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Agent for
Sketcbley
qe,: itab• Cleans
Inside
Local
reaction to
preferred
option
See page 2
Johns' view
on education
reform
See page 3
HCPPA
supports
single
desk
selling
See page 9
Snowmobile
Poker Rally
See Crossroads
Second front
Livingston
assumes role
of Rec. Board
chairperson
EXETER - After bad weather
postponed the South Huron Recre-
ation and Community Ccntre
Board meeting twice, the Board fi-
nally met to vote in a new chairper-
son and a vice -chairperson.
Chan Livingston will assume the
role of chairperson and Kathy
Campbell was voted in a vice
chairperson. -
The position became available
after Mike Soldan resigned as
chairperson on January 9. after
nine years of service. In a letter to
the Rec. Board Soldan stated he
was frustrated with the lack of ded-
ication from some of the hoard
members but said he felt uncom-
fortable enforcing attendance at
meetings and fundraising events
because they were volunteers.
As chairperson, Livingston said
he has a special strategy to deal
with the problem.
"When you're dealing with vol-
unteers you have to make them
want to participate and I think if
we keep everyone involved they
will look forward to corning to our
meetings," said Livingston. "Meet-
ings have to be fun in order to en-
joy them and I'm a fun guy."
Livingston said his main objec-
tive will be "keeping deficits away
from the arena" and initiating an
open door policy with board mem-
bers.
"I want any complaints to be
open and referred to the whole
board," he said.
Chan Livingston Kathy Campbell
Hospital no longer on critical list
First step will focus on savings through reduction of administration and support services
By Heather Mir Community hospitals including Goderich, Listowel and
Wingham will add surgical and obstetrical services. Strat-
ford will become the secondary or referral hospital to pro -
MITCHELL - Move quickly. vide all basic and community services as well as special -
That's the recommendation of the Huron -Perth District ized surgery, rehabilitation and paediatrics.
Health Council in order to receive a favorable response The option "builds on the strenghts of the hospitals now"
from the Ministry of Health for the establishment of a sin- and according to Bell, the service configuration is con-
gle hospital system. sistent with the hospitals' proposal. Some
"We need to move quickly to get this system modification has been made in the bed
in place," said HPDHC Executive Director "There's a
Fraser Bell during a press conference held good chance
Monday. "It's somewhat unique." the commission
Fraser added a quickly implemented approach
before a commission is required will require a .will see the
interim governance committee be established virtue in this."
by June and a single senior management team
be in place by September.
The preferred option the DHC will recommend closely
follows a proposal submitted by all eight Huron/Perth hos-
pital boards. The option creates a single hospital system
with a single board and one administrative team under the
leadership of one chief administrator.
The option provides all hospitals with 24-hour emergency
services and inpatient medical beds as wellas chronic beds
and outpatient clinics and various therapy services. These
basic services will be provided in Clinton, Exeter, Seaforth
and St. Marys.
T -A Reporter '
distribution. South Huron Hospital will
retain nine medicine beds and five chronic
care beds, a reduction of 24 beds.
A total of 406 beds will remain open
throughout the system including 26 ob-
stetric beds, 15 paediatric beds, 46 sur-
gery/oncology beds, 114 medicine beds,
14 ICU beds, 133 chronic care beds, 20 rehabilitation beds
and 38 psyciatric beds.
Clinton, Seaforth' and St. Marys will lose surgical beds
due to a decision to consolidate surgery. Rehabilitation
beds will now be available in Huron County in Wingham
where 5 beds will be established in addition to 15 in Strat-
ford.
No further public meetings are planned by the DHC al-
though "constructive suggestions on the refinements to the
preferred option are welcome." Send comments to the
DHC office at 235 St. George Street, Mitchell, Ontario
NOK I NO.
"We feel we have been able to address those concerns
very well through this proposal," said Task Force Chair
Janet Hook of the issues raised at open houses.
"There's a good chance the commission will see the vir-
tue in this," added Bell.
Although a financial savings target of 20 per cent was set
by the Task . Force, the preferred option saves approximate-
ly 13 per cent. The DHC describes this $10.4 million re-
duction as a first step that finds savings primarily through
consolidation of administration and support services.
The DHC plans to work with' hospital•boards to create an
interim governance structure that will hire a single CEO.
A single financial structure must also be established and
the structure of the system needs to be further defined.
Monday's annoucement did not go into detail regarding
where the administration would be centered or how many
jobs would be lost in the restructuring. Prior to being for-
warded to the Minister of Health, a final report will he
brought to the DHC for approval in March
A long-term goal of the DHC is to create an integrated
delivery system for health care throughout Huron -Perth.
This would encompass all health services including long-
term care and health units. However, for the immediate fu-
ture, all resources will be focused towards this first step in
the process, a single hopsital system.
Photo and comments on page 2
Homuth hats
The Homuth brothers model their zany pointed "jester" hats while walking home from
Exeter Public School on Thursday. The brothers say the hats have become popular among
their peers. Jake, 7, rests his elbows on his brothers, from left Mitch, 10, Zak, 12, and
Clint, 9.
Live rodeo is comin
The board will pay $16,000 to bring a rodeo to town in
hopes of making it an annual community event
By Chris Skaikos
T -A Reporter
EXETER - The rodeo is coming
to town.
The South Huron Recreation and
Community Centre Board officially
decided to bring a live rodeo show
to town during a Recreation Board
meeting on Thursday night.
A Bar K Rodeo Productions,
based in Corunna, will put on a sev-
en -event rodeo from August 8, to10
featuring saddle hronc riding, bare-
back riding, steer wrestling, calf
roping, team roping, ladies' barrel
racing and hull riding. The act will
be complete with clown per-
formances and additional entertain-
ment.
The Rec, Board has discussed
bringing the event to Exeter since
rodeo representatives approached
the Exctcr Business Association
(EBA) a few weeks ago. After
gauging interest from the com-
munity, Rec. Board members
agreed it would be a worthwhile
event.
"I think it's a great idea. I've
talked to a lot of people and I see a
lot of interest," said board member
Dave Urlin.
The board will pay $16,000 for
the show and estimates it will
spend $4,000 on promotion.
Chairperson Chan Livingston
said the rodeo will have to be pro -
muted heavily in order to make a
profit.
"This is a big project and we can
make some big bucks or lose some
big bucks," said Livingston. "Eve-
ryone seems enthusiastic about this
but we're going to have to get a lot
of people involved to make it
work."
The Rec. Board has struck up an
organizing committee and hopes
other community groups will get
involved.
Urlin said if the community em-
braces the idea and the rodeo is fi-
nancially successful, it could be-
come an annual event similar to
Dashwood's Friedsburg Days or
+' Continued on page 2
Plans for elimination
of cemetery board
EXETER - Exeter Council has
put the wheels in motion to dis-
solve the Cemetery Board as part
of an initiative to stream -line town
operations.
It has been suggested by re
'structuring consultants- that ce-
metery operations be combined
with Parks and Recreation to
achieve efficiencies. The decision
comes in reaction to a reduction of
transfer payments from the prov-
ince, as . well as downloading of
roads to municipalities.
Following last week's regular
meeting, council passed a motion to
• prepare a bylaw to dissolve the
board. Members of the board re-
ceived notice of this decision in
the mail on Monday.
Although council has offered
board members the opportunity "to
carry on as an advisory board with
recommending powers during the
restructuring program," (he board
has not commented on this pro-
posal.
Board Chair Andy DcBoer and
members Peter McFalls and Olga
Davis expressed concerns with dis-
solution of the board.
In addition to maintenance, fi-
nancial and service issues, board
members seemed most upset with
the thought of funeral arrangements
being made without proper sen-
sitivity through the municipal of-
fice.
"Would you like to Zinc up for fu-
neral arrangements?" asked Dc -
Boer.
Davis, an 18 -year member of the
board, added, "I have a lot of loved
one buried up there...I would not
like to sec it deteriorate."
Communication has admittedly
been a problem between council
and the Cemetery Board. Ac-
cording to some hoard, they were
not consulted prior to the decision
to shut down the greenhouses. A
memo was instead sent to inform
the superintendent.
"You have to deal with the reality
and that is we want to stream -line
things. There aren't that many
sales a year that you can justify
somebody sitting in an office at the
cemetery," said Mayor Ben Hoo-
genboom.
Town Administrator Rick Hun-
dey explained dissolving the Ce-
metery Board is part of a re-
structuring plan that involves thy.
're -organization of town services
expected to generate between
$218,000 and $401,000 annually.
Every town agency, board and de-
partment will be affected in this re-
structuring.
Consultants hircd to complete the
town's internal restructuring study
rnet with members of the Cemetery
Board who felt their voices were
heard.
The resignation of Cemetery Su-
perintendent Harry Knip sped up
the process to beginre-
organization of the cemetery opera-
, tions,and at present, Knip has been
retained on contract to handle nec-
essary funeral arrangements.
air Continued on page 2
Charges laid
in connection
with fatal car
accident
HURON COUNTY - As a result
of a single vehicle accident that oc-
curred on Nov: 24, 1996, Sarah Le -
Beau, 20, of Stanley Township, R1
Brucefield,,has been charged and
will appear in Goderich court on
Nov. 17.
Charges include: four counts of
criminal negligence causing death,
four counts of impaired driving
causing death, criminal negligence
causing bodily harm, impaired
driving causing bodily harm and
driving over the legal limit (80
mgs).
The single collision occurred on
Huron County Road 31, north of
Varna, in which a 1995 Chevrolet
Camero carrying six occupants was
involved in a collision that killed
Neal Atchison, 20, of Clinton,
Brian Hill, 21, of Stanley Town-
ship, Pamela King, 20, of Clinton
and Mark Webster, 19, of Stanley
Township.
Severe injuries were received by
Brandon Gardner, 19, of Vanastra.
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