Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1984-11-21, Page 1at great prices Professional installation can be arranged Town won't have two drug stores One OW 0110 4001101 always add up to two...at least when it conies to counting the number of drug stores which will soon be located on Ex- eter's Main St. While a new drug store is opening, there will still only be one as Esmail Merani an- nounced this week that he has joined Big V Pharmacies Co. Limited as a shareholder/manager and will be in charge of the chain's new store now under con- struction at the corner of Sanders and Main. Exeter Pharmacy Limited will be -closed and the building, which has been pur- chased by Big V, will be operated in the immediate future as a warehouse and then will likely be offered for sale. The merger with Big V and Exeter Pharmacy will of- ficially take place on January 12 and Merani and most of his staff will walk to the street to open their new headquarters on February 4. The new store has a floor area of 8,900 square feet, com- pared to the existing space of 4,700 at Exeter Pharmacy. Merani will be joined by one other full-time pharmacist on the staff at Big V. Big V Pharmacies Co. Ltd. started when a group of Wind- sor pharmacists formed a buying group in 1962. It prat ceeded to purchase a seven - store pharmacy chain in the Windsor area and over the past 20 years has grown to in- clude 72 stores throughout the area of southwestern Ontario. This rapid growth boosted annual sales over the $100 million mark by the com- pany's fiscal 1983 year-end. Big V is completely employee -Dialed; 300 of its employees are shareholders of the corporation. This employee -ownership has been expanded this year, from pharmacists and key person- nel to all employees with 10,000 hours (5 years full time or equivalent employment). Maintaining exemplary employee relations has always been a high priority of Big V Pharmacies, says the company. All staff members receive a Crusader Newslet- ter, every staff member is asked to attend sales meetings, and various social functions are held, to which all staff and their spouses are invited. BUDDIES AT WORK — Most area public schools are beginning a Buddy Program whereby senior grades assists juniors in various subjects. Shown at J.A.D. McCurdy word processor are Virginia Cable, Wendy McLeod, Tammy Hoist and Heather T -A photo. Davies. Mickle outlines views on subdivision in Hczv It will be at .least two more weeks before Hay finds out if Exeter will offer a com- promise over the latter's ob- jection to a proposed agri- industrial park adjacent to Huron Tractor on the town's northern boundary. The subject hardly manag- ed to get to the table at Mon- day's session of Exeter coun- cil and was quickly shelved when Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller urged that more time be given to the debate before a decision is reached. She explained that a letter from the town's planner, Jean Monteith, had arrived too late for councillors to digest the contents and more time was needed for its consideration. Council met behind closed doors to discuss the proposed Establish regulations for addition at Inn On the recommendation of Exeter's planning advisory committee. the Exeter Inn will be required to enter into a basic site plan development agreement with the town before approval is received for a major expansion project Dave Urlin of the Exeter Inn attended the committee's meeting on November 14 to outline plans for the addition of an entertainment lounge which will replace the mobile bedroom units due for demolition. When completed. the Inn would have a total seating capacity for 368 persons. Pre- sent seating capacity is 144. Urlin, who appeared with builder Roger Dougall. in- dicated some surprise over the fact a delegation had recently appeared at council to complain about noise and dust at the facility. He said no one had ever ap- proached him about their con- cerns directly and noted that had he been advised of any problem. he would have im- mediately rectified the situation. • The committee was advis- ed that the Exeter inn has taken action to have the park- ing lot re -graded and oiled on a continuing basis, and in the future, parking curbs will be installed to organize parking better. A question was raised regarding the parking re- quirements and committee secretary Brian Johnston said that 84 parking spaces would be required. Sixty-five of those are available on the pro- perty and an additional 19 are located within 150 metres as permitted by the zoning bylaw. Urlin said he has ver- bal permission for the use of 25 parking spaces at the Bver's Retail store just �h of the inn. The need for a site plan development agreement was ratified by council this week and calls for a planting strip of trees or shrubs with a width of 1.5 metres and maintained at an ultimate height of 2.0 metres to be installed con- tinuously and unpierced along the easterly lot line. in addi- tion. a sound barrier is to be provided at the south end of the new building along the property to the south lot line. Such barrier is to be compati- ble to the area and be con- structed so that pedestrians can't access it and it will be a minimum of 2.0 metres in height. The agreement would also stipulate the need for 19 park- ing spaces within 150 metres of the Inn and the gravel parking area is to be main- tained in a dust -free condition and drainage from it is not to affect adjacent property owners. No opening will be permit- ted on the east side of the new 3,200 square foot addition to control sound. subdivision prior to. their Monday meeting. People sit- ting in the foyer had some in- dication that opposing views were being presented as the noise of the session permeated through the walls. While Ms. Monteith again recommended that Exeter at- tempt a compromise solution with Hay, that plan of attack was not wholeheartedly en- dorsed in a lengthy written appeal from Reeve Bill Mickle that was included with the agenda material. "It is best to stand firm on a basis of our concerns for Exeter". he concluded in his written statement. "We must consider Exeter's future for our decision will affect us for many years." He started off by noting that past councils and commis- sions of the town have made sizeable commitments to future growth through the establishment of services. "Was this done to create stag- nant growth?" He charged that there ap- pears to be little concern from the Huron County planning department to Exeter's posi- tion and said "why this should be is a mystery to me". Noting the town now has 43.5 acres of unused industrial land and a total of 297.2 for in- dustrial expansion, the Reeve wondered what was wrong with developing this land first. "Why does the county ignore this land?" he ques- tioned. adding that the township and county planning department do not appear in- tent on preserving good agricultural land through their subdivision proposal. Please turn to page 2 Big V established, in 1983, a Crusader College Training Program for management trainees, various other specialized staff and general staff training. The company, has always encouraged participation by its employees in all aspects of community service. The pharmacies sponsor many minor hockey, soccer and various other sport teams in their respective areas. Because of the excellent response of existing employee shareholders to a share sale in 1983, and a regent share sale to both existing and new shareholders, Big V has been able to raise considerable equity for further'expansion in the comping year. This along with the complete and unrestricted backing of its • bankers, The Royal Bank of Canada, has encouraged the company to speed up its growth rate somewhat to 8 or 10 Mores per year. More so than tnost drug chains, the foundation of Big V's operations is the former independent drug store. The chain specializes in seeking out Independent drug store operations with good potential and absorbs them without jeopardizing local customer loyalty patterns. The chain's corporate strategy consists simply of growing through ac- quisition, taking advantage of its name and . closing marginal units. . According to a written history of the company, "the philosophy of the Big V Phar- macies Co. has been to com- Please turn to page 2 Ames Serving South Huron, North Middlesex One Hundred and Twelfth Year SELL COOKIES — The SHDHS student council fund-raising campaign for this year is now underway and students will be asking Area residents to purchase cookies to aid in their activities. The Cookie Monster was on hand at the school, Friday, and is shown handing out supplies to Kendra Arthur and Sean Whiteford. •& North Lambton Since 1873 EXETER, ONTARIO, November 21, 1984 Price Per Copy 50 Cents Will appeal decision to OMB Trucker loses parking battle The debate over commer- cial trucks parking in residen- tial areas of Exeter took a couple of new turns this week and it will probably be resolv- ed in part by the Ontario Municipal Board. Two weeks ago, Exeter council members supported a suggestion that existing and proposed rules and regula- tions be dropped in favor of a permit system for truckers. However, at their meeting on November 14, the Exeter planning advisory committee moved ahead on a ruling on a minor variance,that had been requested by Bert and Elaine Knip to allow them to park their truck at their residence at 22 Sherwood Crescent. Yi was that request back in September that had sparked the entire debate. On a split vote, the planning adivsory committee decided last week to deny the request, citing the reasons that the ap- plication does not maintain the intent of the official plan or zoning bylaw and the pro- posed use would not he com- patible with a residential neighborhood. A motion earlier by Ben Hoogenboom and Harold Pat- terson to approve the applica- tion had been defeated. The motion calling for the applica- tion to be refused was then submitted by Dorothy Chap- man and Dave Werrett. Randy Evans, solicitor for the applicants, appeared at Monday's council session with FILL VACANCY William St. resident Don Winter was among the spec- tators in the gallery at Exeter council's session, Monday. In two weeks he'll move into a seat at the council table. One of two applicants for the position vacated by Bill Rose, Winter was officially appointed to fill the vacancy following a recommendation from the selection committee. A former instructor at RCAF Centralia, Winter has operated a computer business in Toronto and returned to Exeter two years ago. He ex- pects to open a business in town in the near future. "I look forward to seeing you at the next meeting," Winter said in accepting council's invitation to join them AUSABLE NOMADS ELECT -- The new executive of the Ausable River Nomods was named Thursday night. Back, left, treasurers Mari and Graham Arthur, past presidents John and Ola Batten and field directors Pat and Pete Kennett. Front, vice-presidents Cliff and Bea Ersman, presidents Floyd and Shirley Cooper and secretory Helen Webber. Missing was lee Webber. T -A photo Knip to voice objection to the decision by the planning ad- visory commitllee. He termed the action "pre- - mature" in view of the fact council members are review- ing the policy on trucks park- ing in residential areas. He told council that the Knips' only choice was to ap- peal the committee's decision to the OMB and that would be OPTIMISTS AID POOL -- At a recent meeting the Kirkton Optimists donated $1,000 to the Kirkton- Woodham swimming pool. Above, Gwen Coward ac- cepts the cheque from Optimist president Keith Selves. Residents asked for museum input Exeter council members want more time -- as well as some input • from local residents -- before deciding whether to spend a total of *80,000 over the next five years to rebuild the Huron Pioneer Museum at Goderich. In presenting the request from county council for the town's input into the decision, Reeve Bill Mickle stressed that the cost estimates were not based on any architec- tural plans and were very much just estimates. He also noted that Exeter would have to pay about 12,681 per year as its share of a $35,000 cost for a project co- ordinator should the project proceed. it was explained that no provincial or federal govern- ment financing has been ap- proved nor has there been any indication of private support. The county proposal is based on the receipt of senior government and private sup- port of about 11 million. Deputy -Reeve Lossy Fuller also noted that should the pro- ject not be approved, there was the need to answer a question of what should be done with the artifacts. Councillor Dorothy Chap- man said she would like to see Goderich taking a bigger share of the costs as that municipality benefits direct- ly from the museum as a local attraction. A suggestion from Coun- cillor Ben Hoogenboom was to sell off some of the articles on display, at least those duplicated, and use the pro- ceeds towards the project. After learning that the museum costs the county bet- ween *80,000 and 1100,000 to operate annually, Mayor Bruce Shaw wondered aloud about all municipalities pay- ing their share to the building cost with the county then tur- ning the museum over to Goderich to operate at that town's cost. Noting that Exeter's share would represent three and a half mills each year over the five-year period, Mickle recommended that the mat- ter be tabled until the next meeting to give members fur- ther time to deliberate. It was also emphasized that input from local ratepayers would be most welcome. • followed through. Evans said that unfor- tunately that would involve considerable time and money for both the town and his clients and that could in fact be virtually wasted if council at some future time changes the guidelines for truckers. He also noted the fact that the evidence presented to the committee was over- whelmingly in favor of Knip. Mayor Bruce Shaw replied that the only trucker over whom complaints have been received is Knip and he ask- ed for the trucker's response to that situation. Evans responded first by noting that only two com- plaints had been presented to the committee. One was of a very general nature about all trucks from Esmail Merani and the other was from town council. The latter did not outline any specific problems either. "The overwhelming evidence was that Mr. Knip is a good neighbor, Evans explained. Knip said that he has not received a complaint from any of his neighbors and he too was at a loss to know who had filed or voiced any com- plaints to council or commit- tee members. He told Shaw that he would certainly talk to anyone who had complaints about his truck or his operation of it at his residence. "The main problem is the committee," Evans added, saying that was one of the perplexing issues of the matter. When the two left the meeting, council then con- sidefed a letter from Laverne and Marion McCarter, in which they questioned the use of permits. They said they resented this proposal as it would put them in the same category as new truckers and they would no longer enjoy the protection of the "grand- father's clause" which gives them immunity to the zoning bylaw which was passed after they established in a residen- tal area. "We all realized it was not the way to go," said Deputy - Reeve Lossy Fuller in reference to the permit system which had been sug- gested by Reeve Bill Mickle and Mayor Shaw. Clerk Liz Bell said the sug- gestion had been checked out with legal minds and the rep- ly was that council could not issue permits for something that a current bylaw snakes illegal. Mayor Shaw said the cur- rent bylaw prohibiting trucks Please turn to page 2 Exeter girl gets thrill of Iifetime Barb Sharp, a student at SHDHS is on her way to Marineland in Niagara Falls to fulfill her "Thrill of a Lifetime". A year and a half ago, Barb Sharp wrote to the Canadian produced television program "Thrill of a Lifetime" hoping to get the opportunity to work with and see techniques used in the training of sea animals. Sharp never heard back from the Toronto based pro- gram until her letter was found when producer Stephanie Wallace recently came across it in the files. Needless to say, the Exeter girl was very excited to hear that the program was con- sidering running her thrill. It was a week later that Wallace telephoned the Sharp residence to confirm that filming would start this Thursday and run through Friday. The program will be pick- ing up the tab for Sharp's three-day stay in Niagara Falls where she will be ac- companied by her parents for the trip. Barb Sharp's thrill involves work inside and out, and she expected to be involved with the upkeep and care of dolphins, sea lions, and the killer whales. "I've always been in- terested in sea animals, especially dolphins, says the grade 13 student. Before leaving for Marineland, Ms. Sharp was unsure when the show would actually air. The local girl is very exicted about the trip and her television premier. "it hasn't hit me that this is really happening," said Sharp, "It probably won't un- til they start filming." A CO-OPERATIVE DISCUSSION —$hown after Friday's annual meeting of the Exeter and district Co-operative are UCO president Bob Down, area co-ordinator Bill Deyell, Exeter Co-op president Jim Morlock and manager Ed Rodenberg. T -A photo Sales hit '6,679,978 Loos/ Co-op turns profit After showing a small deficit the year previous the Exeter District Co -Operative bounced back to enjoy a very successful year in 1984. The financial statement was made known at Friday's annual meeting at the South Huron Rec Centre and show- ed a profit on 1989 business of *77,301. In 1983 the deficit amounted to *5,706. Total sales reached an alt - time high for the local co-op at $6,679,978 compared to *5,646,380 for the previous year. The increase in sales came from fertilizer, store sales, lumber, grain marketing and the addition of the new gas bar which opened on Main street north in July. In his remarks manager. Ed Rodenberg said, "We were able to arrest the trend of liability and we were able to make considerable progress. He continued, "Our more than 18 percent increase in sales combined with only a small increase in expenses has allowed us to show this modest net income. We ap- preciate the buying support shown by the members which allowed us to obtain this im- provement in operations. We have also focused con- siderable attention on the financial aspects of our business. inventory control. collection of accounts receivable and cash manage- ment will continue to be prioroties during the coming year." About the new gas bar, Rodenberg said, "We feel this venture has considerable potential and the early response has been encourag- ing. As well as generating in- come, the gas bar gives us greater exposure to residents of the area which we hope will result in more traffic to our store and lumber facilities on Brock street." Rodenberg concluded, "During the coming year we will continue to focus on in- creasing services to the membership through our soil testing program, equipment upgrading and improvements to the weaker areas of our operations. Your input and suggestions are always ap- preciated by management." President Jim Morlock told the large number of members in attendance, "There are two groups responsible for our in- crease in profit and sales. Please turn to page 2