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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-10-25, Page 1r to C, wqi Oet in Petty seting of the lttri- �,�,mmittee formed Pkinto the possible meat of a Lake Huron Parkway . Commission from Sarnia to Amberley met in Grand Bend last Thursday evening to review the Commit - tee's newly printed brochure "Lake Huron Parkway - Why?" Decision was reached at the meeting to present copies of the .4:w r • s4111r401, ,fir cwt wit R12*►'`R` .^.»'.:;,fit; - ,w�►„'' ong the many exhibitors and craftsmen who set up booths and displays at the annual rlow County Christmas Fair was Andrew Ruxton of Port Elgin who displayed the skill of wishing woven seated _chairs.. Although attendance figures aro still Incomplete, anizers say the 1973 version of the fair was one of the best ever in terms of exhibits and dance. The fair was held Wednesday, October 17 and Saturday, October 20 at the orne Township Hall In Carlow. rding to Glen Campbell, 4linistr\: of Transport in Sound, in charge of the h Iightouse. and Walter attractive booklet at this Friday's meeting of Huron County Council. It is expected the Committee will be seeking funds on the project to under- take a feasibility study from the County of Huron, the County of Lambton and the City of Sar- nia. Chairman of the committee is Anson McKinley, the Reeve of Stanley Township.` Vice- chairman is Andy Brandt, a Sarnia alderman. Huron members in addition to McKinley are Girvin Reed, Ashfield; Deb Shewfelt, Goderich; Warden Roy Pat- tison, East Wawanosh; and Spence Cummings, Huron's Development Officer, Goderich. The purpose of the Parkway Commission would be to at- tract tourists to the area. "Tourism is big business and therefore requires careful thought and planning to adequately supply present needs and future requirements," the brochure explans. Interest in a Parkway for Lake Huron has been stimulated by the success of the St.. Clair Parkway Commission extending from Sarnia, along the St. Clair River to the nor- theast shore of Lake St. Clair. The Committee believes that to establish a Parkway for this area there is need for the development of a master plan; the creation of an organization to implement the master plan and to co-ordinate and promote all facets of tourism; and to in- terpret new trends in recreational demands. The Parkway, if formed;- would deal with many existing problems in the area. It would attempt to provide public ac- cess to the shoreline of Lake Huron at regular intervals; to „assess the needs"for adequately serviced harbors and boat refuges; to study future high way needs in preparation for increased tourist traffic and local travel; and to provide long range planning in , co- operation with rural• municipalities and lakeside towns who will play host to the ever-increasing number of tourists. "To solve these problems and to act as a catalyst in the reation of a dynamic tourist r source, there is need for a continued on page 2A) �,k P THURSDAY, OCICBER 25, 197 3 Councillor Elsa Haydon has been appointed by Goderich Town Council to act as coun- cil's representative on the Goderich Businessmen's Association "Action Commit- tee". • While Deputy -reeve Stan Profit was not opposed to the choice of council, he questioned the need for council's in- volvement in this project. Councillor Dave Gower said council, and the Businessmen's Association -are "part and par- cel of the community" and that council's membership'on such a committee is "part of our func- tion". Councillor Elsa Haydon told council she was planning to at- tend a public seminar at the .University of Guelph November 3 to consider the economics of municipal conservation and restoratipn. An open invitation to the seminar to. all members of vouncil was extended by the Iocal branch of the Architec- tural Conservancy of Ontario. Councillor Haydon urged "as many as possible to attend" the sessions but promised to bring back • a report on, the proceedings. 4 * A recorded vote at Goderich Town Council last week showed that only Deputy -reeve Stan Profit and Councillor Elsa Haydon were in favor of sen ding a $100 donation to the National Ski Team. During discussion on he motet►n made by Counciiht)r Haydon and seconded by Deputy -reeve Profit, Councillor Leroy Harrison. said he would vote "no" because council had refused to assist two local ice skaters who were aspiring to a Canadian competition. Councillor Haydon Argued that the Town of Goderich did assist the local skaters to a cer- tain degree, and added that local level activities must be treated as "entirely separate things". 4 4 4 Deputy -reeve Stan Profit, chairman. of the Fire, Traffic and Safety Division of Town Council, told council last Thur- sday evening there was possible need for two school 'crossing guards at the corner of Bayfield Road and Bennett Street to assist young children from St. Mary's • Separate School to cross the highway in safety. Profit asked that the matter be left with his committee with power to act after a study had been made on the subject. He also indicated the funds for the crossing guards would possibly come from municipal coffers, saying the cost could run about •$15 per week per• employee. Councillor Leroy Harrison felt the Town shouldn't have to pay school crossing guards out of municipal funds. "I don't think either of the school boards are pinched for money," stated Harrison to council. , ' One of the strong points in Profit's argument was that if local policemen are' freed from patrolling the Bayfield Road - Bennett Street intersection at` the .noon hour particularly, policemen could 'keep a closer watch on the speeding which takes ,,place on South Street during the same time when the high school students have their lunch hour. The Town .of Goderich crests have arrived and,. council still has not decided whether to sell the crests or to give them out free of charge to various town representatives. Councillor Dave Gower com- plained there was not enough information on the crests which bear only -the Town insignia and. the name "Goderich". Ac- cording to Gower, the crests should? state Goderich, Ontario or Goderich on Lake Huron or something to pinpoint ., Goderich's location. '"But I realize this is like (continued on page 10A) Health and Welfare Minister Marc Lalonde announced on Friday that a $5,000 Federal Government grant' was awar- ded to a group of retired people in the Goderich area. The grant, awarded under the ,Department of National Health and Welfare "New Horizons" program, has been given to the Bayfield Area Bluebird Society in Bayfield. •New Horizons was in- troduced in the Summer of 1972 by the Federal Govern- ment to encourage retired Canadians to undertake projects that would benefit them and the community in which they live. According to President Har- vey MacDougall, of the Bayfield Area Bluebird Society, the group was organized in May. The object is tis do everything possible to bring back bluebirds in the Bayfield area, including the townships of Goderich and Stanley. . Bluebirds have been prac- tically extinct, in these areas. In 1970, a ipair was discovered by Phillip and Greta Du Boulay .of Bayfield, nesting in an old cedar post on the 20th sideroad of Stanley Township. 'In the fall of 1969, Mr. MacDougall put out nesting boxes and he has continued with this work. Results have been gratifying. He had 15 boxes out in 1970 and 1971, with no nestings. Last year, with 60 boxes out, he had three nestings; this year, With 150 boxes out along Concession lines, he had 17 nestings from which 49 young bluebirds were fledged. Bill Wisser, of Goderich, has had some success too,. working mostly in the Dungannon area. The Bayfield group applied to the New Horizons program for assistance in organizing the retired in building a great num- .ber of boxes, getting. these put up in suitable locations, checking these periodically and keeping records on nestings. From the work done so far, it Sheardown, the lighthouse `keeper, lighthouse is one of Lake Huron. Goderich the local the best on They both agree that the reason for thisis its height. The lighthouse is built on an embankment approximately 100 i9c {9t .09 19i ,39 19( 10 9c 9c OlIrs �! Ta►, the ICOM refr ed from the nlokel$lated reflector was from an Insan- e *pi od!y Its sourcing 0.900 watt Mercury Vapour lamp. A carefulklok at the. disclose a distorted reflection of the harbour below, the grain elevators, thel cars and an Idea 'of the height of the lighthouse from the lake. (staff photo) • feet above \water level and stands some 30 feet from ' its -base to the li t, for a total height of about 30 feet. "On a clear niht, its light can be seen from u r to 35 miles' away, stated Mr. eardown. "Built in 1847, the 1 :hthouse was first -operated by a ind-up mechanism similar to old clocks, using weights to turn the revolving reflector' and kerosene lamp as a light. Today, the light is from a 300 watt mercury vapour lamp which has been in use since.The Ministry changed from incan- descent buibs'three years ago," continued Mr. Sheardown. The light from the lighthouse„ is refracted from a revolving nickel -plated reflector, at 25 second intervals. The 25.second cycle consists of two light beams, one major beam at 19 seconds and a small beam six. seconds later. "A boat out on the lake at night, can locate itself by timing the light beams from the lighthouse,.-' said the lighthouse keeper. "Every lighthouse uses different timing sequences." According to Mr. Sheardown, -this is the first year that the light remains on continuously, day and night. "On a dull day, the light may be helpful in bringing in freighters or pleasure crafts,'4 he said. "Until last year, the light had to he turned on a .half hour before dusk and was turned off one half hour after dawn," he continued. Mr Sheardown claims there has never been a breakdown, to his knowledge, in the lighthouse's "illustrious" lifetime. • "But if by Some unfortunate accident there should be hydro failure, the only solution would be to place a kerosene lamp in the tower with the reflector aimed at the centre of the breakwalls, at the mouth of the harbour," Said Mr. Sheardown. The Goderich lighthouse does not have a stand-by diesel in case of emergency and Mr. Sheardown feels that there -is a need for such a diesel in Goderich. But h9wever, according to Mr. Campbell of the Ministry of Transport in Parry Sound, the Goderich lighthouse will not be getting a stand-by diesel yet. "The 'Goderich lighthouse is operated electrically and we 'can place a 98 percent reliability on hydro", he said. One question that must be asked is, "What about the other 2 percent of that reliability"? Although the lighthouse it- self does- not have a stand-by diesel, the lights on the north pier and" the red flashing light and fog horn on the south breakwall are equipped with diesels. Some • of Mr. Sheardown's pthey duties for the Ministry of Transport include the upkeeping of all guide lights in Goderich Harbour. • According to Mr. Sheardovn, the harbour is very well equip- ped with guidelights, sonar, and a fog horn to guide boats safely into the Go4ierich Har- bour. "On the north pier, we have two range lights, one tower next to the salt mine and the second tower situated at the ex- treme east section of the pier. When these two red range lights -are aligned from beyond the breakwalls, they aim to the „centre of the two breakwalls," he said. "Ile also explained that on the north pier,, there were spot lights that- show the red fluorescent painted corner of the south pier, showing the width of the channel. A sonar beacon is also situated on the north pier con- - Mr. Sheardown.. 4 "After dark, Cboth the north and, south breakwalls. are illuminated by flashing lights. The north one with a white light and the south breakwall with a red light. Both lights operated on a 16 second on and 4 seconds off cycle," he stated. As well as being equipped with a flashing red light; the north breakwall also has an automatic fog horn. "The foghorn is rigged to sound automatically whenever fog materializes within a one and a half mile radius of the Preyious to Mr. Sheardown's engagement with the Ministry of Transport, in 1962, the post was held by Mr. Norman Cor - nier who was later transferred to •Welcome Island, on Lake Superior. Mr. Cornier was lighthouse keeper since 1959. Lighthouse keeper w'alttwr ifilearilnifit OM bo ism hers standing before the 1lediear-01/ Nghthouee building, *Weed as IS of the bele Ng Mhouoes on Lake Pluton. The AIM Mei on they. top of the building Is eppro*Imateljr 130 fest above the mus, _and can be seen T in bout 35' Willes- away, on a\.clear night. (staff photo)