Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-09-23, Page 1the deric i r 0 133 YEAR -38 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1981 50 CENTS PER COPY, Nine vehicles vandalized on weekend BY JOANNE BUCHANAN A total of nine cars were damaged by vandals in Goderich on the weekend. Seven cars parked side by side in the arena parking lot Saturday evening, received approximately $2,975 total damage after being kicked by someone. Most received damage to the rear quarter panels but some were kicked in front. Police are still investigating. Also on Saturday evening, two cars parked on Britannia Road belonging to the same person, had paint thrown on them. Damage is estimated at roughly $2,000 and, police are continuing their in- vestigation. Vandalism also occurred at Harbor Park on Saturday evening. The washrooms were damaged and picnic tables, swings and benches were thrown over the bank..Damage is estimated at $400 including clean-up. On Friday, a house on North Street was broken into and several rings along with $500 cash was stolen. Police laid charges of littering over the weekend after seeing beer bottles being thrown from a vehicles. Also, over the weekend there was the usual nutnber of liquor seizures, bicycle thefts, domestic disputes and driving complaints. Hubcaps were stolen trom one vehicle' and tapes and speakers were stolen from another. Master plan part of new B.I.L.D. scheme BY JOANNE BUCHANAN The Goderich Airport Committee is moving ahead quickly with two projects which will receive 80 per cent funding under the provincial government's B.I.L.D. program. At a meeting last Wednesday evening, committee secretary Ken ,Hunter updated members on these projects which include the installation of a new fuel tank and the development of a master plan for the airport. Hunter informed the committee that the in- stallation of the fuel tank requires specifications and an advertised tendering period prior to the letting of the tenders. It is hoped that these tenders will close at the first council meeting in October and that the new 5,000 gallon aviation fuel tank cap be installed this year. It will replace the existing 1,000 gallon tank and will probably cut fueldeliveries at the airport in half. The tank and itsinstallation will cost the .airport committee $2,000 out of the 1981 budget with B.I.L.D. paying the remaining $8,000. The airport master plan will be included in next year's budget, possibly being completed by January or February. It will cost approximately $3,000 with Turn topage2 t9, INSIDE THE SIGNAL -STAR Go Vikings! The GDCI football and girls basketball teams have kiclied off for a new year and all the teams h ve proved their potential in pre- season exhibition play. The football teams both -won against Sarnia Friday and the l; senior girls reached the consolation finals of. J, their tournament Saturday. See sports pages :,,;Y.i �al i., Horrendous The structural condition of the vocational wing of Goderich District Collegiate Institute has been called "horrendous" by Huron County Board of Education Director John Cochrane. With the gymnasium wall recently rebuilt, the board is wondering where funds will coPie from for new repairs. See page 3. Served well For. nearly eight years, the Coast Guard ('utter Rapid has patrolled the shores of Lake ?, Itrrron. it will pull out the harbor for good this tall S,ee_.the .tor ya.nd.. p ictures• on page 1.A about the boat and its capabilities. qiZE327.7 uW. N..+ 45.5; .i 4:71L..,'.'t'a'.irAlo::..,vv'6L" vJw_Ad M''d5FST.rey�,,,: 1 Dance raises funds for- minor orminor hockey About 500 people stomped their cowboy boots to the sounds of the Good Brothers and the Kell Band Friday night on the arena floor. The bar was run` by the Goderich Minor Hockey Association as a fund-raiser, and the group did quite well, rasing in the neighborhood of $1,000. The Stratford promotor that brought in the bands had to take a small loss, but according tome director ' Jane Netzke, .this was expected. "I think he was prepared to take a loss this time and until people get used to the idea of having good live bands at the arena."' The Coast Guard Cutter Rapid will leave Goderich early. this year apid ordered to leave harbor The crew of the Canadian Coast Guard Cutter Rapid has orders to have the Rapid in Prescott by the middle of October, which means the search and rescue boat°will leave Goderich Harbor by October 7. The decision by Transport Canada follows an an - noun cement that the Rapid is being decommissioned and will be replaced by a new search and rescue vessel next year. But the main concern surrounding the early dismissal of the Rapid, is that boaters in the coverage area from Sarnia to Tobermory, will be without .adequate coast guard protection. The cutter generally remains based in Goderich harbor until the early part of November before heading back to home base. Ca Drake, Regional Manager for Search and Rescue in Toronto said the Rapid will go to crown assetsand that a new cutter, now being constructed on the East Coast, will be in service next year. The new search and rescue vessel is a 21 metre Class 400, the fourth of its kind to be built for Coast Guard use. The Class 400 is 25 feet shorter than the Rapid, lighter and faster according to Drake. "This is the fourth of its kind built in Canada and it will be a marked improvement. It is faster and lighter," Drake said. "The Rapid has orders to leave Goderich by the middle of October but normally ' it would be there until the end of the month. It must go to . Prescott earlier and the Huron shore will be covered by 'other vessels. But there isn't much pleasure craft this time of year." But there •is. some concern .about the early depar- ture; in view of the number, of commercial and sport fishing boats that will dot the lake waters during October and into November. Last year the crew of the Rapid was called into a rescue mission involving fishermen at the mouth of the Maitland River on October 18. All the fishermen were pulled from the chilly water within 15 minutes. One died in hospital a few days later. The move by Transport Canada has prompted town council to register its concern with Conservative MP Murray Cardiff. At a meeting Monday. round] en- dorsed a motion expressing its displeasure at the niiove and asking Cardiff to check into the matter. Deputy -reeve Bob Allen said council Should draw attention to the matter and find out why the search and rescue vessel was leaving. • "We had one death in the harbor last year and we should draw attention to this and find out why they are removing it early," he said. Cardiff told the Signal -Star Tuesday that there has not been much concern expressed about the matter adding that he' would personally hate to seed the Rapid leave early. "Personally I hate 'to see it leave early and there .can never be enough ships for rescue operations," he said. "If there is enough interest to keep thecoast guard there, then there is still time to apply pressure." While the Rapid has served the Lake Huron area for many years, it may now simply be bought by another federal department. The; nportance of the coast guard during October largely depends on the weather and boat traffic. Goderich Police Chief, Pat King, said the absence of . the Rapid will put the onus on individual boaters. "If there is no rescue boat here boaters willhave to rely on the tugs and fishing boats for help," he said. "The emergency boat at the harbor is relatively useless' in rough water. But really it's up to the boaters to lodge a complaint with the federal department because they know best what the con- ditions -are like in October." Good boating practices often relate to common sense but as the chief indicated, some peolole will go out on, the lake regardless of the weather. The weather, however, should be the determining factor in the Rapid's departure. "It will be bad if something happens," he said. "The departure of the Rapid should depend on the weather or at least it can stay until the boating season ends.,, • The local sailing club will be holding races during October. and boats will not be removed from Snug Harbor until October 17. Council will use. of -town The town's parks will remain open to thepublio 24 hours despite an attempt by some members ' of council to impose a restrictive bylaw on hours of use. At its regular meeting Monday, a motion calling for the formation and implementation of a restricted use bylaw for parks was .defeated by a vote of 5-3. The motion was introduced. to facilitate the request of police chief, Pat King, who claimed that vandalism and potentially hazardous situations could be avoided if use of parks was restricted between the hours of 2 and 5 a.m. Last week, council endorsed a recommendation from the parks committee, suggesting that restric- tions should not be placed ori use of town parks at any time. Chief King had commented that a restricted use bylaw would be advantageous as a preventative tool and would give police the power to disperse groups congregating in parks. Many municipalities have restrictions'written into parks bylaws and chief King said restricted use would help here. A motion to prepare such 'a bylaw, was rein- troduced by John Doherty, but many councillors still believed that time restrictions infringed upon democratic rights. Councillor Elsa Haydon was surprised that council "flip-flopped", on „ the matter by giving it con- sideration again adding that the law was unen- forceable. "Short of putting up high fences around the parks, this would create a ridiculous law that is unen- forceable," she said. "Parks vandalism is minor and a law would not have prevented it. I am puzzled knowing we strongly opposed the request and now we have performed a round about without drastic reason." Councillor Stan Profit reiterated his belief that the police force should be expanded if the present force is experiencing difficulty in handling certain situations. "I support the police but a bylaw will not stop it. If the police can't move people at midnight they won't move them at 2 a.m.," he said. "The laws must be enforceable. The police can call on the OPP but I was not restrict facilities shocked to learn there is only one UP officer on duty at that time. To stop the gathering, drinking and vandalism we need more police." A supporter of Doherty's motion, Jim Searls said that more police would not solve the problem and suggested council should support police in such a request. "I know some people are in ;favor of closing the parks and the bylaw would give police the power to arrest people in groups in the park," he said. "If we .don't support the police and try. the bylaw we won't know if it would have solved the problem." Jiin Magee said council should support the chief's application and Doherty said it was time something was done. "The longer we let.them get away with it the worse it will be," he said. "We need a bylaw to help I am not in favor of closing parks, not for use by respec table citizens, but we have to for the protection of citizens and property." Restricting the use of parks wasn't the solution to the problem, Bob Allen commented, but a tougher stand by•court officials was necessary to. Curb such acts of vandalism. "I can sympathize with police but restriction is not the answer. We are talking about malicious damage and why aren't charges laid? Are they ghosts •in the 'night?," he asked. "Court officials and judges must do something. It is a sick problem." Stiffer penalties would help rectify the problem, Reeve Don Wheeler explained adding that council' was not letting the police force down by disagreeing on the bylaw. "We still stand behind them." In a final' pitch for the motion, Doherty explained that the parks 'would not be closed to'everyone but that the police would be able to Use discretion, in application of the law. Haydon insisted that ap- plication of the law to only a certain segment of people was outright disc nr-nination. The motion to prepare a restrictive bylaw was defeated with Searls, nthrgee and Doherty voting in favor. Mayor Harry Worsell, Reeve Wheeler, deputy - reeve Allen and councillors Profit and Haydon voted against the motion. Homeowners are slowly uniting BY STEPHANIE L'EVESQUE Homeowners with urea formaldehyde foam insula- tion are becoming more ' united as the county organization concept was accepted at a Toronto meeting. At the meeting on September 14 in Toronto the con- cept was accepted by executives of groups already formed. Further, a motion was passed to have one voting member from each count* organization at pro- vincial meetings. The. provincial group is incor- porated. At this meeting, Perth County HUFFI was given credit for starting the organization on a county level. Presently, Huron County has organized -a HUFFI group, with help from Perth. In turn, Huron is assisting Bruce County to set up 'an organization and Perth is looking to assist in set- • ting up an organization in Oxford County. .Another meeting of the provincial group will be held in the near future at which time a steering com- mittee will be elected. The role of the steering coin- mittee will be to appoint an Ontario executive. Robert Turnbull of Stratford, the vice-chairman of the Perth County HUF'H, who was at the Toronto meetings, said lawyers within the group will 1\e set- ting down the provincial groups objectives "and prin- cipals and accountants will be looking after the finances. Turnbull said Prof, iti11 Blackmore of Kitchener suggested that as soon as the Ontario executive is ap- pointed, it should sit down with members of parlia- l'urn to page Z r isn't high school fun' especially last Friday when initiated into the system. In the morning the had to You're GDCI darn right Grade Niners it is, neve dress in garbage rewarded with fun -type stuff in the gym such as p� ramid building. 1 Photo by Cath Wooden) bags, and later in the day were Parade leads Hospital month. There's going 10 he a parade and 1ou'rc the star attraction That's right. On October 1 ,the committee raisinz.: ,funds for a new intensive ('are [-'nit at 11exandr,a Marine and General Hospital has planned,.! par;idc 1, kickoff the campaign and everyone's invited The candlelight parade will form at \'i, tori,, at 7 p,m.and make its way tri The ~square n,! Courthouse Park. where the fund•rarsing lipid r eeltcrf rtaltrigir'rA -n'nrranrntrrtiw Or;i,ie, is encouraged to march with a candle or tr w e at her dictates 111 r ,odrrch school children and adults are invited 1,, p. i tic'apate incl w h costumes. pyjamas and other h Ir ,,t'ire isa acceptable. it is not 'mandatory. Il;+non as . however. mandatory. hc parade naafi also feature the i..aketo vn Band ,111,1 leen Tones choral group but organizer. Anna lust ay. to iii\'love children and adults. in •ur,(l r 11 .irag campaign. 1r. ,nhiirsd;ay. October 1 the committee will r},1 r ,r,rrSrrer ,rf t'h-e.,11rspit.u1 ftlr all cane•ass' rs in - 1',1 n, ,1 in the i,ic tuber 15 house to Krause blitz The "11 he held in the au\aliar\ room at 8 1O p to