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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-05-18, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, May 18, 1994 IN THE 1FWS Tri(lJnp/l(Ifl( tour Thief makes off with satellite dish EXETER - The Exeter OPP arc investigating several thefts this past week. Last Monday, police investigated a report of a satellite dish taken from a residence at RR2 Zurich. Last Wednesday, police received reports of two more thefts from ve- hicles. Thursday, an unknown vehicle drove across a lawn at RR2 Zurich,. causing extensive damage. The OPP investigated four motor vehicle collisions, including a hit and run at South Huron District High School, causing a large amount of damage to a parked car. Six people were charged with liq- uor violations in the past week. Two charges were laid for impaircd driving and one under the Narcotic Control Act. The loss of a diamond and gold ring has been reported to police. The ring was lost at a hall diamond in Zurich. Anyone with informa- tion about it can contact the OPP. April shows rebound in local building starts EXETER - What started as a dis- mal -looking spring for building .;tarts in Exeter, has quickly turned around. The total value of March's build- ing permits in Exeter was a paltry $14,000 with one permit, putting construction starts at a seeming standstill. However, building offi- cial Dave Moyer reported to coun- cil that in April, 17 permits were is- sued on construction worth a total of $612,500. Contributing to the upswing Were three accessory buildings, the new Exeter Chrysler dealership worth $350,000, renovations to the high school worth $62,500, one new home, and nine permits for home additions. As of the end of April, total building values had reached just over $800,000 on 26 issued per- mits. A. Whooping it up on the Exeter Fire truck, South Huron District High School students took the traditional champions parade around town Monday morning after returning triumphant from Musicfest Canada. Centralia branch included in proposal Seven small libraries targeted for closure v By Adrian Harte T -A Editor CENTRALIA - The Huron County Library Board's draft strategic plan includes a proposal to axe seven small library branches. Centralia's branch is on that list. The draft plan is circulating to county municipalities as the library board meets with the council's most affected by the proposal. The board was meeting with Stephen Town- ship council to discuss Centralia's fate as of press time Tuesday afternoon. Called Branch III libraries, the seven are the smallest of Huron's branches, with annual circulation figures hovering around or below the 4,000 -book level. Also on the list for possible closure under the "ra- tionalization" of library services in the county are the Au- burn, Belgrave, Bluevale, Cranbrook, and Walton branches. Gorrie, like Centralia, is listed as only a possible closure due to higher circulation figures. The least -used branch in the county is in Bluevale, which circulated only 771 hooks last year. Centralia circulated 4,776 books. In comparison, a Branch II library like Zurich circulated 24,918 books, and Exeter, a Branch I library, cir- culated 54,871 books. Branch III libraries typically are open only about six hours a week. Beth Ross, county librarian, said branches can only be closed with the agreement of the three parties involved: the Library Board, County Council, and the municipal council. However, Ross said the strategic plan's proposal comes out of the realization that something has to be done with library service in Huron. In recent years, library use has gone up by a third, while over- all funding is decreasing. Large branches, such as Exeter's, Goderich's and Wingham's, are seeing steady circulation increases, while small branches are being used less and less. Ross said that may have more to do with shopping patterns, school lo- cations, and where people stop to borrow a book on the way to a doctor's appointment than with reading habits. "Maybe it makes no sense to have a Branch III within 15 kilometres of a Branch I," said Ross. Twenty years ago, observes Ross, Dashwood had a busier branch than Zurich. Zurich's circulation puts it well into the Branch II class, while Dashwood's library eventually closed. Should the last of the small libraries close, they would join other closures of past years, such as Dashwood, Crediton, Brucefield, Belmore, Ethel, St. Helens, and Dungannon. On the positive side of things, use of the larger branches is increasing, partly connected to the quality of the facility itself. A com- mittee of council in Exeter is examining the possibility of enlarging the town's library, which actually lags behind Wingham in total circulation. "The building does not have the number of books the community warrants," admits Ross. Exeter's permanent collection is 18,300 books. Wingham's is 20,000 in a library renovated in 1988. Exeter librarian Helen Hodgins agrees with Ross. "Their circulation has been way up since they got the new building," said Hodgins. "Maybe it makes no sense to have a Branch III within 15 kilometresof a Branch I. Doctors prepare offer mg -Continued from front page "1 agree with that," said Steele. "The other plan was obviously too expensive." Steele also suggested the ad- ministration costs of MedEmerg were adding to the price of the con- tract. A deal made directly with the doctors might be cheaper and would "keep the money in Exeter", she said. At present, the doctors have 10 options on their negotiating table. which they will bring to the hos- pital board later this week. Steele also expressed frustration with the provincial ministry for not addressing the financial problems with staffing emergency rooms in Ontario's rural hospitals. "1'm supportive of the hospital," she said. "They write letters and they get no answers." South Huron's emergency ward - can it survive another nego- tiation battle between local doctors and the hospital? Helicopter search comes up empty No clues in search for man missing from Zurich since mid-April ZURICH - A county -wide search with helicopters turned up no clues into the disappearance of a Zurich man, missing over a month. The OPP called in the Brampton helicopter unit Friday to comb Huron County from the air in the hope of spotting the red 1990 Ply- mouth Acclaim owned by Patrick Harold Smith of Zurich. Smith, 74, was last seen at his 27 Centre Street residence on April 14. He was reported missing to the Exeter OPP on May 2. When further investigation turned up nothing, the helicopter were brought in, in case his red four -door, license PZT 138 could be spotted from the air. "We've done all we can do right now," said sergeant Teary Devine Of the OPP, who added that family and friends are being asked to consider other places Smith might have gone. Police say there is no reason to suspect foul play or tragedy in this case, but the fact that Smith's credit cards and bank accounts have not been used since his disappearance is troubling, they admit. "He's just missing," said Devine. "He may turn up." The OPP are asking for the public's assistance in helping trace Smith's disappearance. He is 5'8", 209 lbs, with white hair tend brown eyes. Patrick Smith, 74, missing from Zurich since April 14. I