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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1996-05-15, Page 277,77 Woman seriously hurt in accident WALTON - A Bclgrave wom- an was taken to Scaforth hospi- tal with major injuries following an accident on County Road 25 on May 6, reported the North Huron Citizen. Police reported 33 -year-old Susan Chatten was travelling east when her 1987 Ford Mus- tang skidded, left the road, then struck a concrete abutment be- fore stopping in the north ditch. The accident occurred at 8:10 p.m., 10 minutes after police re- ceived a call regarding a minor accident in Brussels, which po- lice believe to have also in- volved Chatten. It was rcponed a 1987 Ford Mustang travelling north, went through a stop sign and struck another stop sign on the north- east comer of an intersection. Girl wins international literary con tes t MITCHELL - Fourteen -year- old Nadine Vivian, of Mitchell, won second prize for her blue- bird poem in the International Creative Arts Festival. According to the Mitchell Ad- vocate, Vivian is the first stu- dent at Robarts School in Lon- don to have a winning entry in the festival. As well, she was the only Ca- nadian at the awards ceremony from April 25 to 2g in Chicago at the Interrtatia nal Centre for Deafness. She carried the Cana- dian flag for the opening cere- monies of the awards presenta- tions. For her win in the literary cat- egory, Nadine was presented with $30. Fire destroys chicken barn HOLMESVILLE - The chick- en barn of Nick Rasa, of RR 2 Clinton, was destroyed by fire on the morning of May 4, report- ed the Clinton News -Record. Rasa called Clinton and Gode- rich fire departments after a hy- dro alarm, monitoring the barn's temperature, went off at about 5:45 a.m. Clinton Assistant Fire Chief Steve Cooke told the Record there were no chickens or equip- mcnt in the barn at the time of the blaze. However, associated set-up equipment was destroyed. Firefighters spent the morning protecting a hay -filled shed along with other surrounding b6ildings. Hydro was one sus- pected cause of the fire. Four Motorcycles recovered CLINTON - Two men have been charged following the re- covery in St. Thomas of four motorcycles and a motorcycle trailer that went missing in Clin- ton on May 3, reported the Clin- ton News -Record. Although the motonaycles were returned unharmed to their owner, Doug WilBarns, the trail- er was damaged slightly. "I'm a lot•happier camper than I was," Williams told the Record. �.t+rry a tllkleb Coi By Fanta' Pubik Ulan* Cor n dsakm EXETER - Exeter Public Utilities Con tpission would like so give swine history to the formation of the Exeter PVC aed a belief de:hiption of bow we operate, A bylaw was passed by the Municipal Council of 1916, have the departments of the hydro electric and waterworks operated by elected commission. This bylaw was submitted la lite.eleattlfit Jaelkety,li AM** ried. There bent 14/ votes ant, 140 for and agvett agitinil . u was declared carried. Since this first election the PUC has operated hale - pendent of council with it's own elected officials, yet, in coope'ion With the town, sharing resources wherever feasible. The Exeter PUC has revenues in the atntritm of $3,585,418 igrbydroi(t-. partment and $528.775 for the water department, In 1969 there warn I ratepayers with a staff of 11. Today, 1996, there are about 2,300 ratefi i- ers with a staff of nine. The current way in which the utility operates, electricity rates Mr* the revenue requirements and in no way are these revenue require dependent on tax dollars. There is also no burden to the taxpayers of Bxdt- er for water department revenues, however, in the past the PUC did I+e- ceive provincial funding for the pipeline connection to Lake Huron water supply. Through provincial legislation separate accounting practices are strictly adhered to. This way of doing business should never be compro- mised, since in the long run the impact on the electricity and water rate- payers would most certainly be negative. Cross -training is a buzz word today which basically means we get the best value out of technical staff by further increasing their expertise and diversity. The outside staff of five are highly trained in both hydro and wa- ter departments and continue to respond to the emergency needs of our customers as well as planning capital projects in conjunction with ,the planning department of the Town of Exeter. For example if the Town Works Department has plans to rebuild a street, the PUC can at that tittle upgrade the water services and water mains. This eliminates the duplica- tion of expensive street re -construction. The cross training of staff a1IoW3 the PUC to have the same staff do the work for both departments. As well the equipment that the PUC is : acquiring allows for the dual purposes of most of the equipment. The response time for emergency 'situations is greatly enhanced because of proper equipment and qualified staff to deal with most any situation. The vision of the forefathers of the Exeter PUC has served the ratepay- ers of the Town of Exeter well for almost 80 years. It was the mandate of that first commission and the commissions since then to make policies for the Exeter PUC that would best serve the ratepayers and deliver electricity and maintain the water system in the most cost effective manner from 1917 to the present. The Exeter PUC is a local body which effectively serves and represents the ratepayers based on local needs and priorities. These commissions, in Exeter, have continued for almost 80 years to set` effective policies and make effective policy changes which feflect current ratepayers demands. these demands are basically targeted at maintaining low electricity and water rates, while at the same time keeping power in- terruptions to a minimum. It should be noted that while Exeter has experi- enced xpertenced power outages, for the most part they were not in any way related to the state of the distribution system within the Town of Exeter. Rather, these outages were a direct result of the condition of Ontario Hydro feeder lines into our area. This utility in 1995 and 1996 has reduced electricity rates by 5.03 and 2.2 per cent respectively, water rates are low and have seen no change e since 1994. The high level of commitment from both past and present commissions and staff are a reflection of the seriousness with which this Utility views customer's satisfaction, A lttility such as the Exeter PUC is an example of how efficientlya utili. ty can be operated. We are accountable to our customers. The rate reduc tions two consecutive years are indications of this commitment. It needs to be pointed out that with generation and transmission making up approxi- mately 85 per cent of a typical Ontario Hydro power invoice, the Exeter PUC has proved that it can operatemore efficiently than probably any pri- vate enterprise and we operate in this fashion on about 15 per cent of the hvdm hill The Exeter PUC will continue to operate as stand alone cost centres (hy-. dro and water), as there has never been any tax dollars for the hydro to fund the operations and conversely, it's revenues, as always, are used ex- clusively to provide the excellent services our ratepayers have come to ex- pect and respect. The water department has received funding from the province in the past for the pipeline, however, there is no direct tax burden for the ratepayers of Exeter. Our customers know that we are fully accessible to hear their concerns and are able to respond to problems usually within minutes, and in this way a high level of service and full accountability to the public is realized on a daily basis. The Exeter PUC will continue to deliver services in the same cost effec- tive manner, where the local accountability is, and always has been, a di- rect result of commissioner and staff commitment. Jeffrey Oke shows Tony Collins his CIA agent identification on career day Friday at Grand Bend Public School. Budget brings good news for Huron farmers Last week's budget will also impact small busi- ness and home buyers EXETER - According to Huron MPP Helen Johns last Tuesday's budget brings good news for Huron County. "At the heart of the budget is 'a series of tax breaks for individuals, home buyers, commercial farmers, job -creating small businesses and more," said Johns in a recent press release. Budget Highlights The province has cut personal income tax rates in Ontario by 30.2 per cent during a three year period. The first reduction to take effect July 1, will reduce ril tax rate from 58 rd,per cent of Baasiar Federal Taaato� per cent. 'tseasecond,resdugtioh on January:ol l bring the tax rate to 49 per cent and the bal- ance will be phased in between 1997 and 1999. The Mike Hams Tory's claim cutting taxes will gener- ate jobs and economic activity. In recognizing the needs of rural Ontario, the bud- get has provided $15 million to stimulate research, market development, investment and competitive- ness in the agriculture and food sector. This new Growth Ontario Program is aimed to strengthen the capacity of small and medium sized farms, food sector groups and rural communities to compete in the rural market place. Commercial farmers will also be provided with an eight per cent Retail Sales Tax rebate on building materials purchased to upgrade or modernize farm operation before March 31 1997. Job creation in the private sector is being pro- moted through several new measures. The budget unveiled a Partnership for Jobs and Growth in- itiative to help companies grow and compete. Banks seeking to do business with the government will be required to demonstrate a history of small business lending. A Telecommunications Access Partnership will also be formed to improve On- tario's competitiveness in this area. Services given priority in the budget include health care, expanded services and income support for seniors and the disabled, child care as well as crime prevention initiatives. The Ministry of Health operating budget for 1996-97 will increase to $17.7 billion. Funding will also be provided to community crime prevention initiatives. Small businesses will be provided with an in- vestment credit. Banks making equity capital in- vestment in Ontario small business will be eligible for a credit against the province's harmonization " with 014411,11Ar ' ' g temporary' tiitax ori 'the'' 'ehpita ikktiaitl,bY•baaks. To. encourage Ontario's competitiveness as a ma- jor film production centre, filmmakers will receive a tax credit of 15 per cent of eligible labor costs in Ontario. The value of this credit will be doubled for first-time commercial filmmakers. Starting in September, companies will receive a tax reduction equal to 10 per cent of the cost of hir- ing students participating in recognized college or university co-op programs. The goal of this budget is to preserve and enhance important services while holding the line on achiev- ing a balanced budget by the year 2000-2001. "We are delivering on the commitments I made to the people of Huron during the campaign. We are keeping promises and turning the corner to a future with more jobs, more hope and more opportunity for everyone in our province," said Johns. SHDHS holds county workshop By Brenda Burke T -A Reporter EXETER - A dozen participants attended the fifth Huron County Plan Workshop, which was held at South Huron District High School on May 1. The meeting was one of 10 unique exercises being held across the county between April and June. It's purpose was to review and discuss Community Action Kit results and to identify key community issues as well as policy directions in an effort to help prepare a new county plan. Wayne Caldwell, a senior planner for Huron County, hosted the meeting that began with a presentation of up- dated kit results. The plan, which began in the fall, resulted in the return of 77 kits to date. Caldwell pointed out major responses focused on themes of economy, community and quality of life. "It's quite interesting to see how much people value peo- ple," he said. People, environment and health remain top priorities in the ongoing questionaire. In comparison to the first workshop held at Zurich Public School, participants stili list friendly people, environment and rural scenery and quality community services as top likes in their communities-. However, according to recent kit re- sponses, citizens' community dislikes have changed. Lack of municipal and community services now ranks as the number one dislike, followed by travel and transportation, then lack of culture and recreation, which was named the number one dislike at the previous Zurich M Lack of employment and industry has been downgraded in favor of travel and transportation as the number two dis- like. Meanwhile, lack of culture and recreation has moved from being a number one dislike to number three on the new list. Responses to the 'My Community in 10 to 13 years' cat- egory switched from regarding people first to eootroiny first. In response to the question, 'What needs to be done to bring about my view,' people continue to list economy and local government changes as answers. Judging by the ques- tionaire results, issues of economy, people and government need to be discussed further.. In the 'Other Comments' section of the kit, 11 people out of 92 mentioned it is a worthwhile exercise while 16 want to see survey results and action based on the project. The remainder of the workshop involved a group dis- cussion on the kit's usefulness, local government, econ- omy, volunteers, local business and agriculture. The people involved in discussion did not complete the action kit prior to the workshop but expressed opinions on the issues at hand. Exeter Mayor Ben Hoogenboom asked how the workshop results will help draw up an official plan. Municipalities with updated plans, he added, should make up the basis of the new plan. "There are many counties that don't have an official plan at all," replied Caldwell. "Pere approach the county has de- cided to take is to approach the people." Exeter Administrator Rick Hundey add- ed, "It's possible some of the stuff that's important just can't be addressed." To begin the local government dis- cussion, Hundey suggested people want more efficient government and wondered how they'd feel about less representation in the process. "The province is passing the buck down to the local level," he said, adding cuts in transfer payments combined with increased responsibilities are unavoidable. "Some municipalities just won't be able to do any more," mentioned Kate Monk, information and education manager at the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority. iStepl� sen Township Deputy Reeve Tom Tomes felt pol- iticians oi- betry to get too involved. He said he's tired of the way the government "drags its heels." "[ have three children and none of them are in Huron County," he continued. "If we get higher taxes we're ung "There are many counties that don't have an official plan at all...The approach the county has decided to take is to approach the people." to be getting rid of the seniors too...We've got to entice people through local government to stay." Hoogenboom said he feels people prefer to talk to gov- ernment at the local rather than the county level. "I don't think people mind paying a little extra tax if that's what it takes to maintain quality of life in Huron County," he added. As far as local business is concerned, Hoogenboom fa- vored faster growth over a gradual growth process. "We make it too difficult for people to start up busi- nesses," he pointed out. Ron Dougall, a local fruit and vegetable business owner, said there are too many regulations for entrepreneurs. "It just keeps people from starting up businesses," said his wife, Judy. "Maybe that's the problem - there's no choice," said Ron. In reference to the rate of community growth, area res- ident Keith Strang said, "Growth destroys what I like about it." Brock Vodden, of Blyth, expressed the opinion that ag-• ricultgr+e has been very progressive in Huron County while non-agricultural businesses have been more conservative. "They tend not to be receptive to the services that are available...They tend to sort of stay to themselves," he said. "The tougher things get, the more inward they look." "I think it's the older businesses that aren't willing to change," replied Hoogenboom. Perhaps, said Usborne Township Reeve Pat Down, the • focus should be on improving existing businesses rather than focusing on new businesses. Judy suggested taking a look at tourism, pointing out it is the second largest industry in the county besides ag- riculture. She also talked about the importance of fund- raising. "I think volunteers and community spirit is aliVe and well in our area," said Hoogenboom. The next area County Plan Workshop will be held at Ste- phen Central Public School on May 30. As well, two extra meetings concerning agriculture will take place in July.