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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-11-22, Page 1• • ,•• • • -1. r. The 12 -foot railway underpass on the Bayfield Road has become a trucker's nightmare, and on Monday claimed another victim when an unknowing trucker attempted to No plebiscite drive a tractor trailer'carrying two backhoes through the subway. The truck didn't make it and the result was $24,000 in damages.(News-Record photo) 1 14th Year -No. 47. Thursday, November 22, lementary teachers may settle BY JEFF SEDDON The Huron county board of education and its elementary school teachers may be close to contract settlement 'despite negotiations which, at best, have been slow. In a prepared release Monday Shirley Weary, head of the board's negotiating team and Brenda Schedler, chief negotiater for the tedchers, said they were "hopeful of reaching a settlement soon". Neither side would expand on the - statement preferring to keep negotiations behind closed doors. Tuckersmith approves Vanastra addition By Wilma Oke Tuckersmith Township council denying a request by ratepayers for a plebiscite, gave the. go-ahead Tuesday night for the proposed addition to the Vanastra recreation centre. Following a closed door session lasting about two hours when the press and six Tuckersmith ratepayers were asked to leave the meeting, Councillor Robert Fotheringham made a motion, seconded by Coun- cillor Frank Falconer "That we don't bother -with the plebiscite vote." The plebiscite had been formally requested at a special council meeting on October 22 and again at a ratepayers' meeting on November 12. In the recorded vote asked by Councillor William Brown, his was the only dissenting voice denying the request for an electors' vote on the proposed addition. Council agreed unanimously that all future operating deficits, over and above the present debenture payment` at the Vatiastra Recreation Centre, be the responsibility of all the taxable property of the Township of Tuckersmith. This motion l was made by DepUty Reeve • Robert Bell and seconded by Councillor Falconer, and recorded vote requested by Brown. The debenture debt of $119,000 will have to be paid by the ratepayers of Vanaftra only. Approved was a final motion, made by Councillor Bell and seconded by Councillor Fotheringham, that the clerk proceed to prepare a bylaw 'authorizing the proposed new addition to the Vanastra Recreation Centre, with only Councillor Brown voting against it. ddition, estimated to cost over $200,, O. will provide a larger • exer room, an activity room, acces .4.0.1e washrooms, showers and chang areas, to' provide a program of aquatics and fitness for mentally handicapped and physically han- dicapped PO1-sons. Grants are ex- pected to cover about 78 per cent of the building costs and the rest will have to be raised locally. In other business council con- sidered four tenders for the purchase of a tractor and a mower but made no decision on which one to accept until they inspected the four tractors. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications will pay grant money only on the cost of the lowest tender price. Road 'superintendent Allan Nicholson reported that the township.: shed had been broken into again with about $300 worth of tools stolen. Entry Clinton firemen battle huge corn dryer fire As this paper goes to press on Wednesday afternoon, Clinton firemen and Fleming Feed Mill workers are fighting a fire in one of the Feed Mill's giant corn dryers. The men are busy cleaning out the dryer of about 65 tons of corn in order to get at a fire in the middle of the fiverstorey structure. Cause of the blaze is unknown at this time, and no estimate of the amount of 'damage done was available alpress time. - The fire comes near the end of the corn harvest with about 95 per cent of the crop harvested and in storage. A wet fall, combined with immature corn, has left the grain corn with a high moisture content, resulting in high drying costs, and a slow down through the dryers of the corn, some ashigh as 44 per cent. It must be down to 15 per cent for storage. Because of a delay a week ago in moving the corn out of the area by ship, many elevators were plugged full and some had to refuse anymore wet corn until the backlog was cleared. Agricultural officials also say the a high percentage of the fall plowing is done, as many farmers work day and night trying to stay ahead of the predicted wet weather, 1 Well, to all /4ur many American readers, a Happy, Thanksgiving Day. As most poeple are aware, the American iThnaksgiving is celebrated or November 22, no matter what day of the week the holiday falls on, while we here in Canada celebrate it on the second Monday in October, which is usually before the harvest is completed. + -I- Not only is the annual bird migration underway, but our featherless human friends are also leaving in droves for the sunny outh. Now wouldn't it be something if the beautiful weather of the past four days was to hold out until January? It would certainly help with the heating bills. Well, the Main Street wit says this week that: "Many people are so opposed to exercise, they won't even jog their memories." + But one kind of exercise that Canadians have enjoyed a great deal of it running off at the mouth, and that too may end shortly if Bell Canada has its way. Canadians, it seems, are the most talkative telephone users in the world, and a new proposal by t ell Canada would have us pay for the phones by the number of local tails we !Wake Something like the long distande ChargeS. PreSently, all a us pay a flat monthly rate, on top Of Which go the long distane charges, if any. Now the proposal has met with mixed reaction, but ,I'm certain that any household with a couple of teen -aged girls in it will be vehemently opposed to the new scheme. -I- -I- -I- It's been pretty well documented in the past few years that drinking and driving are a dangerous combination, but according to an article in a recent Ontario Ministry of Transportation and Com- munication publication, drinking and walking can also be very hazardous to your health. In a recent study, the Traffic Injury Research Foundation un- covered a link between alcohol intake and pedestrian fatalities in Canada. Of the 734 pedestrian ,accident cases examined by the Foundation, more than 30 per cent of the victims' were found to have been drinking at the time of their death. The percentage jumped to 60 percent in the 30 to 50 year age group. So next time you get polluted, don't drive or walk from your favorite watering hole. Get a sober friend to take you home! As we are going to press, former - Prime Minister Pierre Trucleau has announced he is steOping down 41s head of the Libetiti Party of /Cana a, and has asked the party to call f r a leadership convention in Marc. was gained by breaking a back window. Council set the groundwork for a reforestation agreement with Mrs. Dorothy Williams for five acres on lot 29, concession one. Council will hold the first meeting of the 1980 term .of council on December 4, 1979 at 8 p.m. Council received a letter from the Vanastra Lions Club thanking council for the donation of $75 and for the continuous use of the Vanastra Day Care Centre at no cost. Reservations will be made for four members of council for the Rural Ontario MUnicipal Association con- vention in Toronto from February 10 - 13. Council inspected the water system of the Heather Gardens property at Vanastra and found a number of leaks. Mrs. Claire Haskett, owner, will be informed by a report of the findings of the inspection team, which included Reeve Ervin Sillery and Don McLean, manager of the Vanastra water system. Clerk Jack McLachlan reported the population in .the towns* is recorded at 3,293, up 104 persons over last year. Of these'2,340 are of voting age. Whoops!!! Bridge fools truck ...again It's happened again.- On November 19 another transport truck didn't quite make the squeeze. The result was two topless backhoes and $24,000 in damages. Jack Leystra, 45, of Sarnia was unable to ke,..„ the tractor trailer owned by Fredrick Transportation of -f..---fGhaitham through the 12 -foot railway underpass on County Road 13, just outside Clinton. The truck and its load, two backhoes, scraped through and the cabs of both backhoes were ripped off. The driver was uninjured. A pick-up truck'. owned by Robert Daer, 27, of Goderich, received $8,000 in damages in a single vehicle ac- cident on November 17. The early evening accident Oc- curred on Highway 8, south of Huron Road 12. Mr. Daer was northbound on the highway when he veered into the ditch. The driver received minor injuries. Thomas Sharp, 18, of RR 1, Clinton was uninjured but the car he was driving received $4,000 in damages following a November 18 accident. Mr. Sharp was traveling" on High- way 4, south of Blyth when he came to. a curve in the road, went up a steep embankment and rolled the vehicle. A car driven by Bradley C4r- ,liochan, 24, of RR 4, Seaforth received '$800 after he lost control of his vehicle the, was driving down London Road South and the car went into the ditch and hit a culvert. Weather 1979 1978 Hi ,Lo Hi Lo NOVEMBER 13 5 -4 15 1.5 14 3 -1 14 2 1.5 2.5 -1 4 1 16 1.5 -7 6 2 17 9.5 -1 13.5 1 18 13 -1.5 9 4 19 15 3.5 6 0 Rain 10.5 mm Rain 21.3 mm BIA continues work by Shelley McPhee Although the Clinton. Business Improvement Area (BIA) is still waiting for final approval for their bylaw from the . Ontario Municipal . Board (OMB), and is waiting for Clinton's official plan to be finalized, the group is ,making preliminary plans, discussing possible projects to be undertaken, and preparing their budgerfor council. In October, Clinton Council gave their approval on the BIA plan, however, it may take two to three months to get approval from the OMB. The BIA is expecting a positive reaction from the OMB since, ac- cording to BIA chairman David Anstett, only two of the 90 businesses involved objected to the proposal. While the OMB is studying the bylaw, the BIA is co-ordinating committees to work under the plan and is preparing their annual budget estimate which. will be submitted to the town council when OMB approval comes through. If council approves the budget, then they will levy a special charge upon all businesses in the BIA to provide the funds needed to make changes and renovations to the downtown area. The levy on the bus ineSses will be based on each one's assessment. may hot be until •next spring before any actual changes or im- provements are made to the down- toWn under the BIA project. The group is also waiting for the com- pletion of Clinton's official plan before they can go ahead with anything, other than paper work. , According to Mr. Anstett, the BIA is required to work ' with the town's Offielal plan and, "It's hard to say at this time when we'll get started. The plan's going so slow." In the meantime, MA organizers • trE optirnistie, They have received So era! calls from various engineering firms, interested in preparing preliminary studies of the downtown area and what changes can be made to make the town more at- tractive and convenient for tourists, the businessmen and shoppers. The BIA is studying the the engineers' offers, their suggestions and their ees. "Our first change in the area will be .iomething big and ; concrete so everyone can see that the BIA is accomplishing sotnething," Mr. Anstett • said. "If we're collecting tax dollars, people want to see what it's going for." Some members of the BIA studied several projects. that can be un- dertaken when a meeting was held in the town hall last Thursday night. Although only a small number of the some 90 involved businesses at- tended the meeting, Neil McLellan, who is considered to be the forefather of BIA, showed through slides several projects he has organized, with before and after results. Tee Cashmore, a consulting engineer from Cummings - Cockburn and Associates Limited of London outlined the work that an engineering firm an offer. Mr. Anstett noted that the work the BIA had done in other centres, like Bloor West Village, "was excellent." At the meeting, basic stages and steps involved in improving the BIA were discussed and it was suggested for Clinton and the community, from private individuals to the schools, get involved in the work. Despite the small showing at the meeting, Mr. Anstett is certain that the BIA is receiving support and is confident that it will receive tno,'.e suPport as it progresses. "The more we get involved in the pro'ect, the more help we'll get. Co munity involvement will cornett wil t ke time, but a lot has been done ale ys" Anstettnoted.. . David Moore, the fact finder ap- pointed by the Education Relations Commission to investigate contract negotiations in Huron, said he was hopeful both parties could settle without "undue delay". Moore was appointed by the ERC early in September to investigate and report on contractual negotiations in Huron county. That practice is common when boards and teachers have not settled by, September in the hopes that the fact finder can pinpoint problem areas and make recom- mendations that could speed up bargaining. Moore said negotiations were slow and as of September had not resulted in any "substantial change" to the collective agreement. He said .in his report, prepared early in October, that what issues had 'been resolved during negotiations had "little financial implications". But he pointed out that. there were a "relatively small number of issues which remain to be resolved". . In the release Monday the negotiating chairmen from both parties said there had been one bargaining session since Moore's report and another session is scheduled for this week. I4dications are a settlement could be reached by the end of November. Moore said the teachers proposed increases varying between nine and 10 percent claiming the increase matches the rate of inflation. The board's Offer was between 3.5 and fou? percent claiming inflation is only one factor to cdn'sider. Moore split the difference suggesting an increase of between 6.5 and seven percent. His recommended increase was exclusive of the annual increment. The increment is the annual raise granted teachers with less than 10 years experience and 10 years service to the board. Every year a teacher returns to the classroom he or she moves up on the salary grid to the maximum wage received, a maximum not reached for 10 years. The board argued the increment should be included in the increase claiming it cost 1.9 percent. Teachers claimed it was part of the existing contract and as such should not be considered part of the increase. Moore said his recommended in- crease considered the views of both sides. He said it was part of the existing agreement ,which supported the teachers' arguernent. But he added that it was a significantTurntocost for the board. He said his pagerecom- mendation3for a seven percent inside ) Clinton couple graduate p. 2 From prison to pulpit Will firemen visit? - Texas oilman writes P 3 p• 4 P. 5 Juniors split p. 6 • Bayfield taxes drop p 10 King Tut p 11 'Dairy Princess picked p. 12 Auburn Advocate p. 15 Hensall news p. 17 • Vanostra bazaar on p. 18 Legion literary winners p. 19 Classifieds 20, 21, 22 Den -Way opens p. 23 Entertainment guide p. 24 Would-be race driver charged after 'walling' A 23 -year-old RR 2, Goderich man has been charged with wilful damage following an incident at the Clinton racetrack on November 16. According to Clinton Police, the charged man was attempting to see how fast he could drive around the track in a car when he lost control of the vehicle and ran through a fence. Three boards and two posts, valued at $50 were damaged. The car received $250 in damages. Police are still looking for the vandal who shot a hole in the front window at Gerrard's Department Store. The incident occurred sometime between November 12 and 16 and police believe a pellet gun may have been used. An Clinton woman, Helen Lawson, 80, was taken to hospital on November 14 after she was struck by a car. A car driven by Dennis Erb, 30, of Milverton was attempting to turn at the corner of Ontario and Victoria Streets when Mrs. Lawson, a pedestrian, was hit. A November 10 accident resulted in $1,200 when a car driven by Timothy Proctor, 16, of Clinton and a second vehicle driven by Richard Taylor, 21, of Stratford collided in the Elm Haven parking lot. Damage to the Proctor vehicle was set at $1,000 and $200 to the Taylor Car. Snow covered and icy roads caused a two car crash at the Victoria Street stop lights on November 14. A car driven by Andre Gauthier, 41, of London received $900 in damages and a second vehicle, driven by Murfdy McClure, 31, of RR 1, Cen- tralia received $500 in damages. V" 1'. • , Beetitthil, Warm; sunny tivea er of th past four to catch up on their outside chores b fore old iu rtiotith stay, Clinton town 'hall custodian Henry protect thein from works employee Alit Vfrhoef were busy on Mon shrubs at the Cenotaph to Record photo) s has allowed thany pe o le! n whiter blows hi for a fi e«) Brinke, eft, and public ay putting the covers.40 the e heavy Sao load. (News,