting Sgt. Kevin Short attempt to tie down a portion of the sign. T -A photo Norsemen hurl In spill Two . area • harness horsemen suffered injuries in a spill during the seventh race a( the -Western Fair Friday night. t : • A spill .on the backstretch shortly after the start created a chain reaction accident which eliminated five of the eight horses, sent two drivers to St. Joseph's Hospital and ,left another with a sore shoulder. Only three horses finished. Larry DeCaluwe, from Lucan, was the most serious- ly injured, suffering three fractured ribs, a badly bruis- ed shoulder and hips, as well as anorted scrapes and abrasions. Al Kennedy, of Centralia, had a cracked collar bone and a separated, right shoulder, while McKeen escaped with a bruised right shoulder and a sore left toe. Ile drove in the eighth and ninth races, but was out of the money in both. .DeCaluwe and Kennedy were released from hospital after. treatment, but neither will he driving for awhile. The mishap occurredwhen Crawford McKeen's horse, One Sharpe Drive, choked down and she hit. DeCaluwe, ,driving favored .Wilma Ily. .Shadows Eternal; with Jon Adlington driving, and Goal . Friday. Bear,_driven h DonMiller, then tangled, but without going clown. One Sharpe Drive started galloping the wrong way on the track. then suddenly veered into the locked, steel - mesh paddock gate. There was enough spread hetes: c Ire the wings of the gate and e was able to slip through into an area adjoiningthe paddock office. Fortunately none of the horses was severely hurt, although they had a number of bruises, scrapes and cuts. The race was won by,. Highland Chip. , spending by: American • tourists and high gas prices that kept Grand Bend citizens home shopping in their own town, he said. - On the other hand, 1982 was a slow year for farm equip; ment dealers. Harry Van Gerwen„Exeter Farm Equip- ment, pinpointed the basic problem: the farmer -is not being paid enough for his product. More money was spent on parts and servicing, and less on new machinery. Farmers already coninaitted to previous purchases at high in- terest rates were reluctant to go deeper into dept. Jack Van Bussel at Huron Tractor noted a little more confidence in December, and all the dealers hope for a better year in 1983. The three Hensall-'based mills are a fairly reliable agribusiness barometer. Co -Op manager Earl Wagner said Lr,.r' f l year, which ended in Julyywas the best they ever had. However, with low commodity prices, he- expects next year to be very_ competitive, and tough for farmers unless they. get more for what they produce. 'Lloyd Whitesell, Thomp- son's general manager, said his company had a "pretty good. year", but- termed the present agricultural situation grim, 'and said in 1983 a greatdeal would depend on what happened in Chicago. He foreseesa change in local • cropping practices if,comodi- !y prices stay low. Speaking for Cooks, Bill Harvey said his company took in a record quantity of - white beans .in 1982. He predicts quality will be the top priority of producers, dealers and the marketing board in the coming year. He foresees another dough year for agriculture, but advises "if you haven't sold the farm. don't." Harvey thinks the price of corn and soybeans might improve in the spring, but the discouragingly low price for edible white beans will not change'appreciably. "We will need to depend more on what we can do for ourselves as an industry rather than rely on the short- term promises and fickleness of government", he commented. Jerry McLean. owner of Radio Shack, an automotive supply business and a hard- ware store, had a good, average year for which he credited extra effort and - employee support. He foresees little change in economic conditions until 1984. Hardware merchandisers in Exeter, Zurich. ltensall, Grand Bend Lucan'indechoed McLean. Glen Fisher had not expected any gains, as his• store had been closed for renovations for two months. Bill Smith in Hensall spent some of his store's profits on installation of a burglar - detection system after two break-ins. - Robert Davis in Lucan and Doug Kincaid,ip Zurich said "things began to roll" in December.. Canadian Tire's Gerry Walker and Stedriian's Jim Ross both reported increased sales in 1982. Walker expects 1983 to he a good year, and hopes to improve the physical _facilities in his establishment. Ross is budgeting for a fur- ther 10 percent increase in 1983, • Relative newcomers to the local business scene were also pleased with 1982. Jac- queline's Linda Finkbeiner experienced an excellent year, as did Mary Jane Taylor at Something Special. • Noel Veri . at the Flower Pedlar; which opened in 1980„ said business this year was double last year's. • BECOMES Q.C. Exeter lawyer Robert Deane was among the 100 named queen's counsel on Friday by Ontario Attorney - General Roy McMurtry. The designation is for distinguished law and com- munity work. Ruth Zielman, who has operated a flower shop in Zurich for two years, said this year she ordered less and sold it all. Doug Oesch, owner of Tastynu shops in Seaforth and Zurich, claimed a successful' year for the Exeter store he took over last year from l,'rs- mans, and believes 1983 will be as good or better than this year. Referring to `the hotels in Dashwood and Lucan, Phyllis Johnson said it is difficult to give a complete picture yet of the Shilelagh in Lucan; it changed owne hip in August, and the plwing match SET PENALTY The interest penalty on overdue accounts . was established by Exeter council this week. It calls . for a monthly charge of one and a quarter percent interest on delict ueht accounts, or 15 percent per annum. A RARE EVENT — Tom Schmidt, representing the Funk Seeds Division of Ciba- Geigy Seeds Ltd., presented a plaque to Adrian Bayley, v/p of Agripress Canada Ltd., in recognition of the agricultural advertising agency's stellar performance during a marketing campaign for Funk corn, The presenfotion.in the Agripress boardroom was attended by the Agripress personnel who had worked on the ac- count. In reply, Bayley said this was the first time in the 13 -year history of the. agency that a client had made o special effort to say thank you. Seek business venture to use government funds LEAP (Local Employment Assistance Program) in Ex, eter has come toa temporary halt, .and is appealing to the community for help. The project was initiated in May 1981 by David and Jan Werrett, owners of Semi -Fab, the Exeter workshop for the handicapped, and Port Franks businessman Steve Town. They submitted a proposal to (he federal ministry of manpower and immigration to study the feasibility of set= ting up a business to, employ single, sole -support women, many of whom are presently existing on unemployment in- surance or welfare. Permission was granted, and the Woods Gordon con- sulting firm was hired to con- duct the study. Their proposal to start up a company to build window screens hit a snag with the discovery another firm produces. 85 percent of the screens made in Canada, and the government will not PLOW DAMAGED ' White most area municipalities escaped major snow removal costs during the latter part of 1982. Exeter wasn't mite as fortunate. • Despite only being called ottt on one occasion to plow snow. local ratepayers will have to pay an extra hill .of $800 for the servic.e. During a mid-December snow removal trip, the plow hit a catch basin and did con- siderable damage tCr the machine. support a new enterprise that unfairly competes with an ex- isting one. • During the six-month feasibility study Exton In- dustries was set up with board chairman Steve Town, secretary Verna Gingerich, treasurer Jan Werrett, board members Donna Glanville and Marjorie llodgert and Leap project manager Jan Werrett, project secretary Marie Beaver and project of - firer Terry Fenn. Reluctant to let 18 months of work go down the drain, ' board members are appeal- ing to the community for ideas and suggestions for a Tabour -intensive, viable enter- prise that Exton Industries can develop in Exeter. A $30,000 capital Invest- ment and up to $350,000 per year in deficit financing for three years is available to a government -approved project. Town and Mrs. Werrett met with Mayor Bruce Shaw in late December, and with Ex- eter's Industrial Develop- ment Committee last night. Jan "later reported a good tur- notit. She said the .iDC was very cooperative, in full agreement with LEAP's ,goals, and gave the pro- gram's representatives some ideas to pursue. "We shouldn't allow the op- portunity to pass without try- ing to tying this together, and build on what we already have rather than start at the, beginning again", Town said. "We're in the hall park for • ideas", Werrett added. LEAP has rented office space at Braemor Manor. Mrs. Werrett can be con- tacted at 235.0834. generated extra revenue the following month. She said business was•good at both locations in 1982 For some on the older established businesses, "hanging in thereV was the year's main goal. ob Din- nery of Dinney's rniture spoke for many when a said Please turn to ge 2 Less than minimum - A Crediton area woman was given a fine under the minimum due to her financial plight when she appeared in Exeter court, Tuesday. Annie Irene Blyde, -RR 2 Crediton, was -fined $250 on a charge of being othe owner Of •a vehicle which was operated without any insurance on December 4. _ The court learned the in- surance -on . the Vehicle- ex- pired on November 23 and due to the fact her husband was out of work and his unemploy- ment • insurance benefits didn't arrive on time, they were unable to renew the policy. The vehicle in quetion was enroute to a feed mill to pick' up feed foranimals when stopped by: police. Driver at the time was George Joseph Blyde. Justice of .the Peace D.W. Wedlake . noted the ex- tenuating . circumstances in handing down his. fine. The minimum fine - in such charges is $500. He also gave the accused 120 days in.which to pay and placed her on probation for six months, in which time she is to be of good behaviour, keep the peace aad no! com- mit any similar offence. In the only other case, Mr. Wedlake handed -down a deci- sion of guilty fo the case against Frantis D. Dunphy, Parkhill, who .was charged with careless driving on September 22 when the truck .he was driving was in colli- sion with a train at the Huron St. crossing in Exeter. Dunphy was fined $128 and given two months in which to .pay. 5r LEAP EXECUTIVES -- Board chairman Steve Town and treasurer Jon Werrett display a local ,Employment Assistance Program sign. Local Employment Assistance Program NW ammo d aide b la creation locale demplois Report one collision; no impaired charges The Exeter ()PP in- vestigated only one collision during the New Year's holi- day period and report that no drivers were charged with impaired driving. ThaMne crash occurred on December 31 at 4:35 p.m., when a vehicle driven by Clair Haskell, RR 5 Clinton, went 'out of 'control 'on Highwaa,y 4 just north of Ex- eter and hit a tree.. The driver and his passenger, John Haskell, sus- tained Minor injuries. Damage was listed at $3,000.