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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-08-13, Page 177, VOSIMISUGSMISMailil No. 33 121 YI ARS WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1986 50 CENTS ALGA may get involved in -lakeshore erosion work that funding will be included in the authority's 1987 budget. Bayfield Councillor Jim Quick said, "The cost would be insignificant." The municipality's representative on the ABCA, Councillor Quick advised council to support the proposal in principle. He said that he would further investigate the plan in his ongoing work with erosion control for the village. In discussion regarding other erosionycon- • trol work inn the municipality, Bayfield Clerk Pat Graham was instructed by council to find out if the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will help fund the cost of laying ar- mor stone at the Bayfield Harbor. ` Councillor Quick .reported to council that: he had secured a price of $1,400 for two truck loads of the stone. One load would be dumped on the south side of the south pier. The store would help break the wave action and woId prevent the waves from cutting into the ier. The second load would be plac- ed alon the south beach to help stop wave damage where it is eating into the foot of the road. Councillor Quick advised having the work done before the damaging winter storms. Clerk Graham was instructed to report back to council with his findings. By. Shelley McPhee-Haist BAYFIELD - Council here has given its support in principle to a proposal by the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA) to do studies on Lakeshore erosion. For Bayfield Council, the ABCA proposal may answer some serious concerns that have been raised in recent months. Current- ly the ABCA jurisdiction only involves the waterways that enter into Lake Huron. Unlike theneighboring group, The Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, the ABCA has not been involved in erosion control or studies along the lakebank itself. Bayfield Council has criticized the ABCA. in the past for its lack of involvement in the . shoreline work, however the 'authority is aiming to change that. The ABCA is currently looking at a pro- posal to map the flood and erosion areas along the lakeshore in its jurisdiction; Five municipalities, including Bayfield, would be involved and the estimated cost of the project has been set at $90,000. The ABCA has proposed that 90 per cent of the cost can be funded through government grants, with the remaining lb per cent, or $10,000 to be raised by the five municipalities. The ABC is seeking support from the councils involved in the proposal. It is hoped Erosion - a major concern for lakefront owners By Anne Narejko "I can remember my mother saying when I was just a boy,'`I don't know what happened to all the water. It use to be right up to the pavilion (at Grand Bend).' Now the water is almost back there again." When Gordon Johnson, Chairman of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA), made this comment, he was referring to the fluctuating water level of Lake Huron which is now at a record high. On July 10, a number of concerned lake shore property owners within the ABCA gathered at the Grand Bend Public School to hear three speakers discuss the reasons for high water levels for Lake Huron and learn more about programs which are available to prevent lake shore erosion. Record Level The current water level of Lake Huron is 581.4 feet, which is the highest recorded level this century and five inches higher than a previous high in 1973. "This level is about 2.5 feet higher than average for this time of year," said Ralph Moulton, Manager of the Great Lakes Water Level Communications Centre which is an information service set up the by Environment Canada to provide infor- mation to the public. "We feel the lake has peaked for the summer, but if the rainy weather con- tinues, it will rise," he added. "By Christmas it should drop by Moot but only if we get normal precipitation." There are several factors which cause high lake levels. Some of these are man- made while others are very natural. These fluctuations can be long term, short term or seasonal. A long term fluctuation is caused by either presistent high or low precipitation, short term fluctuation is caused by factors Diane Johnson of Chatham (left photo) was among the hundreds of visitors to the Bayfield Antique Sale. The first ever showing attracted some 32 prestigious dealers from around the province. Among the dealers was Ilene Willi of Chepstow ( right photo) who brought along her prized item, an 1889 unmarked Jumeau, shoulder head, early French Fashion doll from France. The price tag on this rare doll was $2,800. (Shelley McPhee- Haist photo) Bayfield Sale features rare and recious items such as wind and seasonal fluctuations are caused by the hydrologic cycle. The hydrologic cycle is a natural cir- culation system which sees water evaporate from bodies of water and land areas, then condense to form clouds and return to the earth as precipitation. Under the man-made factors, dredging, diversions, consumptive levels and regula- tions can be found. Dredging is done to obtain adequate depth for navigation; diversions are obstacles such as dams which can hold back water; consumptive level means the portion of water withdrawn from the lake and not returned; and regulations means controlling the levels of the lake. It has been suggested that dredging be done in Lake Huron, but according to Mr. Moulton, "It will help one lake but hinder the next. It's like robbing Peter to pay Paul." Explaining, the high water level, Mr. Moulton said, "Over the last couple decades we have experienced cooler temperatures which means the water doesn't evaporate as much, and higher precipitation, therefore, the level of the lake goes up." One of the most frequently asked ques- tions Mr. Moulton and his staff get is why not shut-off the diversions? He explained that on Lake Huron there are two diversions which started in about 1940 and have raised the level about 4.5 in- ches during that time. "If they were shut-off, it would take 3.5 years or so to lose a few inches. The effect is delayed and very small," said Mr. Moulton, He further explained his point by citing Ontario -Iydro as an example. Turn to page 5 • Huron Centennial to have computerized library By David Emslie BRUCEFIELD - Through the work of two local ladies, Huron Centennial Public School will have the first computerized library in Huron County_ _ _ Debbie Cunningham of Auburn has been working on the program since May 20, while Peggy VanWonderen started in the second week of June. Both were employed through the Ex- perience '86 program. "The Ministry of Skills and Development gave money to the Ministry of Education, and through them the money went to the Huron County Board of Education," Miss Cunningham explained. Their work on computerizing the library is being done through the University of Toronto Library Automation System (UTL-AS) . "We have had to go through all the books, and the computer tells you what to plug in," Miss VanWonderen said. "You put in either the international number or the library of congress number, then the author's name, date published, etc. Everything is off the catalogue cards." - Miss Cunningham explained _th ,._while Huron Centennial has the first school library to be done in the county, other schools in the larger cities like Toronto and Hamilton have been computerized. "This is reallly new in the rural areas," she said. Miss VanWonderen added, "This will be the base library." Huron Centennial was chosen to be the first, they said, because it is the largest school with the largest library in the county, 447 y Old teddy bears have found their way into the hearts of antique collectors and children alike. Helen Keil of RR1Denfield, owner of the House of Memories brought her collection of teddies to the Bayfield Antique Sale. Young Markers were the McCarthy sisters, Gabrielle, Jasmine and Deirdre, of RR 5 CUnton.(Shelley Me Phd-Haist photo) as well as being fairly central. "By starting with this library it will help others who have some of the same books," Miss Cunningham said. "They can use this prograc and_add on additional bogj s." Through the process they have also weed- ed out some of the older books, which will be discarded. Miss Cunningham explained how the com- puterized system will help the school children. "Through the automated library, kids who are doing a project just punch in a subject and all the available books will come up. They can also get a print out of the list." She added that libraries which have been using this -system have found the children to be very enthusiastic, not only in finding sub- ject matter, but in learning to use the computer. Aside from helping the students, the new system will be of great assistance to librarians. "As it is now, there is no way the librarian Can keep up with the new books. With this they can keep up a lot better," Miss Cunn- ingham said. Now, when a new book comes in the librarian will just have to punch it into the computer once, rather than categorizing it and listing it in the different card files, they explained. Teachers will also benefit from the com- puterized library. "If they want to teach a unit on a topic, the computer will tell them what is available, and if there are not Turn to page 3 Video equipment for police i CLINTON - The Clinton Police Department, with the co-operation and participation of several area service clubs, has recently pur- chased a video camera and associated equipment. The equipment has a variety of proposed uses by the police department and the service clubs. The police department will put the system to work both as a community relations tool and as an investigative aid. The potential for its use in both fields is limited only by the imagination. School visitations, bicycle rodeos, and com- munity based crime prevention programs can all be enhanced through the use of the video equipment. As an investigational aid the equipment provides a means of preserving evidence, both visually and audibly, which would other- wise be lost to the moment and recallable only by the observdtions made by witnesses. i`• For example, to prove the offence of im- paired driving the prosecution must introduce evidence demonstrating that the accused showed a "marked departure from the norm". The video equipment would allow the ac- cused to be filmed in his impaired state, thereby preserving his words, actions, and appearance for court where it can be viewed and compared to his normal state. The system of preserving evidence can also be applied to the taking of statements from accussed persons. Statements, to be admissible in court must be proven to have been given vohLntarily. The filming of the taking of the statement would allow the court to, at a later date, watch the entire process and make a determination as to its admissability on that basis. When investigating the scene of a crime, especially a serious or violent crime, there is Turn to page 2