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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-02-18, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Delicious Hot Deli Foods To Go • Serving Exeter and area since 1873 SEIP'S valu-mart 4 & 83 Exeter 235-0262 Film Developing 4.99 24 roll Early bird This robin didn't pay atten- tion to Wiarton Willy's pre- diction of six more weeks of winter. The first robin of the season reported to the Times Advocate was en- joying breakfast in . Janet and Brian Wedlake's apple tree in Exeter on Sunday morning. Huron County loses community leader , HAY TOWNSHIP - Huron County and Hay Township, lost a citizen •who loved his community with the passing of Murray -Keys on Friday, following a battle with can - CC!. Keys entered • municipal politics in 1982 as a councillor on Hay Township council. He was deputy reeve from. 7-88-'94 and reeve from 94-'97. Keys- served as Huron County warden _in 1997, chairman of . Hay Communications- . Co- operative Limited, d.irec►r of Hay Mutual Insurance Company -and the Ausahld-Bayf icld Conservation Au timority•(vicc-chairman in 1996) and was a member of .the i.xeter and Area Fire Board. Keys is survived by his wife Joan and three children. Huron and Perth MPPs to hear about school board's situation CLINTON • - Huron and Perth MPPs will hear firsthand about the situation in which the Avon - Maitland District. School Board finds itself., • " • • Chairperson Abby Armstrong said she will meet !with Perth MPP Bert Johnson and Huron MPP Hel- en Johns on Friday: "Our situation isn't typical. It's our hope to raise their awareness. about our situation." she said. -Earlier this nmonth.: hoard . ad- ministrators met ' with repre- sentatives 'from the Ministry of Ed- ucation and Training about the board's $1.8 million shortfall.. "We didn't expect them to conic hack with a, huge amount of mon- ey. ,- Now, we're going the other way. It's 'our responsihlity," said Chair- person Armstrong, explaining why the hoard is,mceting with the polit- ical representatives. • Freeze placed on water extensions EXETER - Council passcda mo- • tion on Monday night to deny the requests of three Ushornc. Town- ship landowners to - hook into, the town's water supply at this time. Suntastic Hothouse inc., , Huron Motor Products and Tom Prout have requested hook-ups. While Councillor Pete Armstrong wanted to grant the Prout request for water for domestic use only,"thc rest of council disagreed stating the deci- sion is not permanent.. The freeze applies until the study of the'Town's water supply is com- pleted at which time council will revisit the requests. Wednesday, F'Tbruary 18, 1998 Has Exeter's $3 -million water expansion investment been flushed dowinahe drain? Council wants to review all major PUC water management and planning decisions By Kate Monk T -A Reporter EXETER - On Monday night, Ex- eter Council learned the $3 -million expansion to the. water system may he virtually used up without any ec- onomic benefits to the Town. Coun oil did not take th. news lightly. After hearing the report of Chief Executive Officer Rick Hundey, Ex- eter. Council entered into a heated discussion for more than an hour about the Town's water system and the Public Utility Commission's nianagernent capabilities. Mayor Ben Hoogenboom and PUC chairman Bev Skinner tried to temper the news by saying the PUC and Town's engineers arc still look- ing of the water figures. - "There, appears to be some confu meeting. sion if that is the fact," Hoo- Reeve Roy Triebner was visibly genboom said referring to the claim upset about the implications .of the that :the $3 -million investment to in- PUC actions. He challenged Hoo- crease capacityhas been lost. genboom -(council's representative . Skinner ,reported the PVC's en- on the PUC) to defend his part in gineer Steve Burns said he wasn't the decision to allow•Nabisco to use sure of someof his figures hut that he expected to• hear back from Burns in 7-10 days.. '-"Until such a time as we get the report back from the engineer, the statements could be incorrect," ;t .r said. .cy disagreed saying he had en with Burns earlier Monday and they clarified a minor.dctail with respect to the vol- ume of water from the Springs well. "We're on solid ground," Hundey countered, with re- spect to figures Burns had .pre- sented at a joint Council -PUC domestic rather than industrial wa- 'ller- "The question has to be asked.. If you weren't sure of the fails, how could you have made the decision to discontinue the use of the river water when you didn't know the capacity?" Triebner asked. Hoogenboom replied changes had been made be- cause Nabisco did not need the river water. He said Triebner had been. part : of the del- egation to the Aus- ahlc-Bayfield Con- servation Authority more than two years now the .. ago where Triebner adiy?" was told Nabisco no longer needed the wa- ter from Morrison res- ervoir because of its poor quality. Triebner,replied that the PUC did , not say Nabisco would be using the domestic supply. - "You're responsible for de- cisions. It sounds like you're finger pointing to cover _ yourself," Tri- ebner said- to Hoogenboom. "On what basis did you make the de- cision? You're on the commission and the head of 'council. Was it ever discussed at council that you would_discontinuc the river water and it. would have _implications?" Triebner as'ked._ "We have 'letters between `the PUC and Town," Hoogenboom "How could you have made the decision to. discontinue the use oft*river water wn you didn't k cap Renting relief. Lucan public works employee Bev Hirtzel, left, and public works superintendent Doug . Johnston ac- cept a $1,254.28 ,cheque from Clarke's Food Mart's Jo- Anne Clarke in the store's video rental section last week. The store ran a fundraiser for victims of the- ice storm of the century in eastern Ontario — they donated $1 per every movie rental while their movie distributor,' Star Flix Video, donated 500 per video. Johnston said the money will be Used to refurbish the Watson's Corners Community Hall outside of. Lanark where he, Hirtzel and two Lucan• Hydro workers stayed"while assisting the area clean, up after the storm. Osborne School renovations continue despite objections CLINTON - Ushorne Central Public School's renovations • .will proceed despite . objections from two trustees.. • At 'cast Tuesday night's meeting in Clinton, the Avon -Maitland Dis- trict School Board approved an- other $175,30( in renovations which will update. the Iihrary re- source.. centre and renovate the main entrance. „ The renovations are the second and third phases of the project. Trustee Wendy Anderson , ques- tioned the former Huron County Board of Education's decision in November to approve the first phase, which includes improve- ments to the school administration area, wheelchair accessible wash- room and -health room of the pro- -ject. • She •said the Education Im- provmcnt Commission didn't permit boards to approve expenses over $50,0(X) before amalgamation. • Janet Baird -Jackson, super- intendent, said costs lime, the 'firs't phase. are $44,903. These renova- tions are near completion.' Trustee Atje Tuyten said . she didn't support proceeding with ren- ovations in a school with a student capacity lower than Scaforth Dis- trict High School. It is one of the schools being con- sidered for closure to make room for the ncw•board's office, Baird -Jackson said Exeter Public School enrolment continues to, in- crcase.•Students may be transferred to Usb►rne Central Public School. claimed, adding the Town had no ohjectioins to 'eliminating the Marl- borough Street well which supplied: five per cent of the Town's water. • Triebner replied the PUC should [Utile explained the effects elim- inating the Marlhorough . Street well would have on the Town. While Hoogenboom claimed those. facts were documented. Hundcy disagreed saying there • was no record. . . Hoogenboom explained the de- cision to allow Nabisco to use do- . nmestic .water was to satisfy Na- bisco's customers. "Nabisco found customers didn't want certain inarks on the cans. The decision was made at the PUC' to satisfy the largest customer (Na - Kisco). It was a management de- cision," Hoogenboom said. Deputy Reeve Dave Orlin said in _ 1995, Nabisco was satisfied with the river water quality and Na- bisco's use of river water was 'part of the overall water'system. .. "Things change. At one of the PUC meetings: the decision was made to provide Nahisco.with Net- ter quality water," Hoogenboom . countered. - Urlin -thought there were bigger advantages to -the Town to increase its population than to allow Na- bisco to use up the capacity. "Now 2.100 people can't move into Exeter," Urlin said. , Hoogenboom defended himself saying he wasn't involved in the•ne gotiations with Nabisco. The com- • missioners had accepted the rec- ommendations of its staff. - "You sold our future down the drain without getting compensation for it. Now the question is how do we recover the. lost capacity," Tri:' ebner said.- - Skinner said the PUC contacted-. .B.M. Ross tif determine the state of the water system and the PUC was not prepared to sell water. to. Sun- ; Mastic Hothouse. -Inc. until it knew the status of the system. -Triebner asked Skinner what hc' felt about the decision to allow Na- hisco to use the domestic supply. "ln my own mind, I -don't think a mistake was made at that time. i felt it was a,mattcr of keeping Nabisco in town or'not...I made my decision • - based on the intonnation we, had on hand at that time." Skinner ex plaincd. Hoogenboom agreed. • "If we could do things over again, obviously. they would:be done dif-. fercntly:" he said. • Councillor Pete -Armstrong made the notion for B.M. Ross to under- take a preliminary evaluation of the options for .providing for and/or re- trieving water capacity. "Triebner seconded the motion with: - the amendment the.PUC would pay:for the study. • - - Skinner replied the PUC_ had in- Continued on page. 2 Exeter's growth capacity reduced to less than 700 ,Figures from:. the PUC's engineer show much of Exeter's -water capacity has been used with little room for growth EXETER .-• While the Town of Exeter was under the impression it had enough water to service a pop- ulation of 7,000 people: a report from B.M. Ross indicates the limit is actually the equivalent of 5.000 people. . Exeter Chief Administrative Of- ficer Rick Hundey started- digging deeper intim water capacity figures 'billowing a request from two busi- nesses and one family in `U.horne Township to be hooked up to Exet- er's water supply. • in 1996, Exeter's -water system was expanded by a pipeline to the Lake Huron water supply system for two reasons: to provide a sure source of water in the event the Town's largest well was out or commission and to provide the ca- pacity to grow from 4,300 to 7.0(10 people. According to Hundcy, the Town thought this population was in ad- dition to the water needed by Na- bisco. At. !the same time, the en- gineer for the Town and the PUC,, Steve Burns of B.M. Ross, did not know the Morrison Dain water source previously used by Nabisco had been discontinued.' , Discussions between Nabisco and the PUC. led to a PUC decision to provide Nabisco with domestic water to replace treated river water for industrial purposes. River water (with the Morrison and McNaugh- ton park reservoirs as the source) had been used for non -product put-, poses such as washing processes. The river water system is extra to the domestic water supply. By re- placing the river water with do- mestic'. water. the - reserve capacity of the domestic system was re- duced. The intention. of the ex- panded water system was to use its capacity for new development. Na- bisco was to .have continued using river water. - According to Hundcy. Nahisco was made aware in writing during thc planning stage of the limits it had in using the domestic water. As well. Nabisco knew it was to con- tinue to use river water for some as- pects of its operation. Nabisco did not contribute to the capital costs of the' water system expansion (more than a $3 -million price tag) nor did the PUC negotiate the terms lime a capital contribution by Nabisco for any later expansion -to replace.. the water used by Nabisco. Numbers based on - maximum consumption The bottom line is that Burns' re- vised calculations indicate Exeter can accomnioxlatc about 670 addi- tional "person . equivalcats ,at the 1'992 usage level." . These numbers arc based on firm water capacity (i.e. the total capac- ity Icss the capacity with the largest pump out of service). Burns' figures ,for water demand are based on the maximum daily consumption, not the average daily or monthly de- mand which the PUC used in its cal- culations. • - in 1997, the average volume of water used per day in Exeter was less than half the maximum amount used. The maximum capacity of the system is 7,318 cubic meters per day. For three days in 1997, the de- 7nand was greater than 6,500 cubic meters. The average demand was only 2,698 cubic meters per day: Using the average figures, Exeter Exeter Council gives itself a raise EXETER - Although not on the agenda. Exeter Council passed a motion Monday night to give the councillors • raises of more than $1,30( each: Mayor Ben Hoogen- boom will receive a $500 raise . Deputy Reeve Dave Orlin made the motion stating the council had not received a raise in eight .years and it was doing more work forless money than comparable municipal- ities. Urlin's basis for the Targe in- crease was that money was being saved by having two fewer council: lors and the savings could be' split - among the remaining councillors. The. 1997. stipend was $4,049. The new stipend of approximately $5.382 covers two council and two committee of the whole meetings per month and any boards thc coun- cillors are appointed to. Hoogen- hoom's stipend will be $8,406 per year. • For additional committee , meet- ings. thcy will receive $45 for meetings under four hours in length and $90 for meetings longer than four hours. in 1997, the per diem for half-day meetings was $35 and $70 for full-day meetings. • When all the numbers are totaled, it will. probably cost more to run thc council in 1998 than in 1997: • • Reeve Roy Triebner voted against the motion for the record. Financial advice you can count on! George Godbolt CLU, 496 Main Street Exeter ON 235-2740 When it comes to investment and tax strategies, retirement and estate planning, and more, we have the expertise and technology needed to help secure your financial future. Call me today for financial advice you can count on! Licensed with Mutual Life of Canada/Mutual Inveatoo Inc., two co nl s of The Mutual Grou !Aryls a Mutual affair RCThe Mutual Group tr r • 11_111 it