HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1975-01-16, Page 1FIRST SECTION
Wingba i
4
0
TOWN COUNCIL members pose for a picture ar the end of the first 1975
Meeting. Seated are Councillor Margaret Bennett, Deputy Reeve Harold
Wild, Reeve Joe Kerr and Mayor Jack Reavie., Standing (left to right):
Councillors John Bateson, Bill Harris, Town Clerk Bill Renwick, Allan Har-
rison, Angus Mowbray and Jack Gillespie.
Rec. bd. budget disma
The Recreation and 'Com-
munity Centres Board of Wing-
* ham presented its 1975 'budget
proposal to town cnuhc!l Monday
night and caused some dismay
amore~,coatcih,,.meipbaera.,,, The
request to council presented by
board chairman Mrs. J. K.
McGregor was for $40,910, an in-
crease of more than 50 per cent
over the 1974 budget.
Mrs. McGregor agreed that the
increase was rather high but in-
sisted it was warranted. A large
part of the increase would go
toward hiring a part-time em-
ployee for the arena and for
arena improvements and
repairs, she explained. She
pointed out that utilization of the
'Wingham arena, estimated at 76
hours per week, was exceeded
only in Owen Sound, a much
le larger community than Wing -
ham. A comparative study of
recreation departments in sur=
rounding areas indicated that
most employed three full-time
workers, she said."The board's
No damage in
chimney fire
One fire call and one false
alarm roused the Wingham and
District Fire Department twice
in one morning as winds buffeted
the area with gusts of up to 60
miles an hour.
A chimney fire at the home of
Harold Keating ons -the fourth line
41 of Morris County called firemen
out at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.
Fire Chief Dave Crothers
reported no damages from the
fire.
Only several hours earlier fire-
men were roused by what turned
out to be 'a false alarm. Chief
Crothers said the 4:45 a.m. call
was triggered by water in the
relays on the poles.
*4
Former resident
named camp head
A former Wingham native has
been named director of the
United Methodist Camp at
Frontenac, Minn. Robert
Ostrom, a forest management
specialist and former bush pilot,
• was formerly employed by the
Ontario Government in the
Quetico Provincial Park. He
already has assumed his new
dutie6 at Frontenac.
This is a church owned camp,
covering about 14 acres of land
along the shore of the Mississippi
River in Minnesota near
Rochester. It is open all year, but
is restricted to weekend retreats
a during the winter season. Ap-
proximately 4,000 are accommo-
dated at this camp each year.
Bob Ostrom is the Son of Rev.
and Mra flatrnni and sat -
request for one part-time em-
ployee to ,assist the director in
day-to-day details was neither
extnrtinnate nor iinrP.acnfablPy
Mrs. McGregor said. The addded
personnel,, would also enable
Recreation Director Jim Ward to
spend more time on arena pro-
gramming and _creating new'
avenues of revenue for the arena.
The recreation board also
recommended a salary increase
of $1,515 for Mr. Ward.
Repairs and improvements for
the arena would total an esti-
mated $5,000, Mrs. McGregor
continued. These would include
roof repairs andtests on a "heav-
ing floor" that might cause pipe
damages. Vice-chairman Don
Kennedy explained the floor is
moving as much as three inches
in some spots.
Other areas hit badly by infla-
tionary costs are fuel supplies for
• the arena which jumped from
$1,500 in 1974 to an estimated
$2,400 this year; Public. Utilities
Commission fees at $5,200 as
compared to $4,594 in 1974 and
ball supplies and ball' park im-
provements ,which would in-
crease from about $1,000 in 1975
to a total of $4,000 in 1975.
The proposed ball park im-
provements were favorably
received as Councillor Margaret
Bennett commented on the dis-
order in the park. "I think our
ball park has been .a disgrace,"
she said. "There's been nobody
Damages light,
one injury
in car mishap
One person was injured and
damages were moderate in three
isolated car accidents investi-
gated by the Wingham division of
the Ontario Provincial Police this
week.
Louis Toth of Toronto was in-
volved in a single -car accident on
Highway 86 west of the Maitland
River Bridge Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Mr. Toth was injured, and
damages to the car were esti-
mated at $200.
A car driven by Donald Roppel
of RR 3, Tiverton was involved in,
an accident in Brussels Jan. 10
when it slid into a car owned by
James Panos of RR 3; Ayton.
Damages were estimated at $100.
Robin Wormington of Lucknow
was involved in a single -car acci-
dent Jan. 12 on Concession 1, west
of Sideroad 10-11, Turnberry
Township. Damages were
estimated at $500.
The Wingham MP detach-
ment also charged four persons
under the Liquor Control Act, laid
15 charges and issued 20 warn-
ings under the Highway Traffic
looking after the ball park in the
last few years." She said that
weeds and refuse were an eye-
sore and many improvements
would be needed.
Mrs. McGregor also pointed
out that the board's proposed
budget compared favorably with
budgets in surrounding com-
munities. The figure of $40,910 is
s council
well below the estimated recrea-
tion budgets for Listowel at.
$56,000, Walkerton at $48,000, and
Pt Elgin at $68,000. The Mount
Forest estimated figure of $24,000
iswlnonly5because that town
has no pool, she explained.
The budget proposal was
greeted with some dismay by
council members. Councillor
John Bateson said "We can keep
on turning these pages (of the
budget) all night, but it still won't
get us anywhere .. •. I just don't
know where we are going to get
tlu extra monejk:'.4:°� - .L.
members were in general agree-
ment on that fact, and discussion
on the budget was tabled pending
further review. m�
New town council
holds first meetin
Wingham Town Council held its
first meeting in 1975 Monday
night, presided over by the new
mayor, Jack Reavie. Following
the opening invocation by Father'
A. J. Nolan on the aspirations and
fallibility of man, Mayor Reavie
spoke briefly in welcome to the
new council.
"As I take this office it is with a
deep sense of gratitude and humi-
lity," he said, pledging to devote -
his "full attention" to the job. "I
have the best interests of the
town and its future at heart."
The first business of council
was to appoint official commit-
tees : Finance — Margaret Ben-
nett, Allan Harrison and Jack
Gillespie; Police — Bill Harris,
Jack Gillespie and Joe Kerr;
Public Works — Joe Kerr, Angus
Mowbray and John Bateson;
Property — Angus Mowbray,
John Bateson and Bill Harris;
Fire — John Bateson, Joe Kerr
and Angus Mowbray; Industrial
— Allan Harrison, John Bateson
and Harold Wild; Recreation —
Harold Wild, Allan Harrison and
Margaret Bennett and' Day Care
— Jack Gillespie and Bill Harris.
A by-law establishing a separate
cemetery board was rescinded
and a committee of council -was
established in its place to include
Margaret Bennett, ,Harold Wild
and Angus Mowbray.
New by-law appointments and
re -appointments to various out-
side 'commissions included: An-
gus Mowbray to the Committee of
Adjustment; Allan Harrison as
representative to the Riverside
Parks Commission; .Mayor Rea -I
vie and John Bateson to the Plan-
ning Board; John Mann, Tom
Deyell and Bob Foxton to , the
Recreation and Community Cen-
tres Board, along with council -•
members Harold Wild, Allan
Harrison and Margaret Bennett;
Mrs. Jane Levan and Janet Reid
.to. -_the, „P . Care CoMmission,.
along with council members Jack
Gillespie and Bill Harris; Mayor
Jack Reavie as representative to
the Wingham and District Hospi-
WINGHAM SCOUTS heading for the World Scout Jamboree
in Norway are Tom Maclean, Doug Taylor, Brent Foxton,
Dave Dbuglas, Brian Reid and Tim Morrison in the back
•N
row and lioug McGregor, Paul Foxton
front.
"Norway or bust"
Join the Boy Scouts and see the
world?
Not exactly true, hut close to it
Nine members of the 1st Wing -
ham Scout Troop have qualified
to represent the Saugeen West
District at the 14th World Jam-
boree in Norway this year. They
face one major obstacle: money.
The nine Scouts are Brian Reid,
15; Doug McGregor, Tim Morri-
son, David Douglas and Tom
MacLean, all 14 years old; and
Brent Foxton, Doug Taylor, Mike
Beattie and Paul Foxton, 13 years
old. The boys have been Scouts
They applied to the Ontario
Provincial Council in November.
19721 and received letters of ac-
ceptance in December. But the
preparations started many
months in advance. In hopes of
qualifying, all the boys have
worked hard to earn the nec-
essary money for the trip.
"Earn" is the operative word.
because according to Scout by-
laws "direct solicitation of funds
by members is not permitted."
So the nine boys have been work-
ing at various jobs to get the
and Mike Beattie at
(Staff Photo)
for Scouts
and at offices, doing dishes and
errands, paper routes and even
money -instead -of -gifts at
Christmas. Two of the Scouts
have steady part-time jobs, but
it's hard nonetheless.
The Scouts have been offered
some help in their project by
CKNX, the Brophy Brothers soft-
ball !ream and the Kinettes. Pro-
ceeds from the various events,
the CKNX-Boy Scout hockey
game, the softball team's dance,
and the Kinettes 50-50 draw, will
be donated toward the jamboree
trip fund. But it still may not be
July 29 to Aug. 7. The boys are
scheduled to leave for Norway on
July 19 for a pre -jamboree con-
ference, followed by a week's
stay at the homes of Norwegiah
Scouts. The jamboree location
will be near the city of Lille -
hammer some 120 miles north of
Oslo. Activities will include out-
door events, sports, nature and
wildlife studies and a 24-hour hike
with a central theme of interna-
tional understanding. Target
participation for the event is
15,000 Scouts from various courft-
tal Board and Jack Alexander to
the Maitland Valley Conservation
Authority.
A by iaw was passed autho-
rizing the borrowing of sufficient
funds for town enses until
taxes come in. The tax assess-
ment for 1974 was reported as ap-
proximately $3,538,000.
Accounts . .
Finance Committee chairman
Mrs. Bennett reported a total
payment of accounts of $67,698.01
for 1974, which constituted $15,000
spent over the allocated budget.
Reeve Joe Kerr reported that the
public works committee spent
$112,746- of subsidy funds and
about $40,000 of non -subsidy
funds in 1974, but had managed to
obtain a provincial grant of
$58,400.
Police committee chairman
Bill Harris reported that nego-
tiations with the police depart-
ment on 1975 salaries have been
initiated and will continue until
settled. Day Care Committee
chairman Jack Gillespie report-
ed a projected trip
and Kitchener for observatku-ei
day care centre construction ,tom
operation prior to starting 9lnl t
new Day Care Centre in Win, -
ham.
Other council business ancllr+ded
the review of cor esponde ce
from the Ministry of Housing o
the municipal landsbiy
program and front, the 'Ontario
Bui lding Association on uniform
building standards! The Merl!
were filed .pending the receipt of
additional information: A reltobl-
tion forwarded from Walkerton to
encourage review of fming pro-
cedures in criminal courts waif
unanimously endorsed by coutteto
members.
A request by the Public Uti l
ties Commission that the chair-
man and elected commissioners
receive a wage increase • of 0100
each to 0500 and $400 respective-
ly, was entrusted to the town
clerk for inclusion into a by-law
to be presented at the next meet-
ing.
Request drawings
for dam repair
There was considerable
discussion at Monday evening's
meeting of the Wingham town
council in regard to possible
repairs to the Lower Town dam, a
portion of which was washed out
in last May's flash flood.
The town's position in the
repair problem is still not clear,
since the Maitland Valley Con-
servation Authority has not yet
acknowledged any intention of
proceeding with the work, which
would requirethe approval of the
appropriate government mint.
try. However, one Contac or,
George' Radford of Bl taw pre-
viously–plated-a tetii . esti-
mate on repairs to the structure
rather than a replacement pro-
gram. It was indicated that he
would now like to re -assess the
figures proposed and for this pur-
pose drawings of the area to be
repaired would be required:
Town Clerk William Renwick
said that A. W. Clark and Asso-
ciates of Wingham have already
done some work on the drawings.
Council therefore moved to
request that the drawings • be
completed so they could be
viewed either by a private con-
tractor -for an accurate estimate
of repairs and -or for use of the
Conservation Authority hi dis-
cussing the project with the
ministry.
One of the new councillors,
Angus Mnwb3 ayr , hiin anAV ,'
tractor of considerable •ex-.
perietice; appeared to be -of the
opinion "Mat limited irepai>t+all
.would be well worth considering
and remarked on the fact thatthe
Riverside Park area adjacent to
the pond oue- i'P dates. -
orate in usefulness unless the
dam is repaired and the pond
water replaced.
Damages heavy in car mishaps
There were no injuries but
heavy damages to vehicles in car
accidents investigated by Wing -
ham Town Police this week.
A southbound car driven by
James Moir of RR 5, Wingham
hit a parked car owned by Co e
Foxton, 252 Minnie St. -causing an
estimated $2,400 damages to both
cars. Charges are pending in the
Jan. 8 accident. -
A minor accident on• the
parking lot of Beaver Lumber re-
sulted in ,estimated damages of
$100 Jan. 9, when a car driven by
Herbert Reck, RR 4, Wingham
slid over an icy patch into a car
owned by Daryl Walker, also of
RR 4, Wingham and an employee
at Beaver Lumber.
Two fail -to -remain accidents
were investigated Jan. 12. A
damaged car was discovered
driven against a telephone pole in
the Janeway between John and
Minnie Streets. Investigations by
police indicate the car is owned
by Carson Snowdon, 122 Scott St.,.
Wingham and was driven by
Keith Snowdon. An estimated
$800 damages was caused to the
car. Charges are pending.
Later that day a car ran into a
tree on Alfred St. and left the
scene of the accident. Police
report the owner is Robin B.
Wormington of Lucknow.
Damages were estimated at $600
and charges are pending.
Police also investigated one
attempted break -and -enter, two
thefts and two distrubances in
that time.
Hosp. admissions
decreased in '74
Wingham and District Ho pital
is "bang on" bed allo�u{{ances
allotted by the Ministry of
Health, the hospital executive
director announced Wednesday.
Norman Hayes told hospital
board members that a statistical
survey of the area serviced by the
hospital based on 1974 population
and hospital admission figures
places the Wingham and District
Hospital at exactly the four -bed -
per -thousand ministry allow-
ance. The figure is even lower, he
said, if chronic care beds are re-
moved from the calculations.
The statistics were based on a
total estimated population for the
Huron -Bruce area of about 27,480.
The report also indicated that
total admissions decreased to
3,219 in 1974 from 3,262 in 1973.
Approximately 23 per cent of the
total admissions in 1974 was from
Wingham alone.
The hospital board set the date
for the annual meeting of the
corporation for March 14 at tl
p.m. in the training school build-
ing. Board Chairman Robert
Ritter announced he would not
seek re-election. Vice-chairman
Jim Card also announced he
would no'�' onger serve' on the
1975. A major issue in the policy
review was the mandatory
retirement age of 65. In previous
years, a hospital staff member
who had reached retirement age
could request a review and exten-
sion for six months at a time. The
new policy eliminates the pos-
sibility of extensions.
Mr. Hayes announced that the
change will affect three staff
members at the present time and
explained that they will be ex-
pected to retire by March 31. He
said he had discussed the situa-
tion with two of the employees
and that there was "no animosity
toward the hospital or bad feel-
ings." The request to make the
retirement age mandatory had
originally come from staff mem-
bers.
The board also approved an
11th statutory holiday for hospital
employees in 1975 to be taken on
Feb. 10.
Other business included the
approval of annual reappoint-
ments to the medical, consulting
and courtesy staff of the hospital
and standard reports from the
management and financial com-
mittees and the tnedical staff.
The board is still awaiting the
results of the budget review ex-