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424 Main Si. Exeter, Ont. NOM 1S6
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OPP. looking for suspect in Grand Bend stabbing
By Chris Slcalkos
T -A Reporter
GRAND BEND - A suspect is
still being sought in connection
I with an aggravated assault during
the Victoria Day long weekend.
1
1
1
Inside
Magic Bus
coming
to Exeter
See page 9
Heartworm
prevention
See Crossroads
Second front
Experts
Pail, a-3
The Grand Bend OPP de-
tachment is investigating the in-
cident which occurred at ap-
proximately 2:10 a.m. Saturday at
the corner of Main and Elm Streets.
The victim, Shane Pepper, 20, of
Hensall, was taken to South Huron
Hospital in Exeter suffering from
what appeared to be a stab wound
to his back. He was later trans-
ferred to Victoria Hospital in Lon-
don where he was listed in fair
condition.
Pollee are still investigating but
say they are close to identifying a
suspect.
Despite the stabbing incident,
OPP reported a 30 per cent re-
duction in Charges from last year
during the Victoria Day weekend.
A total of 351 charges were laid
...� --+5-a .A
Announcements
pages 22-23
Classifieds
pages 25-28
Trailer broken
into in Hay
Township
HAY TOWNSHIP - Exeter OPP
reported unknown persons broke
into a trailer on Concession 10
May 14.
Several Makita power tools were
stolen.
Boat in
distress
assisted by
police
EXETER - Exeter OPP report
RCC Trenton assisted police in lo-
cating a boat in distress of the Hu-
ron County shoreline.
The boat drifted to shore and the
person aboard did not suffer any in-
juries.
Twelve
charged with
liquor related
offences
EXETER - Exeter OPP report
during ,ee weekend 12 people were
chargeJ with liquor related offenc-
es and two 12 -hour suspensions
woe issued.
Police arrested two impaired
drivers on Friday night.
o#1
ennu
th the fireworks d
nonship
Bosanquet wants tof
Join amalgamation..
discussions
STEPHEN TOWNSHIP - Ac-
cording to the May 23 meeting
agenda of the Exeter-Stephen-
Usborne-Grand Bend Amalgama-
tion Committee, Bosanquet Town-
ship has asked to participate in dis-
cussions.
A Bosanquet delegation will at-
tend Thursday night's meeting to be
held in the Exeter Council Cham-
bers at the Old Town Hall.
In addition to the involved mu-
nicipalities, a final revised area of
interest for amalgamation includes
a portion of Bosanquet extending to
the Greenway Road as well as sev-
eral lots in Hay Township.
Although Bosanquet was not in-
itially interested in the committee's
invitation to join in amalgamation
discussion, it was not opposed to
the sharing of services. Early in
the process, Bosanquet indicated it
was discussing amalgamation with
its Forest, Arkona and Thedford
neighbors.
The amalgamation committee
does not rule out annexation as a
form of recognized restructuring
and has long felt it would be pru-
dent for Bosanquet to join talks.
OCWA brant
for Hensall
HENSALL - Although the On-
tario Clean Water Agency ap-
proved an approximate 70 per cent
grant last November for the study
of Hensall's water supply and stor-
age system, the village was only
recently made aware of this de-
cision. The estimated cost of the
study, that will likely take a year to
complete, is S265,000.
Steve Burns, a consulting en-
gineer with B.M. Ross in Goderich
attended council's May 13 meeting
to explain the water study re-
quirements. The Public Utilities
Commission and council have been
asked by B.M. to set up a liaison
committee to oversee the study pro-
cess.
In recent years, the King and
York street wells have tested high
for nitrate levels. This resulted in a
warning indicating infants should
not use the water supply. Although:
a study was undertaken ap-
proximately 10 years ago, the re-
sults were inconclusive and did not
clearly attribute the source of the
contamination. Until the Ministry
of Energy and Environment is sat-
isfied the water problem will not re-
occur, development proposals will
be approved.
"It wasn't much of a study 1n the
end," said Burns.
According to Burns, the po-
tential source of nitrate is ag-
riculture. A study would identify
recharge areas and result in halting
practices that threaten the safety of
the village's water supply. Land
use restrictions and laW
by the village were suggested s
options to protect the water supply
once the source of nitrate has been
established.
Ideally the study will either prove
the water supply and storage sys-
tem does not require protection
from contamination or evaluate the
best means to provide protection.
The more expensive and less de-
sirable outcome would be the need
to find an alternative water source.
"The real goal is to prove the ex -
r' Continued ora page 3
i'
Community Ralf on qunci }y
of success.
compared with 508 last year.
There were 241 charges laid un-
der the Liquor Licence Act, down
by 134 from Last year, and 68
charges were laid under the High-
way Traffic Act.
The Regional R.I.D.E program
stopped and checked more than
5,000 vehicles and laid four Im-
paired Driving charges and issued
10 12 -hour suspensions.
The first long weekend of the
summer, commonly known as
"May 2-4" has traditionally
brought thousands of visitors to
Grand Bend to enjoy the beach,
water sports and Main Street night
life.
More than 20,000 people, mostly
youths, visited the village from
May 18-20. Line-upssto get into lo -
'cal bars stretched over a block by 7
p.m. each night, and traffic cruising
the one kilometre "main drag"
took 30 minutes to get to the beach
and back.
OPP Sergeant Bev Prevett, who
worked the weekend night shift,
said the extended closing hour now
permitted at bars and restaurants
helped with the after hours crowd
that usually gathers on Main Street
after pubs close.
"We still have the crowds that
want to leave by midnight, a crowd
that wants to leave at 1 a.m. and
now they're also leaving at 2 a.m.
So instead of getting a mass exodus
at one o'clock in the morning, now
it's spread out more which actually
worked to our advantage," said
Prevett.
Ironically, the hot sunny condi-
tions also helped keep things cool.
Cold and wet weather would drive
people indoors where they would
have more time to drink. The hot
hazy and humid weather that set in
at the beginning of the weekend
kept people active outside for most
of the time.
C�nservati�n authorities
Initiate user fee structure
Visitors will now be charged
for the use of ABCA
conservation areas
By Heather Mir
T -A Reporter
EXETER - Due in large part to reduced provincial
funding, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Author-
ity recently initated a day use fee of $2 per person at
Morrison Dam.
A conservation area individual season pass may be
purchase for $i l and family passes
are available at a cost of 532. These
passes allow day use entrance to ap-
proximately 10,000 acres of land
with the exception of the Port
Franks Conservation Area.
The fee for use of the Morrison
Dam is in line with other conserva-
tion authorities for the facilities pro-
vided. Season passes are much less
expensive than other areas such as
the Pinery Provincial Park.
Pour factors have contributed to
the move to a user pay system which Kate Monk,
ARCA information and education manager, de-
scribes as a "last resort" to keep the area open to the
public and in public ownership.
•The province eliminated the land tax rebate for
conservation authority properties, taxes at Morrison
Dam now total approximately
$1,000
•The provincial grant for con-
servation authorities was reduced
and will be eliminated by 1997,
with the exeption of funding to
maintain flood control structures
•Without a sponsor to adopt the
Morrison Dam, the ABCA was
forced to find other means to raise
the $3,000 needed to keep the
area open
*Municipalities don't have the
money to make up for the finan-
cial short -fall left by reduced pro-
vincial funding and the elimina-
tion of tax relief
The alternative to implementing
a user pay system would be to
close the area. However, taxes
would still need to be paid and
some maintenance would be re-
quired. Maintenance of the prop-
erty includes grass cutting, ski
trail grooming, safety inspections and trail mainte-
nance. Vandalism, which has occured this year on
the dock and to the washrooms at Morrison, increas-
es the cost of maintaining the area.
The Exeter Boy Scouts have been actively in-
volved in conducting an annual clean-up of the area
and have also built and installed blue bird boxes
along the trail.
One of the most commonly raised concerns is ac-
cess to conservation areas for lower income individ-
uals and families. Season passes represent the best
value and the ABCA has bulk rates for organiza-
tions wishing to purchase passes to distribute as
they wish. The authority also has a reserve set up for
money donated directly into main-
taining Morrison Dam.
Conservation authorities receive
less than $9 per person each year
of the municipal tax levy and pro-
vincial taxes will vanish by next
year.
In some cases, service clubs have
worked with conservation authori-
ties to avoid implementing user
pay systems. Clinton Lions Club,
for example, has adopted the Clin-
ton Conservation Area and is cov-
ering most of its operating costs.
"We'd be more than happy to work with a group
or more than one group," said Monk.
Morrison Dam has proved to be a well used con-
servation area, especially during the Spring when
the water is stocked by the Conservation Foundation
with rainbow trout. Monk esti-
mates between 10 and 15 vehicles
are in the parking lot each day
during these months.
People parked at Morrison Dam
will be given a grace period to
purchase passes at the conserva-
tion office. Staff are checking
windshields and distributing fly-
ers explaining the new system un-
til public awareness has been
raised. Although only seven sea-
aot parses have been sold to date,
the ABCA has not received many
complaints about the new system.
According to Monk, while
some people have raised concerns
about the system, "others are ac-
cepting it, realizing they do get to
see where their money goes. It's
really in our best interest to keep
the area open to the public be-
cause there is such a great benefit
to everyone."
"It's really in
our best interest
to keep the area
open to the
public."
pit,i*
Kato
Monk