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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1988-07-20, Page 1Ames Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Seventeenth Year dvocate & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, July 20, 1988 Price Per Copy 60 Cents REPAIR WATERMAIN - PUC employees were quick to repair a beak in the 14 -inch watermain on Main street at 6 p m., July 13, Above, Ron Moore and Vern Postill reach for the new pipe. Boundary dispute on hold • GRAND BEND - Members .of• the Village council here have the feeling that they're being sold up the river. Citing two blatantly conflicting Icttcrs from the -ministry of munic- ipal' affairs written just two months apart. Reeve Harold Green said Grand Bend was being treated unfairly. The problem revolves around boundary negotiations being con- ducted between the Villagcand Bo- sanquet Township. Grand Bend and ncgoua- tions have been at a stand .in fror the past year. The chief negotiator for Bosan- quct and opponent to the annexa- - tion, Reeve Fred Thomas, is also the warden for Lambton County. Grand Bend Council wrote to the ministry earlier this year to seek • assurance that Thomas was not in- fluencing the County over the boundary dispute." The ministry. wrote that there would be no inter- ference in the matter unless both - parties involved consented.. Last week, Green received a letter which stated that, due to the current restructuring of Lambton County,. the boundary issue between Grand Bend and Bosanquci will be frozen. The letter went on to say that a steering committee of • five people will be established to bring the ne- gotiations to a conclusion. One of the members of the steer- ing committee. is Fred Thomas. Green confronted the County and ' the ministry with thc conflicting letters in hopes of salvaging a fair ruling last week.- Lambton eek.Lambton County planner Mal- calm Boyd spoke out against Grand Bend's stand Monday, noting that Thomas wai acting as warden of thc county and not as reeve of Bosan- quct. - "1 see the warden as taking the high road on this and I've never seen him talk to (County) Council about these boundary negotiations be- tween Bosanquct and Grand Bend," Boyd said Monday Boyd explained it was the Mini- ster of Municipal Affairs; John Ea- • kins who put a hold on the bounda- ry negotiations in response to a re- quest made by County Council in February. Restructuring in Lambton has be- come a delicate issue. County Council is trying to bring the city of Sarnia into the county as pain- lessly as possible. Sarnia, however, is asking for a third of the county's total assessment -- a move which would leave Lambton County poor according to Boyd. The boundary adjustment freeze has been imposed to remove any further complications, Boyd saki. The county planner added that the steering committee was not set up to resolve the Grand Bcnd - Bosan- quet boundary dispute and he went so far as to say he didn't think the committee would even address the issue. The ministry has asked the steering committee to come up with a general document only, Boyd maintains, a "frame -work" for re- structuring. .. Thomas was unavailable for com- ment. To establish mini -mall on former Sherwood prbert p Y developer will be providing spaces for up to 40 vehicles. - - The contractor is K -Mac Con- struction of London. Two houses on the property have been demo- lished. Construction is gxpected tb start The, former Massey Ferguson shortly on a new -"development on dealership office and workshop pro - the former Sherwood Exeter Limit- vides 4,500 square feet in existing cd property at the north-west comer floor space and 3,264 square footage of Main and Wellington streets. comes in the new building. • Exeter council passed a bylaw Monday night toentct; into a devel- . It is expected five stores will be opmcnt agreement with. Farnham established in a mini -mall in the An original application to include Development Corporation forthecombined floor space of 7,764 a gas bar in the development was re- constuction of one new building to square feet. While regulations call jected by planning board and council go with thc existing structure. for at !cast 24 parking spaces, the some time ago. NOT BORING A day in a doctor's life Page 3 ECCLESIASTICAL Furnish churches from coast to coast Pages New senior facility GODERICH A $1Q million seniors care facility at Clinton's Huronview will replace t4 institu- tion -like . nstitu-tion-like. complex which has housed the county's frail and elder- ly since 1894, Huron County Council agreed last week. The report of the county's Sen- iors Care Facility Committee, ac- cepted overwhelming at Thursday's meeting, calls for the first phase, two, 80 -bed units, to be built at Huronview as soon as feasible. Later, a similar 80 -bed unit will be built to serve residents in the north, while a third in the. south . would be addedwhen required.. Council gave its executive com- mittee, which was to meet again this morning, the go-ahead to act on the report and set up appropriate. financing. That committee also won ap- ,proval to look at the feasibility of moving the county's administra- tion offices from the -Goderich Courthouse building to the Huron - view buildings most of which would be abandoned once the new seniors facility is erected. Goderich Reeve and Deputy- Rceves Harry Worsell and John Doherty, and Harry Township Reeve Lionel Wilder were the only votes against the motion in a re- corded vote. Wingham Reeve Bruce Machan was absent. All - others were in favor. "Goderich has always been more - or -less the hub of Huron County. I think this would be a step back- wards," said Dohcrty. Exeter Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller, who chaired the. facility committee said after the meeting that shewas delighted by both de- cisions, which the executive com- mittee can now address together. -"Isn't it great" she said. "I'm very happy" Warden Robertitell'also said the two, "closely -linked" matters could „ow be treated as one by the com- mittee. "It's got to bepresentedto council as a package deal, I would think." Huronview, as itexists now, was described at the meeting and in the report as an outdated facility which must be either renovated or replaced due to firc and health haz- ards. "Huronview's sprawling structure is typical of institutions built in the '50's. Huronview, as we know - it now, is in need of change," the report states. The proposed complex would probably be based on the town - square concept common in many re- cently -built seniors facilities, Fuller and dignity of its residents, the re- port said. : - - A choice of private or semi- private rooms, with -attached bath- rooms and optional telephone and television, would be available. An Alzheimer's unit, with thera- peutic garden will also be included, as will a daycare service, respite care and other amenities such as a hair salon, store, 24-hour call, and medi- cal and dental services depending on funding. - Community and Social Services said. Ministry officials at last week's The building would replace the in- council meeting confirmed that the-- stitutional concept, with one which- provincial government's 50 percent .respects the privacy, individuality Please turn to page 2 join �y aTo a e uit .y pIan - The executive committeeis rec- ommending a policy to' be used in the future for the dedication and naming of streets and parks -in the town. Criteria to be used will include . having names of historical signifi- cance, reflect town heritage, be fam- ily names of people who have con-- trib-uted significantly to the development of quality of life of the town and public input be accepted. The final responsibility of nam- ing all streets and parks -shall re- main the responsibilty of council. A request from the Exeter Villa - for a .generator and water in the event of an emergency will bc an- swcred with the assistance of the. - works superintendent and fire chief. Rebates will be made to four Ex- eter minor sports groups with -the understanding that the monies go back to the Exctcr registrant. - - Council will be sending letters with the cheques requesting that the monies be returned to the parents and not used to reduce this year's -budget. The amounts are minor hockey $5,483; figure skating $2,354; pre- cision skating $735 and ringettc $187. - The executive committee of Ex- eter council has recommended the town join the AMO Pay Equity Program to develop a pay_ equity plan as set out in provincial legis- lation. Cost to the municipality is $2,000, less 10 percent because of the number of Huron county mu- nicipalities using the AMO ser- vice. The next step is -to form a Job Evaluation Committee. The committee will ask Election Returning Officer Liz Bell to make - incumbent members of council and the general public aware of their obligations under the Municipal Elections Act in respect to filing of registration forms on or before nomination day. - Candidates will now be required to report campaign contributions as well as spending and to file the required forms after the election as set out in the Elections Act. As Exeter now has its own plan- ning consultant who makes recom- mendations to the Planning Advi- sory Committee, only those documents that are a requirement of the Planning Act be circulated to the County of Huron Planning De- partment. Prime minister plans visit to op -en Goderich harbour Prime Minister Brian Mulroney will be visiting Huron County on Thursday, July 28 and he will be mixing business with pleasure, The business portion of the trip will be to offi- cially open the Goderich Harbour at 10.30 am. From there, it's on to the Business Air Services hangar at the Goderich airport for a family luncheon. It begins at 11.45 amt.- with Mulroney along with his wife Mila and Huron -Bruce MP Murray Cardiff and his wife Betty as hosts and hostesses. Admssion to the affair is free and lunch will bc pro- vided fora small charge. Everyone is welcome. Delay setting impost fee rates EXETER - Exctcr council Mon- day night returned a recommenda- tion from an ad hoc committee to set impost fees on development in town. An council members were in fa- vour of the recommended fee struc- ture , but wanted more clarification of other issues. The rates suggested were $750• for a single family dwelling, $500 for Multiple R2 and $400 for Multiple R3. All im- post fees would be based on per dwelling unit. Debated by council were the clauses that called for impost fees being payable as a conditon of zone change increasing density. that 30 to 40 percent be placed to reserve for future servicing and having future impost fees not ne- gotiable in - any special arrange- ment. Councillor' Dorothy Chapman said she felt impost fees should be paid when building' permits are granted. She continued, "This pro- posal does not go far enough. There should be a clause for high water users in commercial and in- dustrial areas." Reeve'Bil1 Mickle commented, " The proposal needs some clarifica- tion. We probably interpret their ideas differently." About reserve funds Mickle added, " Down the road grants for water and sewers may .not be she same as they are now." Deputy reeve Lossy Fuller added, " I don't see -anything wrong with using these reserve monies for FAIR QUEENS Seven vie for Zurich Fair title Page 8 smaller projects such as sidewalks." 'Also a member of the impost committe, councillor Ben Hoogcn- boom said he was more concerned with the need for another pumping station than the sewer capacity. Ile went on to say, " I think our lagoon can handle up to SAX) persons, but a pumping station could cost as much as 5300,000." lloogcnboom agreed to take the additional guidelines back to his group and come up with a proposal satisfactory to council CRAIG GRAND MARSHALS - Shown ready for Saturday's parade Gala Days in Ailsa Craig 'are Grand Marshals Marg and Hill Stewart. - RHAPSODY ON ICE Kathy Merner to skate down under Page 1A FARM SAFETY Prevention is • the best policy Page 10A, 11A at