Times Advocate, 1993-01-20, Page 1Inside
Auctioneer
Breaking
new ground
page 5
Chernobyl aid
Pair return
from Belarus
page 8
Ctiarges
pen.d i ng after
car stolen
from inside
High School
EXETER - Town police say
young offenders likely face charges
after a car was stolen from the auto
shop of South Huron District High
School on the weekend.
Police say the school was broken
into and stolenfrom within was a
1989 Ford - Probe :GT ,without li-
ceoae.pJates. Although three young
offenders havebeen questioned and
police _tray charges are ,pending,
they. are not releasing -any ufurther
. information .as • the investigation . is
still in its preliminary stages.
:However, :she : town police -Tare
working with outer .police agencies
and. do expect more charges . tribe
laid to otherinvolved individuals.
Lu cin fire
,department
cof ct1 .,..•:",;,,�;_;,gpite -provincial cutbacks in fund-
Wild iIiki.e
Town l i er
y
IBCA ends year with
surplus, despite grant cuts
DASHWOOI) - The Ausable
Bayfield Conservation Authority
.,M..,.� d_the.yearcia.the.blackcale-_
-fund for
emergency
veh id e
LUCAN - The Lucan Fire De-
partment are getting closer to their
goal o[ adding an emergency vehi-
cle to their fleet sometime this year.
Fundraising efforts and donations
are being used to finance the vehi-
cie's purchase, which is expected to
be about $45,000.
Lucan Legion president Ross
Ward recattly presented fire chief
John Riddell with a cheque for
S2,500 to go towards the van. The
funds were raised by the Legion
through events like the meat draw
and other projects.
The firefighters themselves have
also been raising funds. Profits
from a recent fire department -
organized volleyball tournament
have added to the project's bank ac-
count as well.
ing, general manager Tom Prout
announced at Thursday's annual
meeting for the authority.
Prout confirmed that the ABCA
finished its year with a surplus of
$82,259, which would be added to
the organizations reserves. bringing
the overall reserve balance up to
$725.207.
"The year-end story is that the
Conservation Authority is actually
ahead S82,000 of where they
thought it would be," said Prout.
"Which is a whole lot better than
the other way round."
Prout said that while the reserve
account appeared large, he pointed
out that the interest incase it gen-
erates enables the authority to,carn
money rather than pay interest on
borrowing.
"We view this as the proper way
to manage our money when we're
not going to get grant dollars to
borrow money," said Prout.
The general manager said the fi-
nancial picture for the authority,
which cut back several programs to
be able to meet its budget, was un-
known until June when the Minis-
try of Natural Resources finally an-
. ,, ., ?+bat__its _J992 _grants
.` • . Provincial grants to On-
tario conservation authorities have
been declining since 1990, said
Prout, adding he has already heard
.hints of a further 10 percent cut-
-back for 1993.
"That makes the five percent cut
we got m '91 look pretty good,"
said Prout.
".We're envious of the municipali-
ties that know they're geeing a two
percent increase in funding now,"
he mid, aware that the evening's
main audience were local politi-
cians.
The ABCA has already set its
1993 levy to Inc municipalities,
based on an overall two percent in-
crease over 1992 levels.
In his presentation at the annual
meeting, MPP Paul Klopp praised
the ABCA for managing 10 survive
a year of cutbacks with a surplus.
"You have handled the budgets
very well...you have made deci-
sions which don't please every-
body," said Klopp, referring to cut-
backs in maintenance to the
authority's conservation areas.
Klopp hinted at the further re -
Soft limn
liteamaliss totes
to spike
ient li L994
)EXETER - In a continual attempt to bring a zero percent budget
increase to Exeter Town Council, the South Huron Recreation Cen-
tre will be increasing their rates by five percent.
At the monthly board meeting held Thursday night in Exeter, it
was decided that in order to keep up with the high cost of normal
maintenance, rates would have to be increased.
"We're looking at an economic situation where we don't want to
raise rates where people can't run programs, but we can't be Santa
Claus and have a zero percent increase," said board chairman Mike
Soldan.
It was noted at the meeting, the three areas at the recreation centre
which cost the most are hydro, gas and wages. The rec centre's re-
cent bill for hydro was over $5,000 for one winter month.
"Hydro is going to kill us and it's going to kill everyone," said
board member Don Richardson.
- 'Ever1 with the new energy saving lighting system throughout the
facility, the increase in the cost of electricity still means high bills.
Included in the rate increases, the cost of renting the ice will be
bumped from $72.75 to $76.00, lawn bowling rental fee for the sea-
son goes from $525 to $550 and the tennis court rental is up to $720
from $685.
"My concem is minor sports. I don't want to sec them killed. I
know they are huiting," said board member Katherine Ens who not-
ed, for example, the drop in registration this year in the local figure
skating ciub.
Soldan, a long-time executive member of the Exeter Mohawks
Senior 'A' Hockey Club, said the recreational dollar within a family
budget is not always there.
"Parents have a limitation on what they can spend on hockey,
skating, ringette," said Soldan.
He said the board really didn't have any choice but to raise the
rates.
South Huron recreation director Lynne Farquhar wanted to make
sure the rate increases were kept to a minimum.
"We can't afford to price ourselves out of the ballpark," she said.
Five percent half rental
that know theyti
getting a twoper
cent increase in
funding>now,"
strictions the provincial ministries
would be making on grant financ-
ing and at the further cutbacks re-
quired at recipient agencies. He
said the government is still falling
short on its budget and revenue pro-
jections due to the economy.
"The good side is we are learning
to live within our means," said
Klopp.
The MPP also referred to one of
the ABCA's major issues in 1992,
the public presentations of the
Shoreline Management Plan. Hc
said it is hard to know what the
public wants and needs from such
regulations, but that their view-
points need to be heard.
"It is their shoreline, and it's their
taxes," said Klopp.
iEXETER - The five percent in-
crease applied to recreation centre
rental rates was the subject of a bit
of discussion at Monday evening's
council meeting with some council-
lors questioning the rate hike.
Deputy -reeve Lossy Fuller first
asked recreation board member and
councillor Tom Humphreys if the
five percent increase kept the rental
rates competitive with other arenas
in the area.
Humphreys said he understood
most arenas would likely be basing
their new rates on similar increases.
Councillor Robert Drummond
asked vity auction sales were being
exemptecd'from the five percent. in-
crease.
Councillor Dave Urlin pointed
out that the rentals of the hall for
auctions was not exactly exempt.
Those rates would actually be in-
creasingmore tharrfive-percent.
"We felt five percent did not ade-
quately reflect the cost," agreed
Humphreys.
Councillor Ben Hoogenboom
asked how much additional revenue
the five percent increase would
generate.
"Not much," said Urlin. "Maybe
$10,000," adding that the rates be-
ing discussed only took effect in
1994. 1993 rates were set last year.
Hoogenboom asked what in-
crease the '93 rates were over 1992.
"It was on the order of five per-
cent too," said Urlin.
"Stuck on that five percent, huh?"
commented Hoogenboom.
Urlin said the board was basing
its financing upon such increases
and that they had not hurt hall ren-
tals. In fact, Urlin said rentals and
registrations were "up substantial-
ly" from what they were a year ago.
"So you're within an acceptable
range of attracting participants
then," said reeve Bill Mickle, who
was chairing the meeting in mayor
Bruce Shaw's absence.
Council approved the recreation
board's report, effectively approv-
ing of the rate increase.
Betterweather for '1931 gNedicts m.t..sokPgIst.
VARNA - Speaking at the annual
meeting of the Huron Soil and Crop
Improvement Association last
Tuesday at Varna, meteorologist .
Jay Campbell called for an im-
provement in weather conditions in
Western Ontario for this summer.
More than 100 Huron fanners
heard Campbell say that "We will
get a lot more sunshine than a year
ago." That comment brought a few
laughs from the audience.
After the meeting he told the T-
A, "Temperatures during July and
August should reach 28 degrees
Celsius on a number of days with a
fcw reaching the 30 degree mark.
l're ipitauon is expecttxl to be
about normal. We won't be quite as
hot as in 1991 when we had 13
days of temperalures in excess of
30 degrees Celcius in one month."
He added, " In this year. January
and February will likely have
above normal precipitation. The
uansition will start in March and
April and things should get
straightened out by mid -summer."
Total precipitaiton in 1993 is ex-
pected to be more than that of
1991, but much less than a year
ago.
Campbell suggested that by the
year 2020, and that's only 27 years
from now, our climate will rival
that now enjoyed in the Carolinas.
With warmer climates by 2020,
will come more thunderstorms and
a dramatic increase in the chance of
tornados. The Carolina type weath-
er by 2020 will bringpbout a long-
er growing season, pmlsably from
March to November
Questioned as to the cause of the
wet, cool weather last summer,
Campbell said, " We can't just look
at one thing. Probably a combina-
tion of volcano and rocket effects.
The weather is different every year.
It goes in cycles like seven, 11, 21,
250 and 250 million years."
.The eruption of Mount Pinatulx'
in 1991 certainly had an effect in
setting up last year's persistently
wct weather. In that eruption a
complete air force base in the Phil-
lipincs was buried.
A comet in Mexico was responsi-
;le for the demise of the dinosaurs
Winne 6S million years ago.
- The Tambora volcanic eruption
Indonesia in 1816 was responsi-
ble for very abnormal weather that
year. It became known as the year
without any summer. On this sub-
ject Campbell said, " That year
there was snow in every >ogpllth ;in
Southern Ontairo including July
and August."
The El Nino effect in 1992 was'
not as large as in 1982-83. Trade
-Wads fidlilliStOtAllicatellagrAlniglee
surface water in Indonesia and then
back water to South America. This
was partly responsible for last
year's persistent wetness.
a/ anon push milliq-Afpf
ash into the aunospherc, thus
cutting down insulation from the
sun. Jet streams -arc going farther
north.
Back to weather predictions, the
,Mettler man said, " We should sec
.8 return to closer to normal condi-
tions similar to patterns we had in
the 1980's.,1Le change will be slow
in the spring and temperatures will
,jucreasc by mid-sumtner to above
,,penal by July and August.
Talking about higher suspect we -
as for thunderstorms and tornados,
Campbell said the most susceptible
funnel areas arc from Forest along
Highway 7 through the Klundyke
,,N,Rd on to Stratford and from St. Jo-
fiph's Shores an a direct route to
the Brussels area.
He wtsnt on to say that predicting
precipitation in Weston Ontario is
very difficult.
Asked if the oil fires in Kuwait
effected our weather last year,
Campbell said. " Very little. All the
cars in North America burn more
fuel in pc lay ay n je ,1 +ptt
fires italigilps