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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-03-19, Page 1ND/01111)-TUE BAIT HELL) BUGLE NO. 12 121 YEARS WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19,1986 50 CENTS Mary Ann Chambers (left) and Gwen Johnston donned the ap- at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church. A good crowd was on hand propriate attire for the St. Patrick's Day Lunch on March 15. Irish for the occasion which was sponsored by The New Dimensions. stew, homemade bread and homemade pies highlighted the event (Anne Narejko photo) Flaws in town hall discussed By Anne Narejko CLINTON - Problems with the flush tank in the police holding cell, water seeping into a light outside the recreation department and seized humidifiers at the town hall pro- mpted council to invite architect Carlos Ventin to their March 17 meeting. After answering several questions from the councillors, Mr. Ventin said there were no major problems and everything would be looked after. The first question posed to Mr. Ventin con- cerned the.lack"of water for the flush tank located in the police department's holding cell. A pipeline had been pinched but the ex- act location location of the problem was not known. In order to rectify the situation, the area housing the pipe would have to be dug up or a pressurized tank holding the water be put in. Dennis Vass, the project engineer, attend- ed the council meeting with Mr. Ventin and explained the problem could be insufficient water pressure. He also added, "the mechanical consultant (R.A. Egan) should handle it." According to bylaw enforcement officer Murray Taylor, there is adequate pressure but the volume of water was not coming through. Councillor Cochrane then told Mr. Vass that a new tank has been placed higher so the gravity will help bring the water down. "It's working justfine," he said. The new tank had an approximate cost of $250 which should be paid for by Mr. Egan. Another concern council had was the humidifers. After only one year, a hole has been eaten through the plastic. A reason for this occurring was not given to council, but Mr. Ventin said he will get Mr. Egan to han- dle it. - "If he doesn't live up to his responsibility, I will have to. You have a contract with me, not him," said Mr. Ventin. Councillor Ross Carter questioned Mr. Ventin on the seepage of water into the light located outside the recreation office at the library. "There's a light on the library on the out- side wall that water leaks in...It could be dangerous," he said. Mr. Ventin explained it was a "straight design problem" and could be fixed easily. Storage And Sound Councillor Carter hesitated before asking Mr. Ventin where the storage for the chairs was. "I know we first discussed putting them under the stage but that was impossible because of fire regulations. Then it was said up on top of the wings. How are you suppose Federal budget program is bad for all the farmers By Stephanie Levesque Farmers are getting a snow job on commodity -based mortgages as proposed in the recent federal budget says the head of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture. "Trust me, it's no good," said Harry Pelissero who was in Huron County last week to kick off the county federation's an- nual membership blitz. He had attended a couple of kitchen meetings earlier in the day to hear the con- cerns of farmers in Huron. As generally is the case these days, the financial outlook in the agriculture community received high priority at these meetings. Pelissero said the announcement in the budget about commodity -based mortgages would see the loan principal tied to the in- dividual farmer's commodity price. Those qualified for this, a small number says the OFA president, would receive the loan at a six per cent interest rate. The catch comes though, said Pelissero, in the fact that the principal is tied to com- modity prices, not the interest rate. He ex- plained that, as an example, if a farmer had a commodity -based mortagage with an original principal of $76,000, that could in- crease to $102,000 if commodity prices go up. "It only becomes a quote unquote "sub- sidy" if tilt- pessimistic approach is taken' and commodity prices go down," said Pelissero. The president said fanners would also be penalized ifthey dropped out of the pro- gram. He did note that federal agriculture minister John Wise assured the Canadian Federation of Agriculture that no action would be taken on this proposal until some points are straightened out. There are also external factors affecting farmers here in Ontario. Pelissero said the United States' farm bill would see a 10 per cent decline on Canadian farmers' net farm income. "All of a sudden, agriculture policy affec- ting us is not being set within Canadian borders," he said. The only optimisim he sees in the farm community is the drawing together of peo- ple. The federation, he says, is one of the organizations that has drawn people together during these rough financial times. "As a group, we lobby to tell the story of farming. And more than ever, people need to be told that story now. The timing is right to tell the' story," he said. The OFA president said the FARM AID concert last year and another proposed for this year are indicators of what is happening in the farm community. "When we start holding benefit concerts for farmers in North America, we know we're in trouble," said Pelissero. In its membership blitz, the ' county federationis looking for 80 new members said Bob Harrison of Rit 1, Monkton. The chairman of the membership coittr;- mittee, Harrison, said alt townships in the county were seourea (rain Mar 11 to 14. The federation set otit with 1,826 members. , N.,A9• TAI, ARCA ups municipality levy by 10 per cent a year The Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority wants 10 per cent more money from its member municipalities this year, and 10 per cent a year for the following four years. The goal is to have 20 per cent of the authority's annual budget paid locally and the rest paid by the provincial ministry of natural resources, said ABCA general - manager Tom Prout. ABCA's 1986 budget was approved at the 40th annual meeting of the full authority on Feb. 28. The authority expects to spend $1.4 million with $174,350 to be raised locally. Last year, $158,435 came from the municipalities. This represents a 10 per cent increase. Mr. Prout said the annual 10 per cent in- crease will enable the authority to depend less and less on provincial dollars. He does stress that 20 per cent is, the maximum amount the municipalities will have to pay. The general manager expressed concern for projects that may have to be cut because of less provincial dollars. "We won't be able to plant as many trees. And we've already done that," said Mr. Prout. ,He added that $100,000 had already been ct from the budget before it was brought to the full authority meeting. • The 1986 levy works out to a per capita cost of $4.11, what the general -manager call- ed the price of a meal at a fast food outlet. The province, in its regular support grants, will give the authority $443,867 plus a supplementary grant of $223,288. User fees are expecteed to bring in $219,370 in revenue and the sale of goods, including property, is slated to bring in $77,800. The rest of the revenue comes through employment programs. Most of the budget is earmarked for water and related land management. For 1986, $616,200 has been budgeted for this area. Breaking down that section further, $111,000 will be spent in the area of capital projects. A total of $60,000 has been budgeted for erosion control at the Nairn Cemetery in East Williams Township. A smaller erosion control project budgeted at $40,000 will take place along the Bayfield River. The continuation of a flood warning - forecasting system will carry on this year with $11,000 in the budget to do so. The authority also expects to do $80,000 in surveys and studies. The largest study is flood plain mapping in Bosanquet, Stephen, and McGillivray Townships. Administration is the next largest area of expenditure. AECA has budgeted $313,856 which includes $211,350 for wages and benefits. The conservation and recreation land management has a budget of $100,650 for the coming year. Over half, $58,600, will be spent in improving the conservation areas. The authority ended last year with a deficit of $236,588 because it decided to go ahead with both phase one and two of the Port Franks river management program. This cost was offset by $225,541 set aside in a reserve in 1984. Catholic school board ends this fiscal year in black to get them up there?" he questioned. Mr. Ventin said the stage could be fireproofed and the chair put there but never gave an answer as to where the pre- sent storage space is located. A problem which has been discussed since the town hall was first finished was another question put forth by Councillor Carter. "I Want to know about the vibration and sounds from upstairs. What is between here (the lower floor ceiling) and there? I can understand the vibrations but not the sound," he said. According to Mr. Ventin, the sound is directly proportional to the mass. `SIf you want to eliminate the sound, take away the wood and use concrete. The only way to ab- sorb it is to put concrete in." The repainting of the stage in the town hall auditorium was the final question put to Mr. Ventin. Because the stage has been bad- ly scratched through use, it is in need of be- ing resurfaced or repainted. Mr. Ventin ex- plained a special type of paint is needed, therefore he will forward the specifics to council. All of the matters brought forward by council will be looked after by Mr. Ventin. By Stephanie Levesque Last year was a better than, expected financial year for the Huron -Perth Roman Catholic separate school board. "It turned out to be very favorable," superintendent of business and finance Jack Lane told the Mar. 10 meeting of the school board. The school board had a total budget of $9.4 million for last year, but ended up spending only $9.1 million realizing a savings of over $300,000. The Catholic school board faced debts last year for the additions to three schools, Precious Blood in Exeter, St. Joseph's in Clinton and Sacred Heart in Wingham. However, the portion of the salary increases that the teachers gave up as well as the pro- ceeds from the $500,000 debenture sold, money used to finance the additions, have, cut the unfinanced portion of the capital fund. The Ministry of Education didn't pro- vide any funding for the additions. • "You have no long term liabilities except for the debentures," Lane told trustees. .. The financing has also left the school board with a $170,000 reserve fund. The business superintendent said this will be kept for the proposed addition at St. Boniface in Zurich. That addition is to house the children who will be coming from Ecole Ste. Marie in September of 1987. Also, $279,100 planned for roof replacements last year was not approved by the provincial education ministry ,which would have funded most of the project. But, these roof replacements have been given the green light for this year. Not doing the roof replacements is the reason the school board was under budget, Lane said. The school board also spent less on ICON computers, $50,000 less than the'$204,795 in- itially expected. However, that will be back up this year, said the superintendent. The board has a five year plan to put ICON com- puters in all of its schools on a permanent basis. Both Lane and his assistant, Randy Brown, were applauded by the board because of the * under budget financial statement. Foundation :wants closer ties with Huron County Museum the foundation is able to meet routine ex- penses such as heat, light and maintenance. The only restored residence in the coun- ty is looking for a close relationship with the museum and professional guidance and administrative assistance. The county agreed "in principle" with the working relationship. The museum's project director, Claus Breede will con- tinue to meet with the foundation to work out how the two groups can set up the rela- tionship. The Van Egmond Iouse Foundation is looking for closer ties with the Huron County Pioneer Museum. As the museum gears up for its major capital project, the reconstruction of the museum building, the foundation has ap- proached Huron County council's museum committee with the idea of working together. The Van Egmond house, located in Egmondville south of Seaforth, receives about 900 visitors a year. It was noted that the mortgage on the house is paid off and Budget to bepresented Huron County council will be presenting its 1986 budget at a special meeting 'this Friday, Mar. 21. The various departments have already presented their individual budgets for the coming year. All have been subject to final approval of the entire county budget. When considering the budget, county council will also have to make a decision regarding renovations at Huronview, home for the aged, south of Clinton. children showed at the Hayfield Doucette perform "1p A `free", a free puppet show sponsored by A large crowdane of Tuesdaysted ch rni up r h ' Huron CountyLibrary. (Joanne Buchanan photo) Library Branch on Tuesday rrtnrning, March 11 to watch Marian tt e