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Clinton News-Record, 1980-08-07, Page 15th year. No. 32 Tnhursday,Aygust 7,` 1980 Built only six years ago 7, 35 C. 1980 JUS? 1,0 29 2.6 16.5 25.5 . 9 30 24 - lZ 27 8.5 31 25 12 . 29 17 - AUGUST 1 28 17 2 25 14 3 24 13.5 4 28 11 Rain 20.6 mm 1979 Hl 10. 25 15.5 24 16.5 27 13 28.5 15 Rain 8.3 MTh Report says sewage plant too smal Only six years afterfthe ribbon was -..... dtTt `oris CTntbr-s- seW'age"--treat-..,:_.._.. ment plant - a plant that was supposed to serve the -town for decades and allow it to grow to 6,000 people, a new report has said the system is :inadequate and requires upgrading. However,, Clinton Mayor Harold Lobb says there isn't any.big problem yet, and he can't forsee the necessity for any upgrading of thesewage system, given the present state of a slow ecomomy. The new report, released last week by the Huron County Planning department, is a survey of existing municipal services including water, sewage, roads, hydro, recreation, education, fire and police protection, etc. It was prepared by summer em- ployee Robert Tofflemire, 21, a third year student of urban design at Fanshawe • College in London. He spent a month from mid june to mid July researching the servicing capablitiesr'of Clinton as part of an overall official plan for the town. Although the report gives the -town -a clean bill of health on nearly all services, it says the town is nearing a critical servicing threshold on the sanitary sewage system. "The : future growth and develop- ment of Clinton will ' require sewer sparation and -or the expansion of the sewage works. In any event, unilateral or multilateral action will be required to expand the sewage system and steps should begin as soon as possible in this direction," the report says. Clinton's new $867,4000.0 -sewage treatment plant was opened in 1974, and was at the time considered by civil engineers to be one of the most modern and sophisticated water pollution control -plants in Orttarie. The new plant was supposed to be able to serve a minimum of 6,000 persons, twice the present population, and could handle up to 400,000 gallons of effluent a day. The $867,000 cost was paid with a $143,000 government grant, while the rest was financed with 20 year debentures. The debentures are being paid off by charging the water users in town a 230 per cent surcharge on their water bilis. The surcharge has added at least $12 to a monthly water bill of $2.50 and has cut water consumption in town. County planner George Penfold told the News -Record this week, however, that if Clinton grew-, by 200 more people, then reserve capacity of the plant would be used up and the system - w c1d-ha e• -to -be -fid.. The main problem stems from the - combined sanitary and sewage systems in the north and northwest sections of town. Although the sewage flows only average about 175,000 gallons per day during the regular dry months, far below the rated capaicity of 400,000, heavy rainfalls and spring runoff sent the water flow soaring to levels in excess of 1,000,000 gallons. The extra water. has to be bypassed directly to the Bayfield River without treatment, or it would flood the plant, says Public Utilities manager Guss: -Boussey-. __ "The old plant only ran a half capacity too when there wasn't any runoff,",Mr. Boussey said. Mayor Lobb said there was no need to push the panic button on the situation yet. "If we happen to get a large in- dustry or three or four new sub- divisions, then it's a different story and we'd (town council) would have to do something about it. We might have to add some holding tanks or lagoons, Mayor Lobb said" Tuckersinith Township learns "But the way the economy is now, I x-do.n't $orece ny--b rild�r►g---for sometime," he added. He said there was only three or four days. during -the entire, year when the water flow was too great for the plant and the much diluted sewage had to be bypassed directly to the Bayfield River. The new 13 -page services report has already been presented to the Clinton Planning board, chairman Jim Hunter said, and it will form part of the overall plan for the town, which is in the works right now, Protests outnumber supporters By Wilrha Oke Tuckersmith Township.. 'ratepyers last month sent in 83 letters opposing and 17 letters supporting, the bylaw the township council is hoping to get a . roY,e,.db , tth-. eQntarie municipal Pp -y. -,.- board. . The bylaw would amend, or correct, a bylaw passed in 1974 calling for the $130,0.00 debenture debt against the Vanastra recreation centre to be paid by all the ratepayers across the township. Contrary to the bylaw for the past six years, council has been charging the debt only to the lan- downers in the hamlet of Vanastra. This had been the original intention of the bylaw that only. Vanastra residents would pay for the centre as agreed to in a petition signed by a reported 79 per cent of the lan- downers Second man quits seat In Bayfield Bayfield has lost another coun- cillor, the second in three months. - -- Milt Van Patter, who was elected to council in 1978, told. council Monday night that he was stepping down from his councillor's post for "personal resons." Another councillor, Don Warner, resigned his council seat in May after a controversy over the fire depart- ment, of which he is chief. It is not known whether Mr. Van Patter will be replaced as municipal elections will be held in November. j Here we are in the dog days of summer, when the only thing moving is the breeze over those tanned moving, the beach, and the only bad news .is that summer has just three weeks to go. For an editor tryingLte-ge-t--ger---eut.----- after• a .holiday weekend, that all means that inspriation as well as the news has dried up as badly as week-old hay. Don't get me wrong, there's lots to do in these parts, what with the lake so close at hand, but filling the paper with pictures of beauties on the beach at Bayfield is not con- sidered the proper thing to do nowadays. + + + byways, we're having a terrific summer so .far here in Huron county, except if your a grain farmer, trying to get the crop combined or the second cut hay in, what, with only about two days between rains. You can see where the ex- pression, "don't count your chickens until they hatch" came from if you have any connection with the farming community. For instance, only two . weeks ago, it looked like we'd have a record winter wheat crop of ex- cellent quality. 'Then a week ago, two days of rain soaked the fields so bad that the wheat sprouted and now it's suitable only for cattle feed. That will cost area farmers tens of thousands of dollars because of the downgrading of quality. ++ The up and down weather of July, 1980 is in the record books now, and according. to Graham Campbell of the Goderich weather office, it was slightly colder than • average and wetter than average. At Goderich,. the mean tem- perature for July was 18.9 degrees C, half a degree below the long term average of 19.4, while 93.8 mm (3.75 inches) of rain were recorded at Goderich, well above the average -of -74-.2 (2.92 inchesT. However, other areas of the county received much more Graham says, bec,uase of the large number of localized thunderstorms that passed over the area. For those of you frightened of such storms, it was a scary month with the crashing and banging going on 11 days last month, twice as long as normal. +' + + Now that the season's first hurricane, called Allen, is tearing its way across the Caribbean, the Main Street Wit says that now that they given the storms male names every other year, they should be also be renamed "himicanes.". + + + Being a astute observer of human nature, and a highway traveller on the weekend, the Wit wonders why people always try to be at the front of the bus, the back of the church, and the middle of the road. + + + Even though there is no wide- spread outbreak, people in parts of our readership area are being advised again to be on the lookout for suspected rabid animals. Should you see any animal, especially wild ones, acting strangely be particularly cautious and report it to the police. Getting your pets vaccinated against rabies is also another good piece of advice. It has not been determined at this '. time why the bylaw that required Ontario municipal board approval was incorrectly misworded. With many ori most of that original 9 .p ear_. ce nt,oi the _V am.as tra .ratepayers no longer living in the hamlet, the present ratepayers feel it is an unfair burden. This feeling of unfairness is. intensifed because the recreation complex is completely ;changed from the original concept of the Vanastra residents who wanted an outdoor swimming pool. It is now an ex- . pensive...indoor --pool,-used-mainly by people living outside of Vanastra; the skating rink is now a private curling club whose mem- Clinton to continue seeking industrial land despite stalled talks Despite a set -back in negotiations with two landowners, Clinton council Tuesday night decided to continue to try and buy some. industrial land in the to wri,. Council, on the urging of industrial committee chairman Mike Falconer, decided to renegotite an offer to ,purchase on the land despite a major set back last week at a special meeting. No further details can be made available until a firm com- mittment is either made or rejected. Council also decided to install three dusk to dawn lights. in the prark by the swimming pool, as recommended by the PUC, at a cost of $1,400, and decided to grant $1,000 to the. Huron Central Agricultural Society. Reeve Royce Macaulay, 'chairman of the police committee, expressed concern that police overtime is up 100 hours over the same period last year, mainly due •tb•'the increase police time spent'in court. Reeve Macthulay„"said that many times a constable goes to Goderich court, sits several hours and then sees the case held over to another date. All the while the constable is paid overtime. - "That's the way the law is and we can't do much about it. Many other towns have complained" about it over the years," Reeve Macaulay said. Council also received a letter from the provincial Attorney General's office telling them the government has no power to set fines, it is up to the individual jndpp's_ Council had earlier objected to the low fines for drinking offences. Council will also send a letterto lawyer D.G. Hiltz giving his client, Ozzie Kuenzig, permission to built an addition to his IGA store as set forth in the zoning plan. "They (the two grocery stores in town) didn't want a new store in town Iast year because they said their wasn't enough business, •and now they're both building additions," Mayor Harold Lobb said. Clinton council wants two-year terms, they decided unanimously, after a letter from the City of Brampton asked for a three • year term. In. other business, council after a lengthy debate on the number of working hours for crossing guards, gave the four guards a 50 cent an hour raise, retroactive to the .first of the year. Council also agreed to pay 10 per cent • of the $3,000 cost to have the ministry of transportation and communications repair Ontario Street, highway 8, in the town limits, but received word from MTC that Clinton's request for a extra subsidy of $15,000 for road reconstruction in town had been turned down. Cooling off The Main beach at Bayfield, like most area beraches, were crowed over the holiday weekend, as swimmers, paddlers, boaters, diggers, and bikinis all put in apearances. But the photographer could find no sign of the nude sun bathers reported earlier at the village. (Bud Sturgeon photo) 4-1 over rec. debenture bership includes very few Vanastra residents; a community hall for which there is an expensive rental fee, which is rented by people mainly from outside the confines of Vanastra. A $286,000 addition to the recreation complex-• this summer hasadded another expense to the Vanastra residents, although the whole of the township is charged with this cost, including the Vanastra landowners and any operating deficits as well. Another contentious issue is that the recreation complex is owned by the township and is managed by the township council with the Vanastra residents no voice in the management. At the council session Tuesday night, the township clerk, Jack McLachlan said he would be passing on the information to the Ontario municipal board of the opposition and support to the bylaw and it will be up to the OMB to decide whether to have a public hearing on the issue so that council and the Vanastraresidents may have the opportunity to voice their opinions. Councillor' Frank Falconer said he would like to see council members support the bylaw '100 per cent and made a motion for this, also asking for a recorded vote. Councillor Rob.ert Fotheringham seconded the motion. The motion was approved. with Reeve Ervine Sillery, Deputy Reeve Robert Bell, Councillors Frank Falconer and Robert Fotheringham all supporting. Councillor William Brown . said he could not go along with the bylaw and was the one dissenting vote. In other business, council acc,ep,ted the tender of C.A. McDowell Ltd: of Exeter for the construction of a new bridge on Lot 6, concession 12 and 13, Huron Road survey, in the south east corner of the township near the farm owned by Bill Clark.w The McDowell tender, the lowest of nine, amounted to $58,540.42. Council will pave the approaches to the Vanastraperimeter road bridge now that the new deck has been laid.: An air compressor for $175 will be purchased from Neil Hopper of Harpurhey for the No. 2 well in Egmondville. 'A certificate was presented to Road Superintendent Allan ' Nicholson for his successful completion of a three - ,day 'course in May at the C.S. Anderson Road School at Guelph University sponsored by the Good this Roads Association. It was the 1.5th annual session he has attended at` school during the past years which provides valuable information, for road superintendents across the province. Council accepted the resignation of Ruth Gates as part-time secretary in the township office as she and her husband, Robin, have moved to Ottawa. The ministry of culture and. recreation has forwarded to council a grant of $729.63 for a . creative playground at Vanastra which cost $5,000. Clerk McLachlan will attend fences act seminar at Cambridge on Aug. 22.' Applications for two tile drains amounting to $13,300 were approved. Passed for payment were the following accounts totalling $88,729.64; Vanastra day care, $3,994.77; Vanastra recreation centre, $1,x,,1,35.10; loads, $48,965.97 and ad- ministrative cost's' X23,633.80. Clerk McLachlan was authorized to get prices on a new table and chairs for the township office where it is hoped the council will hold it's regular meetings following the December .election. Goderich hospital plans major expansion ' Alexandra Marine and General Hospital in Goderich is about to be renovated to permit incorporation of psychiatricservices within the hospital proper. Health Minister Dennis . Timbrell announced in Toronto last week that a '$925,943 construction and renovation contract for the job has been awarded to Kelly Lynn Construction Company of Hyde Park. The project includes renovating the second floor of the 1967 wing and adding a third floor to the same wing. Psychiatric services, currently operating in a building remote from the hospital, will be relocated in the new sections. Conference rooms, -an interview room and space for occupational therapy for both in -and .out-patients will be located on the renovated second floor. The new third floor will provide in-patient, dining and lounging rooms, and offices for 'professional staff. The Health Ministry will finance $617,295 of the. cost. The remainder is the responsibility of the hospital. Construction will get under way immediately and completion .6is scheduled for next spring. Unfortunately, there are only a few weeks each year when the tasty treat of fresh sweet corn can be enjoyed in the area, but many pieoiple are taking advantage of the excellent crop this year, which just started late lad week. Sweet corn's popularity was 'evident at the Taylor stand, east of Clinton, as they reported several hundred ijozena bought up the first few days. Here Ray and Mike ` 'iek eori J at freshly picked. (James Fitzgerald photo)