HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1977-12-01, Page 3Mildred and Ross Merrill, right, will be leaving their TV
Service to pursue other hobbies and interests but will be on
hand for a short while to help new owner Pete Gahwiler with
People in profile
ti
all the details that come with owning a new business.
(News -Record photo)
CLINTON N WS -RECORD, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 1977 --PAGE 3
County budgets could be cut
Budgets for 1978 began to trickle into
the Huron County Council agenda
Friday and councillors were quick to
notice that increases in nearly - all
budgets are imminent. Of course, all
budgets presented now are approved
subject to final revisions at budget time
in early 19.78.
The budget for the Huron County
Planning Board drew the most comment
and county council turned down a
request for another senior planning
technician. While council did grant an
approximate six percent increase to the
existing planning staff - a planning
director, two planners and a planning
technician - it turned the budget back to
committee for revisions.
The planning budget called for ex-
penditures totalling $162,000, up nearly
$28,000 over last year's budget of
$134,200. But Chairman Bill Clifford of
Goderich said the county taxpayers'
portion of the budget will be increased
by $42,400, mostly because the Com-
munity Study Grants will be delayed
until 1979 because of an Ontario
government policy to hold back grant
money until final Ministry approval is
granted for completed planning
procedures in the municipalities.
"There is a delay of six months to a
year on certain funds," said Chairman
Clifford. ,
Goderich Township Reeve Gerry Ginn
noted the direct cost to Huron County
32 years enough TV watching for Merrills
by Shelley McPhee
Ross and Mildred Merrill don't watch
very much television in their leisure
hours, but perhaps they'll be able to
tpend more time in front of their set now
hat their business, Merrill's TV Service
has been sold.
For the past 32 years, Ross has been
looking at televisions and in the earlier
days, radios, but they usually have been
broken and in need of repair when he
received them. Meanwhile his wife,
Mildred looked after the books and
managed the office for her husband after
they were married in 1949.
"Sometimes I think that's the only
reason he married me," she laughed.
However, the two have gotten along
well as a husband and wife team and in
rater years got the rest of their children
involved in the business, along with
Ross' sister and brother-in-law.
When Merrills moved in 1950 from
their small shop, now The Wedge to the
store that Holland Shoes is now located
in, Ross' sister Marianne and her
husband George Colclough became
involved.
They stayed with the business until
1957, helping to sell and repair ap-
pliances and televisions and helping with
the aerial installation service.
"Raising a family required extra
help," explained Mildred.
In. 1958 the shop moved, again, to
Victoria Street and at that time their
eldest son Gordon, 8, began helping mom
and dad.
A few years later Gordon and their
other son Brian took over the aerial
installation business and their daughter
Esther also helped with the clerking.
The family saw the coming of black
and white televisions, and in later years
color televisions, but it is doubtful that
their children remember the days when
radio was the only form of home en-
tertainment.
Ross remembered when they had their
first black and white television, a 10.i.nch
set in the window of their, old store
(Holland Shoes). " .
"The people would come in to town to
do their shopping on Saturday night and
they would stand out on the street out to
the cars to watch the television," Ross
explained, "people walking by would
have to go out on the road."
However, it wasn't long until the police
told thb'Merrills that this would have to
stop, so they moved the set back farther
into the store.
"Then the shop was jammed full,"
laughed Ross.
"And it was a snowy picture," added
Mildred.
- Remembering even farther back Ross
said that he had $500 to start his business
with. During those first two years he
couldn't afford a vehicle and, had to
deliver radios by foot to people,in town.
The Merrills have seen many changes
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• • •
EVERYTHING
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for
the
Entire
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L
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over the years, in the equipment they
have sold .and in the location of their
shops, but after 32 years they will. be
facing yet another major change.
"We want to have a few years pur-
suing our hobbies," Mildred explained.
It is unlikely that the Merrills will yet
have any time to watch television at
their home in Bayfield since their
hobbies include hiking, skiing, gar-
dening, travelling and square dancing.
Until the new year, Ross will also
remain in the store to help the new
owner Pete Gahwiler get his business
underway.
However, the Merrills have one future
trip planned for next summer when they
will attend the Commonwealth Games in
Edmonton. They will be square dancing
with -the Clinton Wheel 'n Dealers at the
event. Maybe then, they will be seen on
the television, for a change, instead of
being inside one.
residents in 1978 was up 36 per cent. He
asked how council intended to keep the
total county increase in 1978 to six per
cent if one committee was allowed this
kind of an increase.
Reeve 13111 Elson, Morris, said plan-
ning board costs were getting "com-
pletely out of control" and felt ways
should be found to reduce the cost of
planning rather than asking the people
to pay more toward the process.
Frank Cook, deputy -reeve of Clinton
predicted the planning process, unless
controlled or altered, would "cost our
taxpayers in Huron County a lot of
money".
Reeve Clifford explained that the total
workload in the planning- office is in-
creasing. Planning director Gary
Davidson confirmed this, saying the
department is only about half -way
through the preparation of the secon-
dary plans requested by the various
municipalities. All bkS, two
municipalities have requested secon-
dary plans, Davidson said, the towns are
now asking that their secondary plans be
updated.
Clifford added that the planning
department has used the services of a
part-time draftsman for two years now,
and that if another senior planning
technician was hired, the junior plan-
ning technician could handle those
duties. Looking at it this way, Clifford
reasoned, the new staff member would
cost the county only about $9,000 per
annum.
Clifford also noted that the conversion
to the metric ,system in the planning
department has to be done and is making
additional work for the staff.
THINK
The Goderich reeve urged council to
"think it over carefully" saying that if
added staff was turned' down, less
planning would be completed in 1978 and
municipalities must be prepared to wait
for their secondary plans.
Harold Robinson, reeve of Howick,
said the secondary plans "are no great
shakes" and said he felt Huron County
wasn't such a bad place to live when
there was no planning at all.
Stanley Deputy -reeve Paul Steckle
said planning is "going on behind the
scenes" by people of all walks of life
interested in their own personal affairs.
He said that in a municipality like
Stanley Township which has lakefront
land, there are more non-residents than
residents involved in this kind of plan-
ning. When citizens go about planning in
such a haphazard way, Steckle said, the
local councils find themselves with some
real problems on their hands..
Steckle said he had not always been
happy with the county planning
department, but commended the
planners for the assistance they had
provided to the townships in most in-
stances.
Reeve Ed Oddleifson, Bayfield,
echoed those sentiments saying the
Huron County Planning department had
helped to protect Bayfield from
becoming "something we didn't want".
Deputy -reeve Eldrid Simmons of
Exeter said that to hire another planner
was "the cheapest route". He suggested
that if local councils hired their own
planning consultants, they would find it
much more expensive. He suggested
that if the county turned down the
planning board's recommendation, it
would ' show councillors were "not
looking far enough ahead on this".
"Local authority akso involves local
responsibility," said Gary Davidson.
MANY AREAS
The planning' board showed increases
for office and drafting supplies, postage,
`telephone, travel allowances, mem-
berships and publications, legal fees and
equipment.
The property budget was approved
without question.
Court house maintenance is up just
under $4,000 from $83,450 to $87,400.
Registry office maintenance goes from
$7,4254 to $9,840 and the assessment
building maintenance is up close to
$10,000 from $25,200 to $34,720.
The museum budget shows an in-
crease for county taxpayers of $6,625
from $43,475 to $50,100. Salaries are up
$3,400 to $53,400; employee benefits are
up $2,275 to.$8,200; utilities are up $450 to
$1,650; and the telephone is up $100 to
$450.
The budget for Huronview is up
$164,628 over this year and represents
just about $8,000 more for Huron County
taxpayers to raise. The Huron ap-
portionment of Huronview costs is
$208,354 in 1978 of a total budget of
$2,585,026. Nearly all costs ,across the
board are up at Huronview according to
the report.
The social services budget is up to
$412,100 from $378,400. The County of
Huron will pay $114,250 in 1978, nearly
$6,000 more than the 1977 budget figure
of $108,430. The budget showed that
general assistance is up $26,000 to
$294,900 and administration costs are up
$7,200.
The county development budget is up
$4,600 to $49,800 with the increases
showing up it salaries for the office and
the committee, employee benefits and
Xerox and printing.
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