Loading...
The Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-01-28, Page 1139 YEAR - 04 GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 28, 1987 60 CENTS PER COPY Council refers request to 1987 budget 0'Suu`r �. 5,u ''' Goderich Town Council has referred a request for financial assistance with the $2.2 million. first phase of a Huron County Pioneer Museum renovation and expan- sion project to their 1987 budget plans. Clatis Breede, of the Huron County Museum appeared before' council at their Jan. 26 meeting to discuss the,,Droject's progess and appeal for' council's assistance to offset' the cost of a building permit, which is estimated • at between $8,000 and $10,000. • "While I. realize council can't just waive the building permit, we would appreciate some assistance from council," said Breede. •"I'm a little bit surprised atthe request for money. I thought financing was pretty well in place, through reserves," said Counc. Bill Clifford. "Was the ( cost of the) building permit not included in the estirrfates? I wonder what other kinds of surprises we can expect?"' "What kind of surprises can be ex-. pected? Lots! Hopefully in the . form .of 50,000 visitors to town;" replied Breede. The request for money from the town is partly to silence critisism from other parts of the county over putting county money in . to .a project that would mainly benefit Goderich,. he added. ' .The only funding definitely.committed.Co the .project is a $1.5 million contribution from Huron County, Breede explained: Re- quests from grants of $1.2 million from the provincial government and $1 million in federal money .have not yet been assured, he. said. Deputy Reeve John. Doherty -.,-asked Breede how the museum can be planning to call for tenders'on a $2.2 million project, when "it only , has a- $1..5 million committinent? ' "I can't talk about it here;'.' said Breede, suggesting the council go into , a closed committee session. "If you, care to go in camera I can discuss it. -But I can't discuss • it in public," he insisted. "Then I withdraw the question," said Doherty. Clifford pointed out that while he is not opposed to financially assisting with this project; the current request is in addition • to funds the town has already contributed through the county level. "This council did not make a committ- ment over and avobve our requistion to the county," he said. Reeve Harry Worsell's motion to refer the request to the upcoming . budget was' carried by council. No tobog'ganing 1 M t h ZUi^. a g a s deposit f und in local park 'f obagganing will not be allowed at Op- . 'tirnist Park despite a request` from a • Citizen to re -instate the practice of allow- ing the activity there, Goderich Town Council has decided. - Goderich resident Burt Sinnett appeared before courtcil•at their Jan. 26. meeting, to request that recently .posted. "No Tobagannin__gg" signs be removed from the park. Sinnettmaintained the posting of the park leaves local children no options for good tobogganing areas. "It pretty well wipes out any tobaggan- ing the children have inthis town," ;Mr. Sinnett stated. He also said he was under the impression that providing a safe tobag- ganing area was .one of the original pur- poses of Optimist Park. "Council's biggest concern in this mat- ter is the fear of legal suits. The $6 million suit has made this council and every other council very cautious," explained Counc. Bill Clifford. Clifford was referring to a successful $6 million law suit launched against the City of Brantford by a young person who was seriously injured while riding a motor bike, without authorization, on city property. "We're openpto. sugges- tions from parents, the public, anyone who can help us," he continued. "My feeling is that if we back off on this, then we shouldn't be playing baseball, we should back off' on soccer, we shouldn't have any sports in town at all," said • Counc. Jim Searls, in support of Sinnetf's request. • "I believe some areas of town are safer than others," replied Counc. .John Stringer. Counc. Stan Profit moved to refer the matter to the Parks and Waterfront Committee. After Deputy Reeve John Doherty pointed out that winter could be over by the time Parks and Waterfront studied the issue and made a recommendation; Seals retracted his seconding of Profit's motion • and the motion died without a secdnder. Searls then moved to allow tobagganing in the park. Counc. Peter McCauley opposed the mo- , thin, which was not seconded, , pn, the grounds that council had made the deci- sion not to allow tobagganing after a year of study. "'The hill is just too steep," pointed out Public Works Commissioner Ken Hunter. Sinnett was told tobaganning is allowed at the Maitland„Golf and Country Club this year.• Snowmobilers raise cash for The Benmiller Foresters annual Snowmolbile-a-thon for Cancer Research was held in the Benmiller area Sunday and nearly 50 snowmobile enthusiasts helped raise $5;798 in pledges in the one - day event. • Organizer John Orr said the event is successful because of the efforts of the Colborne Snowmobile Club an 'ts membership. Bob Morash, pictured above, was the top pl dge getter this year as his 200 sponsors pledged $1,606. It mark, the cancer research third year in a row Bob has topped the pledge sheets. In 1986 he raised $1,300 and $800 in 1985. Herman Fisher was second this year with over $1,300 in pledges and Ilene Sillib had $686. Pledges are due on Friday, Feb. 13 when the Foresters host an appreciation night for the participants in the 50 km ride:-atthe Forester Hall, Benmiller. ( photos by Dave Sykes 1 sr�s .ee��.`�.�,�.. a�m.�?--�'x�ammw'�'�v=•�i�rtt��.,a.: mi�xss Na clarification offered on library board 'The Huron County Library Board• held. its first meeting of 1987 with both Janis Bisback of Hensall and Isabel Elston sit- ting on the board. Bisback, from the Hensall area, was left off the county's library board at the recommendation of the county's striking committee report of Dec. 10, 1986. As a non -elected, citizen at large, she had serv- ed two years of a three-year term. The striking committee had appointed Elston to replace her: ,. However, a letter dated Dec. 16, 1986 to Huron County, Warden Brian McBurney from Lily Munro, Minister of Citizenship and Culture, emphasized that all library board members were appointed to a three- year term and would remain on the board unless they resigned. Bisback was reinstated to the county's library board via 'a Jan. 14 letter frorn county administrator Bill Hanley. The same letter, however, suggested that her reinstatement was "under review” bet- ween the county solicitor, Dan Murphy and Minister Munro. In the letter to Warden McBurney, Minister Munro said it had comet() her at- tention that Huron County council had Increase advertised for new library board members and that new members had been appointed. I must emphasize to council that under,. Public Libraries Act 1984 library board ap- pointements are for three year term con- current with the three-year term of Municipal Council," the letter read. "Unless the previous library board members who have not yet served a three-' year term have resigned or Council has • just cause under the Act for removing them, they -would continue to be on the board," the letter said. The libarary board may be comprised of up to 15, members, but county council members must make up the majority of the sitting members. With citizen members Bisback, Elston, Martina Schneiker, and Robert Ritter numbering four, county council must have five members on the board. Th,e county representatives are Warden McBurney, J. B Robinson, G. D. D'Arcey and, Dave Johnston. . While it is still not clear whether Elston is a sitting member of the library board, • she participated in the discussion of the m poiice contact An increase in police contacts with juveniles was noted in Police Chief Patrick King's monthly report at, the January meeting of the Goderich police commission. Chief King noted that 'much •of this con- tact ours when the local police transport y'mlTrg offenders to other• detention facilities or courts. The time taken by police to escort the juvenile affects the local police depart- ment in three ways: loss of vehicle use, overtime costs and deprivation of .man- power for the town. meeting and seconded . motions. No at- tempt was made at the meeting to clarify • the situation by either board chairman Robinson or Hanley. Former warden and 1'ibrary board chair- man Tom cunningham said recently the county, was seeking clarification of the Library Act which governs the board. With respect to the Bisback situation, he said it was simply time for new blood on the board. During the meeting Bayfield Reeve Johnston asked whether or not the county's chief librarian, Bill Partridge, would be purchasing books for the'system or if council members would have to per- form that function. j artri4e told Johnston he was confused about the situation but chairman Robinson suggested the chief librarian would indeed he purchasing the books for the county library, system as per board policy. At county' council's Jan. 8 meeting, solicitor Murphy told county council that the matter of the resignation had been solved. Partridge said he had not submit- ted a letter of resignation and did not com, ment further on the matter. The' Domtar Sifto Salt mine in Goderich remains closed after underground test drilling uncovered a potentially dangerous pocket of methane gas early Saturday morning. Mine production has been halted since monitoring equipment detected a possible gas buildup on Jan. 19. Although Mine Manger Gaston Brousseau last week Labelled the closure "an extra precaution," the test drilling un- covered the gas pocket about 6:30 a.m. Jan. 24, in 'the southeast section of the mine. Underground workers are currently "bleeding" the gas pocket in order to get pressure down to an acceptable level. Brousseau said the pressure had already been reduced by about 50 per cent by Mon- day morning. "We believe there was enough gas there to cause a problem." he said. The discovery of the•gas pocket will fur- ther delay the re -opening of the mine. "How long it will take? We are not sure," Brousseau stated: This is the third closure at the mine in the past 10 weeks. The first two shut downs were due to explosions, believed to be caused by methane gas leaks. Miner Dan Bizer was seriously injured in the first of these explosions, which occurred Nov. 13. with juveniles ayor Eileen Eileen Palmer told the comrbis- sioners that MP Murray Cardiff and •MPP Jack Riddell had attended the last Mayor's committee meeting and that both had been surprised by the fact that the municipality picks up the cost " of transporting the juveniles to, the out-of-town locations. She said Cardiff, who now works withthe Ministry of the Solicitor -General, had.in- dicated to her that if the police chief con- tacted him by'letter and included facts and figures regarding the transportation of juveniles, he could make a presentationdto the ministry on the town's behalf to ask for federal subsidisation for the cost of transporting young offenders. This would benefit all police departments in arears where there was an institution for young offenders. . The.police,commissioners agreed that a fetter including all available facts and figures regarding the transporting of juveniles to other locations be prepared. Chief King will be gathering the infertile= tion which will be presented at the next commission meeting. Horne razed in fire Saturday A fire 'in the VLA subdivision east of Goderich destroyed a home and its con- tents Saturday night after a chimney fire spread tote attic area. The Ged rich Fire Department was call- ed to the blaze at the home of Duncan Mac- Pherson about 9:30 p.m. Saturday after a chimney fir;had spread to the upper por- tion' of the structure. The home was destroyed in the .blaze and damage was. estimated ; at • $80,000. There were no injuries. . The GFD had the fire under control by midnight but were called back on two oc- casions, at 3 and 7 a.m., to douse the fire.. The local department received assistance from the Clinton Fire Department., Youths charged break. -ins Two male young offenders have been ar- rested and ,charged in connection with a pair, of break-ins'at business on Bayfield Road, early Sunday morning. Goderich Police Const. Peter Mason ar- rested the two local youths after a break and enter and an attempted break 'and enter were reported on Jan., 25: The first incident occurred at Little Joe's Auto Body, where the suspects allegedly gained entry by removing the screens _off a• rear 'window and caused • minor damage inside the premisis, Nothing was taken. The second incident was an attempted break-in at Goderich Auto Sales,.also on Bayfield Road. . Police are also investigating another in- cident on the same night, in which so- rneone broke into Goderich District Col- legiate institute and caused about $150 damage to the science room and tuck shop. Weekend tourney The 9th Annual Goderich Men's Recrea- tion Hockey League Tournament unfolds at the Goderich Memorial Arena over three days beginning Friday at 6 p.m. and concluding with two championship games this Sunday afternoon. A total of 16 teams will be vying for $1,900 in prize money. For more information, see the story in the Sports setion. Drug seminar held About 150 people attended a drug awareness and prevention seminar'spon- sored by the Goderich C.ioness Club last Tuesday night at St. Mary's Separate Sdinol to heal~ guest Speakers Robert • Pl'amondon and Constable Dave Benn discuss drugs and their effects and what the community can do to fight back. For story and pictures; see. the front page of • the ('ommunity section,