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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1999-06-16, Page 2828 Exeter Times -+Advocate Wednesday, June 16, 1999 Community Exeter wants new dam deal with ABCA Parks study tabled until special meeting By Craig Bradford of use if it expands). TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF The trend in recreation mirrors our aging population. As baby EXETER -- The future of Exeter's boomers age, the demand for less parks will get the microscope treat- active leisure activities like life-long ment by Exeter council at a meeting learning, theatre, music, culture, tentatively planned for June 28. walking, gardening, bird watching, That was the decision by .the golf, swimming, curling and volun- town's committee of the whole after teering increases while demand for Huron County planner Wayne more strenuous sports like hockey, Caldwell, county student planner baseball, soccer, volleyball, basket - Claire Weir and town chief adminis- ball, tennis and fitness clubs level trative officer Rick Hundey outlined out and may decline. their Parks and Recreation Study The need for hockey arenas, ball report at Monday night's meeting. diamonds and soccer pitches will Weir conducted an inventory of always be there, Caldwell pointed Exeter's 16 parks, parkettes and out, adding the amount of new recreational facilities (including older Exeter residents roughly school grounds) and what they have equals the number of new young to offer. families coming to town. In fact, 28 Caldwell and Hundey laid out per cent of Exeter's population is analysis of the inventory. Exeter has under age 20 (about 1,000 people). about 12 acres of parkland per Hundey said the changes to 1,000 population that exceeds the Exeter's parks and rec policies province's recommended standard : don't have to be major. •of seven acres per 1,000 people. -"(It's a) minor shift of emphasis, Exeter also lines up well with not a whole scale change," he said. other similar sized municipalities Hundey recommended the com- when it comes to facilities like are- mittee look at a criteria rating sys- nas, ball diamonds, soccer pitches, tem to prioritize future park needs. swimming pools and tennis courts. After some discussion the commit - "We can basically conclude that tee decided to dedicate a meeting to your (parks and rec) services are taking a look at the future of quite adequate," Caldwell said. Exeter's parks. That meeting is Several shortcomings of Exeter's pencilled in for June 28. parks were identified including the Mayor Ben Hoogenboom said lack of parking at Nabisco Field lands bought by the town adjacent (three `soccer pitches and a ball dia- to the. sewage lagoons along Hwy. mond), the lack of. washrooms at 83 could be developed some day for many parks, the disrepair of the additional soccer pitches. Victoria Park wading pool, the low He added land near the curling use and upkeep of -Motz, Queens club could be used as parkland with (Francis) and Snider parks, an the co-operationof the Ausable absence of walking trails and the Bayfield Conservation Authority. lack of access to Snider Parke Coun. Joe Hoban wondered if a Other improvements identified by trail can be created from the end of either the public or staff include an Sanders St. W. to provide access to upgrade in playground equipment, Snider Park. ball diamond upgrades, the necessi- Town clerk -treasurer Elizabeth ty for a squash/fitness centre and a Bell pointed out an important over - skateboard area and the long term sight of the parks study the plans for Nabisco Field (owned by Exeter cemetery was not included. Nabisco that may take the fields out EXETER — Exeter will cough up cash to pay its share of Morrison Dam repairs but it wants a new deal. That's the gist of the town's committee of the whole recommendation that won by a narrow margin at Monday night's meeting. The committee recom- mends to council the town pay $31,600 for its share of work required on the dam and then negotiate a new cost sharing agree- ment with the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority and Usborne Township. The total pro- ject cost is about $75,000. A 40 -year agreement on Morrison Dam. mainte- nance cost sharing expired in May '96 but no new deal was brokered since. The original deal called for the Exeter PUC to pick up 40 per cent of work on the dam while the province chipped in 50 per cent and the ABCA 10 per cent. Usborne Township doesn't pay for dam maintenance. but does pay for road maintenance over the dam. Some councillors felt the $31,600 was too high and the town should negotiate a new deal before paying Exeter's share of the work. . The issue was brought to a head bya report from 'u chief add nistrative officer Rick Hundey that suggest- ed neither Nabisco or Suntastic would be willing to pay for "Ausable River water or for the capital costs to get such a water system working. Since the town recently decided to not pay to re-establish the the sununer will be algae- Ausable River link and less at the park. Hundey suggested the The spraying and chemi- town take a look at cals will cost about whether it should pay for $1,840. dam repairs since its role for Exeter has changed. Hundey pointed out the town has benefitted from Morrison Dam park and has a "moral obligation" to help out since the dam has benefitted Nabisco for so long. He added Exeter will soon merge with Usborne and Stephen townships and under the amalgama- tion order all three share such project costs based on assessment. Later clerk -treasurer Elizabeth Bell suggested the town negotiate for the ABCA to rebate 40 per cent' of any revenue from river water sales to the town if the town pays for its share of the dam work. A town ad hoc commit- tee will meet with the ABCA on June 23 to dis- cuss the issue. Location of Other watery issues dis- meeting changes cussed at the meeting: Let's play sprinkler The committee agreed to instruct bylaw enforce- ment officers to have a blind eye when it comes to the Exeter Express and other town hardball teams watering the Alvin Willert Field infield during hours not identified in the recently amended town watering bylaw. - Express. manager Doug Fairbairn' asked for the leniency since the infield grass requires special -watering that can only be done when ball folk are available. The hardball people will still have to limit their total every other day watering to no more than four hours a day. ooeey algae The committee recom- mended applying to the Ministry of Environment for approval to get rid of the algae on the MacNaughton Park pond by chemical spraying (the 'spray is not harmful to plants or animals). The algae was an unwel- come surprise to park enthusiasts last summer and the town received numerous complaints. A rider on the recom- mendation calls for the town to negotiate with the MOE to get approval by ,Aug. 1 to ensure part•of ZURICH — The location for tonight's meeting of the five amalgamating municipalities has been moved again. The meeting will now be in the Hay Township municipal office in Zurich tonight.at 7 p.m. The group, formerly known as the `Original Six', . nowo1fa13td31cthM Villages of Hensall, Zurich and Bayfield and the Townships of Hay and Stanley. Tuckersmith Township dropped out last month to join amalgamation talks with Seaforth and McKillop. Potluck supper held for Senior Games competitors By Carmel Sweeney ZURICH CORRESPONDENT ZURICH - The grade 1 and 2 students of St. Boniface School went on a .l us trip to London last Thursday to the Children's Festival in Victoria Park. Games of Pepper and Solo are providing an afternoon of fellowship and fun every Friday at the Hay Township Hall, Zurich. Visitors are wel- come. Winners of atten- dance four weeks in a row were Aldene Wolfe, Pauline Guenther, Doris Hamilton, Elizabeth Grainger and Maureen Pemberton. Regular draw winners were Millie Webber, Rita Snyder, Barbara Conlon, Bernadette Denomme, • Doris Hamilton, Gwen McKellar (2), Velma Russell, Bessie Boyd, Gerald Regier, Ursula Regier, Harold Finkbeiner, Olive Papple and Maureen Pemberton (2). The Zurich Golden Agers held their 'last euchre party of the sea- son on May 31 with nine tables in play. First prize . winners were Marie Cyr and Ross MacDonald, and second prize winners were Noreen Hayter and John Jacobs. Joe Miller won the most lone, hands. Door prizes were won by Orlen Schwartzentruber, Joe Miller, Jean Fleming and Ursula Regier. On June 7 the Golden Agers hosted a potluck supper with local partici- pants of the Tri -County Senior Games as guests. They will compete in St. Marys on June 14 and 15. Lloyd fOtterbein enter- tained the group with music and song. Several interesting readings were enjoyed. The evening closed with games of solo, pepper, euchre and crokinole. The representatives are as follows: Bridge - Marie Gelinas and Bill Goudie; Shuffleboard - Thea Vandenboom and Doris Hamilton; Walking - Marg Horner and Earl Horner; Cribbage - Ina Neeb and Gwen McKellar; Crokinole (fin- gers) - Marie Cyr and Della Gascho; Crokinole (sticks) - Doreen Oesch and Ken Gascho; Solo - Lottie Grenier and Orlen Schwartzentruber; Pepper - Cecilia Smith, Gordon Smith and Louise Hayter; Golf - Bob Kirk and Ina Russell; Lawn bowling - Doris Hamilton and Paula and Harry Van Osch; 5 Pin Bowling - Elaine Weido, . Mary Finkling, Madeline Desjardin, Robert Horner and William Muller; Euchre - Maureen Pemberton and Gwen McKellar. Dorothy and Ed Smith will be convenors for. the game of Solo. Twenty five seniors from Zurich will also attend the banquet -in St. Marys Arena on June 15. Joan Smith and Kay Hay were in charge of the recent Zurich Women's Institute meeting in the township hall. The topic was agriculture, and the roll call was answered by things that can be put into a composter. Eve: yone brought articles for the I.P.M. hostess bags and they were able to fill 19 bags. The June meeting of W.I. was held at the home of Pearl Heimrich. President Joan . Smith chaired the meeting. The group was reminded of the picnic in Crediton on July 6. They discussed a dis- play for the fair, and the bean festival. The W.I. will be having a tea room again in the township hall at the Festival. The topic of the meeting was family and consumer affairs. Heimrich read an article on nutrition, con- ducted a quiz and read some poems. Maddy Smith read several humorous articles. The roll call was answered by naming a homemade cleaner. The next meeting will be in September. Personals Harold and Esther Gingerich had their 25th wedding anniversary on June 8. A surprise party was -held at the home of her sister Carol and Dave Steckle on Sunday. Welcome to town, the family of Elfie and Brenda Stoneman who recently moved into the former home of Clarence Geoffrey on Walnut Street. A correction from last week's news: The 80th birthday Open House for Vera Shantz was not held at the Mennonite Fellowship Hall on June due to the funeral of Verna, Ropp (Gingerich). Renee Sweeney of London spent the week- end isiting her parents and family in the area. Several girlfriends of Dawn McAdams, London got together throughout the weekend at Dune's family campground to surprise her on her forth- coming marriage to Darren Alexander. They will be married in September. He is the son of Berit Wallace, RR #2 Zurich. Tyler Stephen Merner, son of Marty and Lisa, was baptized at St. Boniface church on June 13 by Fr. Wronski. This week is the 56th anniversary of Fr. Morris' ordination to the priest- hood. Mackenzie Johnston, daughter of Paul and Lynn Johnston of Niagara Falls, was baptized on May 23. Godparents were Mark Johnston of Goderich and Rachel Meffe-Candelino of St. Catharines. Mackenzie was happy to have all her family in attendance, even great -grandma Marg Johnston from the Maple Woods Apartments, Zurich. EXETER CLEANING CENTRE Dry Cleaning Coin Laundry Laundry Service Exeters only complete cleaning centre is now an agent for SUEDEMASTER Leather Cleaners Services include: • suede and leathers • purses, gloves, shoes/bootilhats • sheepskin rugs • furs and fur storage i repairs on suede and leather • ultrasonic blind cleaning • pillow cleaning • rug cleaning • • smoke odor removal Call for free estimate 235-4101 34411/1.01) St .. Exeter