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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 \•r y, OrG .r_ 1 \r, ,r, .,, \Ir .ri \,. :': _r. SIS .v. * SIF �V :�G Jr: D•• .v r•. \1_ "� i G ?•• �� r•. �� r'i V, di �r� ter, ,i yr J -\,L 4r * •� �4 2v ilr /,r /r ilr 7,F ir7 h� i,C ire ilk il� -. .,� /1• rlr i,� /, .rr •,r /Ir /,i /,r /r� * -� iry /,r •IC .,: ,l•1 /,r .,r. �1\ •,C 7n /,♦ i1G 7,C .,? S01 /14 IC �1 /h .q: * 01%. • • • EVERYTHING !GIFTS for the Entire List! L r This Year Shop In SEAFORTH The Town Where "Friendly Courteous Service ” Aren't Forgotten Words! The Town that offers. * Convenient Hours * Bright Lights Big Savings o Huge Gift Selection o Free Christmas Parking a;Over 65 Stores &Services CHRISTMAS IS SHOPPING IN SEAFORTH Sponsored by the following Seaforth Merchants • Crown Hardware • Hetherington Shoes • Seaforth Meat Market Seaforth Farmers' Co-op 0# Pulsifer Sills Hardware Seaforth IGA Stewart Bros. Music Archie's Sunoco Frank Kling Ltd. Box Furniture Seaforth Jewellers Canadian Tire Roth Food Market Bill O'Shea Huron Expositor 0 Seaforth Automotive Vincent Farm Equipment -Tr,' Seaforth Record Shoppe Graves Paint And Wallpaper Stedman's Larone's Stationary Keating's Robert L. Plumsteel Interiors* *to ****O*a'k***** ***e *a',aak** ' ***e'k* +►ti0***** *0'*0a *** *0* 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. PRICES SLASHED FOR OUR OPENING SALE PHILLIPS MODULAR 4 CALOR TV v, solid state, modular 4 chassis, automatic fine tuning and auto color. REG. '749. X599. THE AZORES No. 26P077 26" color tv, solid state, modular 4 chassis, automatic fine tuning and auto color. REG. `799. THE CASTILLE No. R496 AM -FM STEREO AM -FM stereo. 8 track tape player, precision record changer, equipped with casters. 2 - 8" woofers, 2 - 31/4" tweeters. REG.'549. .$369. I PHILIPS 619. >444 PETE'ST.V.. 215 VICTORIA ST. 484-7041 WE WILL -DE OPEN MONDAY -SATURDAY 9 A.M. - 6 P.M.i FRIDAYS'TIL 9 P.M. OPEN WEDNESDAYS t,