HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-02-12, Page 1•
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Exeter
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Serving South Huron
Inside
Delegate
Elston supporter
attends
convention
page 2
Five percent
First-time
home buyers
-get -a break
Page 5
On the road
Mohawks
busing it
Second front
Carnival
Grand Bend
celebrates
winter
page 17
First ro b i n
spotted in
Exeter
already
EXEIhR - Can spring really be
on its way this early?
The groundhog said so, and now
one Exeter resident says she saw no
less than two robins in her back
yard last week.
Lee Dobbs called the Times Ad-
vocate with the news that two rob-
ins were in her Riverside., Drive
back yard on Friday February 7.
So, spring is on its way, but it
would seem we all have a lot more
snow to shovel before then..
Police
investigate
thefts from
parked cars
EXE IER - The Exeter Police are
investigating a rash of thefts from
parked cars in town this past week.
Four cars had items stolen from
them, three on Main Street and one
just off Main Street on John Street.
Police are requesting that anyone
witnessing anyone acting suspi-
cious around parked cars to notify
them.
Police are also asking town resi-
dents to secure items of value with-
in their car trunks and to lock their
car doors.
Two radar detectors were seized
from motorists in town on February
5 and 6. Police are once again re-
minding .drivels, who_ use such_ de-
vices in this province they will be
fined and the detector confiscated
when caught.
North Middlesex & Lambton
Business to continue
ISA hal
Since 1873 Wednesday. February 12. 1992
41:
Geiser-Kneale
Insurance
Servlcs
Exc&I.notl
Value
235-2420
w
75 cents
Fire destroys Pryde Monuments
Stephen Township firefighters work their way through
this blaze in Centralia Monday morning.
the.smoke arvi the ice spray to battle
Firefighters battled the blaze for about five
hours Monday morning, facing both dense
smoke and an icy spray from their own
hoses. But the fire swept through the Cen-
tralia building's attic making it impossible
to save.
By Fred Groves
CENTRALIA - Despite a fire which caused over $ 150,000 in damage,
business is expected to resume next week at Pryde Monuments in Central-
ia
Early Monday morning, Stephen Township firefighters were called to
Victoria Street in Centralia where they, along with two other departments,
put out a blaze which destroyed the building which housed the business.
"Within the next week we'll have a temporary office and show room,"
said Steve Fergusson of Pryde Monuments.
The fire began at about 4 a.m. and although officials from an insurance
company and the Stephen Township fire department were investigating
the probable cause Tuesday afternoon, Fergusson expected the fire began
in the furnace.
"It was something to do with the furnace, maybe the chimney," he said.
Business will resume down the block at the building used by Bob's Tree
Service. Fergusson said it is a slow time of the year, for his business but
sales continue.
Stephen Township fire chief Robert Patchy said his department was
dispatched at 4:13 a.m. and he then called in tankers from Dashwood and
Exeter.
"We had three departments and 30 firefighters at one time. It's probably
one of the toughest fires we've had," said-Pertchy.
He said the attic of the building was one big section which caused the
fire to spread quickly.
"From the outside there was a fair amount of smoke and it looked like it
was easy to put out."
Plastic foam insallation caused the fire to catch quickly and Pertchy said
the foam caught just like gasoline.
He said he had some ideas of what might have caused the fire.
"I have a couple of suspicions, but I don't want to comment."
.The Ontario Fire Marshal has not been called in to investigate.
An ambulance was around on the scene but there were no injuries. Fire-
fighters had to manoeuvre on ice caused by all the -water used to battle the
blaze over the five hours it took to extinguish the rue.
Board of Ed calls for restraint
Payroll still to go up nearly $3 million
By Ray Lewis
CLINTON - Restraint was the word for the day as
Huron County Board of Bducation (HCBE) director
Bob Allan delivered his report during the board's
regular meeting in Clinton, last Monday.
Allan said that both Ontario Premier Bob Rae and
provincial treasurer Floyd Laughren have an-
nounced that transfer payments to education will
be increased by one percent in 1992, two percent in
1993 and the same in 1994.
"We can begin to operate on the assumption that
in the near future out grunt -revenue will not in-
crease," said a solemn Allan. "We have an enor-
mous problem ahead of us."
Allan reported the HCBE budget for 1991 was
S60.8 billion. The payroll in an educational system
is said to represent about 80 percent of the total,
which would make approximately 548.6 million of
the HCBE budget payroll.
A payroll increase is currently working its way
through the system. If payrolls are frozen at the
currert levels until the end of December 1992. the
-board will -lave a payroll increase bf approxbnattly
52,916 million.
"If we are successful in freezing every other item
on the budget at 1991 levels, and we know we can-
not, these assumptions would require a S3 million
additional expenditure at the local taxpayer level,"
added Allan. _
"The extreme situation before the board now dem-
onstrates what the people of my area and several ar-
eas have experienced for the past five or six years,"
claimed John Jewiu, trustee for the Township of
Hullet and Village of Blyth. "We can't expect them
to give any more."
In keeping with the current economic situation,
trustees voted against a motion to increase travel ex-
penses to 28 cents a kilometre. Instead, the board
opted for a new motion. keeping the specific rate on
HCBE business for 1992 at the same level as 1991,
27 cents a kilometre.
In addition, trustees have made their own modifi-
cations, such as placing vending machines within
the board lounge, removing the previous open
fridge Ply.
Said Allan,. "I know it's only nickels and dimes,
but every little bit hnelps: .- . - s
Local health-care
officials predict tough
time to meet
provincial cutbacks
By Adrian Harte
EXETER - Health care officials
in the county are predicting some
tough decisions are in the works as
they try to put into effect the man-
date of the provincial government's
plan to maintain, improve, control
costs, and preserve jobs in the
health care system, all with a mea-
gre one percent increase in
their overall budget for 1992.
Health minister Frances Lan -
kin announced the "restructur-
ing" of the province's
hospital system on Janu-
ary 21, and local officials
are still attempting to come to
terms with those demands.
- Chairman of the Soh: 4itima .
Hospital board Howard Deters said
his board is hoping to keep its bud-
get within the new restrictions
while trying hard to avoid layoffs at
the hospital.
"We have to fine tune it," he said
of the forthcoming budget.
Although some equipment will
have to be bought, and things that
break will have to be replaced, be
remains optimistic that the call for
restraint can be met.
"I think we can come through
with it," said Daters.
Despite recurring rumours
• that one of Huron County's
hospitals could be closed
in the future, Daters said
that does not appear to be
a a likely scenario. Another ob-
server. said South HurDcn . would „tic,
tually be one of the last hospitals to
Continued on page two