HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-12-23, Page 53Wednesday. December 23, 1998 Exeter Times -Advocate
Lucan council says spend it all for pump program
By cram Bradford
11MtiS•ADVUiA.11i s i MT
LUCAN — Lucan council
is trying to taken full
advantage of a grant pro -
grain rather than have
the opportunity for free
cash pass lhem,by.
At the last ever village
council meeting last
week, council agreed to
.apply to the
fodoral/pro vInc 1al
Infrastructure program to
transfer about $8,000 out
of the Infiltration sump
pump program to the
Kent St. sanitary sewer
project.
Deputy Reeve harry
Wraith raised the subject
and has been a big propo-
nent of the sump pump
program.
"I would hate to lose
that money," he said.
Tho funds in the sump
pump grant program
must be spent by next
March and Wraith is
afraid .the deadline will go
by before all the sump
pump work is done.
Reeve Robert. Benner
pushed for the grant
money transfer to make
sure the grant money gets
spent. •
The Kent St. sewer pro-
ject low tender from
Lucan's PVG Excavating
came in at just under
$60,000, almost double
the original staff estimate
of $35,500. .
The other tenders
ranged all the way up to
$96,000. The work was
finished at. the end of
summer.
Tho village picks up a
third or the' cost of infra-
structure projects with
the federal and provincial
governments also pitying
a third each.
Other notes corn the
meeting:
Upset nothing said .
Wraith displayed his
displeasure no one had
said anything about the
departure of public works
superintendent Doug
Johnston whose: position
was eliminated with the
Jan. 1 merger with
Biddulph Township.
Johnston has spent 26
years with the village and
Wraith said his dedicated
service should be recog-
nized.
"i just find it hard to
believe Doug will no
longer be with us,"
Wraith said.
Wraith espoused
Johnston's virtues that
included fundraising for
various village, causes,
serving as an ambassador
promoting the village and
countless hours of volun-
teer service not to men-
tion his on the job perfor-
mance. •
"Doug came. in here,
took a_ hold and made
things better," Wraith
said. 1 never heard him
back wash anyone in any
way. Ills strong traits and
the many hats he wore
for the village under
many bosses...I just want-
ed to give him a few min-
utes of my time."
Wraith also commended
assistant lax collector
Linda hackney for her 18
years with the village. iler
position was also elimi-
nated due to the amalga-
mation.
Benner applauded
Wraith for speaking about
Johnston. adding Wraith
was the one most quali-
fied to do so.
Johnston refused Co
attond.tho.last ever COUP -
meeting even after the
urging of Wraith.
Heritage gives thanks
Lucan Area Heritage
president Mike Anderson
thanked council for all its
support in the past year
and gave an update on
what his group has been
up to.
Lucan will finally be on
the Stratford visitors
guide map for the first
time next year.
• .The grand opening of
the historic log cabin will
be May. 29 to coincide
with the Ride Back in_
Time.
There will also be a joint
,Heritage-Biddulph
Celebrations Committee
charity auction April 10 to
coincide with the
Biddulph Township 150th
anniversary festivities._
Anderson had a wish list
for items in the Lucan
'municipal building that
may be surplus after the
Jan. 1 merger with
Biddulph.
• First on the list was the
use of the village building
if Lucan Biddulph can't
find a buyer. Anderson
proposes the building be
used as a temporary
Heritage museum or, a
library.
He said several furnish-
ings within the building,
like the reeve's gavel. are•
historic and should be
kept in a museum. •
Ile also suggested vil-
lage records kept in the
basement could be added
to the Ileritage archives
in the museum across the
street rather than move
them to the Biddulph
building.
Anderson also wants the
village. photocopier and
other items, that won't be.
needed at the Biddulph
building after the Merger.
e
,o':.
•,
t •
ChitiiiGreetings
All the best this holiday
Our thanks for the chance to serve you this year
Country Trenditions
362 Main St. S., Exeter 235-4138
A Chrisfmas hank You
We extend to our valued customers our bey u•i hesfhr a wife
and {zippy bohda .'e1.vvn
r ■— �Qtc,
4.1
III
framietg
1 HOUR
■
430 Main St. S. ,Exeter - 235-3713
Full steam ahead
The province „ has
stepped towards passing
Bili 79 or the Fairness for
Property Taxpayers Act
despite the protests' of
many municipalities.
The bill calls for munici-
pal business tax `.increases
to small businesses to be
capped at 1,0 per cent this
-year, tive per cent in '99
and five per cent in 2000.
The bill- would„also call
for businesses who have
alrcady.received a tax
rebate to give some of it
back to municipalities,and
other businesses to have
their taxes increi►tie sub-
stantially.
The province drafted
the bill to'rospond to a
huge outcry from busi-
ness owners who•said the
changes to how taxes
were levied this' year and
the subsequent huge tax
increases would put them
out of business.
iteymer said the bill will
put municipalities like
Loran in the "unenviable
position” to tell some peo
ple they didn't get the
rebate they thought and
others to fork over more
cash.
"1t appears (the
province is) proceeding
full speed ahead," he said
with disappointment.
Finally done
Bob Taylor, an over 25
year vet as a member or
the treasurer on the
Lucan Community
Memorial Centre manage-
ment board and its cur-
rent chairperson, will call
it quits at the end of the
year,
in a letter to the board.
Taylor said it was time for
younger members to take
over.
Library out of limbo
After not . returning
many of the organizing
group's phone calls, the
architect in charge of
preparing the plans for
the new Lucan library,
London's Glen Herglotz,
finally faxed them that he
was back to _work on the
project last week.
The library• construction
was- due start in
September and be com-
pleted by the, end of
January in the origivtal
proposal.
The ground has yet to
be broken at the .site of
the new S300,000 library
at the southwest corner of
the Lucan Community
Memorial Centre:
1 lave a Happy
Holiday
and a wonderful
New Year
EXETER
WALLPAPER WORLD
451 Main St. S. Exeter
235-2340
.11Acifif
May all good
things come
your way this
holiday.
Our thanks
for your
continued
support.
The
Residents
and Staff
of the
Exeter Villa
' Nursi ng C.
Retirement Home
wish everyone all the
Blessings of the Christmas Season
Bob Yon ' Glenn
Mary yackie Lesky. Karen
-.w