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Clinton News-Record, 1984-08-15, Page 1O z E• G a Mayor "opposes extra By Shelley McPhee C F NTON - In a move which he later, exp ined as his opposition to any furl e . spending on the town hall • restoratI,,�! proljeet, Clinton Mayor Chester Archrba d , offered his resignation at August 13 town council meeting. In the height of ( a heated discussion between council and members of the town hall steering committee the mayor stated, "What's done is done. I'm fed up." He walked out of the council, chambers, later returning momentarily toffer his resignation. In an interview the following afternoon, Mayor Archibald said he had decided against resignation and would fulfill his term as mayor of Clinton, "I've followed this thing (town hall -library restoration) through to the best of my ability and tried to keep costs down. It was a council decision to complete the town hall auditorium renovation work and I felt that was as far as we could go. All the extra costs finally got me down. I didn't want to be any part of any more extras," he explained. Construction concerns Tempers flared at the August 13 meeting when councillors and members of the town hall steering committee met to hash out problems with the town hall auditorium. Lack of communication and construction limitations with washrooms, acoustics, the balcony and stage were cited as the main areas of concern by steering committee chairman Roy Wheeler. He told council that the committee had been formed tp, "promote and enctourge the use of the Clinton Town Hall by F. Ons' and visitors of Clinton," but this rri data, could not be fulfilled because difficulties with physical details auditorium as well as decision malt co-operation. Mr. Wheeler told council, "The comm'~ittee requires immediate action in addressing these concerns . ii order to fulfill their mandate...the auditorium must be perceived as a building of the public rather than a building of town council. Since the town hall steering committee • is a representation of the Clinton public, town council must listen to - and act upon recommendations of this committee." Mayor Archibald told Mr. Wheeler that the committee was going beyond its mandate by making requests for physical changes in the auditorium construction. He said that when council approved the formation of the committee, it was designed to work with the existing building. He stressed, "The committee was set up to take what we have and work with it." In his presentation to council, Mr. Wheeler emphasized that, his committee would resign if no action was taken. The steering committee members believe that the auditorium air ventilation duct work has been poorly located. The system is situated on the stage rear wall, starting six - and -a -half feet above the stage and jutting out two feet. Committee member Reg Thompson told council that -the resulting stage area is 9 feet by 4 feet. He noted, "It's just enough for a speaking stage, but not enough for a ,performing stage." Mr. Wheeler said that the duct work will eliminate 20 people from the stage. Councillor Ross Carter commented on the restricted area on and off stage and noted, "Moving of the stage sets will be a failure in there." Deputy Reeve Frank Van Altenapointed out that when final work is done, the ventilation system won't be visible and it will be covered with curtains. Bylaw. enforcement officer Murray Taylor noted that it would cost thousands of dollars to reroute the system. Building limitations Mayor Archibald said, "The duct work is there and there's nothing you can do about it...it's there and we have to live with it." He agreed that the stage space is limited, but reminded committee members, "we're working with an existing building." Another committee member, Jo Winter, said that the auditorium washroom facilities could not accommodate a wheelchair. While the washroom area itself is large, Mrs. Winter said she measured the entrance and the width of a wheelchair and found, "there's no possible way -a wheelchair can go in." According to architect C.A. Ventin, the washroom • measurements , meet building code requirements but Councillor Carter noted, "the measurements are minimum. It's not standard. It's the minimum space to get the wheelchair in." In an interview with Mayor Archibald, he said that wheelchairs had been taken tathe auditorium that morning and they did meet the requirements. The mayor said that the steering committee was questioning architect C.A. Ventin's ability and understanding and he noted, "I'm very certain he has a clear understanding...he's been architect on many rebuilding projects. He's not going to leave himself open to any criticism or lawsuits by circumventing the. building code." Steering committee members also voiced concern about the acoustic quality of the auditorium, the balcony area, stage storage space and auditorium bar. • No Grand Theatre However, one member, took a different • point of view. John Balfour said he wished he had- the 'opportunity to speak before the mayor walked out of the meeting. "The mayor is correct," Mr; Balfour told, councillors and committee members. "What you see is what you get and that's what you work with. The physical make-up is none of .our business and we shouldn't. spend any more money at this late. date. We're into a hassle here that shouldn't' occur. It's none of our business." He added, "We're not building a Grand Theatre in London. We're building 'a community centre in the upstairs of a town hall." Mr. Balfour said his views represented "the minority of the steering committee" • but he felt that his group was formed to.. prepare the grand opening of the town hall. Councillors Bee Cooke and John Deeves noted that originally no completion plans had been scheduled for the town hall auditorium. However, when council learned that it would be less expensive to finish the work now instead of at a later date, approval was given. When asked about washroom limitations of licensing the hall, Councillor Cooke noted, "We really didn't have enough money to plan to facilitate a licenced hall." Washroom facilities can accommodate 200. With a liquor license the usage is reduced to 133. The steering committee said it was not aware of this limitation. "The architect has the authority to change the plans without the building committee?" Mrs. Winter asked. "We're not hired help, to be there 24 hours a day," Councillor Cooke answered. "I admit, everything's not perfect but at least we tried." - Mr. Thompson suggested that the town hall was not the "Hoover Dam" and "some problems could be remedied now." Councillor Cooke reminded - him of financial limitations. Councillor Jim Hunter said he had listened to the discussion and heard "animosity and hostility...but basically everyone wants the town hall to be used." Fe added, "The cause of our concerns is thearchitect: Can doorways be widened? Is the balcony re -enforced? Why is the duct Turn to page 2 res up sli htl in :Tuckersmith n y By*line Oke TUCKERSMI,TH TWP. - Council has ap- proved its 1984 budget of $2,114,838, up $580 over the actual expenditures made in 1983. A public school supporter in the. township with an average assessment of $3,000, farm and residential, with no urban service charges, will this year pay taxes of $693, up $50 over 1983. 4 separate school supporter with the same lssessment will pay taxes of $691, up $45 over 1983. Expenditures in 1984 include the County of Huron levy of $183,080 up from $167,522 in 1983.. The Huron County elementary school levy is set at $257,445, up from last year's levy of $238,763; and secondary school levy of $247,277 up from $232,780; and the Huron - Perth County. Roman Catholic Separate School Board levy of $46,990, up from $43,710 in 1983. Other expenditures in 1984 ( with 1983 in brackets 1 are: general government, $141,000 ($98,652); protection to persons and property, $60,888 ($87,178); Roads, $392,800 ($445,217) ; sanitation and waste removal, $66,349. ($40,103); Day Care at Vanastra, $124,344 ($117,157); recreation and com- munity services, $187,655 ($85,040) ; building inspector, $6.,053 ($5,689); financial charges such as bank charges, debt charges and taxes written off, $230,457 ($277,885); Egmondville water, $5,500 ($4,399); ww•. a, Brucefielrl 'water; $5;0061$4,476 6> ;"`antis( water, $160,000 ($164,686). Tuckersmith Council ended 1983 with a surplus of $7,000, compared to a deficit of $60,000 in 1982; which was picked up during 1983. • Last month Tuckersmith received an un- conditional grant of $132,000 as requested by council on "unusual circumstances" because of unpaid taxes on 10 tax "registra- tion properties at Vanastra, including the large red brick building,, the ;former radar school and some apartment buildings. The grant covers water and sewage levies as well: A research centre to study the effects of hydroponics and 'artificial lighting . is to locate this fall at Vanastra. Mike Robertson of Pure Greens Ltd. of London has purchas- ed a vacant three-storey apartment building on Lot 198, Registered Plan 131 for the research centre. Council will advertise its intentions to pass a bylaw changing the pro- perty from high density residential to restricted industrial subJect to approval of Huron County Council. Lettuce is to be grown in the third story of the building which will have an air -inflated polyethylene bubble replacing part of the roof. Mr. Robertson stated that he is hoping to have over 1,000 lettuce a week coming out of the building by November 1%, Rees R,ol* rt Bell- preseriterl Allan Nicholson, Road Superintendent with a cer- tificate and seal for completion of the Effec- tive Management course at the Anderson Road School at Guelph during a three-day school last May. Mr. Nicholson has com- pleted 14 courses at the University of Guelph. during the past years. •, Reeve Robert Bell presented the township plaque to Bonnie Turner of R.R. 4, Seaforth, the young Tuckersmith student at Central Huron Secondary School, Clinton, who won the Dominion Essay Contest sponsored by the Royal Canadian Legion this year. Council gave first reading to a bylaw to designate the stone posts and gates at Lane E at Vanastra as of architectural and historical value. The entrance is to be restored at an estimated cost of $2,000 with a grant from the Ontario Heritage Foundation to help cover costs. This is the former en- trance to the Canadian Forces Base at Vanastra, however this entrance is closed as it is deemed to be on a dangerous hill traffic -wise. Two requests for tile drainage loans were approved for a total of $19,900. Passed for payment were the following accounts: Day Care at Vanastra, $5,308.40; Vanastra recreation centre, $12,597.24; roads, $44,206.90•; and general accounts $75,625.22 for a total of $137,737.76. Huron -Perth Separate. School teachers gave up a three per cent salary increase earlier this summer to help finance school additions, like the one at St. Joseph's Separate School in Clinton. Construction of the new gymnasium is part of the $135,000 building project at Clinton and schools in Exeter and Wingham. (Rod Hilts photo) Huron residents back museum renovations The majority of people present at a public meeting concerning the future of the Huron County Pioneer Museum would like the building to be renovated and left at its present site. A second public meeting was held after complaints were made about the first meeting not being publicized well enough. Last Wednesday, approximately 45 people attended the meeting held at the Goderich Township Community Centre. Museum consultants Chris Borgal, an architect from Blyth; Claus Breed, an archeologist and the director of the Brace; County ,Museum; .and. Fnr k eWtlma ashotmnanaeagemer.4th;e.cfo ns sutlbtilia study which. ,. the museum is "undergoing. Dave Johnston, Reeve of. Bayfield and Chairman of the Agricultural and Property Committee of County Council chaired the meeting. The museum consultants will be handing in a list of recommendations to the Agricultural and Property Committee who, in turn, will make recommendations to County Council. The Ministry of Citizenship and Culture established. an upgrading program which includes 225 of the 600 museums in Ontario. The program was originally set up as a five to six-year phase project to insure that all valuable artifacts are housed in the proper conditions. The first phase. of the project instructed museums to prepare a statement of purpose. 'This statement was to tell the Ministry, why the museum existed. The second phase was a s_ol-lections policy explaining what artifacts they do have. The next step was a conservationpolicy stating how the artifacts are looked after. The final phase is to look at how the museum has implemented what they have said would be done. As Breede stated, "Next year the bluff is up. You either produce or get kicked out of the program." (The At both the first and second meeting, the Ministry of Citizenship ,and Culture funds public expressed its feelings about the value approximately 30 per cent of the museums ---of the building which houses the museum. operating costs.) The Ministry has also set up guidelines for space allocation. At the present time, the Huron County Pioneer Museum has nine per cent of its space used for storage. The Ministry's goal is 38 percent so the group doing the study is proposing 28.5 per cent of the space be used for storage. Approximately 89 per cent of the building is now being Used to display the artifacts. The Ministry's goal is 35 per cent but the recommendation will be 58.5 -per cent. Council. The reason for having a limited display area is simply to allow for rotation of the artifacts, giving the visitors a variety, and hopefully bringing them back. Problems facing the Pioneer Museum include environmental control for the artifacts and structual deficiencies. The attendance .has also been declining, dropping from a. peak of 25,000 in 1970 to 12,000 in 1983. In order to preserve the artifacts, it is necessary to keep them in an atmosphere which has a constant temperature. "At y the Hnuon . County Museum the temperatiti ,is ..utt ol3trolled ., .,When {its rwi ptsifle;_ it's-wi tter inside. When. it's ' huinid outside, it's hurrud nside," explained Breede. To cut the costs, micro -environmental control (control only areas which contain artifacts which need a constant temperature) is being looked at. The structual problems include the entire second floor being closed because it is unsafe. It also has a lack of proper fire exits. Borgal stated that there is only one fire exit in the building which meets the fire code standards. For a building which is 41,000 square feet, there should be approximately four exits on each floor. A new concept that was int0oduced at the meeting was establishing various satellite museums within Huron County. For example, visitorsmay arrive half an hour early when they attend the Blyth Summer Festival. If some artifacts which relate to . the play were on display, people could pass the time by looking at the exhibits. The three options that the study group has to,.,work with are: leave the museum at its present location in Goderich on North Street and renovate; construct a new building on the present site; or move the Huron County Museum outside of Goderich. They felt the 1856 building was in itself a major artifact, and to lose it would be losing a lot. They also stated that they would like to see the Museum remain in Goderich as Goderich attracts more tourists: Borge, Breede and Wolman will be making out a detailed report in the near future with ,their recommendations. This report will be submitted to the Agricultural and Property Committee, who will then make their recommendations to County Biyth Festival fun , A huge audience enjoyed the free showing of the production Cue for Treason in the Blyth Lions' Park last weekend. The play was staged by the Blyth Festival Young People's Workshop and was a part of the Blyth Festival's 10th anniversary celebrations. (Rod Hilts photo) Last Saturday, the Blyth Festival held a Country Fair and celebrated 10 years of success with a reunion. Pictured is a pretty lady serving up' some hot dogs for the hungry guests. (Rod Hilts photo) w entre won't be ready until 1985 or early '86 The completion date Jor renovations at the Bluewater Centre, which is planned to. be turned into a correctional facility for young offenders, has been pushed back to late 1985 or early 1986. The Minister of Correctional Services, Nicholas G. Leluk, sent a letter to Goderich town council informing them that the centre should be in operation by late next year. The original completion date for the centre was April, 1985. Leluk al$o said in his letter that the ministry planned to make a presentation to the Management Board of Cabinet by the end of July. The provincial Cabinet board must approve the ministry's plans to use the Bluewater Centre in Goderich to ,accommodate 16 and 17year old offenders. The Ministry of Correctional Services was assigned the responsibility to look after offenders of these ages in April 1984 with the passage of the Young Offenders Act. .. Carl De Grandis, manager responsible for implementing the Young Offenders' Act in the t'egion, said that the ministry made an initial presentation to Cabinet yesterday, Tuesday, August 7. He said the ministry may have to meet again with the Cabinet board next Tuesday, but the board's decisions on the ministry proposal should be made soon. Leluk continues in his letter that upon approval of their" plans by the Cabinet board, the ministry will meet with the present and former staff of the Centre to discuss employment opportunities. The ministry will also hold a public • meeting in Goderich to present the plans to the community. Leluk's letter was in reply to a request by town council to hold a meeting with ministry officials to find out about the ministry's plans dealing with Bluewater Centre, and to impress upon the ministry the concerns of council that plans be. finalized as soon as possible. Leluk earlier replied' that, since the plans were not yet approved, it would be pointless to meet with the town coun The workers who have remained at the Bluewater Centre have not been notified themselves as to the extent of possible renovations. There has been a staff change at the centre however. Just last week, the centre changed security staff, and the four security guards from CORE.rtecurity have been replaced by Burns International.