HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1978-08-31, Page 1I. ai
Main street apartment
By Frances Barrick
The former Jervis 'apartment
building on Albert Street has been
placarded as unfit for human
habitation by the Huron County Health
Unit.
Ed Harrison, chief of public health
inspectors said the building was
placarded July 28 as the property's
"conditions make it impossible for
1111111111111111111
people to live there."
However, Mr. Harrison said the
building dan be habitable with some
changes as required by the health unit.
The owner of the building is from
Kitchener, but the health unit refused
on grounds of confidentiality to release
the name or changes requested to be
made to the building.
Mr. Harrison said the owner has been
notified of the required changes that
must be made before the building can
be rented again. He said an inspection
of the premises will be carried out to
ensure the health unit conditions are
met.
"There are conditions that would
make it impossible for a person to live
or reside there in a healthy at-
mosphere," he said.
He said three areas the health unit
inspects to determine the habitable"
conditions of buildings are proper
water facilities, proper sanitary
facilities and sewage disposal.
"We inspect the buildings to ensure
people are living there in safe and
sanitary conditions," he said.
uildin
No one has lived In the apartments
since the spring.
The public health inspector was,
accompaned by fire chief Clarence
Neilans and police chief Lloyd
Westlake during the examination of the
building.
Chief Westlake said he received a
complaint about the building's con-
ditions and notified the proper
authorities. He said he is pleased with
the action taken to date.
Chief Neilans said the building is "no
more a fire hazard than any other
building."
He said the public health unit "closed
it up because of garbage around it "
Mayor Harold Lobb said town council
has not been notified about the
building. He said perhaps the situation
will be brought up at council's next
regular meeting Sept. 11.
However, Joe Van Dyke Still
ondemne
operates his aluminum siding business
from the front store, which he rents,
The R. L. Jervis apartments and
store is a former hotel, the Mason
House, which was built on the site of an
earlier hotel, the Prince of Wales.
The Prince is believed to have been
built after 1858 and before 1863. The
hotel was the terminus for the
stagecoach to Wingham in 1869. and
free omnibus service was provided to
the Clinton railway station.
Some of the landlords of the Prince
were: John Mdoney, up to 1865;
Thomas Cooper, 1869; W. M. McCut-
cheon, 1871; George Swartz, 1884; John
Lee, 1891 to 1894.
In 1894, Robert Mason, in possession
of the Farmers Hotel, next to the
Prince, bought the Prince of•Wales and
contracted with Sam Cooper to have a
new brick veneer hotel built on the site
of the Prince.
The new hotel, The Mason House,
was opened in July 1894.
The Mkson House had a succession of
landlords among whom were: Mr.
Walper, 1'896; Mr. Dowson, 1898;
Reuban Graham, 1900;, Mr. Bran-
denburger, 1903; and in 1905 Reuben
Graham bought the property and
changed the name to the Graham
House.
It is understood that despite the
Prohibition which came in 1913, Mr.
Graham continued until after the First
World War. The hotel then passed to
John Crawford whose son Johnnie
became captain of the Boston Bruins.
A Mr. Dorsey is thought to have had
the hotel after Mr. Crawford and about
1928 it was taken over by A. S. Inkley,
being then known as the Clinton Inn.
It '.s believed to have ended its career
as a hotel about 1935.
• Contractor takes floor jo
Clarence McDowell of Exeter,
awarded the contract to replace the
arena" floor in the Clinton Community
Centre, signed the proper legal
Petty thieves hit
A rash of petty thefts occurred over
the weekend, according to Clinton
police:
Chief Lloyd Westlake said six flag's
were stolen off the Public Utilities
building on , Park Lane sometime
between Aug. 25 to 28. The value of the
flags is $75.
The chief said four bicycles
amounting to about $300 in total were
stolen on Aug. 28.
A gas portable generator from a
construction site on Mary Street was
stolen sometime between Aug. 27 to 28.
And according . to the Goderich
provincial police report, a horse was
struck in a single car accident on High-
.way„8„Aug. 22 in McKillop township.
Dona d'tit"t'eejohns', 34, of Ridgetown,
was driving 1.8 kilometres west of
Hibbert township on number 8 when he
struck a horse and caused $1,000
damage to his car. The incident oc-
curred at 11:55 p.m.
Mr. Littlejohns received no injuries
and the condition of the horse is not
known.
documents Friday August 25, and
construction is expected to begin this
week.
Confusion had surrounded the
project when last week McDowell in a
letter written to Clinton's engineering
firm of James F. MacLaren Ltd. of
London said he wants to withdraw his
$160,963 bid, as it didn't include items
specified in the tender. However, town
council agreed the contractor had until
August 25 to sign the contract or lose
his $15,000 deposit ,submitted with his
tender, as it was McDowell's fault if he
misunderstood the project
specifications.
Project engineer Bill Knowles had
recommended town council to let
McDowell out of the contract, as he
didn't include the price of the hot and
cold brine system and would lose about
$40,000 on the project.
The engineers had estimated that the
job would cost a total of $176,690 which
included replacing the arena floor with
a nett, insulated„ ,lOox,,.a;n.d,a hot'' brine
system to prevent the itiA train going
down again and causing the floor to
heave badly. '
Also in the contract was a new
drainage system for the floor,
modification to the west end lobby,
construction of a new tractor room at
the north end of the arena and
replacement of the protective screens
Daily to blitz town
The Kitchener -Waterloo Record, a
daily newspaper published out of
Kitchener, Ontario, 60 miles east of
Clinton, is challenging the other three
daily papers in the area for newspaper ”
subscriptions.
Householders in Clinton and
Goderich will be asked if they want the
afternoon paper free for the next two
weeks , in a home delivery attempt to
gain new readers in this part of
Ontario
A similar free distribution plan was
tried in the Seaforth=Brussels area
earlier this summer." •
As well, the Record" has hired a
correspondent, Frances Barrick of
Goderich, who will be covering .news
first
column
One never realizes how dependent
a person can become on a drug of
some kind, until you try to shake it.
No, I'm not an alcoholic or a dope
fiend, just a perpetual smoker who
was partially hooked on the weed.
It's been nearly a month, however,
since I've had a smoke, and it's only
been just recently that I'm getting
over the unconscious urge to grap at
my shirt pocket and light up a butt. I
will admit, that most of the time I
enjoyed smoking very much, but
whether it was because of the
nicotine, or just having something in
my hand to ease nervous tefision,
I'm not too sure.
I dropped the habit four weeks
ago, because of a severe respiratory
problen9, after 20 straight years of
smoking. That's two decades of 15
cigarettes a day. Works out to about
5,475 butts a year for a total ' of
109,500 in the last two decades.
Cost wise, at an average of two
cents per cigaret, I *lied out $109
per year, or roughly burned-' up
$2,190 worth since my first smoke
out behind the shed as a pre -teen.
I must point out, however, I'm not
preaching. I enjoyed smoking and
probably still would if I took it up
again: I think that it is an enjoyable
pttSth e ' tor many, and in fact 04,
Wally eitSeS the stress` to ' t1i iir
maybe even prolonging their 10
NoI 11 r , ne v0 ba one of
those 00.
and feature events in this part of the
country, including county council,.... and
a host of municipal councils.
After the two-week distribution,
which began this week, readers who
like the paper will have to have it
delivered, but pay for it in" advance at
$4 a month.
Steve Oliver, a spokesman for the
paper working out of their Stratford
office, is looking for carriers, and can
be reached at 2944246.
The area is c rently served by the
London Free Press, which has most of
the daily trade, the Toronto Star, the
Toronto Globe and Mail, and two highly
successful and well-read weeklies, the
Clinton News -Record and the Goderich
Signal -Star.
by
jim fitzgerald
at the ends of the boards with tempered
glass.
The recreation committee accepted
the McDowell bid August' 3. It was the
lowest of three other bids which in-
cluded John Hayman and Sons of
London at $202,648 and "Kelly -Lyn
Construction of London at $199,860.
Town council awarded the contract
August 14, and McDowell accepted it
August 25. As of Tuesday night, con-
struction in the arena had not begun,
though test holes were to be .drilled
Wednesday.
The project will be financed with a
$40,250 provincial Community Centres
Act grant: while Wintario will provide
another $40,000 grant.
The remainder will be raised with
private donations, but if the arena fund
raising should run into problems, the
town could provide a maximum of
$40,000 in tax money.
Building closed
The Huron County Health Unit has closed a seven -unit
apartment building on Albert Street in Clinton because it is
unfit for human habitation. The former Jervis apartment
building has been posted with a sign (inset, bottom right)
°tar h€iiti
Driving north along concession 15
and 16 of Goderich Township the old
Stone school quickly catches the eye.
According to the cornerstone set into
the building, the old school was con-
structed in 1873. Yet despite its age, the
old school has been modernized by
Harry and Isabel Mitchell and made
into their home.
The couple who have lived there
since 1971 have maintained the school's
original structure and have furnished
the inside with antiques and old decor
but the building has actually been
modernized more than any other old or
new home.
Looking at the south side of the old
school's roof, there appears to be a
skylight, but after a conversatidn with
the Mitchells and on closer inspection it
becomes clear that the structure on_the
roof is a solar collector.
and no one will be allowed in the building until conditions
are cleaned up. The building, over 80 years old, hasn't been
occupied since this spring, and just who actually owns it is
still up in the air. (News -Record photos)
making impact
The collector is used for Mr. Mit-
chell's solar water heating, which he
constructed by himself at a cost of $250.
Although it has only been in
operation for a few months the water
heating system does work and .can be
used all winter long by putting an-
tifreeze in the system to keep it
flowing.
The collector itself is made from a
four foot by six foot storm window, a
copper plate and a few inches of in-
sulation.
The collector converts the sun's rays
into heat. The heat in turn is used to
warm water from the well which is
stored in a pre -heat tank in the
basement. When the water reaches a
certain temperature it is automatically
transferred into a regular Cascade 40
heater.
So, rather than taking water out of
smoking freaks who go into
hysterical fits when they see
someone light up.
+ ++
Unless you don't own a calendar,
then you won't have to be reminded
that summer is unofficially over on
Monday night. Oh, the actual solace
isn't until September 21, but every
kid knows that come Tuesday when
the school bell rings for the first time
since June, she had it. No more
sleeping in, bumming around the
town, or bare -footing it: ,this is it!
Labor day marks the end to what
seems to be a short summer, and as
is usual with holidays, nearly
everything will be closed on Mon-
° day. There will be no postal service
of any kind until Monday afternoon
when the Street letter boxes will be
emptied.
+. + +
The News -Record was the proud
recipient of a prize at the recent
convention of the Canadian Com-
munity Newspaper Association, held
out in^Vancouver.
The local "rag" received a third
place award for best Women and
feature content in the under 3;999
'circulation, bracket, and we were'
also .warded a, Blueibbon for
ac"bleVing a hark of 80 per cent of
the.
�oyeraYl wiiiner, General
Manager Y. Howard Aitken was do
.hand in B.C. to pick up the awe els,
Ila Ciudmo`relett'` 'e
. � , It et s help from fellow ^ x�fbltor Florence Pullen t�o carry all
her winning, hardware .and flowers 'home Inter the annual' flower show last
Friday, 11rirS.. Cudmore wan four major tat*..including top exhibitor of the
she*, ( t w1 iteCtird photo) y
the well at 50 degrees Fahrenheit, the
water comes from the collector at. 90
degrees, taking less energy and hydro
to heat.
"I save four Kilowatts a day or 22
cents a day which adds up to $75 a
year," Mr. Mitchell explained, "It may
not sound like much but just think how
it would be if everyone did this."
"The more people get interested, the
cheaper things will get," he explained.
"People are now getting ripped off,
this is all a binge: Here's an article
called Peddling the Sun. People think
that you have to have a sophisticated
system and the kits you buy cost
anywhere from $800 to $1,800."
However, as Mr. Mitchell has shown
through his water heating system,
solar constructions don't have to be
expensive. There are many books and
magazines on the market illustrating
and discussing solar systems and
special courses are now offered.
"Buying books and magazines on this
is almost like a drug habit with me,"
Mr. Mitchell said.
"I'm retired and have extra time to
do this," explained the former air force
man.
However, he said that the solar
heating system will take little main-
tenance.
"I try to do one project a year. In the
spring I'll start on a solar greenhouse
but I want to read everything and learn
all the pros and cons," Mr. Mitchell
went on.
An organic gardener for the past 12
years, Mr. Mitchell is looking forward
to his proposed greenhouse.
"We never have to buy vegetables
and we have enough in our garden to
last until April," he explained.
Along with the regular vegetables,
the Mitchells also grow soybeans. They
said that they turn out in the freezer
like baby lima beans.
The solar greenhouse will be about 12
feet by 16 feet and will be attached to
the south wall of the old stone school.
The absorbing wall will be built on a 63 -
degree -angle to get the maximum heat
infiltration.
Turn to page 3 •
Flowers prove attractive
Although the variable weather of this
summer took its toll in some flowers,
both the number of participants and
entries were up this year at the 'Clinton
Horticultural Society's annual flower
show held last Friday. This year 33
adults put in 266 entries, compared to
28 and 254, respectively, last year.
Mrs. Ila Cudmore was the top winner
of the day, taking home the Clinton
Horticultural Society award for
collecting the rhost points, the Simp-
son -Sears award for the best
arrangement in the show, the Grace,
Middleton award, and the Jean
McEwan award for the best asters.
Mrs. Marion Powell took home the
Clinton News -Record award for the
second highest number of points, while
Charles Cook won the Baker's Farm
and Garden Centre award for third
place, and Mrs. Jean Currie won the
Ar1stett award for finishing fourth.
Mrs. Janet McClinchy won the R.
Feist cash award for the first time
exhibitor with the most points, while
Bram Endenberg won the Bev
Williscraft award for the best gladiolus
in the show.
Charles Cook won the Mrs. Evelyn
Olde award for the best dahlia in the
show, and Stewart Middleton won the
Cudmore prize in the men's only
section.
Entries in the children's classes were
up when 20 kids showed 120 exhibits,
compared to 20 and 68 Last year.
Laura i,ee Johnston was tops in the
elementary class, and Brad James wag
first in the Junior Gardener class, and
each took home Bank of Montreal cash
awards.
Lori Brandon was second in the
elementary, and ' David Pullen in the
Junior Gardeners, and each won, cash
awards from Mrs. Marian McCann,
Finishing third and taking home cash
awards from Margaret Sloman was
Shawn McClinchey and Julie Johnston
in the elementary class, and Michael
Pullen in the Junior Gardener class.
Kerrigan Fuels awards for junior
gardeners went to Gwen Holland,
Michael and David Pullen, Julie and
Christine Baker, and Henrietta
Sneider, while David Pullen had the
smallest tiny tim tomato and won the
Mrs. Fred Sloman award, , while
Matthew Kerrigan won the special
Mary Jamieson award.
r 1
Weather
1978
HI l0
AUGUST C C
22 26 8.5
23 30 14
24 24 17.5
25 20 13
26 24 9
27 23.5 15
28 28 18
Rain 9.36 mm
1977
N1 LO
F F
68 54
66 52
65 45
68 40
77 49
88 60
89 72
Rain .57 in.
;A�