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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-04-13, Page 18l'ayu 18 Times -Advocate, April 13, 1994 Comm INITY The Exeter Lions Club's booth at the Home and Garden Show featured a scale model of their proposal to beautify MacNaugton Park with an entrance garden. The club is seeking sponsors for the nine individual gardens in the project. From left are Lions John Stephens and Scott Eveland, and Chrissy Morgan. Computer technology was in evidence everywhere at the Home Show. The MVR Designs booth even featured a computerized walk-through of a home that only existed in blueprint form. Show organizer Peter Hrudka talks with MVR owner Michael VanRaay. Exhibitors pleased with show Optimists pack arena for ninth annual Home and Garden Show EXETER - The Exeter Optimist Club is able to rest again, after hosting their one and only fundrais- ing event for the year - the annual Home and Garden Show. The show opened Friday evening, quickly filling the South Huron Recreation Centre parking lot and packing the aisles between the dis- plays with hundreds of visitors. In all, the show drew a little less than 4,000 people to it, which orga- nizers admit wasn't quite as much as they had hoped. "It [attendance) was a little lower than last year," said show coordina- tor Peter Hrudka. He estimated there were about 150 fewer paying visitors this year than in 1993. Hrudka blamed the weather a bit, which while not great, perhaps drew a few people outdoors on Saturday instead of to the show. "All the exhibitors were pleased," he said. "Everything went smooth- ly" The fees paid by the 107 exhibi- tors make up about two-thirds of the show's total revenues, and if they're happy, the Optimists are happy. The club now has the task of de- ciding how to best spend the $20,000 plus raised by the annual event - presently the only fundrais- er on the Optimist's calendar. "That doesn't take long," said Hrudka. "Most of it is spent al- ready." Hrudka hinted the club may be considering another fundraising event to round out its year. "You might see something else coming up in the next year or so," he said. Bob Luxton of Exeter visits the Grand Bend Fireplace display and Larry Whiting shows off the working models the company installed in the recreation centre for the show. Director explains budged crunch` `` Rural sc*h��l fnot fair provincial government and demand education funding be changed to m?ke the system. more fair. By Catherine O'Brien T -A staff EXETER - Understanding the ed- ucation budget was the focus of a meeting sponsored by the South Huron District High School Parents Association last Tuesday evening at the high school. Representatives from the Huron County Board of Education 'give the small group at the information session an overview of board costs and told them why taxes may in- crease in the future. As well, an open forum later in the evening allowed people to voice their concerns about the edu- cation system. Cutbacks and teach- er salaries were the main focus dur- ing this part of discussion. But the first half of the meeting was dedicated to explaining what the board has been doing about its financial crunch so far. "The popular myth is that educa- tion spending is out of control," said Paul Carroll, director of the ed- ucation board. "But in Huron County that's not the case," he said. "The reality is this board can't af- ford to spend because the taxpayers can't afford to pay." In a nutshell, Carroll said the problem facing the board has to do with how the province pays grants and how it defines the standard mill rate for the local share of education taxes. "The province has shifted the burden to taxpayers. Every year we have been getting the province off the hook," he said. "It's scary because if the message doesn't get out that the grant system doesn't work anymore nothing will change." Carroll said the grant system de- veloped 25 years ago was good at that time, but today the rules don't apply. M well, he said urban boards are spending double the money be- cause of the size of their tax base and this makes the system unfair for rural students who don't get the same level of services because the tax base for rural schools is small- er. "We have to demand fairness and equity," Carroll said. "We're in the bottom 15 percent in terms of being able to pay through taxation," he said. And while the board was able to trim $3.5 million from its 1994 budget to bring in a zero percent mill rate increase, Carroll said that doesn't mean the province won't in- crease the burden to the taxpayer. "The province is responsible for ed- ucation funding decisions," he said. "We can expect an increase, not be- cause of anything the board has done but how the province has set the standard mill rate. Janet Baird -Jackson, superinten- dent of business, said that after the provincial government sets its bud- get in late April, the board will have less money to work with even though the province has announced it will maintain transfer payment commitments to education boards. The reason for this is that the province has cut from grants such as transportation. As well the board still has to deal with Social Contract cuts. But many attending the meeting were concerned that the constant trimming at the budget will eventu- ally lead to a poor education system. "As long as you continue to trim, the province will continue to ask you to cut more," said one man. "At some point you will have to say enough is enough." Many people voiced this concern. "Nothing is going to change if you keep complying," said another com- munity member. But trustee Bob Heywood said the spending has to to be kept under control. "We have been operating with an open purse policy and this has got to stop." Cuts in spending sparked a bit of a heated debate regarding teacher's salaries. One man said a teacher makes about $10,000 more than the average employee in Huron County. "The first thing an industry would cut is the highest costs not nickel and dime items - that means cutting hack on teachers salaries." Carroll said this issue is being ad- dressed with union representatives and cautioned that collective agree- ments make some cuts impossible. "The board and union representa- tives are wonting together, but it's a slow process," he said. In defense of teacher salaries one person commented that the 80 per- cent of the budget set for salaries is necessary to keep the quality of teaching at a high level. "When you start cutting from here the kids won't benefit." Carroll suggested the best ap- proach for these problems would be for people to put pressure on the First '( Grand Bend Kid Check A Kid Check In Grand Bend Saturday mom ng pro = . suc- cessful for the sponsoring Child Find 'organization. Here co- ordinator Pam Bell fingerprints Dean Brown es an Important part of the identification process. NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING THE CORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE OF LUCAN PROPOSED ZONING BY-LAW AMENDMENT TAKE NOTICE THAT the Municipal Council of the Corporation of the Village of Lucan will hold a public meeting on Monday May 16, 1994, at 7:30 p.m. in the council Chambers, 161 Main Street to consider a proposed Zoning By-law Amendment under Section 34 of the Planning Act. THE proposed Zoning By-law Amendment applies to the lands described as Part Lot 5 South of Proof Line Road in the Village of Lucan. These lands are located to the rear of Langford Lumber and Scott's Elevator and are shown on the map below. THE purpose of the Zoning By-law Amendment is to rezone the subject property from an Agriculture Zone (A) to a Residential Type 1 Zone (R1) to permit the proposed construction of a residential subdivision. ANY PERSON may attend the public meeting and/or make written or oral representation either in support of, or in opposition to the proposed zoning by-law amendment. ADDITIONAL information relating to this proposed zoning By-law Amendment is available for Inspection at my office during regular business hours. DATED AT THE VILLAGE OF LUCAN THIS 13TH DAY OF APRIL, 1994. SCHEDULE "A" Land Use Plan R.J. REYMER A.M.C.T. CLERK, VILLAGE OF LUCAN VIUAGE OF LUCAN 161 MAIN STREET, LUCAN, ONTARIO NOM 2J0 (519) 227-4253 1 4