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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1985-10-02, Page 1504 PER COPY Occupant escapes before home gutted An Exeter man narrowly escaped from his bedroom before it was engulfed with (lames that destroyed his residence early Wednesday morning. Mike Seddon, brother of the home's owner, was awakened by the sound of an explosion and awoke to find the house at 175 Andrew St. S. filled with smoke and flame. He managed to crawl out the bedroom window to safety. "He was very fortunate to get out," commented Fire Chief Gary Mid- dleton, who explained the man was lucky he had closed the bedroom door before retiring for the night. Middleton said the fire, which was reported at 1.04 a.m., was believed to have started in the kitchen area. He speculated the explosion which awoke the lone occupant may have been the television set. The fire chief set damage to the home at $25,000. Seddon had trouble awakening nearby residents to get the alarm turned in. However, three calls were received at the fire hall from neighbors. The home is owned by Steve Sed- don, Stratford. Exeter firemen responded to another call around 11:00 a.m. the same day at Parker's apartments on Edward St. There was no damage. A faulty furnace precipitated the call. During the same afternoon, the har- ried firemen were actively involved in the town's mock disaster. CAN BE LAZY The squirrels in MacNaughton Park won't have to worry about stor- ing up their larder for the upcoming winter months. Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller advis- ed council this week that the Exeter BIA had agreed to spend $500 to feed the squirrels. The feeding program will be con- ducted by local residents Bill McLean and Stu Homuth. ILDERTON QUEEN — Margaret Giles was crowned Queen of the 1I- derton Fair Friday night. At the right is runnerup Charlene Plantinga. a, ILDERTON FAIR OFFICIALS — Riding in Saturday's Ilderton Fair parade were president Jack Moir and ladies president Seiko Van Steeg. In the front is London -Middlesex MPP Doug Reycraft who of- ficially opened the fair. T -A photo Encouraging news over Hay's water Hay township Reeve Lionel Wilber doesn't dare get his hopes too high that a water system along Highway 21 may soon become a reality, but is encouraged after a meeting in Toron- to with Jim Bradley, provincial minister of the environment on Wednesday. • Wilder headed a delegation that in- cluded Hay Councillors Claire Deichert and Murray Keys, clerk . Joan Ducharme, consulting engineer Burns Ross, and Norman Heights cot- tage owners Darryl flanks and Bill Jack, president of the Norman Heights Cottage Owners Association. The meeting with the environment minister had been arranged by MPP Jack Riddell. Endorse plea from farmers Exeter council have endorsed a resolution calling on the Ontario government to grant immediate emergency assistance to the red meat producers of the province. The action was taken as a result of a communication from the Huron County Pork Producers Association which noted that Ontario producers are unable to compete with the heavi-. ly subsidized farmers in other pro- vinces . "Our farmers suffer while other provinces encourage continued ex- pansion and over production." the pork producers explained. Chairman Ross Eedy, RR I Dungannon. said the situation is "critical" in Huron County. not only to farmers, hut to related businesses. "As farmers we are not asking for special treatment. we are just seek- ing equality." he said, advising that as farmers are forced reit of business so too will many of the businesses with which farmers deal. In supporting the resolution, Coun- cillor Morley Hall suggested a letter be also sent to the federal govenment asking for a reduction in the amount of beef imported into Canada. Councillor Gaylan Josephson said Ontario farmers are on the short -end of the stick when compared with those in other provinces. "Wouldn't it he worthwhile, to en- courage our representatives to get subsidies reduced elsewhere?" ques- tioned Mayor Bruce Shaw. Don Winter responded that would perhaps be a better idea in that it would be a matter of lowering the water. rather than raising the bridge. Comparing this meeting with a previous plea to the former Conser- vative government, Wilder said the questions this time seemed more "in- depth", and reception to the answers more sympathetic. Wilder asked for either a 100 percent government loan guarantee or a subsidy. He pointed out that facilities have beenprovided at the waterworks plant north of Grand Bend so Hay residentswith undrinkable water may obtain a portable supply, Riddell has promised to supply the minister with a sample of the water that is the source of so many complaints. The municipality is asking for a loan guarantee as Wilder does not want to jeopardize the township's bor- rowing capacity in case money is needed for some other capital expen- diture. At present Hay can not borrow more than $75,000, and a new water pipeline is estimated to cost over two million. however. the costs would be recoverable from the affected proper- ty owners. Bradley has promised a decision by the end of October. BEST FAIR CLOWN Joshua Bice was the best clown in Saturday's Ilderton Fair parade. T -A photo %i' %x9c:>4i3l:f Ames Interior of Seddon home gutted by fire early Wednesday Serving South Huron, North Middlesex ::llllllllla• ti::Jl L : k ... One Hundred and Thirteenth Year dvocate & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, October 2, 1985 Price Per Copy 50 Cents Homes for hondicapped c�uid be going to court Indications are that the courts will have to decide whether two new group homes for the mentally handicapped will be built at the corner of George and Andrew in Exeter. About 60 property owners in the north-east corner of town have retain- ed the services .of Lerner & Associates, a London law firm, to help in their battle against the group homes being built in --their neighborhood. Sandra M. Mitic, one of the firm's lawyers, attended Tuesday's session of council accompanied by about 15 residents of the area to advise that they would, if necessary, take the matter to the courts. A letter from another of the firm's lawyers, Mary Anne Sanderson, was tabled at the meeting. "If it is the intention of the Town to allow the building of a group home for the developmentally handicapped at the corner of George St. and Andrew St:, please be advised that our clients intend to take the position that any such building would be illegal as Bad news from bids Members of the Exeter PUC were shocked when tenders to replace water mains at the intersection of Highways 4 and 83 were opened at the Commission's regular September meeting. The lowest figure, from Area Con- struction Inc., Strathroy, was $71,061 for a job the local utility had estimated would cost no more than $45,000. The other two bids were $72,144 from Omega, London. and $97,979 from Lavis Construction in Clinton. After discussing various options, the Commission approved a motion by Mayor Bruce Shaw that the money already budgeted be invested as a reserve for the replacement, more money added next year. and the work be retendered early in February. In an innovative move, the Com- mission will be offering a reward if the person responsible for knocking off the fire hydrant at Main ands Walper in August is caught. convicted and all or part of the $3,000 cost of replacing the hydrant is recovered. A letter from the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority has informed the Utility that the total cost of inspec- tion and silt removal at the Exeter Dam will be $35,000. Assessment to the town and/or the PUC is *4.725. Shaw and PUC manager Hugh Davis agreed both departments benefit from the dam. and should share the costs. Shaw will bring the matter to the next meeting of Exeter council. The PUC's share of the *5.000 in- spection of Morrison Dam will be *675. Adding to the debit side of the ledger, Davis reported that total revenue fot the year is less than it was last year. despite a four percent water rate increase. Revenue from Cana- dian Canners, who represent 50 per- cent of the utility's commercial revenue, was down in August. Davis expects this month's figures may im- prove that picture. i MI substation transformers and two outside reclosers are being tested for PCB content. at a cost of *125 each. "If we have a blow-up, we'll know how to handle them". Davis explained. would be the granting of a building permit for same," Sanderson wrote. "If any application for a- building permit is made or under considera- tion, it is the intention of our clients to apply to a court of competent jurisdicalion for an order preventing the granting of the building permit. If a building permit is issued, an ap- plication will be brought seeking a declaration that the building permit is invalid and seeking an girder halting construction pending resolution of this issue." She asked that notification be received of any application for a building_ permit and advised that if such notice is not received and con- struction begins, "we will attempt to halt construction pending determina- tion of these issues, and will seek to be indemnified for, inter alia, the costs of any such application." Residents of the area have voiced their objection to the homes since be- ing advised of the plans of the South Huron and District Association for the Mentally Handicapped, South Huron Handicapped Services Inc. The Association reponded by saying that a group home would be built, with or without, the blessings of the neighbors. Under their current review of the official plan and zoning bylaws, coun- cil had passed a bylaw which they said would have allowed only one large group home to be built in the area. That bylaw -was subsequently rescinded in council's attempt to resolve the matter as it was believed - .that the existing bylaw of 1874 would. have permitted two smaller group homes more in keeping with the neighborhood and the wishes of the Association. Sanderson wrote that it was her view that bylaw #30-1578 would not permit the erection of a gruop home GOOD NEWS COMING? Doug Holmes, manager of the Hen- sall branch of the bankrupt General Home Systems Ltd. said when con- tacted Monday he could not yet say anything about the "positive" negotiations now taking place that will affect the future of the Hensall plant, but hopes to issue a statement later this week. in an area zoned or designated "institutional". Matic told council this week that a court would "look strangely" at coun- cil's handling of the situation. Mayor Bruce Shaw advised the lawyer that the new bylaw, which had been repealed, was part of the town's overall revamping of zoning bylaws and they had been advised by the , town's solicitor that they were on "shaky ground" with wnrdipin the, newbylaw as it appeared to be discriminatory. He also explained that council members were "in the middle" of the fight and had been advised by "the other side" ( Mentally Handicapped Association) that the latter would sue council if the project was denied. "We'll have to go ahead and be challenged in court," he advised, noting that neither side could proceed with action until such time as coun- cil took a step in one direction or the other. Later in the meeting, council pass- ed a bylaw entering into a develop- ment agreement with the Association for the erection of the two group homes. MEET THE TEACHER Parents of students of Exeter Public School hod o chance Tuesday night to meet their teachers. Above teacher Jane Brown chats with students Kim and Kelly Campbell and their mother Sandra. T -A photo Industrial land services Could b.e near half million Costs for providing services to the proposed industrial land the town is considering purchasing from Ted and Donna Jones would amount to about *10,000 per acre. That information was supplied this week by Bill Boussey of Huron - Middlesex engineering Ltd., Exeter. whose firm conducted a feasibility study on the 51 acres the town is con- sidering west of the CNR tracks bet- ween Wellington and Sanders St. The firm presented three different proposals with the servicing costs ranging 'from a low of $434,500 to a high of $483.000. The net area left for development is approximately 45 acres. Cost of the land, which council pro- poses to buy over a 10 -year period. would be about *5,000 per acre. Huron -Middlesex Engineering Ltd. listed several advantages to the pro- posed site. including its proximity to other industrial development in the area. gas. rail and vehicular accessibility. The firm proposes a 14 -inch water - main requirement at an expenditure of *100,000. For estimating purposes. they suggested a 50-50 split with the PUC on that cost. They explained that sanitary sewer servicing may be the most difficult due to some low areas in the propos- ed industrial subdivision. Extensive lot grading would be required if the majority of the site is to be serviced with sanitary sewers. Open ditches would he used for storm sewers. A ridge near the cen- tre of the site would require that a portion of the storm drainage he to the north and the balance to the south. In concluding the report. the firm emphasized that the costs outlined were approximate only and would de- pend on the types of industry at- tracted. sanitary sewage flow, capacity of sewer outlet. size of lots, road layout. lot grading and the Cost sharing arrangements with the PUC. The report was turned over to a special committee of Mayor Bruce Shaw. Reeve Bill Mickle and Deputy - Reeve Lossy Fuller. They are to make recommendations regarding the proposed purchase in the very near future.