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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1998-12-30, Page 22 Ex•t r Tim., -Advocate Regional wrap up Staffa hall gets a reprieve MITCHELL. — West Perth township council gave a reprieve, at least for 1999, on the future of the Staffa hall, reports The Mitchell Advocate. A recommendation from the administration com- mittee to investigate the disposing of the hall in Staffa did not sit well with Hibbert Coun. Lou Ma- loney, who even offered to look after cutting the grass and keeping the key for renters if it would save a few dollars and keep it open. In the Advocate, Maloney said the council was in the "service business and the community needs places to go." He said although the hall doesn't make money, he wasn't aware of anything in West Perth that does make money. The hall brings in $600 in revenue but costs $1,400 per year to operate. The Hibbert ward also has the Dublin pavilion. After the discussion, council decided to keep things as they were for another year at least. Draft Lambton budget includes 17 per cent tax hike LAMBTON COUN — Lambton County senior staff have introduced a 1999 draft budget that re- quires a 17.6 per cent tax increase for county .pur- poses, reports The Parkhill Gazette. A home with a current value assessment of $100,000 would have a $588.43 amount for the county tax, an increase of $88.08 from this year. The county portion is about 33 per cent of the tax bill. The rest of the bill will be determined by the tax needs of the local municipality and the education tax rate set by the province. The 1998 county draft budget included a 93 per cent tax increase but was pared down. Roads represent the biggest increases in both operating and capital because of provincial down- loading to the county of 80 kilometres of former provincial highways. Included in the budget is the replacement of the Ausable River bridge near Sylvan at the boundary of Middlesex and Lambton County. Neighbours nix soccer field GOD ERICII — Goderich will not be getting a new soccer field, reports the Goderich Signal Star. Plans to build a soccer pitch alongside l3alvina Drive have been cancelled due to the opposition from home owners whose properties abut the park property. Some neigbours were concerned their backyards would be bombarded by missed soccer kicks if plans to build the proposed field were allowed to proceed. At a public meeting in October, Knights of Co- lumbus representative Pat Osborn assured the concerned citizens 'every possible step would be taken to ensure the field does not infringe on their privacy. The Knights were willing to, build fences a net to stop -any stray soccerballs. The service chub had planned to build a regula- tion sized soccer field, paved parking area, play area and basketball court. Now, the downsized plan will include a parking area, a playground and a basketball court but no soccer field. Goderich Minor Soccer president Tim Jacobs said soccer registration is growing and more soc- cer fields are desperately heeded. In 1998, 460 children registered for Soccer and numbers are expected to grow. Walkerton hospital gets CT Scanner approval WALKERTON — The long, wait. for a C'l' Scanner in Walkerton is over. Provincial ll('alth Minister Elizabeth Witmer an- nounced approval Dec. 18 for the scanner to be in- stalled at the South Bruce Grey Health Centre's Walkerton site as part of a five-year pilot project. The SI3GHC will cover the cost of operating the scanner from savings made through the mergers of hospitals in Walkerton, Che,sley, Durham and Kincardine. The province will provide some operating fund- ing. The hospital, major donations from the 1993 International Plowing Match committee and a me- morial donation made the project possible. In the News Looking ahead to 1999 Wednesday, December 30, 1998 What will the new year bring ? Will It be a year of challenge and change or of optimism and opportunity? Those are the types of questions the 'Times -Advocate asked our community leaders for Horizons '99. We polled several municipal politicians, our MPs and MPPs and many more 'movers and shakers' throughout the T -A readership area to give us their thoughts on how '99 will turn out in their opinion. Their thoughts and musings are contained in this week's issue of the T -A and will spill over to next week's edi- tion. Thank you for reading the T -A and may '99 be a year of good for- tune and progress for you and your community. The Exeter Times Advocate surveyed prominent members in our community asking for their fore- cast of 1999. Will it be a year of development, change or chanlenges? Or will it be a year of cut- backs, hard decisions or hard work? 1998 -Year in Review Paul Steckle, MP, Huron -Bruce We have had a busy year in Ottawa. As your rep- resentative, 1 have had the opportunity to be in the middle of the action. I recall my participation on two Standing Committees and on two Liberal -1111111=11111---- January 7th, 1998 * There was a fire in Hensall above the Stratford Memorials. Nobody was occupying the apartments and the cause is still under investigation. * Minister of Municipal Affairs Al Leach has approved Exeter's annexation of part of Hay Township and dissolving the PUC. Annexation included Lot 1 Concession 1. This will come into effect on Jan. 1 1999. * Rates from Lake Huron Water Supply have increased two percent bringing cost per 1,000 gal- lons to 1.14 cents from 1.115 cents per 1,000 gal- lons. January 14th, 1998 * Bill Gerth leaves the principal's position at South Huron High School for a position at Central Huron Secondary school. Deb llomuth will fill the position and will become first female principal at the school. * County council delays the waste management plan introduction. Exeter and Morris township land- fill sites are proposed as the destination for Huron County garbage as municipal landfill sites close down in the future. * Exeter PUC Members help out in Casselman, south of Ottawa, to help restore power to the com- munity. Scott Eveland, Steve Skinner and Randy Bilcke left Friday after work. January 2 I st, 1998 * Enrollment has been decreasing in Iluron schools. The board analyzed whether some schools should be shut down. Exeter public and [sigh schools are not affected however. *A seasonal casino could happen in Grand Bend. Although a permanent casino was voted down Fundtime Corp. has, permission from the province to open a seasonal casino in Grand Bend area. * The village of Lucan gets ten more cops as part of an administrative shake-up. Also, London OPP will take over, Exeter's OPP administrative work from Goderich OPP. January 28th, 1998 , * Centrailia airpark will remain open for the time being. The Ontario Development Corporation, which owns the airpark, has no plans to shut down but future of ownership is still up in air. * Exeter rodeo plans are under way and the rodeo is scheduled for August 8 and 9. * A break and enter at Stedmans netted the thieves $5,000 in cash, Nevada tickets and lotto tick- ets. * Huron County's Children Aid _Society receives funding. The society will receive $117,518 for child. protection for the Ontario government. Caucus groups. These bodies examined topics ranging from sea lamprey control and trade dis- putes to the farm income crisis and bank mergers. In addition, the Government of Canada reported that it had eliminated the deficit and will now begin to tackle our accumulated national debt. On a local level, the Port Elgin Pumpkinfest "grew" its' way into the Guinness Book of World Records (2000 edition) and Agriculture Minister Vanclief paid a brief visit to Huron. Now is the time to reflect on the past year. It is also a time to plan for the years to come. We can- not simply relive past successes. Let us not forget the difficulties faced by certain sectors of our soci- ety, such as our farming community. With that being said, we must not dwell upon the shortcom- ings of 1998 - we must continue to forge ahead. As we approach the millennium, our economic picture is bright. Interest rates are low, inflation is non- existent and our trade numbers are up. All of these things represent a strong foundation on which to build a Canada of the 21st Century. A look back at 1998 Continued from front page didn't pay for damages. Yes, there was plenty of bad news to report. Area pork producers took it on the chin several times this year. Biddulph Township froze big barn construction by mega pork operations till a nutri- ent management bylaw is developed and approved. The collapsed Asian market and low hog prices have pig farmers contemplating walk- ing away from their farms forever. Crime -related stories and tragedies also had tongues 'a wagging. A convicted pedophile's return to his home in Huron Park prompted resi- dents to launch a poster campaign warning the public. Though much of the news was of the bad sort, there was lots of good to write about too., The Exeter Rodeo went off without a hitch and made money to boot. The Citizens On Patrol (COP) pro- gram was successfully launched in Exeter and continues to make our streets a little safer. Exeter and Lucan PUC/municipal staff helped eastern Ontario communities get their lives back in order after the ice storm of the cen- tury. Lucan got two big pleasant surprises in '98. First it received the multi -faceted Ausable Centre which works towards community development, serves as an employment resources centre, and doubles as an arts/performance centre. Then it was announced a new $300,000 library wasgoing to be built to replace the cramped existing, build- ing (though a shovel has yet to slice through the ground at/the site due to delays with the plans). Iluron County residents are eagerly preparing for the '99 international Plowing Match this year which promises to showcase our community in a positive light. John Davidson of Jesse's Journey's fame walked through Lucan and made an appearance in Grand Bend. lie was given a warm welcome in both com- munities who gave generously towards his cause, raising money and awareness for genetic disease tesearch. Kincardine area's Ayden Byle also passed through our communities on his cross - Canada run to raise money for diabetes research. The Town of Exeter and the Times -Advocate even celebrated a significant anniversary together this year by turning 125 years young. Beginning on this page, Brayden Lord, a Gr. 10 student at South Huron District High School from Crediton, takes a look back. It was quite a year. Here's to the year that was and to the one that will be. From all' of us at the Times -Advocate, have a blissful and bountiful new year.