HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1997-09-24, Page 3N THE NEWS
hate,;-: leIZutrate, Se+pte'►rtltt'r 24, 1997
Page .3 '
Lucan sump pumps poor people and curb confusion
By Craig Bradford
T -A Reporter
LUCAN - Villagers with sub par
sump pumps that haven't had- a
• chance to qualify for the municipal •
sump pump improvement grant
program may get lucky.
Council deferred a decision at`
last week's meeting to follow sew-
' age treatment . plant manager Bob
•Thompson's. advice to sink :any
money left over in the program
back into it rather than -hooking up
flow monitors to gauge flows to the,
plant. •
- With 130 new pumps installed
using the village's $1.500 grant
maximum (homeowners would pay
any costs oyer),:council. decided to
wait to see how -much money is left
Over in the program and what sec-
tions of the village -still need it.;
And those that. are still using
wells for inside. home use while
hooked up to the. sewer system can
• breathe easier — for now... Ad-
ministrator .Ron lteymer said the
village can't impose a double sewer -
surcharge on those using well water
that makes' it to the sewage treat-
ment plant after he sought legal ad-
vice on the matter.
Other council notes:.
• Darn water
Deputy. Reeve Harry Wraith
dredged. up the -Local Improvement
Act (LIA, which the village has
never used) when he asked what
can ,be done about standing -water
left on yards and• dangerously'on
• sidewalks in the date. falllearly-
spring _ "freeze:thaw' seasons be-'
cause of.sump pump discharge. •
• -People have been n known 'to -slip -
' on frozen sidewalks because of the
-sump•punip water_ a. problem when
-
it comes to the village's and home-
owner's potential liability if some -
one gets hurt and sues.
Many Lucan : homeowners. es-
pecially in the Wilberforce sub.
division, can only put their sump
pump output hoses at the front AI
their houses because.. their back-
yards hack onto other people's
•
yards. •
Work.to alleviate the problem in
Wilberforce. including running
headers from the storm sewer down
• the boulevard. -to collect the -sump
. pump water, is estimated to cost
$14,000 which Wraith suggested
could be paid- for by ,the benefiting
residents according to the length of
their frontage under the LIA.
• Council decided. to monitor the
- problem and, for staff to tell home-
owners better places to Rut`- their.
hoses. ' .
Lucan's- poor
Councillor• Rosemary Gahlinger-
Beaune said Lucan Anglican
Church Rev: Bruce
Pocock is ; worried "There
' with the increasing and mo
number of requests
for help•tielded by. in Luca
area churches.. - S
"There are :more
and more 'people.in. Lucan in. dire
straights." Gahlinger-Beaune said.
"(Cuts by Premier Mike1 Hares af-
• fects us here -as well as everywhere
else."
Reeve Rob Brady said• the Um
hrella.Cluh. the umbrella body of
area vi • - hs wilt. betoldof
re service-. clubs,
the situation but added ani• social
assistance concerns -should go to
the county.
Gahlinger-Beaune recoimmended._
'interested groups set up- a meeting
- to discuss possible solutions.
•County -wide Fre chief'
. • Wraith asked if both -the_ lire and
'arena managernent. boards could he
- dumped and their duties handled by
council to save the village some
dough. Reymer said • the both
boards can't he dissolved since lire
hoard . can't be. abolished by law
and the arena hoard needs -repre-
sentation from all the mursicipal-
ities it serves. .
Brady,. added the fallout from
Who.Does What committee chang-
-• es -to lire protection could he a
county -wide fire chief.
• Outgoing
Lucan ' Citizenship Committee
member Frank Goring has resigned
from the post siting his age as the •
reason. .
"...tine marches on and 1 feel it
wound he hetit�r l)r the Committee
to have 'a younger -member to be-
come involycd.: Goring stud in his
r'esignatioe letter. -
.He 'added . he anjoycd' working
with the other committee menthers,••
Put:ock.and Sue Hasken. •
Poe -tick • has rcc-
are more • ommended Linda
re people Froais take Goring's
place.- • .
n in dire Anyone else who
traights." wishes to GIC for the:
- position should call -
_ the village office -at 2274253
- • Curbside -
-Couhcil decided to moi white*: any-
. cash to Brenda Atwood sifter -sonic •
-. contusion over -curb cutting- work
she •requested be done on short no-
tire• in May tu•cooincide -yith the
family -Tutting in a new din •way'
t c
Public. works supermtcndciu !Doug
Johnsti'tn told Alwttitd ork
done by contractor Piccoli Con- .
structiorr•rusts about 535. per metre - .
•.when she inquired about the work
the cost being ''s31115 per
_ metrsi', hut didn't tell_ her there's a
•Sill) minimum tie- plus GST- for
• each job. .Atwood s measurements,
• came ttt I.7m while the contractor',
came to 2.55m. both coming unite'
-the minimum fee Atwood didil t
know about.. •
Gahlinger-Beaune. was the lone
dissenting vete on the motion to
stake Atmood pay the Pull bill: Sltc
said rexnwil should take re:
,.ponsihilityfor the connnunication
breakdown. - ' , •
Sticky business
- Reynter- will Zook Into the price
,of .stickers to go on garbage hags
and recyclablcsthat don't meet col-•
lection criteria tet sell people what
their Cluing wrong.as requested hs
- the collection company. .•
Where there's a woodchipper...
(•Zunis• approved both an up-
d;ued fee schedule Gorr. equipment
rentals by the -public 40—other mu:
nicipalittes and the woodchopper
rental by law. •The • amended equip-
ment rental .below. states :council
recognizes- its 001 an, the rental
business and doesn't want to com•-
pete - with private enterprise 'but
„soot—chines. village equipment needs
to he u'cd ;In villaee or prn'atc
land. •
Suite rentals have none up dr;is
ticalla'_ to hoarse which Jubnstun_said.
.-reflect, what Pr] ale husinessesI
charge '1 11 similar ;.'i -,'ices. - • -
The tee schedule lad tome with
an i per:iter. eXCept the • wood-
dupper i�-anutlier inunleIpaht�
hackhoe, +hr)ihour: -' ccper. "-I11.
Hour r w,rs )42:5I1. unnclal trai
10-..S10 15251: sid±walk machine.
5t1iinichoneettil weednFat: ker.
s2ti "i )1 i I: (<ton dump truck., `s5O
t's-t3 e: ;Ault dump truck. )•fl):..harm
).25 , l_'t:: pinups. S25 -,S2(1'.
woodchipper to ntuiuc1pa111les..\+Ih
operator. y75 t` 5t):-mcludcs tun
truck. n„ . private rentals': manumit
oper:icor. s.i5° ,ewer camera: )75.
Where does Grand Bend end, asks Council
By Chantal! Van Raay
' T -A Reporter
GRAND .BEND ; "Where does
Grand Bend erid:" was • the main
question during Grand. Bend Coun-
cil's meeting Monday night.. •
"That's what we've been asking
ourselves for. the past three years on .
council.". said Mayor Carh Ivey.. :
.A heated ' debate, arose about.
• cutting the lawn for the Rotary
Club Bikeathon event to take place
at the landfill site. located just out-
side of Grand •Bend jurisdiction
w' is .
.Councillor Shirley Andraza said
it .would be appropriaie tb cut -the
lawn for- the Rotary Chid because
there will be a lot of media, cover--
age
over-age at the event. - • - •
While the councillors agreed they,
would,accept the, motion because' it
was the Rotary Club, they all had:
opinions -un-what and who Grand.
think that . ides he a viable soli' -
should suppOn. nun:'
"Let's recognize :what's really at Mann -added that doing this doe,
•stake hese." �tav(t1` Ivey tn1— +t.'t-- nc'rc sorrily•t►ieatrw +tic .fir -
"There's three_ municipal jurisdic erendum is boding.
-_tions.(including Grand 'Bend, Ste-
"It's important that it's a Grand
and Bosanquet):YThe one. ju Bend issue. hut it information that
risdiction is asked to do something can be used for _the whole area.
• and the Other two. walk away and
Ivey said.litsing the discussion.
wash their.hands of
;Ivey brought -up anexample of
the charity, 'casino discussed at
council two, weeks -ago.- •
't'v,. received a fair bit of Com-
ment about the charity casino right
Unsigned letter roasts council across • the see strum. -and [ think
By Craig Bradford Crawtord is taking the letter
T -A Reporter "with'a grain of salt." • .
"We've had tYiis before:" he said.
LUCAN -. Village councillors
may feel shell-shocked . after an
anon mous letter.blasting everyone
of them was circulated'throughout
the village via Canada Post.
Signed 'brought to -you by con-
cerned Lucanites' and titled Mu=
nieipal Election News'. the two
page Regal -size letter begins as a
call to all Lucan residents to stop
complaining about council de-
cisions and vote in the Nov. 10 mu-
nicipal election. It -also urges any-
one interested in contributing to the
community to run' for council.
The letter takes a potentially li-
belous turn in ,its second half titled
' 1997 Council's Report Card'
where the -writer critiques each
councillors performance during
their terms.
The letter is most critical of
Reeve Rob Brady,' Deputy Rove
Harry. Wraith and Councillor Reg.
Crawford. It accuses the three of
profiting in their private businesses
through council decisions and
knowledge gained by being on
council. The writer also underlines
the councillors'. stances on the li--
brary building debate and other is-
sues.
Council's policy on unsigned or
anonymous letters is to disregard
them.
Councillor Rosemary Gahlinger-
Beaune, who submitted a letter to
the editor to the Times Advocate
responding to the letter, said she
expects to come under verbal attack
as a politician. •
"i think the. first part is well writ-
ten and concur with it," she said. "I
didn't take great offence at it. I
took it as tongue-in-cheek."
Wraith said he's seen this type of
letter before and is disappointed it
also attacks village staff.
"These people have it in for our
staff and I don't know why."
Wraith said. "We have one of the
bast staffs around."
Wraith disagrees with the letter
writer that council hasn't been do-
ing its job and councillors. are
working against each other.
"I think we've done things right
around here in my mind," he said.
"[t's just someone trying-to•stir,the
pot."
• Both Crawford and Brady re=
iterated the 'village's policy on un-
signed letters.. • -
• ' "You give it •the credence is- de-
serves: [-guess;' Brady said. "Giv-
en the- first -three paragraphs you'd
think you'd see the author's name
on the ballot (on Nov. 10)."
Brady added council has only
raised taxes once,during his tenure
and past councils have continued
an infrastructure works program_
that has left Lucan's roads, water
and sewer systems "in the best con-
dition as any in Middlesex
County."
"-That was the platform we were -
elected on and we've delivered." he.
said.
Councillor Martin .Chittendcn
-said while he was disappointed the
author didn't sign.the letter. its con-
tents didn't pother hint
"I. thought it was good ad-
vertising for the upcoming- vote,"'
he said.
it's something we- have to' deal
.with.":, . .:
Ivey said . he has received .com-
ment from Grand: Bend: Stephen
.and Bosanquet regarding a charity
casino. He added that since Grand
Bend is surrounded. by Stephen and
Basnaquet. "fur all' practical pur-
poses they (surrounding municipal-
ities) think they are in Grand Bend
and have a say about it. But no.
they're no part of our,jurisdiction."
[vey explained that 'he has.been
receiving comments from 'people
outside of Grand .Bend that they he-
lieve they are entitled to a say re-
garding the casino.
h seems to me that we should be
looking at the whine arca, because
it effectsthe whole area." said Ivey..
Councillor Robert Mann said he
also has heard comments about the
casino troni outside of Grand Bend
jurisdiction. adding' he 1S -being ap-.
proached about the .mailer.110m
both side. . '.
Mann suggested that Grand Bend
put out (he .nine casino question to
their neighbors.
"We -should ask them the sante
question in the Stephen Township
Poll and Bosanquet Ward six. Giv-
en the concentration of people 1
at their -
time of need
...and before
the need arises.
T�RE
UGHT'
(11E INSURANCE COMPANr
Funeral Planning for Those You Love
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A TRADITION OF FAMILY SERVICE
Since
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William R. Dinney - Funeral Director
Sewage expansion includes
150 per cent rate. hike
EXETER - On Monday night.
Public %irks Superintendent
Glynn Relic presented cash Ilow
assumptions for the expansion of
Exeter's sewage treatmeni facili-
ties. included in the assumptions
was the start of=the first phase of
construction on May I, 1998.
With a, total project cost in the
•
mullions of dollars, the figure that
hits home with homeowners is
the ;assumed 1.50 per cent in -
'•crease ($21.7H .per month). un-
sew;tgc. rates as of Jan. 1:199H to
help finance the project. -
The ' prosect also . includes .
$!')S -mullion 20-yeardebenture.----
�a o)
We are changing our.
1
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*- INVENTORY
CLEAROUT
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30-50-60% OFF
SELECTED MERCHANDISE
JUSTIN TIME
FOR CHRISTMAS
•
VISIT US AT OUR EXETER LOCATION
WELLERS
382. Main St.'Exeter
ANA Ink
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flint B►ieke 111, l aunt' ,C,:ose 1 11 !1(, Ltar'e.Kea, I t! 1!!, Rohm Dawe 111 111, Liat'e- -'h,r 1 11, 7 -nit
V1c•mix 1 11, • • • .•
Matt and Janet Clarke of Exeter Chrysler. Ltd..are proud of the
accomplishment of the service department. All members of the
service.department statT have completed Level 1 and Level 11 of
Master technicians.
Three technicians have yualitied to participate in level 111 master
technicians challenge on October 8/97.
Technicians Laurie Kruse, Dave Keys, Robert Dawe are among the
top 20 technicians. in .Ontario and top 100 nationally. -
Also this service department is the recipient of the C -hr v'ler Service
Excellence Award for the past four years.
EXETER CHRYSLER.
41011,
JEEP/EAGLE'C�
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Dodge
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136 Main St. Exeter
235-1525
SALES, SERVICES LEASiN & DAity RENTALS
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