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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1980-09-11, Page 1itriswork uses up Hall Fund By Shelley McPhee The $5,000 contigency fund for repair work at the Clinton town hall has . been used, but some council members are concerned. l,.-agreed_to_-see-rhe-town lawyer Beecher Menzies to discuss the changes. made in the contract after they questionned the rights of the architects to make the changes and use the fund. The contigency fund, which was included in the $46,000 contract to repair the old municipal building, was set aside to be used for any additional unexpected costs. That's what con- tractor Cobrell Construction and architects Hill and Borgal did. • Taken just before the backfill was pushed in, this picture shows the extensive footings requiring hundreds of yards of concrete to keep the 100 -year-old Clinton town hall flrom settling anymore. In some places the footings are four feet wide and six feet high. Council currently is arguing with the contactor, Cobrell .Construction over the extra money spend on the additional concrete, something unforseen by the engineers. (James Fitzgerald photo) The money was used to offset ex- penses of additional strap and truss enforcing, revising the wall plates, additional work to remove concrete footings and revise a column in the 's _polio station. The extra work came_ to a total of $6,795.41. Architect Chris Borgal explained to council at their September 2 meeting that along with the use of the $5,000' contigency fund, the extra cost was partially covered by . omitting the parging of the foundation, the dam- pproofing of the foundation and the paving of the driveway from the contract. The credit from these amounted to $1,635. Mr. Borgal told council that by omitting this work from the town hall renovations and by using • the con- tingency fund to help pay for the extra costs, the town would only be left with an additional bill of $160.41. Council was concerned about the change in the work order and Councillor Rob Parr asked, "Are Hill Some trustees oppose pay raise BY DAVE SYKES Several local school board trustees are irked. by the fact the 'Huron County Board of Education has reintstated trustees allowances to the full $3,600. At the board's April budget meeting the trustees voted in favor of reducing their annual allowance to $3,000 from $3,600. The motion was introduced by Goderich trustee, Dave Gower and adopted •with acceptance of the $25 million budget. - Gower mainataine.d at the time that education costs were rising at a rapid rate and the trustees could set an example by trimming their own pay. However, in a closed session of the board June 2, trustees rescinded the earlier motion and voted in favor reinstating their $3,600 annual salary. The motion said the trustee's allowances had not been revised since February 17, 1975 and had declined in value due to inflation and that the allowances were ,$100 below the maximum allowed. ' Gower was absent from the June 2 meeting but said the issue should have been discussed in an open meeting. He didn't approve of the board's decision to reverse the allowance. "There is ng comparison of the amount of .work done by a municipal councillor and some trustees," Gower said. "And there is no compulsion for trustees - -to attend -committee rnetings." Gower said he had positive feed- back from ratepayers following the board's decision to cut trustee allowances. "You try to do what you can," he said. "We could have gone further but there has to be an intertest in cutting costs." ' Goderich trustee. Do othy Wallace was also opposed to thenove claiming the reduction of the allowances was a step towards reducing education costs. "The budget is tight and I thought it was at least indicating to the public that we were willing to make a sacrifice," she said. --"The amount wasn't much but ..the philosophy behind it was important." Dorothy has served as trustee for 10 years. and said she was opposed to trustee . allowances when they were first introduced. She said that some trustees spend a great deal of time serving the public, especially.. in contract negotiations, and are deserving of the money. . Goderich and Colborne Township trustee, Shirley Hazlitt was disap- pointed with the board decision ad- ding that she could sympathize with some of the trustees who spend many hours on board business. "It is a ministry problem that everyone is paid the same and some are overpaid and other underpaid," she said. "It is not a black and white situation. It was -a small gesture by the board but it showed leadership." Hazlitt has served on negotiation committees and pointed out that four 'contracts have to settled during a term. She said ratepayers responded favorably to the decrease in allowances despite the fact it made a small dent in the overall budget. Trustee Marion Zinn was `provoked' that the board voted in favor of rescinding the motion to -cut allowances. "It was a good gesture and it should have been left alone," she said. Some. were against it but there are things needed in school that money could buy." Budget chairman John Henderson expressed his displeasure over the -allowance issue and said it led to his decision not to seek re-election November 10. Henderson has served on the board for 10 years. Wther 1980 1979 IHI 10 HI LO .SEPTEMBER 2 21 14 27 17 3 25 9 26' 16 4 26 13 25 11 5* 24 13.5 30 13, 6 23 10 26 42.5 7 22.5 7 19.5 10. 8 25 10 17 7 Rain 12.0 No rain Local donations balloon for Fox By Shelley McPhee From the Atlantic washed shoreline to the snowy peaked - Rockies, Canadians across the country are supporting Terry Fox's Marathon of Hope. The enthusiasm, undaunted courage and ambition of this 21 -year- old has touched nearly everyone's heart and an overwhelming $10 million has been raised to go towards cancer research in Canada. Well, unless a few more people get behind the project, the Gala Pool Party being held this coming Saturday night won't be the huge success as it was first anticipated. It seems a few people are balking at the $25 per person charge for the tickets. So as you can see, there are still plenty of tickets left around. + + + • 3 was just going to tell you how h.+F the p tloe v-carr-a.ra-cc'c-cra .—Nv:-+vim. tment's summer student had gone back to school and I wasn't getting anymore parking tickets, but I just glanced out the window and saw Constable Don Shropshall putting one of the little yellow stubs under my windshield. Blast! + ++ I have finally been given an excuse for wearing this beard, which sprouted during the town's Centennial year in 1975 and has remained ever since, except for a few weeks a couple of years ago. According to one of those obscure bits of information that crosses our desk each day, a typical Canadian man spends 30.4 hours' each year shaving if he uses an electric razor and 54.75 hours each year to remove his whiskers by wet shaving. So for those of us who don't shave in the morning, it means up to 54 more hours of sleep each year. Except at our house, I'm up a°7 am getting the starving kids their cereal anyway. + + + • To which the Main Street Wit adds : "We'd all enjoy the day more if it didn't start quite so early." + --1- + After reading .our lament in last week's column about getting older, the Wit also said that a person can tell when they've reached middle age when their knees buckle and their belts won't. + ++ • One of the truly pleasant things about •'orking on a weekly newsp ,r is the contact it affords us with many friendly people in the area. Another is the help we get each week in putting out the paper, especially from our correspon- dents. So it is always with a big smile that we greet a new correspondent and this week we'd like to welcome Jan Ferguson to our fold as head of . Huron County is no exception to the cause, and concerned and caring people here are also answering Terry's plea and have raised thousands of dollars. In August, a Terry Fo C fund was established in the Canadian Cancer Society's Huron branch in Clinton and already well over $2,000 has been donated to the important cause. Pledges and donations to the fund are being taken at the Clinton News - Record, Bartliff's Bakery and the Canadian Cancer office and ac- cording to Huron branch secretary, "Considering Terry wasn'teven close to the area, the response has been fantastic." the Vanastra bureau. Jan, who brings much en- thusiasm to her new job, can be ` reached at 482-3772. +IT As well as the Gala Pool Party on Saturday night, and the final of the Clinton-Goderich pacing series at the horse races on Sunday, there are a few other exciting_ things going on over at the park. Most notable is the all -Ontario semi- finals between the Clinton Colts and the Courtwright Inder- mediates. The Colts haven't been this close to being provincial champs since their powerhouse days of the early 70's and lead the series one game to none. + + + Further to his comments in last week's paper on the state of the education system, the Wit claims to have heard the other day that of .all the pupils at a new private school that opened in London this fall, a third of the students are children of teachers! + + The Wit would also like to correct an incorrect impression he left in last week's paper that the grocery stores and banks were the only businesses making good profits. He says he was wrong. If you really want to rake it in, open up a liquor store,. if you could get around the rn�r governtt's monopoly. The Wit claims in Canada we worship two things: "God....and the bottle." Mrs. Makins added, "Money has been coming in from all over the county and some people are sending their donations directly to Toronto." people in Clinton and the surrounding area have keep the three pledge location busy. Mrs. Makins took in $300 in one afternoon, while Bartliff's Bakery collected two $250 cheques in one afternoon and Peggy Gibb at the News -Record noted, "This afternoon (Monday) we've had two $100 cheques plus several cash donations as well:— Much Much of the financial support is coming from individuals, but Mrs. Makins pointed out that the Clinton Legion made a $100 donation. In another fund raising effort, the senior citizens at the Clan Gregor Apart- ments in Bayfield easily raised $100. Money is coming in from people of all ages and support for Terry Fox is being emphasised in most places. The young Canadian's Marathon of Hope is reaching congregations in area churches through. Sunday sermons and funds are being established like the one at St. Andrews United Church in Bayfield. The schools are supporting this fight against cancer and at Central Huron Secondary School the .more than 900 students are each donating $l. Even youngsters are answering the plea and Mrs. Makins said that children were donating their quarters and change at a special booth set up by the Cancer Society at the Blyth- Thresherman's reunion over the weekend. - "This whole thing has ballooned so much, it's been marvellous," she exclaimed. Attempts to help this young man's cause continues at an extraordinary rate. In Goderich, the Kinsmen and Kinette clubs are organizing a Friday night telethon. Begin-Whig-a-t-6-pm--tie-service elubs will be using the 12 switchboard lines at Champion Road Machinery in Goderich to take telephone calls and Turn to page 3 • Council okay donation By Shelley McPhee Following a request made last April, Clinton council agreed at their September 2 meeting to make a donation to the Vanastra Re-creation Centre's Tuckersmith Disabled Fund Raising Committee. The donation of $500 which will he used to offset costs at the new addition to the rec centre was given only after Separate schools enrolment down Enrolment dipped slightly in the schools of the Huron -Perth Separate School Board for the fall of 1980. As of September 2, 2,623 students had been registered at the 14 schools in the two -county system, down 19 students from the 2,642 registered in 1979,or about 0.7 per cent. The enrolment in Catholic schools in Perth county increased by eight students, while Huron county recored a 27 student decline. a lengthy discussiot, at.,u.,gst council members but received the major support of council when the motion was presented. An 'amen'dment to the motion was quickly turned down by council when it was suggested that $1,000 be given to the fund. . The original motion set the donation figure at $500, since that is what Tuckersmith Township donated to Clinton in" a recreation raising project. Councillor Rosemary Armstrong, who seconded the amendment to the motion asked, "What does Tucker, smith's donation have to do with what we donate? I think $500 is pretty low." Councillor Chester Archibald suggested, "If you're going to get into how much the facilites are used, then neighboring municipalities must owe Clinton $100,000 for using the arena." This pool (at .Vanastra) greatly benefits the people with special needs. It's just been terrific for them," Councillor Armstrong added. "Just corne.to the open house of Friday and see how it operates: " Turn to pag 9 fa rt. and Borgal authorized to increase the price?" Clerk Cam Proctor suggested to the council, "Usually you have on-site meetings with the engineer and the contractor and then council can authorize or approve the increase -s i necessary." - Councillor Ron McKay pointed out, "The engineers and contractor can authorize changes up up to the con- tigency fund because that money is there for any problems and extra costs." "I'd like to know where they got off from parging the wall, dampproofing the foundations or paving the driveway," Councillor George Rumball questionned. These changes had been discussed earlier and Councillor Chester Archibald explained that the parging and dampproofing wouldn't work -on the type of mortar used in the town 'hall and paving the drive would put too much pressure on the foundation. HeaIth building ender let SHARON DIETZ Huron County Council accepted a tender for construction of -the new Huron County Health Building when they met September 4. The tender of William Parker Trotter sets new record By Lois Gibbings A new track record of 2:05 for trotters was set at Clinton Kinsmen Raceway on Sunday afternoon by Katie Rose, a filly by Arrnbro Jet -Rob Ron Frosty by Hoot Frost. Competing in the third division of the three-year-old Sires Stakes for filly trotters, Katie Rose led all the way with trainer Jean Poulin on the bike for the Wheeling By Stables of Grand Bend. This 2:05 trip was also a new lifetime mark for Katie. Rose, and gives her five wins, four seconds and one third from 14 starts in 1980 for earnings of $49,727 and $76,814 lifetime. Wm. (Bud) Fritz was second with Molly Darlin, while Nelson White finished third driving Christal De Mai for Quebec owners. � I Construction - Limited Guelph of $346,984. including air conditioning was accepted on a recommendation from the council's property, com- mittee. The new building, which is to act 'as the Clinton branch office of the county health unit, will be an addition to the county's Home for the Aged, Huronview, in Clinton. The new building is necessary because an expansion of the county's health program will mean an increase of staff and the Clinton office is already operating in cramped quarters. Eleven tenders were received ranging from a minimum of $346,984. to a high of $424,000. Ministry of Community and Social Services approval has been received and 'construction will commence within the next two weeks. According to. architect D.R. Snider of Snider, Reichard and March, they hope to have the building closed in before the bad weather with completion scheduled for some time in January. The total cost of the new building is estimated at $400,000. A break down of the project budget includes general contract: $346,984; architect's fees: $27,760 and paving and contingencies: $25,256. The building will be financed through the county's capital works reserve fund. - Jennifer Burt of Vanastra presents Goderich council member Mr. Magee, with a piece of the ribbon which was cut to officially open the $227,480 Vanastra Rec Centre addition or1,,,-ridgy evening. (Expositor photo) Y ew rec centre opened More than 100 area residents, in- cluding representatives from the surrounding municpalities were on hand Friday night to see the unveiling of an addition to the 'Vanastra Recreation Centre. Along with members of the Vanastra and Tuckersmith com- munity, members of council were on hand to show off their brand spanking new 8285,00" addition. 'Also attending the event were council represen- tatives from Seaforth, Goderich, McKillop, Stanley and Hullett Townships. Clinton's representative, Councillor Rosemary Armstrong was unable to attend the opening, but sent her apologies and he congratulations on the addition. Work on the addition, which began last winter, is nearing its completion stage now. The centre, which served By Shelley McPhee 4. as a protestant church when,Vanastra was a RCAF Station, now includes a larger exercise room, an activity room and . kitchen, accessible washrooms, ' showers and change rooms. The addition and changes are meant to enhance the existing indoor pool and hall and provide more ad- vanced and improved programs in aquatics and fitness for the elderly, mentally and physically han- dicapped. 'However, Tuckersmith Clerk Jack McLachlan pointed out at the opening that the improvements and new facilities are meant to snake the centre as "accessible to all people." Provincial grants have paid for over 75 per cent of the cost of the addition, and the township is raising the rest of the bill through public donations.