HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1981-11-11, Page 1-a
116th year —No. 45
November 1
1981
50 cents
Buildingat standstill
Except for the building, of a new $100,000,
mini -mall this fall, 1981 would have gone
down as one of the worst years on record
for building since the depression in Clin-
ton.
Not one new house was built in Clinton
this year, and except for the mini -mall,
only some renovations were carried out,
reports Tom Chuter, the towns's building
permit issuer.
Last year, over $1 million in permits
were issued for a new bank, additions for
two large grocery stores, a bank, and two
houses, as well as a host of renovations.
The lack of building has been blamed on
the excessively high interest rates on
mortgage money, which touched ,22 per
Vanastra curling club opens
in new renovated building
Approximately 100 people attended the
official opening of the new Vanastra Curl-
ing Club held Sunday afternoon Nov. 8.
Master of ceremonies for this special oc-
casion was Reeve Bob Bell, who welcomed
everyone and introduced the honoured
guests.
Messages of congratulations were
brought by MPP Jack Riddell, Bruce Pot-
ter of Goderich, representing BM Ross
Associates, and Bob Wilson Seaforth
representing the Ontario Curling Associa-
tion!
Acting on behalf of, the contractors,
Wayne & Harold Smith' Construction who
were unable to attend, Bruce Potter
presented the keys to Reeve Bob Bell,
Township of Tuckersmith, who in turn
presented the keys to Ken Rogerson, presi-
dent of Vanastra Curling Club.
Rev. Bob McMullen of Brucefield was
present to offer the official dedication of
the new building.
Participants in the ribbon cutting
ceremony, Reeve Bell, MPP Jack Riddell
and President Ken Rogerson then declared
the new Vanastra Curling Club officially
open.
Guests in attendance then entered to in-
spect the new facilities and take part in the
reception and dinner catered to by the Kin -
burn Foresters.
Clinton merchants finalize
plans for Christmas season
A Christmas Blockbuster Party on
Friday, November 20 will kick off the
Christmas season in Clinton, the Clinton
Business and Professional Association
decided at their monthly meeting last
week.
All stores are asked to participate in the
special promotion which will see stores
open from 7 pm to midnight, following a
closing from 6 to 7 pm to mark down
prices. The party will be promoted in four
area weekly newspapers.
But because of lack of funds this year,
the town's Santa Claus parade had to be
cancelled, and instead Santa will visit on
December 13th to give out candy and
popcorn, while on December 5th, a special
Cm' Although there are few people other
than historians and lawyers who un-
derstand what is really going on, it
appears as if we finally have a con-
stitution for Canada, after 114 years of
nationhood. In all likelihood it will
mean little difference to you and I in
our ordinary station in life, but it's
slightly warming to know that we do
have a document we can drag out
proudly during patriotic times.
Because it is only a piece of paper, a
constitution is only as good as the ap-
plication that is made by the people who
live with it. It doesn't really guarantee
us anything, as proven . by other
countries down through the ages who
have had outstanding documents.
The United States, for instance, had
their declaration of independence
written in 1796, and even though it
called for life, liberty and equality for
all, slavery existed there until 1865, and
racial discrimination was still alive and
well in schooling even until the 1960's.
We may laugh at them, but
Canadians have skeletons too.
Remember the thousands of Canadian
born people of Japaneses ancestry who
had their property seized and were
interred in camps during the last war.
And who can forget 1971 when the War
Measures Act was declared and all civil
rights suspended. Why even recently,
the RCMP has confessed to spying on
politicians on opposition benches.
Freedom of expression is indeed a
precious commodity that too many
people seem to be willing to give up too
easily. We must be on guard at all
times.
first
column
kiddies movie afternoon will be presented
on December 5 at the town hall.
Association president John Balfour also
reported that all stores should be
decorated by November 15 for Christmas,
and that the Business Improvement Area
is setting up two Christmas trees and
lights in the main parks, while paying for
the hydro for the post decorations.
All stores will be open Wednesdays
starting December 5, and open nights on
December 17, 18 and December 21 to 23,
with a 6 pm closing on December 24th.
For the first time in years, a special
"Boxing Day Sale" will be held on Mon-
day, December 28, with a town -wide
promotion scheme set to go, according to
Mr. Balfour.
+ + +
It seems apt that we are talking about
freedom on a day that has been set
aside in hopes that everyone will
remember all those who sacrificed
their lives and for those who survived
but bear the physical and mental scars
of their fiehtforour freedom.
"Lest we Forget" is the Remem-
brance Day slogan ringing across the
land, and for those who do forget, the
penalty can be another war that could
end all wars. Even now the war dogs
talk of "limited" nuclear war in
Europe.
+4+'
Keep you fingers crossed, but as of
presstime, the little creatures seemed
to be under control over at Clinton
Public School and the lousy problem
has subsided, hopefully for a long time.
But lice, which are a small six -legged
insects which can infect the head or the
body, or even lower parts, have been
with us since the beginning of time, and
until the last couple of decades, out-
breaks used to be fairly common.
The tiny creatures have even
enriched our language S?Ime of which is
used every day. For instance, when
you're under the weather, you say "I'm
feeling lousy" (which of course also
describes the infestation of the insects),
or if your cursing something that's vile,
filthy or contemptible, you call it or the
person "lousy" or if it's an inferior
product you again use "lousy." But it's
also used to describe something that is
ambly supplied, such as: "the place
was just lousy with people."
Of course, when you mess something
up, you "louse it up" or the someone
who is a heel or a burn or a rat is
described as a louse. Seldom heard
anymore is the word louster, another
word derived from the little insect, to
describe someone who works very fast
and is busy all the time.
Even lice eggs, called nits, have
added something to the English
language. Everybody's used the word
"nit-picker" to describe somebody who
is over fussy, and interested in too
much detail. The word comes from
picking the little almost microscopic
"nits" out of the hair, and is aptly
applied, as it a . very tedious, time-
consuming process.
+ + +
In a story in last week's paper on the
Aimwell Unit of the Londesboro United
Church making a quilt for the hosptial
fund, it was incorre ctly reported that
the ladies would raffle off the quilt. That
is not so. The Unit gave the quilt to the
Londesboro Lions club who in turn
raffled it off. Our sincere apologies.
+ + +
A chimney fire at the Fabian
residence on High Street had the
Clinton fire fighters out in full force on
Monday evening, about 5:15. Thank-
fully, only minor damage was caused.
+ + +
Says the Main Street Wit this week:
"Probably the first national resource to
become exhausted is the Canadian
taxpayer."
cent this summer, but have since started
to fall. The rates not only discouraged new
construction, but real estate agents in
town said they nearly halted the resale of
older homes.
The resulting buyer's market has driven
prices down to where some houses have
lost up to 33 per cent on their value in the
last two years.
One older small cottage on a 40 -foot lot
sold for only $3,300 last Saturday at an
auction, while two weeks ago, bidding
could only be coaxed up to $16,000 on a
beautiful three-bedroom brick home on a
large lot on High Street. It didn't sell
because of a higher reserve price.
Vanastra is in bad shape as well, as
some good, two-bedroom homes are
trading for as low as $8,000.
But there is hope on the horizon, with
interest rates expected to drop during the
winter to the 13 per cent level by next
spring, according to one local real estate
agent.
"There's a real pent up demand for
housing, and when things turn around
there'll be a mad scramble for it," one
agent who wished to remain nameless,
said this week.
The slow -down in housing starts is a
nation-wide problem, however, with
contractors and building supply dealers -
suffering the most.
Already, a number of firms have gone
bankrupt, including Discount Dave's
Home Centres, while other stores have
closed, including Counter's Cash and
Carry in Clinton, and Ball -Macaulay in
Hensall.
Ball -Macaulay plans to keep their
Seaforth and Clinton Yards open, however.
t
Weather
1981 1980
NOVEMBER
HI
3 13
4 16
5 16
6 10
7 6
8 14
9 3.
LO HI LO
-2 15 1
-1 14 5
4 7 1
0 6.5 -3
-2 11.5 2
-2 5 -3
-3 11 1
Rain 27.2 mm
Rain 17.0 mm
1
About a dozen parents protested outside of Clinton Public School
last Thursday morning objecting to the outbreak of lice hi the
school, and demanding the school clean it up. By Wednesday of
At public school
this week, no new cases of lice infestation of the schol children
had been reported, but a public meeting is scheduled for
Thursday night. (James Fitzgerald photo)
"Lousy" problem nearly licked
By Shelley McPhee
The 412 students at Clinton Public School
were all back in class by Tuesday and
according to principal Al Taylor, the lice
problem may be under control.
Mr. Taylor reported that a check at the
school was carried out by the Huron
County Health Unit on Monday morning,
and only two students were sent home.
They returned to class on Tuesday mor-
ning after another inspection showed that
the problem had been cleared up.
The lice infestation problem which
began in the school in early September and
saw more than 80 children affected now
seems to be under control, according to
Mr. Taylor, but he stressed that the school
is still taking precautions to ensure that
another outbreak won't occur. ' Last
weekend, on the advice of county health
officials, the school was sprayed and Mr.
Taylor said that the school will be
fumigated again this weekend and the
public health unit will carry out another
head check next Monday morning.
Other preventative measures are; being
carried out at the school by the can-
cellation of all assemblies for November,
along with activities of outside groups
using the school's facilities. Children have
been isolating their jackets and coats by
hanging them on the ,back of their seats
instead of in communal cloakrooms.
With a shortage of hublic health nurses
to do frequent inspection checks, parents
are still being asked to check their
children each day and to take the proper
measures if lice, or eggs (nits) are found.
Ridding the scalp of lice and eggs requires
a four-hour procedure and a parent must
wash the child's hair with special sham-
poo, then go through it strand by,strand
with a steel comb to pick off nits. If one nit
is left on the head, warned Catherine
Walsh, director of public health nursing
for, Huron, the lice will multiply and the
infestation recurs. Parents are also ad-
vised to dry clean or wash clothing and bed
linens in hot water to kill the organisms.
More than 30 concerned Clinton parents
met with school and health officials last
Thursday and discussed the problem at a
Saturday meeting of the Huron County
Board of Education.
Croup spokesman Carol Strickland of
Clinton said the board officials denied the
parents' request to close the school, but
carried out an extensive check on children
and some parents on Monday morning
before they entered the sprayed school.
"The school's done their bit, the health
unit's done its bit and.now it's up to the
parents," Mrs. Strickland noted, in at+
tempt to break the contagious spread of
the lice between home and school.
Mrs. Strickland noted that concerned
parents have organized an information
and prevention meeting for this Thursday
night, November 12th at Clinton's Wesley -
Willis United Church at li pm. "It's up to
the people to realize that there still could
be a problem," Mrs. Strickland noted, and
urged all parents to attend.
With the countywide outbreak hitting
Clinton the hardest, Mr. Taylor suanorted
the need for further checks and extra
Seek funds for hospital
Door-to-door canvas begins here
The door-to-door canvass for the
building fund for the Clinton Public
Hospital begins later this week, as
volunteers seek to put the fund closer to its
goal of $353,000 in donations needed to pay
for the $866,000 addition. Before the sod is
even turned, the ministry of health as
decreed that the board have at least
$170,000 worth of donations in the bank.
The fund edged over the $135,000 mark
last week with the addition of a $10.000
pledge from the Clinton Lions Club.
The remainder of the cost of the addition
to the emergency facilities will be carried
by a $303,000 grant form the ministry of
health, a $110,000 grant from the county.
and $100,000 from the hospital's reserve
fund.
The medical and nursing staff are
staging a special fun variety night on
While campaign chairman Steve Cooke pain in the thermometer in the background,
hospital administrator Doug Coventry, left, accepts a $10,000 pledge from Clinton Lions
club president Gord llarkes. The fund this week reached the $135,000 mark.
November 25th at the Blyth Festival, with
all proceeds going to the building fund.
Donations to the Public Hospital
Building Fund this week include: Mrs.
Shirley Haggerty, Mr. Jack Raidt, Mr.
John R. Willock, Mr. & Mrs. Gary Haak,
Mr. & Mrs. Jim Baker, Bainton Limited,
Mrs. Velma M. Naylor, Mr. Jim Towe, Mr.
& Mrs. Brock Olde, Mrs. Jacomina
Kolkman, Mrs. Muriel M. Grigg, Mrs.
Carol G. McInnes, Mrs. Rosemary Arm-
strong.
Gerofsky Brothers Ltd., Mr. 1-
R.J.
Homuth, Dr. George S. Elliott, Mr. Alan H.
Jewson, Mrs, L. Beatrice Groves, Mr.
Oliver Steckle, Mr. Ron McKay, Mrs.
Marianne Smith, Mr. Wayne Lester, Mr.
Donald Armstrong, Mr. & Mrs. Harold
Howard. Mr. & Mrs. Jack Lee, Mr. Harold
Hartley.
Mrs. Margaret Hale. Mr. Gordon
Richardson, Mrs. May Gibson, Mr. John
W. Deeves, Mrs. Gwen Watson, Mr. John
M. Craig, Dr. Laurene 0. Paterson, Mr.
Robert Morgan, Mrs. Karyn Lippincott,
Mr. John Campbell, Mr. & Mrs. George B.
Beattie, Mr. Ernie Hovey, Mrs. Doris Red -
dock.
Mr. Doug Sinnamon, Mrs. Charlotte
Cook. Mr. & Mrs. Edward Radford, Mrs.
Winona McDougall, Mrs. Charolotte Bell,
Mrs. Louise Buttell, Mr. John Young. Mrs.
Ella Fairservice, Mrs. Alice Slorach, and
the Holmesville United Church Women,
$100.
Huronview resident s
get 810 000 grant
from NeAN. Horizon
A group of retired people at Huronview.
will receive a New Horizons grant for
$10,364 Health and Welfare Minister Moni-
que Begin announced last week.
Huronview Residents Council will ex-
pand an existing program to include sing-
songs, musical entertainment, videotaped
movies and educational material, gourmet
cooking and dining.
New Horizons is a federal government
program that offers grants to groups of
retired citizens to encourage community
participation. The program allows seniors
an opportunity to develop interests of their
own choosing and at the same time meet
local needs.
precaution and stressed, "We hope that
other groups take action to keep the
problem under controL"
rCLINTON
HOSPITAL
BUILDING
FUND
uit)
(IND
j25
C:1LLI
350
325
300
275
250
225
200
175
150
125
100
75
SO