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Serving South Huron
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Since 1H73
Wednesday, January 23, 1991
Inside
Parking lot •
Municipal lot
in
the Bend
page 2
Unique
Citation
lighting
dominates
market
page 5
Mohawks
Biggest game
this
season
Second front
75 cents
Beach case
Grand Bend could
be $200,.000 poorer
GRAND BEND - On February
4, Grand Bend reeve Bruce Wood-
ley will be in Toronto in an at-
tempt to save his village some big
bucks.
That's the day a judge will de-
cide whether or not Archie Gibbs,
owner of the main beach in this re-
sort community, will be awarded
what he feels to be loss of income.
"We could be looking at
$200,000 in back revenue," said
Wood' He doesn't expect the
pro 'n. Lo help out if the village
loses the case.
Woodley and other representa-
tives recently met with Gibbs and
his lawyer in London in attempt to
reach an agreement for the sum-
mer of 1991.
"We're basically offering the
same agreement as, we did last
year," said Woodley. "That we
wanted the beach and bath house
in exchange for the municipal por-
tion of the taxes for that area."
According to the reeve, Gibbs
wants the county and educational
taxes also paid for. Grand Bend
paid all the taxes on the beach last
summer, but. that seems to have
been a mistake.
"There was a misunderstanding
between the lawyers," said Wood-
ley.
The village paid to what could
amount to be $6,000 in taxes when
they have offered only to pay the
municipal portion which is about
$1,055.
"It hasn't been settled yet who
will pay, the village or our lawyer,"
said Woodley of the $6,000.
Gibbs has indicated he wants to
set up a paid parking lot on the east
side of Governor's Road. Woodley
said the village had no objection to
this as long as it was roped off at
night.
Winter Carnival
Grand Bend
is
ready
page 15
tak
Recession
doesn't
slow building
EXETER - The final figures are
in, and it appears that despite a
downturn in the nation's economy,
the Town of Exeter managed to
pull off another record year in the
construction trade.
The•tally of 1990's building per-
mits, which is often considered a
benchmark for a local economy,
showed a total of $8.26 million,
which edged out 1989's previous
record by just over a quarter of a
million dollars.
Doubt had been expressed over
whether or not Exeter could match
its 1989 performance when the re-
cession, the decline in mobile home
sales, and public projects such as
the 1989 start of the new Fire Hall
were factored in.
"The number of mobile homes
has dramatically decreased during
the year," said Moyer, but noted
other sectors of the residential mar-
ket had picked up in turn.
The work that began on the Exan-
darea Meadows Co-operative hous-
ing project also gave an added shot
in the arm to 1990's building totals.
The recession, however, may
have not yet made an impact on the
building trade. The total of 271
permits issued in 1990 is remarka-
bly similar to the 1989 total of 268
permits.
Exeter a n d
Huron settle
differences
$24,000 damage - An accident involving a truck plowing into three parked cars in front of the South
Huron District Hospital on Huron St. W. at approximately 2:34 p.m, resulted in about $24,000 dam-
age last Friday afternoon.
Woman just escapes injury
EXETER - An out of control
van demolished one parked vehi-
cle and damaged two others in an
accident whichcaused approxi-
mately $24,000 damage last Fri-c--
day.
ri-.1day.
Exeter police say Steven
Harmer of Dufferin Street, Strat-
ford, was operating a van east-
bound along Huron street when
the vehicle mounted the north
curb and sideswiped a hydro
pole.
Harmer's vehicle then became
airborne and lodged itself atop
two parked cars and pushed them
backwards into a third parked ve-
hicle.
No one was injured.
Police say Highway Traffic
Act offences are pending against
the driver.
The owner of the demolished
vehicle (a 1987 Toyota Corrolla)
Freda Wilson narrowly escaped
serious injury.
"I was early for an appointment
and I was reading in the car," she
said. "It's a good thing I got out
when I did."
An auto mechanic said the car
was a total write-off except for
-maybe one door, said Wilson..
"It was my baby," conceded
Wilson, adding, "It could have
been a lot worse."
EXETER - It's over. The long-
standing dispute between the Town
of Exeter and Huron County's plan-
ning dSpartment has been settled.
Both parties agreed to drop all legal
action and absorb the legal and
court costs te date.
Exeter had challenged the
county's authority to charge the
town for planning services council
felt were not required. Council had
even suggested the county planning
department had acted contrary to
the town's best interests in 1987
when the county favoured the es-
tablishment of an agricultural in-
dustrial park in Hay Township.
The Supreme Court ruled against
Exeter's protest of the planning
costs, but the town filed an appeal
that was still in effect last week.
Nevertheless, in a process that
began last fall, the county planning
department worked out an agree-
ment with Exeter staff and council
to establish the jurisdiction of each
planning staff and to make sure Ex-
eter had access to county planning
se•es when required.
(The issue received little discus-
slon at council's Monday evening
meeting, but-tife agreement to drop
the appeal and forego all costa was
accepted as part of the executivg_
committee's report.
Council scraps plans for
emergency generator
EXETER - While town council
had been interested in getting Exet-
er ready for a disaster by purchas-
ing emergency electrical generating
equipment, enough doubts about
the system surfaced at council on
Monday evening to scrap the idea
altogether.
Council had discussed the pur-
chase of a 25 kilowatt trailered gen-
erator at previous council meetings
and had repeatedly requested more
information on the item. The
$8,370 generator was to have been
subsidized under a provincial pro-
gram to encourage the preparedness
of communities in emergencies.
Such a generator could power a
• ,o •-'-. .
large building such as the recrea-
tion centre to run lighting, heating,
and cooking equipment for a disas-
ter relief effort. Some confusion
arose at council whether or not the
town owned equipment to run the
generator, but it was later con -
finned the sidewalk plow had an
appropriate power take -off shaft.
The recreation centre also owns a
tractor.
Councillor Dave Urlin said he
wasn't in favour of purchasing an
item that had little practical use, but
councillor Ben Hoogenboom
argued it was to be kept for emer-
gencies, not for daily use.
Please turn to page 2
'Bend merchants re -unite -for summer
GRAND BEND - Village mer-
chants in Grand Bend will once
again be co-operating as one
group this summer.
The Grand Bend Chamber of
Commerce announced they would
not be hosting several annual sum-
mer events for the summer of
1990.
Several merchants, including
Nick Carter decided to form their
own group called Summerfest.
Monday, Carter told council that
Summerfest has disbanded be-
cause the Chamber was going to
organize the events.
"The Chamber of Commerce has
decided to sponsor the summer
events which they did not last
year," said Carter.
"There's new blood in there and
they're more active," he said. "I
hate to see too many groups trying
to achieve the same thing."
Carter came to council as a repre-
sentative of the chamber, and will
be co-ordinating some of the sum-
mer activities.
"It's nice to be back in one group.
It's unfortunate what happened last
Strike possible
at ARC Industries
DASHWOOD - Although they've
never had a strike before, the union
representing nine employees of
South Huron Community Living
say the workers could be heading
for the picket lines within the next
few weeks.
Talks broke down last Friday be-
tween the Canadian Union of Pub-
lic Employees local 2597 and Com-
munity Living management. .A
request has been made for a no -
board report with the Ministry of
Labour after no contract agreement
could be found for the nine employ-
ees who operate day programs at
ARC industries and community in-
volvement programs in Exeter for
the mentally handicapped.
CUPE had sought a 5.5 percent
wage increase for the workers in a
one-year contract, arguing that was
the same increase allotted to Com-
munity Living by the Ministry of
Con munity and Social Services
last fall.
"The proposal we made was
based on the amount of money we
know they have got from the gov-
ernment," said union representative
fiord Allan.
Community Living, however,
countered by offering a two-year
contract with four and three percent
annual wage increases, citing in-
creased costs of benefits, especially
the employer health tax.
"Everyone's biting the bullet on
that one," insisted John Grey, Com-
munity Living's executive director.
He said that the publicly -funded
organization tura hard limits on
what it can spend. Their only
sotrme of revenue is ministry
grants,
year," said Carter.
Fireworks will be held on July 1
but it is uncertain whether or not a
beach concert is planned.
Carter said he suspected Labatt's,
who sponsored the concerts, would
be cancelling for economic reasons.
Reeve Bruce Woodley said' the
municipality's only sources of reve-
nue from the beach during the sum-
mer were the pop machines and the
concerts.
"We're concerned what revenue
we'll get with these cutbacks," said
Woodley.
Carter is hoping for better com-
munication between groups who
use the'beach for summer activities.
"Last year there was a couple of
volleyball tournaments we didn't
know about. It was embarrassing,"
said Carter.
Also during the summer, the
Chamber is planning to have a slo-
pitch tournament."
"It's a good tournament. A team
we had here two years ago went on
to win the regionals," said Carter.
However, he felt the tournament
could not be run unless the play-
ground equipment near the ball dia-
mond is moved.
Carter was going to meet with the
recreation committee about the
playground equipment.
"I think that's everyone's an-
swer...you ask and the government
will provide," said Grey. "The
money's got to come from some-
where, and that's the tax base."
Grey said that Community Living
has done well in the past to avoid
operating on a deficit level and
hopes to continue to do so.
The union is arguing tbat they
haven't been given enough proof of
escalating costs that prevent a bet-
ter wage package for employees.
"I said 'how about opening the
books and letting us have a look at
it'," said Allan, who claimed such
opportunities were denied him.
Grey, however, insists its books
are open to all. •
"Our last audited statements are
available to anyone," he said.
The employees are currently
earning between $18,455 and
$23,592 a year, and Allan says 5.5
percent is not too much to ask.
"We're not looking for parity
with Toronto or anything like that,"
he said, adding that he had heard a
rumour Community Living man-
agement already received a 5.5 per-
cent wage increase.
Grey would neither confirm nor
deny the rumour, insisting it had no
bearing on the current dispute.
"I'm not really prepared to com-
ment on that," said Grey. "It's not
part of the issue."
Nevertheless, Grey said he was
confident an agreement could be
reached in the next few weeks with-
out having.to resort to strike action.
Allan said he wasn't so certain a
contract will be obtained too easily,
noting the employees' morale is
Please turn to Aon 2
4 ✓ •c •
s
try
Yp'
100 -foot long poster they wit be sending to the Persian Gulf to ex -
,tend the sumort of Exeter to Canadian troops. Legion leadership
hairrfart Jkn Menylees (shown) came up with the idea and has so
collected dozens of natures. Thera Is plenty of room for
and the invitation s ouUo the communityto sign on at the
egkxt. The poster artwork was des- by le* BrOtnell and
expected to be sent away Monday, o fully to the HMCS
)