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Clinton News-Record, 1978-01-19, Page 1Clinton, Ontario 30 cents Weather 1978 1977 Ho JANUAR Y 10 20 11 22 12 24 13 23 14 15 15 14 16 20 • Thursday, January 19,1978 10 Hi 10 7 15 16 14 6 -9 0 Snow 4" 13 -4 12 5 11 1 8 -12 23 7 18 4 8 -8 Snow 10" 113th Year No. 3 Rec. committee gives okay Clinton needs new community pool The Clinton Recreation Committee last Thursday night gave parks chair- man Dean Reid the go-ahe%d to find out what it would cost to build a new swimming pool in Clinton. Reid told the committee • that the filtration system is "rotten, the deck is badly cracked, the piping system is decayed, and the pool itself is cracked." The' pool, built 22 years ago, would be torn out, but the present changing house would be used again. "The change house is okay, but the shallow end of the (present) pool is too deep for teaching young children how to swim," Reid said. "It won't cost the taxpayers a cent (to replace the pool)," Reid said. "There is Tuckersmith raises hotly debated By Wilma Oke Salaries for township employees for 1978 were reviewed again by Tucker - smith Township Council Tuesday night in a closed meeting. The employees had asked for six -per cent increase at the January 3 meeting, but were given four per cent plus 50 per cent payment of the fringe benefit package giving a total increase varying from 5.1 to 5.5 per cent. Tuesday night the council agreed to give them 41/2 per cent plus 50 per cent of 1 Hospitality Night lives! Even though there won't be any Winter Carnival in Clinton this year, several of the more popular events have survived and willjive on independently. The very popular and well - attended Hospitality Night _will be staged again this year on Saturday, February 18th at the Clinton Arena, and the snowmobilers' favorite, the Poker Rally will be held again this year on February 5, sponsored by the Clinton and at NZ, 11111r Olt at District Snowmobile Club. The Hospitality Night, to go from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., will be sponsored by the Clinton Recreation Com- mittee, and will feature the sing -a- long and entertainment from a host of talented Clintonians. Meanwhile, the Poker Rally will start from Ray Potters' with a number of local businessmen and equipment dealers putting up prizes. Proceeds will go for trail work. In Blyth Board twitivait on sewers The Huron County Board of Education adopted a wait and see attitude Wed- nesday when Dr. Brian Lynch, medical officer of health for Huron, suggested that the board install an electrical sewage pump in the sewage system at Blyth Public School to prevent sewage overflow. The board was asked by Lynch to adopt the pump system and to send a letter of assurance to the health unit saying the board will comply and co- operate in the matter. The sewage problem was discovered several years ago when a stream of raw sewage flowed across the school playground. because the school's sewage system was flooded. Ground elevations combined with a high water table in the spring of the year make it impossible for the system jo carry the sewage away and it overflows onto the playground. The proposal by the health, unit enables the school system to be used if a pumping system, is established so that when the water table level comes within three feet of the sewage tile the pump cap be shut off until the water level redes. Along with the pump the health unit requested that a responsible person v be appointed to visually inspect the .height of the water and record in a daily log the necessary information pertinent, to the situation. Board chairman John Elliott, the Blyth trustee, said he had talked to members of the Blyth village council and discovered that surveying was being done in the village and that construction of a sewer system was being considered for 1979. John Cochrane, director of education, said the key factor in the board's decision will be the availability of sewers in Blyth. He said the board should investigate the costs of the health unit proposal and stack those against the proposed sewer construction date. He added that nothing can be done until spring because of frozen ground. The present pumping system being :done at the school to prevent 4re- currence of the sewage overflow costs the board $5,000 a year and has been in effect five years. Colborne township trustee Shirley Hazlitt said she felt the recommendation from the health unit Was a little late coming and that the board should check into the costs of the proposal and find out when sewers will be constructed before it makes any decisions. the fringe benefit package which will amount to another 1.46 per cent. This includes all township employees on full time employment --road superintendent and his three full time staff, clerk -treasurer, director and _ assistant director of the Vanastra day care centre and the assistant manager of the Vanastra recreation centre. The manager of the Vanastra Recreation centre, Mrs. Diane Durnin was given a salary of $12,000, an in- crease of $1,500. She will have half of the fringe benefit package paid for her by the township as well. Members of council will not increase their gratuities this year following proposals by deputy reeve Robert Bell and councillor Robert Drummond that they remain the same as last year. The reeve is p -aid $50 for each meeting; the deputy reeve $42.50 and the three councillors $40 each. Road superintendent Allan Nicholson was authorized to contact Glenn E. Nott of RR 4, Clinton, with whom the town- ship has an agreement for gravel from his pit --the township has a five-year lease on about five acres of pit, to have the clay removed from the top. The township will pay George Radford of Blyth to remove it at a cost of $37 per hour. This was the lower of two offers Mr. Radford received. Three ratepayers of the Elgie drain were at the meeting to discuss the engineer's report on it as presented by Engineer Henry Uderstadt of Orangeville. They were Nelson Riley, Al Hogarth and John McGregor. Court of Revision for the $44,750 drain was set for February 14. Mrs. Virginia Gill, a part-time em- ployee at the Vanastra day care centre had her wages raised by 25 cents to $3.25 per. hOur. Mrs. Debbie nenomme of Zurich, hired seven weeks ago at the Vanastra day care centre, will leave on maternity leave at the end of the week. Councillor Robert Fotheringham reporting -on a recent Seaforth Fire Area Board meeting said fire chief Donald Hulley has resigned effective January 2. No member of council will attend the township of Hibbert council meeting for the reading of the engineer's report on the Coyne drainage works, cost to Tuckersmith Township is $23 and it would cost the township the $40 gratuity pay to send a councillor to the meeting. The next regular meeting of Tuckersmith council will be held on February 8, a day late, to enable Reeve Ervin Sillery to attend a convention in Toronto of the Rural Ontario Municipal Association --Feb. 5,6,7 and 8. $23,000 in the pool fund, and with Win- tario and Community Centres Act grants the whole thing would be paid for." The pool fund was started three years ago by local service clubs, who run bingos each summer to raise money for a new pool. A stipulation of Wintario and Community Centres 'grants is that a third of the money be raised and not come from tax dollars. "There's no sense delaying it anymore (the replacement)," Reid said. "If we're going to have something ready for the summer we should get going on it right away." However, the rec committee learned that they have reached a delay in getting a new tractor room built for the arena. The new room, which was to be paid for. by the Lions club, was to be built at the northwest corner of the arena, but ap'- parently the building code calls for a 40 foot spacing,between buildings, making it too close to the horse barns. In other arena business, the com- mittee is writing a letter to Molson's Ontario Limited to see if they can get some special funding to replace the arena flOor, estimated to cost $135,000. Ginn gets pinned Goderich Township Reeve Gerry Ginn accepts the warden's pin from past warden Doug McNeil, following the election In County council chambers last Thursday. Ginn defeated West Wawanosh Reeve Robert Lyons and Hay Township Reeve John Tinney on two ballots to become the first warden from Goderich Township since 1963. Lyons was dropped on the first ballot and Ginn defeated Tinney 31-25 on the second ballot. (staff photo) Ginn elected Huron Warden Goderich Township Reeve, Gerry Ginn succeeded Douglas A. McNeil as Warden of Huron County following the, election of warden in the council chambers in Goderich, ThuPsday. Ginn, 50, was selected as the 111 warden of the County, defeating John Tinney Reeve of Hay Township on the second baliot. Robert Lyons, West Wawanosh reeve, was eliminated on the first ballot. He told fellow councillors that his election was the fulfillment of a dream adding that most county councillors look towards someday occupying the 'war- den's chair. Ginn is the third generation in his family to act as reeve of Goderich township but the only one ever elected warden, although his father tried once. The last Goderich Township reeve elected warden was- Walter J. Forbes in 1963. In his opening remarks warden Ginn said he would like to institute the use of agendas for county meetings so coun- cillors. will know who and what will be appearing at each 5ession. He claimed the use of an agenda will give councillors the opportunity to formulate relevant questions. Despite a suggestion from Goderich Mayor Deb Shewfelt that the county would have to review the government structure, Warden Ginn said that restructuring would not be considered during his tenure as warden. After offering his congratulations to the new warden, Huron -Middlesex Liberal MPP, Jack Riddell, reprimanded council for their tardiness in voicing objections to Bill 98, an act to revise the Municipal Elections Act of 1972, and change the election date to early November. Riddell said he was sure that material concerning Bill 98 was circulated to count council members from his office. "I heard of your objections after the fact but if I had known your feelings earlier I could have made a lot of noise about it," he said. "If I don't hear from you it means you are relatively happy but it is awkward to stand up in the legislature and comment if you don't know the neoole are behind you." qt'i? Riddell explained that he has not had ,. much time to sit in on county council sessions because of his 'over bearing' workload but added it should not have an effect on constituents making known their views. "I want to hear your views and I will represent them in the Legislature," he said. "I have to rely on you people to give me your views and it can be done by letter or whatever manner you choose." Murray Gaunt, Liberal MPP for Huron -Bruce, said council will face two major decisions in this session, property tax reform and implementation of the trespass law which is expected to be introduced in the Legislature Feb. 21. Gaunt said the property tax reform is a prominent piece of legislation that is politically sensitive. He said the trespass law, when passed, will mean that written permission will be. required before hunting, fishing, or anything can be done on private property. More than 100 people jammed the council chambers and corridor for the election. Declining enrolment scares Separate Bd. Concerned about the problem of declining enrolments the members of the Huron -Perth County Roman Catholic Separate School Board have begun a detailed study of it. At a board meeting in Dublin Monday night William Eckert, Director of Education, presented researched data pertaining to present and projected by Jim Fitzgerald By Jim Fitzgerald Friday, January 13, has come and gone, and we here at the News -Record never heard of anything out'df the or- dinary happening, but the superstitious among us are breathing easier again, or at least until Friday, October 13, 1978. 'Hats off to Fred Gibson of the Credit Union, who came up with a novel idea to have a curling bonspiel for area corn producers. The idea has gone off so well, that they have to have two days to ac- commodate everyone, on February 25 and March 22. The idea has mushroomed now to a point where it will become an .annual event. + For the second time this month, area residents will be scanning the television *sets 10-Oking for more area people on the tube. Two weeks ago it was otir band at the Tournament of Roses Parade and this Friday night at 9 p.m., a iota' step dancing group called the 'Black Magic" will be making their national television debut on the Tomrny Milder Shay-. * • + From the "makes you wonder department": Experts say it takes a nuclear power plant five to ten years of running time to produce the equivalent energy that was used in building it. - + - Overheard at a recent farm equipment dhow: "Our forefathers ran a'farm with less machinery than most homeowners now need to run a lawn." • • There she b OWS Even with a 240-horsepi*Wer machine behind it, this high- ways snowblower was hard pressed to clear this huge snow- drift at the north'end of Clinton last Thursday. The blower had to be calledin after a blizzard last week piled snow into huge 10 -foot drifts on area highways. (News-Recordphoto) 0 • enrolments as contained in a report prepared by administrative staff. He said the researched data in the report has been translated into alternatives for review and debate. Donald Crowley, Board chairman, pointed out that the board to this point has made no decisions but plans to arrange formal meetings with interested groups to disseminate the information contained in the report and solicit comment from parents and ratepayers. Mr. Eckert said the administrative staff report indicates that "enrolments began to decline sharply beginning in September, 1977, (5.4 percent) and will continue to drop a further 15 percent over the next five years. Although the system enrolment has declined- 20 percent since 1970 (3,507 pupils com- pared to 2,834 in 1977), the Ministry has, through the General Legislature Grant Plan provided the funding necessary to maintain revenues without impacting the local mill rate. The current enrolment declines coupled with provincial monetary restraints means we mlist reduce ordinary expenditures in 1978." Mr. Eckert said the report observes that many costs are fixed such as heat, hydro, maintenance, financing and audit costs, etc. and the natural geography prohibits the closing of classrooms at rates proportional to. the achial decline in enrolments. 'Expenditures which exceed the "grantable ceilings" con- tained in ministry regulations are assessable 100 per cent to the local taxpayer and some decisions to be taken toward meeting the objective of reduced expenditure cannot be implemented in total Until September of 1978,He said the Board objective relative to declining enrolments is to define and study the problem, review alternatives and determine solutions while maintaining and improving the quality of programs and services. Mr. Eckert said a number of alter- natives will be receiving further con- sideration by the Board. The Report Turn to page 3 • Stanley Council okays wage raises After considerable discussion, and little controVersy„ according to Clerk Mel Graham, Stanley Township Council approved ‘age increase of five to six percent to township employees at their meeting last Thursday evening. It was also noted at the meeting that the township's tax arrears are down to 3.6 percent. (In comparison, the Tuckersmith Township figure, as of the end of November was 25 percent). In other business, seven bylaws were passed including a motion to borrow up to $210i000 from the Bank of Montreal • until the tax money is collected. Herman • Van Wieren was appointed building inspector for the township and a motion was ,passed to set the enumeration for the building inspector at $i5 an inspection. _ Two tile drainage loans were passed for the amounts of $50,700 and the other for $36,000. Council passed a motion to establish a fire area agreement with Bayfield and Goderich Townships. Stanley Council gave grants to: St. John Ambulance, $20; Mental Health, $435; War Memorial Children's Hospital, $35; Salvation Army $100; Huron County March of Dimes, $20:-$' The council also Joined the following; Royal OntaricrMunicipal Association, membership fee, $100; International Institute of Municipal Clerks, mem- bership fee, $25; Association of Municipalities of Ontario, membership fee, $86.64; Ontario Good Roads Association, membership fee, $27.50.