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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-02-08, Page 1SEIP'S valu-mart 4_&.a3 F.YPttr 235-f7h9 Vp • Try our Club Pack wzen s Serving I . qer and area since 18 SEIP'S valu-inart 4 do 83 Ex • r 235-0262 rMINI II. MI NMI tttA IMO 11 W Wednesday. February 8, 17395 inter 11f you aren't subscribin to The' g wlutes-out.IMBSCRIBEY- 1 Tlmes•Ativocate, oure miss!Carnival Y out. us. the �r�n �War� 1 Name: 1 Address City 1 Prov. Subsc nBtodayl Many potential GRAND BEND - Only a few ' days ago, organizers of the Grand Bend Winter Carnival were worried 1 there would not be enough snow to 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Postal Code SUBSCRIPTION RATES. Canada Within 40 miles • (65 km) addressed to non letter carrier addresses 533.00 plus $2.31 G.S.T. Outside 40 miles - (65 km) or any letter carrier address $63.00 + $4.31 G.S.T. 1 Outside Canada 499.00 (.Xi see.o p0.1.9.1 USE YOUR oREDtT CARD 1 0000000❑ 00000000 Card No. 1 Expiry Date 1 ❑ Visa ❑ Master Card ❑ Cheque enclosed Rotum to; TIMES ADVOCATE 1 424mwin-tt. =tents Ont. NOM sMI Inside E .44n- Does the town get its money's worth? See page Youth Cent. Building picked o in Grand Ben •' • `elebratkon of l � oveme Public schoo_ put ona' high-energy sho Crossroads, fro k New captai Hawks bre losing strew Seepage 1 New hea of PUC Sherman Rot new Exeter PUC manag See page 2 victors stayed off the roads give the festival a proper wintery atmosphere. By Saturday, freezing cold and high speed winds were bringing in so much snow that many visitors stayed away, and by Sunday the closure of Highway 21 led to the cancellation of other events. The Fire On Ice motorcycle rac- es, perhaps the highlight event of the Carnival's first weekend, had to be cancelled because of poor vis- ibility on the track at the Grand Bend Airport. On Sunday. the out - Even a dragon's breath was an Icy blast on Saturday after- noon. Seven year old Justine Baltessen of Parkhill took a break from playing in the Children's Village at the Grand Bend Winter Carnival by finding some shelter from the wind on the ice sculptures that adorned the huge ice castle in the Colonia! Tavern's parking lot. Too many secrets at council? One councillor wants to see fewer discussions hidden behind closed doors EXETER - One town councillor's bid to have less of council's business conducted in secret went unsupported Monday evening. Councillor Tom Hughes said he was con- cerned some of the items on the Committee of the Whole Agenda might be outside the guide- lines recommended by provincial legislation. "They don't seem to comply with the spirit of Bill 163," said Hughes, referring to items on the agenda for the in camera meeting later that evening. Mayor Ben Hoogenboom disagreed, stating that one of the items was a legal matter, and the other concerned property. Municipal guidelines state that only legal, property and personnel matters may be dis- cussed behind closed doors. "It's not a town property though," said Hughes, noting that the matter dealt with a proposed development by the Hensall Co -Op, outside the town boundaries. Town administrator Rick Hundey said the issue certainly had some legal aspects to it, and a potential agreement might arise from it. Councillor Bob Spears said provincial leg- islation teems to recognize that a lot of mu- nicipal government discussion is done at the comr tree level, which is usually outside pub- lic scrutiny. "Ultimately, the debate and voting takes place in public," said Spears. "They still allow us to do work behind the scenes," said Spears, saying there was but a subtle difference between committee meetings and Committee of the Whole meetings. "There are no minutes of the Committee of the Whole meetings," pointed out Hughes. Unlike other committee meetings, such as public works, the cemetery board, or rec- reation centre board, the Committee of the Whole does not document its decisions and discussion, or even agendas, with minutes. Hughes then made a motion to record and publish minutes of all Committee of the Whole meetings. However, his motion died without a seconder from the other council members. door figure skating demonstration was cancelled as well. In all, it made for a somewhat quiet first weekend for the Car- nival, even though many soldiered through the snow squall to keep most events open. The snowpitch games and the snow football went ahead, even though competitors could barely see each other at times through the white -outs on the fields. The best places to be, it seemed, were at the indoor events such as Saturday's well -attended teen talent contest and gong show. "The snow is something else," said Fran Mackay at the Carnival's main office on Monday. "I'm sure it will improve and next weekend will be packed with visitors." As of press time, carnival pr- ganizers were trying to reschedule some of the cancelled events for this weekend - weather willing, of course. Exeter ready for national spotlight?. EXETER - Does Exeter really have what it takes to be a showcase town for floral beauty nationwide? The test will be later on this year. Exeter has been registered as one of only three municipalities in all of Ontario to compete in the Canada in Bloom/Communities in Bloom in 1995. Stratford is one of the oth- er two. Each province will enter its communities in the contest, which will use a travelling jury to judge the flowers and greenery of each re- spective community and present awards in Ottawa on September 30. "There is a need for a bit more at- tention to the matter," town ad- ministrator Rick Hundey told coun- cil Monday evening. He said some organization is needed to get some town groups on side "to do a good job of it". Deputy -reeve Dave Urlin sad he thought the contest was an ex- cellent program, and suggested council's executive committee think about getting some community groups together. Councillor Bob Spears pointed out the Business Association is al- ready budgeting for some flower boxes in the hope several store owners will have flower displays out front this summer. The judging of Exeter's effort, quality and originality, appearance, respect for environment, and com- munity involvement will likely take place in July. Willie's prediction not too far off the mark The Ground Hog Day prediction was followed by a winter storm By Heather Vincent T -A staff EXETER - No way out. Driving outside of Exeter yesterday was nearly impossible due to a severe snow storm. The storm was at its worst near Grand Bend and be- tween London and Lucan in a band approximately ten miles wide. The Ontario Pro- vincial Police re- ported that all road we closed outside of Exeter. Only two accidents, which re- sulted in no serious injuries, were reported by noon on Monday. Glenn Kells of the Exeter Works Department could not make any comment regarding the situation in the town, he was too busy with the snow and blowing drifts. Mary Ellen Zielman of Hessum Bed and Breakfast in Centralia was busy Monday preparing for more guests who might be stranded by the extreme weather conditions. "I'd b the wash make "I'd better get the sheets washed and make up the beds," said Ziel- man. Two parties were stranded Sunday evening at the Bed and Breakfast. One group was from London and St. Thomas and one from Uxbridge. The two groups set out for home on Monday morning while the weather was quiet for a time. Donut Delite on Main Street is open 24 hours a day. Many people, especially truck drivers were wait- ing there for roads to be cleared be- fore some drivers ventured out at approximately nine o'clock yesterday morning. Transport truck drivers were pre- vented from leaving Exeter due to road clo- sures and many were drinking coffee and us- ing the telephone at the be closed is not covered by their in- surance. Snow squall and wind chill warn- ings were in effect all day Monday for the area and over 30 centimetres of snow was expected to fall. Snow was falling at a rate of two centimetres or more per hour. In addition to road closures, Hu- ron County schools were also closed. This blast of winter weath- er is certainly making up for the un- seasonably mild weather of De- cember and January. get sheets ed and up the beds." shop. Most trucks were parked along Main Street. Drivers could be fac- es with charges should they go through closure signs. Several vehicles were spotted go- ing around the road closure signs. A word of warning; police can charge the driver of a vehicle trav- elling on a closed road. As well, any vehicle which is involved in an accident on a road that has been Road closed signs sealed off Exeter for most of Monday, but there were still a few brave souls who venture past the signs onto unplowed highways, risking charges from police, and void In- surance.