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Page 2 Times -Advocate, May 22, 1996
Regional
wrap up
Board of
Education
office sold
CLINTON - The former Hu-
ron County Board of Eduettjop
building will be trangfiiiind
into retirement apartment4P1e-
ported the North Huron Citirkn.
The centre has been purchased
by Doug Mason Building Prod-
ucts Ltd., in Dorchester. Confir-
mation of the deal is expected at
the board's June meeting. •
The Board of Education quay
relocate to Central Hump Se4pn-
dary School in September.
"The move will have more of
a psychological effect,"' Director
of; Education Paul Carroll told
the Citizen. "We will be remind-
ed daily why (tile board) exists."
According to Carroll, the
move will present cost savings •
for both facilities due to the
sharing of services.
The centre was sold in an ef-
fort to reduce permanent operat-
ing costs for administration as
well as major .repair costs re-
quired for the building. It is esti-
mated $1,000,000 will be saved
during a 10 -year period.
Signal Star
chain for
•
sale again
HURON COUNTY - The Sig-
nal Star chain, including papers
in Mitchell, Clinton, Goderich
and Zurich, is once again _ for
sale, reported the Huron Exposi-
tor,
The 136 -year-old weekly
newspaper and 10 sister publica-
tions changed hands in Decem-
ber when they were sold by Bur-
goyne PubJiohingE, and bought by
Bowes_ lioi rir Ltd., of Lon•t'
don. Bowes is owned by the To-
ronto Sun Publishing Company,
which is controlled by Rogers
Communications Inc.
Rogers recently announced it
would sell its 62.5 per cent share
in the Sun in an effort to
strengthen its balance shee4;i
Students
hold OSAID
noise event
CLINTON - Students made
noise on Friday as part of an
event organized by Ontario Stu-
dents Against Impaired Driving.
According to the Clinton
New -Record, OSAID groups at
high schools throughout the
province were to participate in
the demonstration held in con-
juction with Arrive Alive Week
and OSAID Day.
In a constructed accident
scene, there were to be two
wrecked vehicles on the
school's front lawn from last
Wednesday to Friday.
"It's an alternative to having a
protest," CHSS OSAID Presi-
dent Caroline Dyck told the
Record.
She pointed out impaired driv-
ing remains the number one kill-
er of youths in Ontario and add-
ed youths are "leading the fight"
in prevention.
Committee
checks
agriculture
complaints
PERTH COUNTY - The new
Perth County Agricultural Re-
view Committee has • 'been
formed to deal with complaints
of poor farm management, re-
ported the Mitchell Advocate.
The committee will check pol-
lution control, livestock produc-
tion, manure systems and man-
agement quality.
McGillivray Township to hold
public vote on amalgamation
By Brenda Burke
T -A Reporter
McGILLIVRAY TOWNSHIP - In preparation for a June
5 amalgamation poll, the McGillivray Concerned Citizens
Group held a public meeting last Wednesday night.
One poll question asks: "Are you in favor of maintaining
the municipality of the Township of McGillivray in its
present form with increased shared services with area mu-
nicipalities?"
The other question is as follows: "Are you in favor of the
amalgamation of the Township of McGillivray with the
Township of East Williams, the Township of
West Williams, the Town of Parkhill, and the "If it comes
Village of Ailsa Craig to form one municipal- through as a yes
it The meeting at West McGillivray Township vote, I don't
Hall informed more than 120 residents about know what the
issues relating to the proposed amalgamation. municipalities
Chairperson Gerald Wright introduced the are going to do.
• meeting by responding to criticism expressed
against McGillivray Council for opposing Some of them
amalgamation prior to the vote. are talking.
County of Middlesex Warden Al Man spoke Some of them
of several amalgamation studies aimed at re- are not"
ducing the number of local municipalities. He
• claimed studies indicate two thirds of county completely honest in implying that amalgama-
residents would favor amalgamations if the result 13 lower tion could reduce municipal taxes," he said.
taxes and improved delivery of services. "We thought a lot of (the questions) were loaded," added
' ' • "We're obligated to consider options," he said. "It may Wright. "A lot of people hadn't thought of restructuring in
not be the end of anything. It may be a great opportunity." the township."
Although many believe in the status quo, he added, they A question -answer period also took place at the meeting:
also realize structural change is necessary in tough econom- If we amalgamate, asked a member of the audience, what
is times. happens to McGillivray's reserve funds?
"I hope, you'll consider a number of options when you "Those funds would be still allotted to McGillivray," re -
vote," he concluded. plied Hodgson. "It's a trial and error thing. Do we believe -it
Reeve Wesley Hodgson spoke on township services and
shared services with other municipalities. He listed an ac-
tive ball park, communication between clerks, shared rec-
reation and fire protection as McGillivray's unique ad-
vantages.
He also said the township has $400,000 in reserves as
well as a $93,000 deficit reported in 1995 operations. He
explained this debt resulted in a combination of road grader
payments and road material purchases.
"We went out on a limb and we spent money we didn't
have on that grader," he said, claiming future tax revenue
will cover the costs.
Following presentations made by committee
members on township road, drainage, water,
landfill and fire services, a letter from former
Reeve Charles Corbett was read.
"If amalgamation does take place in North
West Middlesex," he wrote, "it would be too
much to hope for that we would provide the
Province of Ontario with its first concrete ex-
ample of reduced costs through larger govern-
ment."
Corbett also pointed out the county's recent
opinion poll, through the phrasing of its ques-
tions, may indicate support for amalgamation.
"It appears to me that the questions are not
tr
or do we not believe it? It's up in the air."
A resident also wondered if amalgamation would save
the province money in terms of its budget.
"I don't think the province cares," replied County of Mid-
dlesex Administrator Nigel Belchamber. "There will be
other services that we would be expected to fund."
"I think it's going to cost us more and that's what's
frightened us, really frightened us," added Wright. "We're
afraid of bigness. We're afraid of losing control...If some-
one can show us a cheaper way of doing it, then that's what
we want to hear."
Another audience member enquired if McGillivray tes-
idents, under amalgamation, would be required to pair for
sewers of other municipalities.
"Those sorts of things are possible to work out as long as
there's a good handle on finances," replied Belchamber.
As well as brief discussion on police costs, farmers' tax I
grants, road plowing, shared services and the ward system, '
lack of future direction was mentioned.
"If it comes through as a yes vote, I don't know what the
municipalities are going to do," said Hodgson. "Some of .;
them are talking. Some of them are not."
According to last week's T -A amalgamation Question of
the Week, The Exeter -Grand Bend-Stephen-Usborne Amal-
gamation Committee does not consider a public vote as the . tr;•
most beneficial means of receiving public input.
The committee believes not only would a closed yes or F4
no type of question fail to convey the complex nature of
amalgamation, it would restrict more detailed public input.'
"The committee feels there are other forms that will be '
much more helpful in making the final decision...We there- ` mak,^.
fore encourage the public to attend our meetings and pro-
vide comments or ask questions about their concerns. It is
this kind of public participation that will be ost beneficial
m
to the committee."
4, g
Water main upgrade
The Exeter PUC is working in conjunction with the town up-
grading the water main on Huron Street from Edward to
Main. At the same time a 10 inch pipe is installed, the
street will be repaved. The work is expected to be com-
pleted in one month.
Board of Ed finallzes sale
CLINTON - Huron County
Board of Education Chair Roxanne
Brown is pleased to announce ar-
rangements for the sale of the
Board's headquarters, known as the
Education Centre, in Clinton. An
offer has been accepted from Doug
Mason, Building Products Ltd.,
Dorchester. Mason intends to un-
dertake major renovations to create
a nurr aqf !giiret�,ebe 14P IPF t ,
sale ian `"ot4rased al ths4, tame, it
is expected that the Board will con-
firm, at its June Board meeting, the
relocation of its administrative of-
fices to Central Huron Secondary
School effective September 1,
1996.
The move will reduce permanent
operating costs for the Board's ad-
ministration. Coupled with antici-
pated savings on major repair costs
required at the present building, the
savings should total $1,000,000
over the next 10 year period.
Detailed planning has com-
menced to determine the best way
to use surplus space at Central Hu-
ron Secondary School, constructed
for some.1,450 students but accom-
modating just over 650 at this time.
The area to be occupied will be the
Centennial Wing, partially used at
this time to house the Board's
Learning Resources Centre, which
includes the media lending collec-
tion, computer repair services, as
Lucan sewer inspections to begin
LUCAN - Under direction of the Lucan Sewer Com-
mittee, residential sanitary sewer inspections are to be-
gin in an effort to assess the village's infiltration prob-
lem.
Craig Williams, an architectural technology student
at;Fanshawe College, will inspect the majority of ap-
proximately 550 sewer connections of Lucan's estimat-
ed 680 households in an effort to determine where
storm water is entering the sanitary sewer system.
This excess flow, states a notice recently distributed
to residents, consumes "valuable capacity at the sew-
age treatment plant" and "results in in-
creased costs for pumping and treating
what is essentially clean water."
Rainwater that should be directed to
storm sewers is being discharged
through weeping tiles and some res-
idential sump pumps to sanitary sewers.
Commissioned in December 1992, the
Ldcan Sewage Treatment Plant is some-
thing forced to pump up to four times more water than
it needs to,. according to Works Superintendent Doug
Johnston.
• "It's taking up the capacity of the plant," he said. "In
order to expand the village, we have to get this in-
filtration out of the System."
When the plant's tanks are overloaded, excess water
is directed to two nearby lagoon cells built in 1965 and
1971. The Ministry of the Environment and Energy has
given direction to shut the lagoons down by 2002.
"7n order to shut the lagoons down," said Johnston,
"(we) have to fix infiltration first."
In April the plant handled 27,431 cubic metres of
water and directed 3,700 excess cubic metres to its la-
goons. That works out to a daily average flow of 914
cubic metres. A normal daily average flow should be
450 to 500 cubic metres of water, although the plant is
well as program and special educa-
tion support staff for the, Huron
Public Education System schools.
Because of the administrative re-
location, the secondary school will
be the beneficiary of an upgraded
Physics Laboratory, which will re-
quire relocation to accommodate
the incoming office space. The in-
corporation of administrative ser- lsat.
vices into CHSS guarantees the
long term viability of Central 1#u-
ron Secondary School as a full ser-
vice secondary school serving the
needs of secondary adolescent, spe-
cial program and adult populations
currently served by the school.
CHSS will be removed from the
Board's Accommodation Review
..::,W 1W11U IU(1 ;1144111 ortlr
.ow. t,1 ,,,:r,nttainn
tav,
designed to treat 1,100 cubic meters per day. The aver-
age daily flow from January to March remained in the
600 to 700 cubic metre range.
Not only does the excess storm water add more work
to operating the plant, it also requires the use of more
chemicals. As well, essential bacteria used in the sys-
tem may get washed out when the water flow is too
strong.
"It's a fantastic working plant if you could get rid of
some of this infiltration," said Treatment Plant Oper-
ator Bob Thomson.
Infiltration has been a problem in Lucan
since the mid 70's. Under the Ontario
Building Code, new homes are required to
be equipped with sump pumps. According
to Johnston, an entire Lucan subdivision of
200 to 300 homes lacks the pumps.
Employed by the village as a summer
student, Williams' job will include check-
ing sump pumps, eavestroughs and lot
gradings to determine storm water flow. The 20 -
minute inspections will take at least a month to com-
plete, after which the findings will be compiled and re-
ported to the sewer committee.
When infiltration problems are identified, funds from
a village infrastructure grant will be used towards cor-
recting the problem. So far, the village has spent
$200,000 of the $524,000 grant to improve its in-
filtration.
Willams, who delivered the notices including a sam-
ple inspection list, said he received positive reactions
from residents, claiming many want to know how their
sewer systems are working.
"It gives me a bit of a background with the founda-
tions of the system," he said of the inspections that will
provide him with experience that relates directly to his
education.
"It's a fantastic
working plant if
you could get rid
of some of this
infiltration,"
1,41
i ir.`:1
1 ,1.1/, 7li;
.o•.14•411r44{e oi9arrt
Stabbing in Grand Bend
+• Continued from front page
"It wasn't bad this year...we still
get some hot spots but people be-
haved themselves and it was fairly
quiet," said Prevett who feels the
stabbing was a very isolated in-
cident. "If it wasn't for that we
would have had a picture perfect
weekend."
Les Kobayashi, Pinery Park Su-
perintendent said alcohol related
charges and evictions were up by
20 per cent this year but credits
that to an increased number of
campers.
Traditionally, the park has 700'
sites available for the Victoria Day
weekend. An additional 300 spaces
were opened to accommodate
campers who usually visit Ip-
perwash Provincial Park, which is
still under native occupation and
closed to the public.
"We didn't have any major in-
cidents and there wasn't much van-
dalism or complaints from other
campers," said Kobayashi. "The
camp grounds were relatively
quiet."
Crass' Williams, a summer student with the Village of Lu -
can, takes a look at one minor problem with the area's Infil-
tration - excess foam In the Lucan Sewage Treatment
Plant's aeration tanks. The foam consists of a combination
of dissolved oxygen and ground water. '
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