Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1987-09-30, Page 3To add four buildings, more rooms and facilities Development to transform Oakwood A $1.5 million development project is transforming Grand Bend's Oakwood Inn into the larger. resort facility that the village needs, accor- ding to Oakwood owner Dave Scatcherd. The demolition of two cabins has made way for the addition of four in- terconnected buildings constructed in the panabode style with cedar logs as the main building material. Two of the buildings will house a total of 30 winterized rooms for guests. At present, only 20 of the inn's 37 rooms are insulated and heated for winter use. The other two buildings will accom- modate an indoor swimming pool, a jacuzzi, a blliards room, a fitness room, new office space, and new en- tranceway for the inn: something which is lacking in the present facility. Scatcherd stressed the importance of the winterized units in his plan to make the resort an indispensable part of Grand Bend's hopes to become a year-round attraction. "We're full every weekend for cross-country skiing," said Scatcherd about the inn's capacity to attract winter visitors. He beleves that Grand Bend has become an alternative to travelling up north in both summer and winter, citing heavier traffic and less travel time available to the average vacationer. Oakwood may also offer an alter- native for accommodation to business travellers visiting Grand Bend or Ex- eter who previously had to stay in ; TK London, Scatcherd suggested. Oakwood presently attracts 30,000 golfers alone to Grand Bend each year. • Scatcherd also expressed pride in his efforts to spend as much of the $1.5 --million within the immediate arelt;. "The important thing is, that local people are going to work on this job. All the products are going Co be local. The only thing that'll be coming from out of town are the cedar logs from Vancouyer." General Manager Leo Ducharme confirmed that the clay -tile look-alike roofing inaterial is Onduline, distributed by Andex in Exeter. Nevertheless, despite the heavy price tag for the renovations, Scat- cherd does not want anyone to con- clude that he is transforming Oakwood into an u pscale high-priced resort. "No, you can have the country club and everything... this is not going to be that. This is open for everybody. As long as they treat it nicely, great." He has high hopes for Grand Bend's future and views his development as part of a larger turnaround in the village's fortunes. Grand Bend Councillor Marsha Lemon sees the new development in the village as a whole, a far cry from the situation a few years ago. "Let's be honest, '81 or '82 we were just begging for development," • Lemon said. "The proposals that we havenowwould not have been possi- ble without the sewer". She explained that the sewer tit EXPANSION Dave Scatcherd, owner of the Oakwood Inn Resort, surveys his $1.5 million hole which is making way for the expansion of the Inn. Thirty new rooms will be added to Oakwood along with on indoor pool and jacuzzi. Can't- set precedent Continued from front page wells the PUC assumed resonsibility for when the Hicks well was dug. On removing the pump in order to bail out the gravel, workmen discovered that the steel casing was riddled with holes, and this was where the gravel had come from, rather than seeping in from below. As the pump could not go back in a new well had to be dug nearby. This time concrete casings were used. The old well was filled in and plugged. A letter will be sent to MPP Jack Riddell, thanking him for recognizing the urgency of chlorinating the Hicks well, and assisting in the process of obtaining a grant of approximately $60,000 to pay part of the cost. Still thinking of water, Davis told the commission that the town will eventually need additional ground- water storage. He said the system was "really pushed" during this year's hot, dry summer. While the canning factory was running simultaneous production lines for Exeter Fair Continued from front page eter Coop and Veal's Abattoir; a quilt from Dolores Shapton goes to Don Seip, Kitchener and a side of pork donated by Miller Farms was won by Eva McGonigal, Grand Bend. A weater from Barb's Country Crafts was won by Didi Van Dyken, Exeter; C. Marsden, Stella gets mer- chandise from Campbell Soups; Philip Hern, Exeter, wins a counted cross stitch picture from Donna Shap - ton; a turkey from Hayter's in Dashwood goes to Lyla Broderick, Exeter and a carrot cake baked by Cathy Seip was won by Barbara Carter, Lucan. In the door prize draw sponsored by Campbell's Jewellers $25 each went to Joan Baker and Sandra Tryon while Wayne Rowe won 850. A marble works toy booth donated by Deani Shapton was won by Janna Lynn Webber, Dashwood. The championship hams were pur- chased by Lorne Hern, $5.10 a pound; Wayne Shapton Construction, 83.20 a pound and Exeter District Co -Op $4 per pound. On location or Studio Bart DeVrie PHOTOGRAPHY .11 • COMMERCIAL • WEDDINGS PORTRAITS - GROUPS • PUsuCITY Telephone 235-1298 137 Thames Rd., East, Exeter, Ont. peas, peas and carrots, and corn, all wells were going, drawing the water level down below the alarm line on the water tank. Davis expects the B.M. Ross survey will recommend additional storage east of the pumphouse. Davis added that the Exeter utility had fared bet- ter than a lot of others this year. Work on the Hicks well was begun the same day as Usborn School's PD day, resulting in little disruption at the school. The two projects in the north end of town, replacing corroded water main north of Thames Road, and replacing a four -inch with an eight -inch main detween Thames Road and Alex- ander Streets, is finished. Davis said Stan Frayne was very understanding about having the parking in front of his store cut off for a few days. As the town grows, more demands are made for the PUC's services. Two projects -scheduled for the near future are a two apartment and commercial service plus a three -apartment and commercial complex on the northeast corner of Iluron and Main Streets, Davis said. system allowed greater development of properties once owners were free of septic tanks constraints. She voiced her opinion that the con- cept`of Grand Bend as a resort com- munity had to be sold as a package that included not just the beach, but the taverns, the shopping, the marina, and the restaurant as well...She saw Oakwood and its new expansion as a valid contribution to the package. "People are nowstarting to respect the area;" echoed Scatcherd with the idea that some of this respect will ex- tend Grand Bend's attraction beyond the traditional seasonal boundaries of Easter and Thanksgiving. His invest- ment to make the Oakwood Inn a 67 -room attraction is proof of his con- viction that this transformation to Grand Bend will be fully realized. Scatcherd observed that essential- ly nothing major has been done until now to change the layout of the Oakwood property. This is now about to change. "This is a summer resort. Now we're going to try to make it a winter, all -year-round project. Which I'm very excited about doing." History of Oakwood Inn The beautiful Oakwood Inn and Golf Course, and its prestigious Oakwood Subdivision began, as most successful things do, with the vision of one man. The dream was realized through the hard work of a while family, the Walkers. Clayton -McPherson Walker (1864-1938), his wife, Kate (Stiff) Walker, and son Frederick Clement Walker, had been coming to vistt Grand Bend for a number of years on summer vacation. In 1919, Walker purchased the pro- perty, with a 34 mile frontage on Lake Huron, a tangle of sand dunes, scrub oak and swampland. A registered plan of subdivision was granted in 1922 by Stephen Township, County of Huron. This was the founding of Oakwood Park, the roads cut by horse teams. Oakwood Inn began the same year, 1922, with the construction of the North Lodge, which stood for 30 years, before being torn down in 1952. The clubhouse, still seen today, was built about 1926, and the dining room about 1930. All buildings were con- structed of red pine logs cut from Walker property south on Highway 21, near the Pinery Park, and the fireplaces were made of local fieldstone. The "Catwalk" was built in 1928, an interesting structure of C duplex cot- tages (12 units) connected by an elevated boardwalk across the front. It was a great favorite of patrons in its day, but was torn down in 1958, to make way for the present longhouse units, built on the same site. Frances Redmond married Fred Walker in 1933, and Philip Frederick was born in 1934. Although times were hard for everyone in the Depression years, the Walkers managed to furnish their hotel accommodation with tables and dressers from garages sales, for amounts from 50t to $2.50. Many of these are valuable today as beautiful antiques, and for years lent grace and charm to the furnishings of the hotel. The 1940s and '50s were the best years for the business, the times that paid off the huge mortgage. During the war, people couldn't vacation in Europe, so the average stay at Oakwood would be three weeks, open- ing and closing the season with a full house. Son Philip Walker began to work in the family business as a child, doing everything from moving beds to delivering ice, until he started in 1955 in the office, as reservation clerk, then office manager of Oakwood Inn. Another family, the Ducharmes, has been closely involved with Oakwood over the years. Avilla ( Bill) Ducharme first worked for C.M. Walker in the 1930s, then returned to stay in 1950, after the war, until 1967. Leo Ducharme, presently General Manager began to work for the Walkers in 1965. His older brother Raymond, now a professional welder in Sarnia, learned his trade in the Oakwood Machine shop, where all the wrought -iron railings around the hotel property and many Oakwood cot- tages, were made by Fred Walker. In recent years, Leo has been join- ed by -his brothers Fred and Doug, and his sister Elaine Clark, his sister- in-law Mrs. Ron Ducharme, and his mother Blanche, making it a real family affair. The dining room has changed fre- quently over the years. It began operating on the Amercian Plan, ser- ving three meals a day, to guests, in- cluded in the room rate, managed by Frances Walker until 1959, when it switched to European plan, as we have today. During the decade of the '60s,Frenchcuisine was the rule, with help brought in from the Bahamas, to tickle patron's palates with sump- tuous buffets, spicy entrees, and rich desserts like Crepes Suzette or Cher- ries Jubilee. On any Saturday you could feast on pheasant, lobster, and other exotic dishes, crowned by a swan carved from ice - and you Always dressed for dinner at Oakwood. . The Oakwood subdivision filled up with beautiful homes over the years. Premier Robarts once owned a cot- tage, and Premier Peterson now rents a place to enjoy an all -too brief vacation. The Walker family sold the business in 1975 to Peter Ivey of Lon- don, then Dave and Valerie Scatchard bought the place in 1981. They have undertaken extensive renovations to the hotel and grounds to restore Oakwood's former glory as one of the most sought-after vacation spots in Ontario. A business of over 60 years still has a bright future, with a legacy of hard work and creativity from the past. The readers - write Dear Sir: On behalf of the members of the R.E. Pooley Branch 167 of the Royal Canadian Legion, we would like to thank your company for printing the article in your paper called "Exeter Legion proud to serve the community". The layout of the full page article was excellent and with the co- operation of your organization we hope we have proved to the com- munity and area what our Legion is all about. Once again a sincere thanks for your co-operation and without such a community oriented paper as yours our community and area would not be as it is today. Yours sincerely, Rick N. Smith Branch Secretary ELIMVILLE 1 4-H By Sarah Kerslake Our first meeting of Eli:nville 14-H club was held September 16 at the home of Linda Johns. Linda Johns and Nancy Smith are our leaders once again. We opened the meeting by choosing our executive: President - Tina Taylor, Vice President - Barbara Tieman, and Secretary -Lynn Poortinga. Our 4-11 project is about "Ontario Fruits and Vegetables" We had a taste of Gazpacho (a type of cold soup). SALES Middegaal 3JOOI SERVICE 4.4imumemaimunouniot----- INSTALLATION Seaforth 234 Main St. N. 527-0104 Times -Advocate, September 30, 1987 Page 3 NEW ALARMS — Exeter Fire Chief Gary Middleton puts the finishing touches on some trim around the new fire alarm system. The panel presently serves Nabisco, Exeter Villa, Northlander, Precious Blood School, and South Huron Hospital. New system offering better fire protection Exeter Fire Chief Gary Middleton believes that if the schools had install- ed the fire alarm system he is now of- fering them, the arson fires of last month would have had a different outcome. Middleton explained that the new alarm control panel the fire depart- ment has just installed is capable of automatically sounding the siren and activating the pagers of the firemen when fire is detected by heat sensors in a building connected to the new system. "If the school had had this system in a month ago they wouldn't have had the damage they have now," in- sisted Middleton with reference to the long delay before the Exeter Public School Fire was discovered. The $3,000 alarm panel replaces the older system which was capable of only sounding the siren. The new system also has the ability to con- tinually test itself and the telephone lines which connect it to its customers. Presently, only five services are in- stalled, but the panel has room for a The PERFECT PLANT maximum of 40. "I figure there's about 16 who could hook up to this right now," said Mid- dleton. who hopes that more of Ex- eter's commercial, industrial and in- stitutional properties will seize the op- portunity to improve their fire protec- tion. However. he raised the possibili- ty of homeowners hooking up to the system to take advantage of its benefits. The yearly cost of this alarm ser- vice is $300. but Middleton suggested that most of this cost can be recouped through reduced fire insurance premiums because of connection to the system. Nevertheless, Middleton cautioned anyone against viewing this alarm system as a profitable venture for the fire department. He explained that the panel was installed under the recommendation of the fire marshal and will not pay for itself for at least two years. Most importantly. Middleton asks that the system be viewed as an im- portant step forward in providing Ex- eter with a more complete 24-hour fire protection service. From Casuallliastrfes LARGEST SELECTION OF ARTIFICIAL PLANTS IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO It's hard to believe they're not real. They're great for any place in your home, so brighten your surroundings with your choice of trees, flowers, shrubs, wall decor, designer plants and hanging baskets in plastic, clay, brass and wicker. These beautiful plants require • no heat • no light • no water • they're non -allergenic • fade resistant • durable polyester requires little care • they never outgrow - their space SHOWROOM HOURS Monday to Friday 9 a.m - 5 p.m. Saturaay 10:00 a.m. - 4:011 p.m. 'WE ENCOURAGE A STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE IN CASUAL LIVING QUALITY'. 7, Give us a call today and we will assist with commercial interior design services for • Offices - • Showrooms • Business • Institutions • Restaurants • Hotels Beautiful long lasting artificial plants make great gifts for any occasion. -II TO RANT, I D WATTR PTA.NT z F ;11(gloN z - • GRAND / SEND IfAl 21 to SARMA P O Box 616 GRAND BIND, ONTARIO NOM I T015191238-2110 INTRODUCING -•~�x $100 OFF* $200 OFF* $300 0 , A CI 1.\-\ LINTIONAI.\ATI RAL. AS FI RN mit, A MID ORIU( 1111111.11\(1 A \.ATI RAI \1I R\A( t. l/KFE\TRAI. AIR C(1\IN11((\1\(; AO \ATI RAI G.{\ FI R\u 1 .1.\/)11F\TRAI AIR Cl1\I I I10\i\(; I"( K:a;1: What is it you need to improve your present hone comfort system? A I fw, modern natural gas furnace? Central air conditioning? A worry -free natural gas rental water heater? Whatever it is. now's the time to go for it. Our Fall Bonus Specials are yours for the asking. but only until December •1. 198- .And you know how time flies. with home comfort equipment ' from Clare. Ihu1matic Olsen. Grimsby q IIE\ 11111'111\GTI) \ \ 111 RU (;\\ 11 K\ IVF. Flto\1(MI 01i 11 O rxi(i 1 Stove, Honeywell, Lennox or Roberts Gordon - you cant go Wrong Give me a call today We brit* the energy M (Nemo . 1-800-265-4173 IP\IF\ I 19 i 1R \\ATER 11011 ER RE\TAI I \111. d 101- 55 111111.111111111111111111111.111111111111111 UflI.UflGRS • •