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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1994-06-08, Page 2Page 2 Times -Advocate, June 8, 1994 Regional wrap up Seaforth teacher charged in porn ring SEAFORTH - A teacher at Seaforth • District High School has been removed from contact with students after police raided his London home last week and seized hundreds of pornographic videos, tapes and magazines, many involving children. Buryl Wilson, 50, was arrested at his Commissioners Road East home in London, last Friday morning. He has been charged with gross indecency and paying for sex with a minor. Ralph Wareham, principal of Seaforth District High School said he has not been approached by students with any concerns related to the case, it was report- ed in the Seaforth Expositor. Wareham couldn't confirm when or if Wilson would be teaching at the school. "... Mr. Wilson will not return to teach- ing duties in this school unless the matters are resolved beyond doubt," he told the student body last Friday. Central Huron members of St. John Ambulance resign GODERICH - The enure Cen- tral Huron branch of St. John Ambulance has resigned in protest over the dismissal of its branch chairman of 11 years. Executive members, instructors and brigade members handed in written resignations May 25 after the annual general meeting tumed hostile, it was reported in the Goderich Signal -Star. This leaves three new execu- tive members with the task of try- ing to salvage one of the town's long-standing volunteer groups. Former brigade and executive members say they feel betrayed by the way long time chairman Gary Renaud was ousted from his positions as branch and dis- trict chairman. Former St. Matys man injured in Bosnia St. MARYS - Richard King- don, a St. Marys native. suffered leg injuries last Saturday when he stepped on a mine in war-torn Bosnia. Kingdon, 31, suffered broken bones, but escaped the full force of the blast. He was re- ported to be in good spirits and will be airlifted back to Canada in the next few weeks. He had been in Bosnia for three weeks, it was reported in the Journal Argus. Mayor resigns from committee MOUNT FOREST - Mayor Bruce Barton has resigned his position as the town's represen- tative on the North Wellington Landfill Site Committee last Monday. "I'm not happy at all with what the chairman [West Luther rep- resentative Murray Langdon) has been doing," the mayor told the Mount Forest Confederate after the meeting. The mayor said Langdon phoned council- lors to put pressure on him re- garding a landfill decision. The mayor declined to discuss what the decision was about, saying only that it will be made public on the advice of the landfill site committee's lawyer at the appro- priate time. JI\LTHENRWS. Council passes 1994 Exeter town budget User fees cause two percent tax cut orContinued from front page nanced this year through user -fees such as the S2 per bag garbage tags. Included in the "bare bones" bud- get, is S263,339, the municipal por- tion of the federal/provincial infra- structure program. Some $ 126,300 of those funds is as yet not allocat- ed to a specific project, although the "Heritage Square" proposal to renovate the Old Town Hall and Public Library is a likely candidate. Councillor Ben Hoogenboom was the first to object to those funds being associated with that project in the budget document. "I have a problem sometimes ac- cepting that the recommendations are going to be realistic and within our budget," he said. Clerk Liz Bell however, pointed out that the " other $126,300 you would have to spend in '94 has not been specified," but noted those funds have to be allocated eventual- ly under the infrastructure program. The budget also has a transfer of $50,000 to a reserve fund for the Town Hall and Library, but "it isn't for the infrastructure program nec- essarily," said Bell. The funds are being set aside "because something has to be done there", and they might only be used for general re- pairs. • Hoogenboom asked if the $50,000 reserve fund could be used to purchase the present municipal office from the federal government, if so decided. Bell agreed that was a possible use. The total town budget is $3.4 mil- lion, some 12 percent more than in 1993. Only $1.36 million is being raised through taxes this year, how- ever, down slightly from the $1.37 on tax rolls last year. Grants, fees, and other revenues, including the waste management user charges, make up the rest of the budget total. Grow vegetables with your Exeter neighbours A community garden plot was proposed to council Monday, but council wonders about the need EXETER - Even though the Lions Club's scenic garden project is barely under way, town council has already received a proposal to establish a differ- ent kind of garden in town: a community vegetable garden. Council received a proposal from Ryan Good, a third -year Environment and Resource Studies stu- dent at Waterloo, who said he was interested in see- ing Exeter start a community vegetable garden. Good proposes a 2,500 square foot property be set aside for use by town residents as a mutual veg- etable patch. "Does he want us to supply the property to put the garden on as well?" inquired councillor Robert Drummond. "That's how I'm taking it," said deputy -reeve Lossy Fuller. "Do we have the property and is wa- ter available?" Councillor Ben Hoogenboom said there are prob- ably locations for such a garden in town, but per- haps not centrally located and within walking dis- tance for most residents. "Is this person hoping to find something down- town where everyone can walk to it? It might be mission impossible," commented Hoogenboom. "You need a good piece of land to do it." Fuller suggested that Good might want to attend a council or executive meeting to explain it further. Hoogenboom said in Europe community veg- etable gardens are quite successful, to which coun- cillor Ervin Sillery agreed, but added that in Hol- land he sees people using their front lawns for vegetables rather than growing grass. "I think [Exeter] people are too busy working to bother with growing vegetables," said Sillery. "There's lots of back yards, and if people wanted to they could sure use it [for vegetables] rather than using town land," he said. Hoogenboom, however, said he wanted to see Good come to council to discuss the issue further. "I think he has a good idea, and maybe it should be pursued," said Hoogenboom. Joint public, Catholic school in Clinton on hold Public board waits for separate board to make next move By Catherine O'Brien T -A staff CLINTON - After much debate and an even greater amount of con- troversy, the proposed joint public and Catholic high school venture in Clinton has been shelved for the time being. Paul Carroll, director of the Hu- ron County Board of Education an- nounced the news of the Catholic board's decision during a regular board meeting on Monday after- noon. "Sharing of this facility is not be- ing discussed at this time," Carroll said. But he couldn't say what, if any, decision the Catholic board has made about building a second Cath- olic high school. Carroll did say, however, that both board's "welcome dialogue and are continuing to problem solve together." As well, public board trustees voted in favour of the ad- ministrators of the two boards keeping the lines of communication open and keeping trustees up to speed on further developments. The news comes after months of protest over the proposed sharing of the Central Huron Public Sec- ondary School. On April 25, Catholic trustees started looking a bit more seriously at other options, rather than the shared facility. This decision came about be- cause of negative reaction to the joint proposal tbat was expressed at • • ur t iews Letters to the editor a meeting put on by the Clinton high school's parent liaison com- mittee in mid-April. At that meting both boards were told by a number of people that the joint school was not wanted. Par- ents said they were concerned that the venture wouldn't work and this would cause conflicts between the students. In early May both schools were re-evaluating the proposal as they tried to get a sense of what the ma- jority of ratepayers wanted. Whether or not the joint venture does eventually materialize, the Catholic board is expected to go ahead with the construction of a new Catholic high school with a target opening date of the fall 1995. Zurich office for Hay all wrong "I believe the decision to build the new office in Zurich should be placed on hold until a second ratepayers meeting could be held in late June." Dear Editor: In the Township of Hay there is currently a pro- ject underway which will result in the construction of a new municipal office for Hay Township. The main issue is whether the new building should be located in Hay Township, or in a neighbouring mu- nicipality (Zurich). The Township of Hay currently owns two adja- cent lots in the Village of Zurich, where the present office is situated. One proposal is to build the new office in Zurich, on these lots. This would entail de- molishing the existing office building, and using the Zurich water and sewage system to service the new office. The existing office, and adjacent lot, were evaluated in 1994 as having an estimated market value of approximately $65,000.00. Another propo- sal is to sell the existing Jots and office building in Zurich, and use the proceeds to offset the cost of purchasing land directly across the road from the Hay Twp. Work Centre for $30,000. There are a number of "pros" and "cons" for each proposal. If the office is built in Zurich, the Township would be able to utilize its existing land holdings. However, those properties could be sold for a profit. In Zurich the office would be close to the Post Of- fice and banking facilities. The parking lot around the new building would continue to provide free parking to the shoppers in Zurich as it currently does. There are some disadvantages to building the of- fice in Zurich. One disadvantage is the cost of pur- chasing water and sewage services from the village. Another disadvantage is that Hay Twp. would own two lots in town versus four acres in the coun- try with additional space for future expansion. Also, we have the additional filling of our landfill site with the rubble from the demolition of the old office building. An alternative to building the office in Zurich is to purchase the land on Concession 9 and build the office opposite the existing Hay Twp. Work Centre. While it may seem more expensive at first (to buy more land) it must be remembered that the existing lot in Zurich would be sold. The site on Conc. 9 has a number of advantages: • the existing drilled well at the Hay Twp. Work Centre could be used to provide water for the new office. • This site is on a paved road leading off #84 highway. • This site has a good location for drainage and a septic system, which would he needed to meet the needs of the proposed office and other future re- quirements. • This site has access to natural gas and hydro; both services are currently installed at the Hay Twp. Work Centre. • This site has potential for expansion to meet the future needs of the residents of Hay Twp. The exist- ing Hay Twp. ball diamond (which is used frequent- ly) currently sits on leased land. This lease is due to expire in 1997, and while it may be renewed for an- other term, it is inevitable that some day this land will be needed for housing lots. The site on Conc. 9 allows for future growth, thereby providing more flexibility in the future. A good example of this type of "forward thinking" is evident in Stanley Twp. where the office, work centre, meeting hall, ball dia- monds, playground equipment, and picnicyilion are all located on one site. Family picnics are a com- mon occurrence at that site because the facility ex- ists. At the council meeting held on May 16 Reeve onel Wilder cast the deciding vote favouring the building of the office on the existing Tots in Zuri . Following this meeting clerk Janisse Limmerman said "the cost factor played a major part in council's decision to stay within the village rather than build on land in the township". A close analysis of costs actually favours placing the new office on the land located on Conc. 9 instead of placing the office in Zurich. • I believe the decision to build the new office in Zurich should be placed "on hold" until a second ratepayers meeting could be held in late June. This council's mandate expires in the fall of 1994 and this project affects our township for many years to come. i believe this council needs a strong show of support for its current decision, or else the issue should get put on the ballot for the November elec- tion. it must be remembered that a vote was not taken at the first ratepayer's meeting, and the costs of lo- cating on Conc. 9 were grossly inflated. i hope the council of Hay will realize that there is opposition to their current decision to locate in Zu- rich. A petition is currently circulating in Hay Twp., asking the council to locate the new office on Conc. 9. This petition is being supported by a number of ratepayers who believe the future needs of Hay Twp. residents will be better served by locating the new office in our own municipality. Sincerely yours, Glenn Hayter, Ratepayer, Hay Twp. a r Clip & Save Pine Hill Fabrics Quilters & Crafters! Yes! We have: DMC floss, Podgy glue, Little Foot, quilt batting, broadcloth, Aida cloth, Kwik sew, MacPhee patterns, muslin, crib panels, trims, laces, notions, classes (fall and spring), smock pleating, quality Serger thread, Piecemaker needles, quilt and cross st books, quality cotton prints and Friendly, knowledgeable service Hwy. 4, 5 km. north of Clinton 482-3214 — Clip & Save --- Watch for us in the classified Sununu hours: %Ion. - 10 •5 HURON COUNTY 0 ver the past six months, the Huron County Long -Term Care Planning Committee has been meeting to plan Long -Term Care Service, to serve the needs of people who live in Huron County. Long Term Care services include government funded seivices such as Lrifg-Term Care'Fadlities (Nursipg Homes and }inures for the. Aged),- Home .Care, Visiting Ntfrsei; Homemakers, Seniors' Day Centres, Alzheimer Programs and Attendant Services. Roe clients of these services are elderly people and adults with physical disabili- ties as well as their families and friends who help look after the daily needs of those who are unable to do so for themselves. The Huron County Long -Term Care Planning Committee is composed of con- sumers of Long -Term Care services, service providers and representatives of Inca) government, service clubs, the ministerial association and advocacy groups for the physically handicapped. the Lommittee members come from all five geo- graphic areas of the County: North (Wingham and area), East (Seaforth and area), West (Godench and area), South (Exeter and area) and Central (Clintiin and area.) The county Planning Committee members are: Consumers: Alternates Joyce Scotchmer (Central Huron - Bayfield) Marg Talbot Anne James (East Huron - Seaforth) Helen Mclean Lillian Smith (North Huron - Wingham) Myrtle Pengelly Fairley Marten (South Huron - Exeter) Lois Thiel Helen !topper (West Huron - Gexlench) Rose Merner Martina Schneiker (West Huron - Goderich) Hilda Ungar Other Community Representatives Alternates Fla! Claus. Chairperson Chief of Police, Seaforth Rev. James Sloan Dr. Harry Cieslar Physic tan, Godench Dr. Frank Newland Rev. Peggy Campbell Iluron Ministerial Association's Pastoral Care Committee Leona Armstrong ikon Forrest Kathleen Buckley Service Providers: Gloria Workman Vice Chairperson Janice Hayter -Oke Jean Young Ruth Ilildebrand Yvonne Kitchen Dr. Maarten Bokhout Township of (.rev Diamonds West Huron Wingham Seniors Day Centre Victorian Order of Nurses Town & Country Homemakers Seaforth Manor Seaforth Community 1lospdal 1luron County Health Unit Rev. Clare Geddes Pearl Whitehead Margaret White Betty Simmons Alternates Nancy Klomps Cathy Walker Betty McGregor- t:hgoetz Josef Risi Pat Pietnk Joanne Jasper The Huron County Long -Term Care Planning Committee meets on the 3rd Thursday of each month. Through the winter, the meetings were held in Clinton. Now that the weather has improved, the meetings will move across the County. All Committee meetings are open to the public The next meeting will take place on June 16. 1994 at 9:30 a.m. at the Lion's Youth Centre, 125 John SI West. Exeter. Updates of each Planning Committee meeting are provided in the Focus Newsmagazine Key to Huron's planning for Long -Term Care services are the 5 local planning groups who meet in their own areas of the county. The local planning groups give advice and feedback to the county planning committee. Local planning groups meetings are open to all to allow participation of the many people who use Long - Term Care services- The dates and locations of the local planning groups are listed below: Local Planning Groups: South Huron 2nd Thursday at 10:00 a.m at the Lion's Youth Centre, Exeter East Huron 4th Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at the Seaforth Community Hospital Central Huron 4th Thursday at 1 Illi p.m at the Huron Adult Day Centre, Clinton West Huron 1st Tuesday at 1 30 p.m at the MacKay Centre, Goderich Chairperson/ Secretary Sheila Dolmage Joan Spinal loanne Rich! Shirley O'Bnen Kathleen Buckley North Huron 2nd Monday at 10.00 a m. at the Wingham Seniors Day Centre Leona Armstrong The local planning groups and the county planning committee will continue to plan and make decisions that will affect I.ong-Term Care Services now and in the future. So far, their recommendations have included funding recommendations for Palliative Care Volunteer Programs and the allocation of short stay beds in the County's Long -Term Care facilities Over the spring, summer and into the fall the planning committee and the local groups will be discussing the development of the Huron Multi -Service Agency. This new organization will provide easier access to a wide range of Long -Term Care services and streamline the administration of services now delivered by many agencies across the county The Committee will also be gelling help from the Kcal planning groups to write a 3.5 year plan for Long -Term Care services to meet the needs of Huron County residents These are important discussions and decisions about services that are very impor- tant in peoples' lives. We invite you to get involved , to come to a meeting and voice your concerns, to talk to a member of the County Planning Committee of a member of the local planning group in your area. You have a chance to shape the futureof these services. Come and join us.