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Home My WebLink AboutTimes Advocate, 1999-10-20, Page 9Wednesd&y. October 20, 1999 . Exeter Times–Advocate 9 'Bend Cornmunity association rises out of ashes of Grassroots By Craig Bradford TUBES -ADVOCATE STAFF EXETER — Concerned Grand Bend area rear- dents are hoping the'," Greater Grand Rend Comniunily. •Association (GGBCA) will.build upon the successes and, learn from the perceived fail- ures of Grassroots For A. Greater Grand Bend. The GGBCA was launched on Saturday dur- ing a public meeting at the Grand Bend Legion attended by over 60 peo- ple. Nine board members were acclaimed (only nine were on the ballot and no one .else stepped forward at the meeting) and , the GGBCA's constitution and first bylaws were approved. The board members are: Stephanie Donaldson, Diana Joad, Bob Elsden, Al Skinner, George Shaw, Andrea Ross, Roy Merkley, Donna Haykus and Roy Hider. The board met after the hour and a half public meeting to. select their executive officers. They are: president Donaldson, first vice-president Bob Elsden, second vice-presi- dent Al Skinner, secretary Diana Joad and treasurer George Shaw. The GGBCA has over 350 members and Merkley said they hope to have between 1,000-2,000 by next year. Any resident in the, greater Grand Bend area can be a member as well as any person that does business in the area. Municipal politicians can be a GGBCA member but cannot sit on the board of directors. - The greater Grand Bend area is defined as the area stretching from the Ontario Clean Water Agency water plant north of Grand Bend to Hwy. 83 and Gore Rd. in the north, east to B Line and Mollard Line, south to Greenway Rd and bounded on the west by Lake Huron. Annual membership dues are $10 per member. The main goal of the GGBCA is to ensure the concerns of Grand Bend area residents are heard. Grand Bend will lose its village council after the North Lambton restructur- ing takes effect in January 2001. Grand Bend Coun. Bob Mann, who was instru- mental in devising the GGBCA constitution, said the Grand Bend area is the largest settlement, at between 4,500-5,000 resi- dents between Sarnia and Goderich but yet 1s not "respected" by various lev- els of governments. Right now Grand Bend is governed by Ave different municipalities (Grand Bend, Stephen Township, the Town .of Bosanquet, Huron and Lambton coun- ties). Even after restruc- turing, estruc turing, Grand Bend will be governed by four munici- palities (North Lambton, South Huron, Huron and OPINO ; 40. Your board. The Greater Grand Bend Community Association acclaimed its nine board members at a public meeting on Saturday at the Grand Bend Legion. From left are president Stephanie Donalson,Andrea Ross, Donna Haykus, first vice-president Bob Elsden, treasurer George Shaw, Roy Merkley, second vice-president Al Skinner and secretary Diana Joad.Abseht is Roy Hider. Lambton counties) after three years' of negotia- tions. Despite Grand Bend's efforts, including a strong stance by Mayor Cam Ivey and village council, Grand Bend remains a split com- munity when it comes to governance. "If we can't convince local politicians that we should be cne, we will continue to try to convince other governments," Mann said. After the board of direc- tors vote, the meeting was turned over to Donaldson who introduced several speakers who updated the membership on key GGBCA issues. Those issues included municipal restructuring, Area of Excellence, ambu- lance service, Comity Health Care Centre and the Millennium Celebration of Lights. Ivey gave the restructur- ing update. As of January 2001, Grand Bend•will join Arkona, Forest, Bosanquet and Thedford to become the City of North Lambton. A consultant has been hired to help the transition committee through the coming changes. The com- mittee will meet monthly on the second Tuesday. The new municipality's head office will be in _Medford with satellite offices in Grand Bend and Forest. Ivey said the GGBCA will be "essential" to the ongo- ing restructuring process. "This saga is not over and I encourage you to get involved," he said. Neil Weaver explained to the crowd what the Area • of Excellence proposal is. The Area of Excellence proposes a ban on factory hog operations from the Lake Huron shore or Hwy. 21 five miles inland from Bayfield to Kettle Point. The ban would hopefully reduce water contamina- tion from manure in both Lake Huron and ground water. Weaver said clean water and air are essential to the area since 65 per cent of property tax rev- enue comes from tourism. Merkley gave the update on the downloading of ambulance service from the province to counties. He -skid the GGBCA will try to ensure ambulance ser- vice in the Grand Bend is protected and even enhanced. With the counties taking over ambulance service, Merkley said Grand Bend's service becomes even more fragmented. Grand Bend has been comfortable with the ser- vice provided by Dashwood's Hoffman Ambulance Service which takes most patients to South Huron Hospital in Exeter. But the need is so great in Grand Bend in the summer beach season that the GGBCA believes the area deserves its own ambulance. Merkley..said Jim Hoffman has proposed to have two ambulances ready at all times (now there is only one ready 24 hours a day). One would be stationed in Exeter and .the other in Grand Bend. When the Exeter ambulance is called away, the Grand Bend vehicle would head to the Dashwood base to cover the centre of the ser- vice area and vice versa when the Grand Bend vehicle is called away. Don Tedford updated the Community Health Care Centre situation. Tedford said temporary facilities will be ready to attract doctors and nurse practitioners by mid- November. A executive director will soon be hired and ultimately a budget will be set and staff hired. Te ora $aid the transition to ` the full serviced centre is expected on Jan. 1 and the first general meeting will be held by the end of June 2000. Grand Bend Rotary Club's Ian Young filled everyone in on the Millennium Celebration of Lights. TIM S -ADVOCATE BOOS "TORS Our Top 10 Picks in Stock Chicken Soup "16 Titles in Stock" . Common Birds & Their Songs - includes CD Mrs. Fields Best Cookie Book Evening Glass - Maeve Binchy Rusty Rails - Branchline Ont. Railways Pokimon -12 titles to choose from IPM 499 Cookbook Boom Bust Echo 2000 Just A Minute More - Marsha Boulton Us Little People Carl Hiebert COMING SOON Dr. Norm Atkins New Diet Revolution $8.99 and "Crary Plates" CaII to reserve your copy 424 Main St. Exeter 23633± He said all groups and service clubs approached, including the village that has earmarked $20,000 for lights, have been posi- tive about the Celebration. 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