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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1986-09-24, Page 1d Clinton Nws- ecor INCORPORATING -THE BLYTH STANDARD -THE BAYFIELD BUGLE NO, 39 121 YEARS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1986 50 CENTS • Cable cars ordered down • By Anne Narejko CLINTON - The cable car rides attached. to the creative playground equipment at Clinton and Holmesville Public Schools were ordered down by the Huron County Board of Education last week. A thorough study will be conducted before, and if, the ride is reinstalled. After several injuries occurred to students while playing on the equipment, a petition was circulated by Wilma Steward, a mother of a Clinton Public School student, Which stated that particular piece of equip- ment was dangerous. In two hours she col- lected 27 signatures from people who wanted the ride taken down. The petition was also presented to town council who voted to send a letter to the Board of Education recommending proper instruction be taught to the students. However, before council had the oppor- tunity to send the setter, Bob Allen, Director at the Huron County Board of Education, ordered the cable cars down at both Holmesville and Clinton Public Schools. In explaining his act, Mr. Allen said, "I received information that an inordinate number of injuries had occurred from one piece of equipment and we felt we should evaluate the situation." Ron McKay, Principal at Clinton Public School, had the cable car taken down before he received the order from the Board. "I had spoken to the students about the proper use of the equipment and warned them it would be taken down. I observed them at recess and at noon hour and saw they hadn't listened so it came down on Wednesday (September 17) at noon," said Mr. McKay. Mr. McKay's intentions were to take the cable car down and then talk to the students on September 22 before putting it back up. With the Board order, Mr, McKay will not be allowed to reinstall the cable car until ap- proval is given. The length of time the cable car is down, and if it will be put back up, is unknown. "It may take awhile. We want to make sure we are doing the right thing. We want to evaluate it and get comments from others provincially and make our decision from there," he said. Information will be sought from playground manufacturers, liability in- surance, other school boards and any other source that applies. Mr. Allen also stressed that the Board is not taking a stand on the issue, but is looking into the suitability of the equipment. "We are acting in the best interest of the community," he said. PUC charged with not followingprocedures CLINTON - For the second time this year the Ministry of Environment has laid charges against the Public Utilities Com- mission (PUC) here. Last week the PUC was charged under the Ontario Water Resources Act following a Ministry investigation of approximately 700 feet of water main which had been replaced without the Ministry's approval. The maximum fine is $2,000 upon conviction. According to PUC Manager Guss per signature as the work was done that Boussey, an application was sent in on February 25 for the replacement of the water main on North Street. The street at that time was undergoing reconstruction. "They must have misplaced it but I have no way of proving 1 sent it," said Mr. Boussey. Mr. Boussey then sent in another ap- plication in May, but according to the Ministry. it was too late to obtain the pro - month. "As far as the installation is concerned, we did it properly and everything was done to standard. What they're saying is we didn't get the proper signature prior to replacing it," said Mr. Boussey. A court date has been set for October 16 at, 9 a.m. in the Goderich Provincial Of- fences Court. Clinton invited to join Tuckersmith and Seaforth in • ANNUAL MEETING HELD New board to serve School Car By Shelley McPhee-Haist CLINTON - A new board of directors was elected on September 17 to serve the Original CNR School on Wheels 15089. The six member volunteer board will serve a one year term. The new slate of officers was elected at the annual meeting of the School on Wheels. The new directors include, Helen Bartliff, Owen Delve, Toby Rainey, Jo Winter and Councillor Gord Gerrits, all of Clinton, and," Les Ste. Marie of Lucan. Past board member, Bess Fingland, gave a vote of thanks to former board members for the work they, did in the initial restora- tion work on the school car. Of Ron and Helen Young, and Betty and Stan Badaly, she said, "The school car was a wreck when it came here three years ago. It is what it is today due to these people. They've worked constantly and they've given constantly." Past chairman of the board, Mr: Young, noted, "I hope the restoration continues on the way it has. It's been a long plug, but it's coming into shape." Treasurer Paul Wheeler reported that the financial statement for the school car opera- tion is improving, with the year end deficit at $33, compared to deficit figure of over $400 the year previous. This year's financial report (with 1985 figures in brackets) showed: donations and memberships, $1,636 ($2,702); provincial BRIC grant, $2,200 (375) ; expenditures, $3,855 ($3,117). Included in the expenditures figure was $3,539 spent in renovations this year. Regarding the financial report, Mr. Young noted, "We live from shoestring to shoestring, but we've come a long way on shoestrings." The School on Wheels bank account will be receiving a much appreciated financial shot in the arm in the near future and Mr. Delve reported that the Masons have raised over LL $5,000 for restoration work at the school car. He noted that the Masons work to help com- munity projects. As well, the late Fred Sloman was a member of Masons. "The Masons have always had a low pro- file, fraternity concept," Mr. Delve said. "They are now re -assessing their role and support for community work." Councillor Gerrits also noted that the town council also provides funding for the School on Wheels. Clinton Council has budgeted By Anne Narejko CLINTON - Landfill sites are a major con- cern for Huron County municipalities. The site located near Holmesville, which serves seven municipalities, is currently undergo- ing a study to determine its life expectancy. The landfill site in Seaforth, which is used by Tuckersmith and Seaforth, is at its capacity. The Town of Clinton is one of the seven us- ing the Holmesville Landfill Site which under went a study by the Ministry of En- vironment approximately eight years ago. Only 10 to 15 acres oo the 55 acre site are presently in use, but 'this area no longer meets Ministry regulations because runoff is filtering through the ground. This is oc- curring because the base (bedrock) is not adequate. On April 2, Anthony Crutcher, of Conestoga -Rovers and Associates Limited, met with the landfill committee asking for a redistribution of money so tests could be carried out in other areas. These tests, ac- cording to Councillor Bonnie Jewitt, look promising but have not been finalized. In the event that these tests prove the site to be inadequate, Clinton has been offered another alternative. Burns Ross, of B.M. Ross and Associates, was present at council's September 15 meeting to invite the town to join Seaforth and Tuckersmith in their newly proposed landfill site located 1.5 kilometres from town. Council made no commitments but will to wait and see what the tests at the Holmesville site reveal. Background Information "I'm not trying to sell anything tonight. This is simply an information night," said Mr. Ross who attended the meeting on behalf of the Seaforth and Area Landfill Committee. Mr. Ross provided council members with background information on the committee's work. "In 1982 three municipalities - Tuckersmith, Seaforth and McKillop - started looking for a new site...McKillop eventually withdrew when they learned they were not bound by the Environmental Act," he said. "Clinton was not asked to become involv- ed in the study at that time as you used the Holmesville site and it was, at that time, believed to have a life expectancy of 20 years." Mr. Ross went on to explain Tuckersmith and Seaforth felt they had several options. The first was to do nothing, which would mean closing the site and therefore forcing residents to find their own means of waste disposal. The second alternative was expand the ex- isting site but test drilling showed the sur- rounding, land was not exceptable for expansi6n. The third alternative was to change the method of disposal (recycling, incineration) but,this method -did -nOttseem feasible:' * 4 Another alternative was to turn to an ex- isting site so the committee applied to Mit- chell, Hensall and Holmesville but were turned down at all three as the addition of Seaforth and Tuckersmith would only reduce the life expectancy of their landfill sites. The final alternative was to find a new site, a task which has taken countless hours and many dollars. landfill site Site Search "We looked at more than 60 sites. Some were in other townships, but they soon told them ( the committee) no. We had 39 possi- ble sites in Tuckersmith," explained Mr. Ross. Each of the 39 land owners were asked if they would be willing to sell their land with 16 saying yes. The properties were then ranked from the best to worst in regards to suitability for a landfill site. The site that has been decided upon lies 1.5 kilometers "as the crow flies" from Clin- ton and is located west of. Vanastra Road consists of 150 acres of land owned by Richard Kootstra. • "Twenty-eight wells, have been .dug• and have proven to be good," said Mr. Burns. Council asked Mr. Burns about the closeness of surrounding homes and was told there were two homes in the area. He also said there were several hills which would isolate the site from Vanastra Road but not from Highway 8. "We will berm the site and plant trees im- mediately," said Mr. Ross about the proper- ty along Highway 8. To date, the project has cost $225,000 and does not include the price of the land: (The land has not yet been purchased, only optioned. ) If Clinton did decide to join Seaforth and Tuckersmith, they would share in the expenses. Citing reasons why Clinton has been in- vited to go in on the project, Mr. Burns said, "The Hohnesville site has a short life expec- tancy and with this site only 1.5 kilometers from you, it would reduce transportation costs." He also said if Clinton were to join now, it would require less paper work then if they were to wait until after the Environmental Assessment Act had been prepared. Also, with three municipalities, the cost would be less. Life Expectancy With only Seaforth and Tuckersmith using the proposed landfill site, its life expectancy is estimated at between 30 and 32 years. If Clinton were to use the site as well, its life expectancy would be cut to approximately' 20 years. Council members had a few concerns about the site when they realized how close it was to town. Mayor John Balfour questioned the effect the site would have on Clinton's wells. "We get our water out of a series of wells. What danger is there of seepage into the wells?" Mr. Burns said, "None at all. There are regulations and studies that must be followed." Councillor Ross Carter was concerned about the river being so close to the site but was told the heavy clay along the river bank was a plus in this case. Holmesville Site ' Councillor Jewitt, who is Clinton's representative on the Hohnesville Landfill Committee, said the engineers are "very op- timistic" about the additional tests they con- ducted and hope it will mean an additional 10 to 15 years. The preliminary tests should be concluded at the end of this month. At the present time, there are only two years left at the Holmesville site. Council will wait to hear from the Holmesville Landfill Committee before making any decisions. The Clinton School On Wheels has a new board last week. The new board includes (from front Rainey, Helen Bartliff, Jo Winter, Gord Gerrit photo) $1,400 for the school car. This money has helped buy brochures, install a spotlight at Sloman Park and provided a direct donation of $500 to the school car's bank account. "The town would like to support the school car, but it doesn't want to interfere when things are running smoothly," Councillor Gerrits said. The School On Wheels continues to be a popular tourist stop in Clinton. This summer more then 600 people visited the school car, including many former students as well as young children who are studying the school car history in their classroom. Visitors also included a variety of clubs, from the Seaforth Horticultural Society to the London IODE who held meetings in the school car. of directors, elected at the annual meeting to back, left to right) Les Ste. Marie, Toby s and Owen Delve. (Shelley McPhee-Haist Restoration work on the School On Wheels continues to be a priority project for the board of directors. This past year renova- tion work focussed on the living area. With the structural work done, the new board will endeavor to bring the Sloman's story back into the old railway car. As Mr. Ste Marie noted, "The magic is in what the community has done to restore the school car and the history of the Sloman family itself. "The history is not only in the old rail car, but in the family who lived here for 39 years. People should be able to come and see how the family lived here. The Sloman family can put the magic back into the school car that you've worked to restore." "Miracle men" step down from School Car's Board of Directors CLINTON - When the railway school car was dropped off in Clinton in the Fall of 1982, almost everyone was appalled! Why would anyone want this unlovely waif? And what could possibly be done with it? It was hard to guess what its original color might have been. Through rotted floor boards a tree had recently been•growing ... doorways and win- dows were merely black, gaping holes. Only the steel wheels seemed to have survived the savage vandalism. So this was the famous school on wheels where Fred and Cela Sloman had lived and taught in the North for 39 years! Hard to believe. Most people said it should be towed away. Not even a miracle could restore it .. so they thought! Ron Young believed in miracles, and volunteered to try to bring about one. pessrrirlsts thought he was Wasting his time. Late into the night, and every weekend the sounds of hammering, and saws ripping through boards could be heared down in Sloman Memorial Park. Gradually the rot- ting shell began showing signs of possibilities. Ron's wife, Helen, was always there, helping where she could. A short time later, Stan Bodaly of Goderich, a retired CN Rail car -man, volunteered his assistance and expertise. Stan had access to original engineers plans and drawings, as well as much needed old material for the ear, which saved the Board thousands of dollars. Stan's wife, Betty, also joined the team. These two men, and their wives knew that the task of perfect restoration - would be a monumental challenge, punctuated by unavoidable obstacles. They never lost sight of their goal, There would be no financial gain for anyone. The only reward was the realization that this historic school was ac- tually being returned to its original condition. For everyone involved in the challenge, their motivation had been their tremendous respect and affection for Cela Sloman, and a desire to perpetuate the legacy of the late Fred Sloman. Clinton's CNR School on Wheels No. 15089 is now a show piece for everyone to enjoy, and is indeed a landmark for Clinton to be proud of. Ron Young and Stan Boadaly, and their wives have stepped down from their active role with the School Cat' Board of Directors. They have served faithfully far four terms, and are proud to have been involved in the worthwhile enterprise. It is certain that ne one could have done a better job, It is time to say "Thank you, Iton ...r and thank yott; Stan." During the Municipal Electric Association, District 6, convention held at the Clinton Legion on September 17 the commissioner of the Clinton PUC, Don Symons ( centre) was presented with the 15 year Long Service Award. Making the presentation were Art Ed- munds (left) chairman of District 6 of MEA and Joe O'Brien, chairman of MEA. (David Emslie photo) MEA wants remun,eration controlled by commission By Anne Narejko This resolution will be presented at a pro- CLINTON - On March 4 the Association of Municipal Electric Utilities and the Ontario Municipal Electric Association amalgamated to form the Municipal Elec- tric Association (MEA). The MEA is made up of nine districts with District Six encompassing 26 Public Utilities Commissions (PUC) from Guelph to Goderich and Listowel to St. Marys. On September 17, 148 representatives from District Six made their way to the Clin- ton Legion to attend their first annual meeting. "It was one of the better meetings and well attended. I'm glad to see people are taking an interest," said Clinton's PUC Manager, Guss Boussey. The meeting covered many topics which included a . survey conducted to determine the average person's feelings on hydro and an explanation of the Chernobyl accident. During the business portion of the meeting, the members passed a resolution which would no longer have the municipal councils setting the remuneration for corn- i•nissioners, but the PUC would be in charge of setting the rate themselves. "Some Utilities are at logger heads with their councils," said Mr. Boussey. "Guelph has never received a higher remuneration." vincial level before it can go any further. Chernobyl In Canada° The question of whether a Chernobyl inci- dent could happen in Canada is one fre- quently asked, said Alan Holt, station manager at the Bruce Nuclear Plant since 1985. In his opinion, the answer is no. "Can the same incident happen in Canada? We believe the answer is no. Could a similar incident happen in Canada? We feel it is very improbable," he said. To explain why he and his co-workers feel this way, Mr. Holt compared the Russian reactors to Canada's Candu reactor. In Mr. Holt's opinion, the design of a Can - du reactor is the key to safety. "We put the reactor in a container building which is hooked to a vaccum building. The container building is made out of concrete and is an 80 foot cube with walls three feet thick," he said. "The Russians do not have heavy concrete walls.". Another key factor is the material used in the moderator. The Candu reactor uses heavy water and the Russian reactor uses graphite. "Our moderator is better. The graphite caught fire but heavy water doesn't burn very well." said Mr. Holt. Turn to page 2 •