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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-04-29, Page 1There's lots more on the inside... • Area donors give 259 pints 7 4 • Resort darters get their awards 13 • A Chorus Line is coming soon 15A • A8H is marking x. 30th event 18A RUMMAGE SALE CONVENERS — Shown with some of the toys at Wednesday's rummage sale are South Huron Hospital Auxiliary conveners Lillian Johns, Leone Brock, Alice MacLean and Gerry Gregus. Ames en's boc, is lacded in lake A boat identified as to two area men was found in Lake Huron Tuesdaymorning, and while the search for' the pair is continuing, the hope of finding them alive is fading. The boat was a 12 -foot aluminum one that Bill Deters, 28, of 310 Carling St., Exe, and Doug McKay, 32 of RR -2 Kippen, were seen in when they headed out onto the lake early Saturday morning. A child's lifejacket that w$ also identified as part of the contents of the boat in whicthe two headed out onto the lake around 6:30 a.m., was ... vered during a massive search of the lake on Monday. The two men weren't reported missing until Sunday afternoon after relatives discovered their pickup truck qs parked near Goderich harbour. A search was immediately commenced and lasteduntil r, about 9:00 p.m. on Sunday and then went back into full swing on Monday and Tuesday. The boat was found eight kilometres south of Bayfield, some 180 metres from the shore. The lifejacket had been Ifound floating 15 kilometres offshore about 25 kilometres northwest of Grand Bend. Daters is a bachelor transport driv his wife, Leanne, have three childre McKay and Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Sixteenth Year & North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, April 29, 1987 Price Per Copy 60 Cents Town taxes tentatively set Exeter ratepayers won't know for certain until next week how much their taxes will increase this year, but right now it appears that the boost will be 7.41 percent for public school supporters and 8.36 for their separate school counterparts. Despite two Lengthy budget sessions this week that council members thought had established this year's mill rate for general purposes, some problems arose when Clerk Liz Bell attempted to follow their guidelines and there is still one revenue. item that has not been determined. When budget deliberations opened at Tuesday's regular session, Reeve Bill Mickle facetiously presented a motion that council set the general rate increase at six percent and that the Clerk sort out how that was to be undertaken. That motion drew some laughter, before council set about in a lengthy discussion on the various budgets presented by the town departments. As congeniality started to disap- pear near midnight, Mayor Bruce Shaw called a halt to further debate and council agreed to reconvene on Thursday to finalize the matter. After debate on the rec centre re- quirements consumed most of that meeting, Clerk Bell jolted members back to reality by explaining that the figures they had before them for the entire town's needs represented a 17 percent mill rate increase. Ironically, Shaw brought the mat- ter to a head by presenting an idea that was similar to Mickle's when he recommended that council drop plans to put $59,000 into various reserve funds and that the rate increase then be set at six percent. His cohorts quickly and unanimous- ly approved that plan of attack, but Clerk Bell found it easier said than done when she tackled the job on Monday. Even by dropping the proposed reserve fund expenditures, she couldn't get the general purposes hike down below 8.9 percent and had to re- WAKEMEMMENNittaittagOMMEMOKINIMMFAMMINEFEMMMSikitS Complain about. levy Exeter council voted this week to join other area municipalities in com- plaining about the increase in levy from the Ausable Bayfield Consetya- tion Authority. The town's levy tor 1987 has been set at $13,479 compared to last year's $11,157. In broaching the subject, Councillor Gaylan Josephson said he did not question the work the Authority does, but;noted that the increase was about 20 ercent. mayor Bruce Shaw said the town prffbably had no choice but to aecept the levy, although clerk Liz Bell said there may be a mechanism to appeal. Reeve Bill Mickle joined Josephson in presenting a motion to register the town's concern over the increase and it was endorsed unanimously. open talks with Shaw on Tuesday morning as to the course of action to be taken. It was finally decided that the in - .come side of the budget would show a $27,500 figure that will either come from a supplementary grant from the ministry of transportation and com- munications or it would be sup- plementary taxes raised through new construction projects being under- taken already and those envisioned for the balance of the year. That brought the percentage in- crease down to 6.9 percent for general purposes and that's what council w111 be asked to consider at their regular meeting on Monday. Combined with the county and educational levies that take the total tax increases up to those already outlined, it means that a home assess- ed at $3,000 will have taxes 01$10g7 for 1987, compared to $938 last year. That's for public school supporters and the figure this year for the separate school ratepayers will be slightly higher. Taxes on a $4000 assessment would be $1343.. The total mill rate is expected to be 335.37 for public school residential and 338.45 for separate school. The com- parable rates for commercial proper- ties will be 395.5 and 398.18 mills respectively. The county rate for Exeter has jumped 10.7 percent, while public elementary and setondary are up 5.6 and 4.8 respectively. The separate elementary is increased by eight per- cent and the new. mill rate for the separate secondary is 73.37 mills and is a nt�itry due to the provincial fundin Catholic high schools. "�..x>. n. � :.. ..:. ..T a.r�_ '�". ':��:'.:g:>;;:<i':^:73''i"i;: `�':�r:L... � ., .. �.. X. :.:::c: yisw <: �"rr: a...����':i'�,>x-:,<::��.�«"c:'���, �....�s�<�<??iu.z�..�.::��.'�a�> r.�. ;�;,.:.:.: s.s:.�:��. �<��.<:����:�:: r�,e�.' . , �; . ;�s :�"�`��'��.���r <.;:.�wa FUTURE FIREFIGHTERS — During o recent visit to the Crediton fire hall, Stephen Central School students Rochelle Allen and Lisa Robertson don the appropriate gear. T -A photo Woman grabbed by knife,Welder A 19 -year-old man charged with grabbing a Centralia area woman, threatening her with a knife and tak- ing her car, has been remandedin custody. Matthew Gordon Davidson, no fix- ed address, appeared in Goderich court on Monday for a bailhearing over the armed robbery of June Essery, RR 1 Centralia, along with numerous other charges. Mrs. Essery arrived at her home on Thursday about 1:30 p.m. and notic- ed that a window was broken in the breezeway between her house and the garage. When she entered the home, the 59 -year-old woman was grabbed from behind and was asked if there were any guns in the house. She told her assailant there were none and offered him the keys to the car. The robber drove off in the 1982 Pontiac and was last seen eastbound on the Usborne-Biddulph Townline, but eluded a search by Exeter OPP and town police, Davidson was arrested on Friday by Goderich OPP while he was walk- ing along Highway 8. Police report that he pulled a knife out when con- fronted by the officers. The car taken from the residence of Bill and June Essery was located at the Hullet conservation area and had sustained scratches and a ripped front seat. Davidson was charged with taking $23 in cash from the?Essery residence and also faces numerous charges by the London Police Department. One of those charges stemmed from an incident in the city on Tues- day when two men ordered a driver off his bus at knifepoint but were unable to get the bus moving. Two pedestrians were subsequently ac- costed in separate incidents. Davidson faces a charge of posses- sion of stolen property, armed rob- bery and assault causing bodily harm from the London police. William Whatcott, 19, also of no fix- ed address, has been charged with ,robbery and three counts of assault with a weapon in the London incidents. Suspended drivers pay s1,000 Two men who appeared in Exeter court, Tuesday, were fined $1,000 each on charges of driving while their licences were under suspension. The fines were imposed by Justice of the Peace Karen Sturdy, who also added $3.75 in 'costs to the two fines. John Scott McPherson, 188 Colum- bia Drive, Huron Park, pleaded guil- ty to the charge, while Gregory B. Stilson, RR 3 Zurich, was tried in absentia after a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. McPherson was charged on December 7 after it was noted that his licence had been suspended on November 15 for a previous charge of driving while under suspension and default of fines. the court learned he had four previous convictions.. The Zurich area man was charged on January 2 after being involved in a collision that resulted in injuries. At the hospital, Stilson told police he didn't have his licence with him and a check revealed that it had been suspended for a period from August 29, 1986 through to March 1 of this year. He too had four previous convictions. Darryl T. McCann, 396 Edward St.. Exeter, was fined 8250 after pleading guilty to driving a vehicle in which li- quor was readily available. Ile was charged on April 4 when two part bot- tles an six full bottles of beer were found in his vehicle. He had six previous convictions for liquor violations. A similar charge was laid against Lee W. Hodgert, RR 1 Woodham. and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf in his absence. He was found guilty and fined $63.75. The charge was laid on December 23 when his pickup was stopped by police in a roadside check and open liquor was found on the front seat under a jacket. He had no previous record. A fine of $103.75, including costs, was levied against Michael R. Rit- chie, RR 2 Bayfield, who pleaded guil- ty to careless driving as a result of an accident on February 21. He was driving on concession 10-11 of Hay Township and on approaching a stop sign. hit a mail box and ended up in the ditch. He said he approach- ed the stop sign faster than he an- ticipated as he was talking with a passenger. John Castle, Dorchester. was fined $128.85 after being convicted on a charge of driving a vehicle using a licence plate other than the one issued for the vehicle. The charge was laid after he was involved in a collision on November 21 in Sty ,hen Township when he lost con' • of of his vehicle on a slippery road I it rolled over in e turn to page 3 Exeter buys industrial L.d There are a host of new owners of industrial property in Exeter. in fact every ratepayer now has an investment in 10 acres of vacant in- dustrial land on Highway 83 East as council voted unanimously to pur- chase the property for 8180,000 at their regular meeting, Tuesday. The land was purchased from Len Veri and has a 600 -foot frontage on the highway just east of Danbrie Mould- ed 'Plastics Ltd. in broaching the subject, Mayor Bruce Shaw noted that by had been asked by council to negotiate for two properties, both in the same general location. One was a fivetacre lot for $17,900 per acre and the other was the 10 -acre site. "With all the discussion we've had, what would you like to do?" Shaw asked council. "We've been talking about it for a long time", commented Deputy - Reeve Lossy Fuller in presenting a motion to purchase the 10 -acre site. Shaw announced that $90,000 of the purchase price will be due on May 1 of this year and the equal balance is to be paid on January 1, There will be no interest charged. Councillor Morley Hall questioned whether consideration should be given to a debenture on the property, but Shaw said that would take con- siderable time and it was the general feeling of council members that the purchase could be handled through the geperal budgets . The new town -owned land is servic- ed to its westerly boundary. Shaw said there were already four parties interested in purchasing por- tions of the land, while a strong pro - 116 ponent of the purchase, Reeve Bill Mickle said that he had been � tacted by a company earlier in the day and he had advised them in the affirmative that the town had pis n industrial land available. "We finally made the commitMent and I'm glad we did," commented Councillor Gaylan Josephson later in the meeting. Mrs. Fuller said she too was glad the town had finally purchased some industrial land "and along With Bill `tickle) the whole council will be PI( ,ed.,, , in the summer of 1985, council en- aursed a proposal to purchase 50 acres of land from Ted and Donna Jones west of the CNR tracks. However, faced with gigantic ser- vicing costs, the proposal was even- tually dropped.