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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1983-11-16, Page 1t 3 0 0, THE HE BA Y F IEIJI) U GLE THE LYTH STANDARD cents _No. 46 Wednesday, November 16, 1983 ll8t year Merchants split on pedlar issue, they see both sides of controversy By Shelley McPhee CLINTON -A random survey conducted by the Clinton News -Record this week shows that Clinton merchants are split on the issue of whether door-to-door salespeople, house parties, hawkers and pedlars should be licenced to sell wares in Clinton. The issue has been discussed in-depth at the Clinton Council table after Mayor Chester Archibald received complaints from two Clinton business people who voiced their concern over such sales. The Ontario Municipal Act and a bylaw in Clinton permits council to ask people who sell goods and whose names do not appear on the business assessment roll, to purchase a $100 licence fee before commencing their trade. Recently the bylaw has been enforced on one occasion and Mayor Archibald has said that it may be used again. All 12 Clinton merchants surveyed in the recent poll felt that the licencing was a controversial and difficult issue that could be hard to regulate. Five of the 12 polled firmly believed that an door-to-door salespeople should be required to purchase a business licence. They felt that since the majority of Clinton business people paid business taxes, it should be mandatory for others to pay a fee as well. One businessman commented, "Everyone should be treated the same. If you're selling, you're selling. Everyone should have a licence to sell." Another noted, "They should pay their own way too." One merchant said that there should be some controls but didn't know how it could be regulated. He suggested assessing each pedlar on their revenues. Others simply stated that door-to-door salespeople could harm established Clinton businesses as well as the community. On the no side of the issue, five merchants believed that the issue would be too difficult to control and that a controversy could harm the business community. Three merchants said they could see both sides of the issue and noted that some pealars provide a needed service to local people. "Where do they draw the line?" one merchant asked. "How can they stop it?" another said. "This has been going on for years. They can walk in here and take away our business but how can we fairly control it." Another opposer noted, "If a merchant can't compete then they shouldn't be in business." He also noted that people should realize that Clinton merchants pay more than just businek taxes. They have paid BIA taxes to finance a beautification core area project and they support local efforts, like sports and the Clinton Public Hospital. Two suggested that if they felt their businesses were being threatened by door- to-door sales, they might see the issue dif- ferently. • Two Clinton stores polled had no com- ment. Both said that they had not been. following the issue. Council okays subdivision plan CLINTON - William Kotar has been given Clinton Council's permission to rezone 5.7 hectares of land from general industrial use to accommodate a residential subdivision. A public meeting was held on Nov. 7 to discuss the proposed zoning amendment. Legislation under the new Planning Act requires all zoning changes to be disetissed at an open meeting, howevO, Mr. Kotar's proposal brought little oomph, nt or interest and only one concerned Clintonian attei ded. Wayne Caldwell of the Huron County Planning office, also attendee the. rn eting and explained the zoning change. Involving land between the Bayfield Road and King Street, the change will see a zoned industrial area become single family residential, multiple family residential and general commercial areas. The proposal is not a new one and ac- cording to Mr. Kotar, the amendment was discussed three or four years ago. Mr. Caldwell suggested that council and Mr. Kotar study the subdivision develop- ment agreement and discuss the servicing of the area before passing a zoning amen- dment bylaw, however Mayor Chester Archibald said that council should try to help Mr. Kotar proceed with his plan, not put up any delays. "There always seems to be a block in Mr. Kotar's way somehow," Mayor Archibald, stated. "It seems he's been going around Clinton in circles for some now." He further noted that by passing _ the bylaw, council would not be obligating itself to the development agreement. That portion of the subdivision, now being studied by Ontario Housing, will be discussed by council in the future. Councillor Charlie Burgess asked what the effects of the subdivision would be on the already limited sewage disposal plant. Mayor Archibald said that this addition has already been approved by the government. One concerned citizen, Jim Baker, questioned where the subdivision street would exit. He was satisifed to hear that it would be located between Bond and Walker Streets and wouldn't meet either of these directly. Mr. Baker said he was concerned that'jf the street met Bond or Walker it could create a traffic hazard. He noted that there. areny small children in that area of town and the streets "tend to be a raceway." Tlij proposed subdivision will include 33 singli'e family 'units, a park, a multiple, residential area for row fiousing or apal ,e • ment use and a block of commercial land. • With council's approval, the zoning amendment will now be circulated: to all property owners within 400 feet. They have 20 days to respond and objections may be discussed with council. If they aren't resolved, objections must be submitted to the ministry of housing and discussed at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing. Town hall needs old iron railing The roof of the Clinton town hall was once graced by ornamental iron railing and restoration work hopes to reproduce that original item with help from the public. Anyone who would like to donate old iron railing to the town hall project is asked to contact the town clerk's office. This type of donation project is similar to ones run in other municipalities. Aylmer, for instance, conducted donation drives in the restoration Jennifer Tyndall and Cberilyn Bylsma were Christmas shopping on Saturday at the Ontario Street United Church bazaar. The camera caught the two friends sampling perfume. (Shelley McPhee photo) work of their town hall. In the past week the scaffolding and barriers in front of the town hall have been removed and Clintonians are now able to take a close look at the renovation work on the 103 -year old town hall. Building com- mirtee member Mayor Chester Archibald reports that the Ontario Heritage Foun- dation has determined the design for the front entrance of the town hall since they are granting $200,000 to the project. In other work, five stained glass windows have been completed and the elevator foundation has been poured. The library entrance will be finished with interlocking red brick instead of sidewalk cement. By opting for the bricks, the library may be opened sooner and if council chooses to put concrete sidewalk in, the bricks can be removed and used around the town hall. Council received a letter from the County Clerk's office advising that up to $20,300 has been approved for interior renovations to the library. The money will be paid to Clinton over four years, beginning in 1984. The muncipal office in the town hall will feature electrical servicing for the future accommodation of computers. The old vault will be serviced and a new lock mechanism installed. As well a small wall safe, costing approximately $750, will be built into the existing vault. Approved for payment at Clinton Council were the following town hall -library ac- counts, to architect C.A. Ventin, $5,599; to the engineering firm of B.M. Ross and Associates, $12,962 for supervision of the construction program. rel y icy roar The first major snowfall of the season, on Nov. 11, caused many motor vehicle ac- cidents throughout the area, resulting in injuries and thousands of dollars in damages. The Goderich OPP reported a number of accidents over the past week due to icy road conditions in the Clinton area. On Nov. 11, a single -vehicle accident on County Road 25, west of County Road 8 sent Michael Van Dongen, 17, of RR 1 Auburn to Goderich Hospital with major injuries, Van Dongen was eastbound on County Road 25 when he lost control of the 1981 Ford pick-up he was driving on the icy road surface. The truck then slid into a guard post and bridge wall. Damage was estimated at $1,000 to the truck and $120 to the guard post and bridge. Also on Nov. 11 an accident on Highway 4 ut tru . k eras north of canton, caused a total of 81,800. William Manning, .i, of Blyth was nor- thbound turning into The China Palace Restaurant parking lot when a collision occurred with James Anstett, 17, of Walkerton, who wa8 also northbound. The Goderich OPP said the two vehicles collided because of the icy road conditions. There were no injuries and damage was estimated at $800 to the Manning car and $1,000 to the Anstett vehicle. On Nov. 14, Rose Boyce, 46, of Goderich escaped injury when her 1977 Chev Station Wagon struck a deer on Highway 8, just north of Holmesville. Damage was estimated at $500 to the left - front of the vehicle. The deer was killed in the mishap. Despite the snow and freezing temperatures Clintonians gathered at the town cenatoph on Nov. 11 to honor the war dead. Legion Poppy Chairman Gord Tait and Silver Cross Mother Retta County will produce 1983 edition Robinson laid wreaths in honor of those who laid down their lives. ( Shelley McPhee photo) Huron atlas to mark bicentennial BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE A 1983 historical atlas will be Huron County's bi-centennial project. County Council, at its November session, agreed to go ahead with the project to recognize the bi-centennial year in Ontario. Rev. Ross Cummings of Mitchell, whose publishing firm prepared a similar project for Perth County in 1982, suggested that Huron publish about 2,000 copies of an ap- proximately 154 -page book containing cur- rent information about the county. To put the project together, the county will apply for funding under the Ontario Career Action Plan (OCAP) which would pay 100 per cent of the salaries for two students to carry out the compiling of the atlas. The 1984 atlas will be similar to the 1879 atlas in that county residents will be able to participate by having information about them in the directory. When the project was done in Perth it cost $30 for individuals or families to be placed in the patrons' direc- tory. Also, the county and individual municipalities will be able to purchase a page or two at approximately $200 per page, to record the history of their municipality. The Mitchell publisher said it cost about $48,000 in 1982 to publish the Perth atlas and a profit of about $10,000 was realized. "A lot of organization is involved and co- operation from historical societies, Women's Institutes and local councils is needed," said chief librarian Bill Partridge. The chief librarian said it is hoped that the atlas will be published by September 1984 in time for selling during the Christmas season. He indicated that he had received positive comments from the people of Perth on that county's historical atlas. Mr. Cummings concurred, noting that while mistakes were made there were generally rave reviews. "Others crucified us for making mistakes,' commented Mr. Cummings, nothing that one young Perth County bachelor had accepted with a sense of humor that fact that he was given a family. Most county councillors agreed with hav- ing the atlas as a bi-centennial project. Mr. Cummings added that the compilation of in- formation should be done within the space of a few months. Mr. Partridge noted that the individual municipal histories need not be long. "Not only do they have to write the history, but they have to pay for the page," commented Mr. Partridge. Vanastra School under board's watchful eye as declining enrolment may affect its future Three elementary schools in Huron Coun- ty will come under close scrutiny to see if they are "educationally viable" because of continued declining enrolment. The Huron County Board of Education on Nov. 7 approved studies of school accom- modation at Hensall Public School, J.A.D. McCurdy Public School in Huron Park and Vanastra Public School. "The emphasis we want to take is of a thorough educational evaluation," said director of education Robert Allan. He ex- plained that costs would not be the only thing considered in the reviews. The first action to be taken by the ex- ecutive committee is to hold public meetings at the three elementary schools. From these public meetings, accommoda- tion review committees made up of two parents, two citizens, the trustee for the area, one other trustee appointed by the board chairman, a superintendent, the prin- cipal, a teacher and a member of the local municipal council, will be formed. Each committee will have five months to prepare a report for the board's executive commit- tee. If a decision to close any of the schools is made by the board on the basis of the report, the school will remain open for one year from the time of the decision. Statistics show that Hensall's Sept. 30 enrolment stood at 125 puPils, while " the minimum effective enrolment" is 145 pupils. J.A.D. McCurdy's Sept. 30 enrolment was 202 pupils while its minimum effective enrolment is 2013 pupils and Vanastra's Sept. 30 enrolment was 92 pupils with a minimum effective enrolment of 109 students. A school's minimum effective enrolment is the number of students which should be in the school to operate efficiently. While a fourth school's enrolment, F.E. Madill Secondary school in Wingham, fell below the minimum enrolment, the board's executive comrnittee noted "it would be un- timely" to form review committee. The school's actual enrolment on Sept. 30 was 949 pupils whereas the minimum expected is 978. The board's accommodation report shows it is more expensive to run these three elementary schools than the system average of $187.30 per pupil. At Hensall Public School, the per pupil cost is 8229.30. If "exceptional" costs - such as transportation - are added the per pupil cost is $267.19. Hensall, with its current enrolment of 125 students, is expected to continue the downward trend with a pro- jected enrolment of 118 students by 1988. J.A.D. McCurdy Public School has a per pupil cost of $191.41. Adding the exceptional costs brings the per pupil cost to $312.01. This school's enrolment is expected to re- main fairly constant over the next five years with 1988 enrolment projected at 200 students compared to its present enrolment of 202 students. Vanastra has the highest per pupil cost of the three schools. The figure stands at $478.92 per student with no exceptional costs noted in the boards's report. This school's enrolment will also remain fairly constant from its present enrolment of 92 pupils. The projected l s ,.:, figure increases the enrol- ment to 93 pupils. Mr. Allan said the committee will con- sider three key elements in preparing its report : "The needs of the children, the needs of the community and costs."