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Times-Advocate, 1987-12-02, Page 5• Briefly.... m Beckett A self-propelled ice scraping machine could become a reality at the South Huron Rec Centre as early as spring of '88 if initial plans of the Winter Sports Council become a reality. An investment of between $30,000 to $35,000 will be required to pur- chase either a U.S.-made Zamboni or the Olympia model which is made in nearby St. Jacobs. • Rec Centre facilities manager Cam Stewardson told me the advan- tages of purchasing the new machine are: staff will be able to maintain thinner ice which means a 110 hp. compressor will be turned off most of the time, resulting in a considerable energy savings; the ice will be about one inch thick instead of the present 3-3 1/2" which means quick removal and easier maintenance. The only down -side mentioned in operating the new equipment is that safety reasons will require two people to be available when scraping the ice because of the faster speed and lower visibility. The additional person will assist the driver and move the nets and magnets, eliminating any possibility of the machine sliding into them. Exeter is one of the few towns in this area not using a self-propelled ice scraper. Apparently various Local groups co-ordinated by the newly formed Winter Sports Council have already indicated they are willing to support the purchase financially. While on the subject of area operations, Cam gave me a couple of pieces of information that were news to me, so I'II pass them along. The present tractor -operated ice scraper is diesel, -powered and I asked him if they have received complaints about the smell of diesel fumes. "The diesel might smell worse, but it's less toxic," Stewardson stated. "We've been carefully checked out by the health department and haven't had any problems," he added. When asked why it is difficult to remove the ice and how costly it is to take out and put back in again, Cam said it really depends on the out- side weather. "Usually it takes five days for the ice to be broken up and removed. We scrape it and have to wait until air gets between the ice and cement surface before it can be hauled away with the front-end loader." On the other side of the coin, cold weather helps greatly when the ice is being installed. "The best we've ever done is 10 days, five for removal and five for installation," Stewardson said. Looking ahead to the expected removal of the ice to accommodate the Optimist Club's annual Home and Garden Show and replacing it again for the Exeter Mohawks and Exeter Hawks playoffs makes you realize this could be a major undertaking for the local staff. It's not necessarily a matter of cost in dollars and cents... but timing is certainly a factor. I wonder how much it would cost to purchase a system as used in ma- jor centres where the ice could be covered and then uncovered quickly when there are a variety of activities. If you read the report in the T -A of November 18 about the porous ce- ment block walls at our Rec Centre and found it a bit technical, you should have been in one of the dressing rooms last Wednesday. Rain was being driven into the east side of the building by high winds and you could actually see the water coming through the blocks and forming large puddles on the floor. This was happening at many spots on the wall at the same time, creat- ing several little streams. . Although this construction flaw has been discussed several times, with the consequences for delay being the deterioration of the concrete, I be- lieve it should be corrected immediately. Talking about a problem at a meeting certainly doesn't create the ur- gency of seting it first hand. Time will not make the walls any less por- ous and the cost of construction is not likely to decrease in the future. The time to solve the problem is. now. • Paul Charrette, Big 0 manager for eastern Canada who works out of Montreal, told me recently it really pays to be bilingual while driving on toll highways in Quebec. His story was about a member of the Exeter staff who was lined up at a toll booth with only a $20 bill when he was expected to have the exact change. The booth operator said something to the driver who nodded as if he really understood French. The next thing that happened was the $20 was exchanged for that amount in tokens and the light changed leaving the driver with what could be a life time supply. Fortunately, he was able to sell them to someone in the Montreal office. More than a few people have been trying to convince me of the bene- fits of having a beeper, a little device that reminds you someone is try- ing to reach you by phone. When the beeper sounds you can call the central dispatch and find out an important message. The reason for having one is you will never miss an important mes- sage and therefore you'll be much more efficient at your job. Most of the time it works, but one local businessman got the shock of his, life recently when he was sitting somberly at a funeral. Guess what? The beeper went off with the signal coming in loud and clear. - One nice„touch to our brightly -lighted Main Street is the tree in front of the Municipal Office. Many people have commented on how beauti- ful the bright, white lights are. In fact anytime, beginning now, a drive around town after dark is a worthwhile t}ip. Exeter has to be one of the leading small communities in the area when it comes to brightening 'up for Christmas. One of the most attractive decorations I have seen for years is the giant Santa Claus on Ron and Janet Hern's roof on Highway 4, a few miles south of town. Let's hope it goes up again this year. We have an electric Santa Claus at home as welt but my total fear of killing myself by falling off our roof forces him to remain at ground level. Union predicts no strike for Dashwood Although their contract ex- pired on November 15, Local 3054 of the Carpenters' and Joiners' Union and Dashwood Industries executives do not predict any strike action in the coming weeks. Adam Salvona, union busi- ness agent, explained that prep- arations for contract negotia- tions arc under way. "We are awaiting a meeting with the concilliation officer of the On- tario Labour Relations Board,” said Salvona. Salvona noted that this meet- ing will be necessary because the union had presented its con- tract proposals to Dashwood Industries in August without success. "Nothing was re- solved, absolutely nothing," he said. In the interests of protecting the negotiations, Salvona was not willing to discuss the un- ion's proposals. Tom Duffy, Dashwood In- dustries vice-president, said he did not anticipate a strike and that use of a concilliation offi- cer had worked well in past ne- gotiations. "I don't think there's going to be a problem at all," said Duf- fy. FLOORING If you're looking for carpet on vinyl for a small area or an entire house • Save time • Save money • See us first Do it yourself or have our Installer Ed Allen d• it for ou Hopper - Hockey 3S3 Main St Floorin S., rioter 235 1990 • T Al Times -Advocate, December 2, 1987 Page 5 sn't it midnight? It's noon on the other side of the world, and Exeter appears quite dif- , fercnt from the way we usually see it. The constant flow of Main Street traffic is gone, The windows of the businesses are dark and silent. A small owl sits on the sidewalk with its catch of the night. Startled by the reporter it turns to stare, then swoops off, mouse in tow. While the taverns may be closing up and sending their last patrons into the night, there are other peo- ple who continue to work right through to morning. They are the night shift and many of them enjoy it. Several Exeter industries have night shifts and some grocery stores keep employees busy stocking shelves after hours. However, four retailers find staying open around the clock adds a profitable edge to their businesses. Janene Seller works in Hasty Market from midnight to 8 a.m., tending the self -serve gas bar and starting the day's baking around 5 am. She sees many regular custom- ers who are often out and about in the wee hours of the morning, but she estimates the gas bar sales as roughly equal to the store sales. "I enjoy working here," says Chris Good, who sees an average of 60 or 70 customers a night in Mac's. Although many are regu- lars, he also serves many travellers who stop for coffee or cigarettes as they make their way along Highway 4. Goodpinpoints the hours between five and eight o'clock in the morn- ing as the busiest part of his shift. Marge Kelly works five nights a week at Becker's. She finds that be - IT'S MIDNIGHT - The streets are empty, but Exeter is not as quiet as it seems. There are several business and industries which stay open right through the night. It's Your Business 24-HOUR TRADE - Mac's -keeps Chris Good busy all night long with shelf stocking and a steady flow of cus- tomers, some regulars, others travelling highway 4. HASTY MARKET - Janene Seller greets regular customer Don Glavin as he buys gas from the only 24-hour gas bar in Exeter, and the only all-night gas bar between London and Clinton. Feature story and photos by Adrian Harte ing a night owl does not interfere with her family's schedule, because she gets home in time to see her two children off to school and then sleeps before they arrive home. The majority of Becker's shelf re- stocking is done at night because the flow of customers is not large, but steady. "There are no big line- ups like there are during the day," says Kelly. - She says the number one sales . item for the night shift is not cof- fee, as one might expect, but cigar- ettes. Kelly notices an increase in business arourrd three o'clock as one of the industrial early shifts prepares for work. She also enjoys seeing the day's newspapers arrive before 3 a.m.; the Times -Advocate is usually in before one o'clock on Wednes- days. "I've always been a night person," explains Jeff MacVicar in Donut Delite. While the store stays open around the clock to serve late-night snackers, MacVicar is in the kitchen baking the day's donuts. He starts work on the 100 pounds of dough at around 10 p.m. That works out to about 1200 donuts, a figure of which he doesn't like to be remind- ed But time flies when you are hav- ing fun, and MacVicar likes how quickly his shift passes, "Before you know it, it's seven o'clock in the morning: you're done." He says much of the night trade is truck drivers passing through town, but around 5 a.m. the business picks up to include everyone else. So remember next time you look down an empty Main Street: it is not really that quiet- it all depends on where you look. DONUT DELITE - Jell MacVicar cuts out the 1200 donuts he makes every night for the coming day. He starts at around 10 p.m. and stays busy until seven in the morning.