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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-04-23, Page 1SEIP 'S. valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Easter 235-0262 ■ r SUBSCRIBE! ' 11 you aren't subscribing to TheI Times -Advocate, you're missing out.' Use the coupon below and subscribe today! I Name: I Address City 1 Prov. I Postal Code SUBSCRIPTION RATES: .1 1 year 535 + 2.45 GST.2 y/., 583. 4.41 GST QUINIZESeaMia 1 1 year 583.4.41 GST 9.• 8 33 GST SIMUSLCANASR 510200 1 USE YOUR CREDIT CARD ' 00000000 1 00000000 Card No.; 1 ' ExplryDate 0 Visa ❑ Master Card ❑ Cheque enclosed Return to; TIMES ADVOCATE 424 Main St. Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6 — -- — — — J 1 1 1 Inside Spring. Car Care See pages 11-14 Volunteers recognized during national celebration See Second front Rural heating option -. wood furnaces See page 22 Dashwood firefighters battle burning rats STEPHEN TOWNSHIP - Dash- • wood firefighters found more than garbage burning during a fire at the Stephen Township Landfill Site last Tuesday. The Dashwood Fire Department responded to the call at 4:50 p.m. and began to douse the blaze but they quickly discovered a fire wasn't the only thing they were go- ing to battle. "Rats the size of raccoons were running out at us," said firefighter Jeremy Becker. "Their backs were on fire so we sprayed them off and they dropped dead. I've never seen rats that big before." Stephen Township firefighter Don Clarke assisted the Dashwood department by smothering the gar- bage fire with a bulldozer. Mickle. won't run as Exeter Reeve in upcoming election EXETER - Reeve Bill Mickle an- nounced at Monday night's council meeting he will not -be a candidate in this fall's municipal elections. After serving on council for 17 years, 15 as reeve as well as being council's representative to County Council, Mickle has decided to step down at the end of this term. "inter- ested people should have a long pe- riod of time to explore or examine the job role. They have to know what's involved," he said. . Mayor Ben Hoogenboom re- marked , "You have done the town a great service over the years, and many of us appreciate how frustrat- ing it must have been at County Council." Kids idea Rentals _ . 49t Nam evy Wednesday, April 23. 1997 Biddulph residents show up in numbers over moto-cross issue By Chris Skalkos T -A Reporter BIDDULPH TOWNSHIP - About. 50 people attended a public meeting at the Biddulph Council chambers last Tues- day to express opinions regarding a re -zoning proposal that would allow property owners to host sanctioned moto- cross races on their farm. Mungo Bear TR Ltd., owned by Martin Bitz, submitted an application to council at a previous date, requesting to rezone land on part of Lot 1, from. an agricultural land to a site A 1 specific agriculture, in order to host three organized moto-cross rz;es during the summer. The property is located immediately north of the Clande- boye bridge, off.the west side of Highway 4, across from St. James Church. • Doug Cassan, who lives on the Coursey Line is opposed to the idea of having a moto-cross track near his property and circulated a letter outlining his concerns. He questions the potential for a track to reduce property values and loss of enjoyment' He also has traffic and safety concerns and Worries about the impact on wildlife. - During the public meeting, Clerk -Treasurer Larry Hotson read some letters council received from people arguing for and against having a Moto -cross event in the area. He also received a number of phone calls - seven who were op- , posed and six in favor. Martin Bitz was given first opportunity to speak at the meeting. He said his -property will remain agricultural but wants the moto-cross racing for auxiliary use. He stated the issue has been blown out of Proportion by "the rumor mill" and refuted some of the claims helms heard or read. Bitz said rumors about using St. James Church property are "outright falsehoods" and he doesn't intend to turn his farmland into a profit-making venue, adding he will" only receive a fixed rent for the use of the land and maintenance Of a race track. The meets are run by the Moto -cross Racing Club, and local service clubs or charity -groups will have the opportunity to run the concession booths. Bitz disagreed with the statements made in Cassan's let- ter, adding the first line, which reads, "Do you really want a motorcycle race track in your backyard?" is misleading be- cause the track will be 2000 feet away from the nearest res- idence. He said the moto-cross riders do not endorse the motto, "the louder the better," and it's inaccurate to compare the noise emitted by a moto-cross bike to the noise coming from high-powered vehicles that race at Delaware Speed- way or Grand Bend Motorplex. "There are mufflers and silencers on these bikes," he_ said. adding the noise from the engine doesn't exceed 96 decibels (a tractor trailer registers approximately 110).` "That's like being stepped on by a dog.or being stepped on by an elephant. There's no comparison," he said. Bitz also argued against the potential of a racetrack re- ducing nearby property value or harming wildlife and said this is a family orientated activity that will supplement summer activities for area youth and provide spin-off busi- ness for local stores. - "There's no legitimate complaint for this type of activity,_ except from people who don't know anything about it," he said. ' Doug Cassan defended his concerns, saying others also shared his view. "This track will contribute nothing to our community but' wear and tear to our roads and noise pollution," he said, adding it contradicts the county's Official Plan, which is designed to protect residents and farmers from intrusive and incompatible land uses. "Taxpayer's have a right to en- joy the quiet use of their property.'4 Cassan, who has been a licenced full-time realtor for 21 years, insisted it will reduce property value. "Who wants to build a $300,000 home within earshot of a moto-cross race course? - Hubert Timmermans, Bitz's neighbor, said the noise a moto-cross bike 'emits will be compounded by the number of bikes at such events. • "Ninety-six decibels doesn't seem like much but when you get a bunch racing at the same time, the noise is un- believable:" Jim Thomson, who lives nearby, said the noise is a small price to pay for offering local youth something constructive to do with their time. "Noise is certainly the number one problem with this sport but you have to accept that. I will be able to see that track from my house and when I look out the window I'm going to see young kids keeping out of trouble," said Thomas. Tom Bitz reminded those opposed that there would only be three races each year and he is willing to communicate with his neighbors when planning dates for the races. He said they would not schedule the events on religious hol- idays or when St. James Church nearby on Highway 4 is holding a funeral service. However, some people were concerned the three races could escalate and the noise could become constant. Cassan anc1 others also voiced their concerns about the in- crease in traffic a moto-cross event would have along High- way 4. - "Everyone is concerned about the traffic on that stretch of road. There has already been enough fatalities," said Cas- san, adding there could be 300 competitors hauling their bikes on trailers. Council could not immediately make a decision regarding this rezoning proposal because it was still waiting for doc- umentation from the Ministry of Transportation and the Township Planner. - As of Monday morning, Hotson said he had not received anything from the MTO but expects council will have the •information it needs to make a decision in time for. its May 6 meeting. Report questioned the draft report, which contains incorrect figures, will be revised in time for a se- ries of four public meetings to be held in Varna, Brucefield, Bayfield and Zurich By Brenda Burke TA Reporter ZURICH - One word - amalgamation - has the po- tential to frustrate many . municipal members these days. Such was the case when the Municipal Reform Committee had its consultant present its draft report to fellow council members at the, Hay Township Mu- nicipal office in Zurich on April 16. With many questions left unanswered, the committee is forging ahead with a series of public meetings pend- ing the release of the draft. The Hensall-Zurich-Hay- Stanley-Tuckersmith-Bayfield. committee has not yet submitted an official amalgamation proposal, to the Ministry of municipal Affairs, and according to ques- tions raised about the report, doubt and fear run high among representatives of the six municipalities. "Municipal restructuring is an op- portunity to lower cost, reduce overlap and duplication, and help maintain or im- prove services to taxpayers," begins the report based on 1995 figures. Following thc release of its February re- port, the committee hired a consultant to examine findings of the committee. The consultant was also expected to review each service from the standpoint of an amalgamated municipality, consider al- ternative service delivery, and examine net cost sav- ings, the impact of grant tosses, one-time savings and one-time start up costs. As Consultant Glenn Tunnock, of McNeely-Tunnock Ltd., presented the draft, reaction from council mem- bers was swift. Many sections of the report were ques- tioned, numbers were debated and doubts were. ex- pressed. "That scares me, what 1 see there," remarked a meet- ing participant. "We're not looking at an overly complex municipal- ity," replied Tunnock, who pointed out the draft is not very detailed, adding if it were implemented, few posi- tions would change. He explained "staffing up" would take place alongside "slimming down." A main fear with amalgamation, he said, involves thc equalization of salaries. "Do you equalize at the higher level...lower level...or somewhere in between?" he asked the group. "When you start changing, titles," remarked Hay. .Township Deputy Reeve Jim,Lovc, "it costs you mon- ey ., According to the draft, an amalgamated municipality would be reduced from the current 3.0 council mem- bers to -10 including a mayor elected at large and nine councillors elected on a ward basis. The organizational structure of the municipality would consist of a Clerk/Administrator/Committee sys-. tem including four committees and four departments. At the meeting. questions were raised about the po- tential of increased responsibilities of municipal repre- sentatives, should amalgamation take place. "Certainly I don't believe there would be six times as much work," replied Tunnock, who suggested council meetings be run more efficiently. "I think there has to be some degree of confidence in the staff." According to Tunnock's draft, (which was discovered, on Monday, to contain incorrect figures) net savings from restructuring, based on 1995 numbers, would total $535,083. Ex- penditures after restructuring is es- timated at $6.388,125. The net tax re- quirement per capita would be $275. This figure will later be placed in perspective based on the question: "On a $100,000 home. how much do you pay?" "You're going to pay • less per capita under re- structuring." Tunnock explained, adding due to grant losses, homeowners will actually pay more. • Ttinnock's accountability was repeatedly questioned by meeting participants who mumbled among them- selves, chuckled nervously and yawned. "There are a lot of assumptions here that don't add up," one participant noted. Another enquired whether or not Tunnock's assump- tions were indeed based on fact. Questions were raised about capital costs, which Tunnock admitted are based on "a bit of a guess." There were even questions about fire protection. Continued on page 2 "What is the mes- sage you want to give to the pub- lic?...I don't think we should be going into these figures in much detail." No lay off for hospital staff - yet SHH hopes to achieve savings through early retirement incentives EXETER - Although South Hu- ron Hospital has finalized its oper- ating plan for next year, staff lay- offs or hour reductions have not been released. The hospital administration is hoping to achieve some of the needed savings through early re- tirement incentives hut according to CEO Don Currell, these efforts won't be able to combat the hos- pital's history of being under- funded. "We're just under -funded too much...We can't absorb it," said Currell. South Huron government funding has been reduced this year by ap- proximately $198,000 which totals approximately five per cern of the hospital's annual budget. 1t is dif- ficult to compare this figure with last year's cuts because of a change in funding calculations. The hospital will be operating with a $450,000 deficit and has made pleas to the province for a more equitable funding model. Currell anticipates he will have more information to release about staff layoffs by the end of this month or the beginning of May. He added it is hoped the hospital won't have to lay off any staff. "We're trying to see what's out there so we don't have to lay off staff." Mmm...pizza Throe-year•oId Holly O'Neil, of the Elginfield area, digs into a slice of pizza at Biddulph Public School's Fun Fair on Thursday night. •