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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1982-07-07, Page 1n Former. tow: W.tFraatk Walkom, a former Goderich mayor and high school teacher, died in Alexandra Marine and General Hospital, Thursday, July 1. He was in his 81st year. Walkom was -born in Hibbert Township, June 14, 1902 and moved to Goderich in 1938 with his wife , the former Mabel Johnston. Within years teaching eit- perience behind tion in Prince Edward County, he. accepted a position as industrial arts teacher at the Goderich and District Collegiate Institute. It was in Goderich that Mr. Walkom; political interests were aroused and subsequently he devoted more than 20 years te municipal politics over three decades. In the early 1950's, Mr. Walkout was appointed by council to sit on a local housing authority, a job he 14, mayor and :teacher dies • Frank Walkom eric welcomed as a civic duty. Then in 1954 his name.was offered for election at a nomination meeting and he decided to let it stand. He was elected to inunieipal council in 1954 and served as a councillor for four yearsbefore moving up to the deputy -reeve position tn. 1959. After serving one year as deputy -reeve he was elected reeve, a post he held from 1960 through 1964. He proceeded through the municipal ranks in or- derly fashiee and was elected mayor in 1965, after, serving on cbuncil for 10 years. He lost his bid for re- election to the mayor's chair,.,iri_ 1967, losing the mayoralty race to Dr. Frank Mills. His defeat to Dr. Mills m 1967 marked the first time in over 15 years that he was not involved in municipal politics. However, he was re-elected as a councillor in 1969 and remained on council until his retirement in 1976, marking the end of 20 years of service to the taxpayers of Goderich. Mr, •Walkom was a quiet but respected politician who told the Signal -Star in a 1976 interview, "I guess Fm just not a rip-roaring type of municipal politician." At funeral services Saturday, Frank was eulogized and will be remembered as "a gentleman." Those sentiments were reiterated by present councillor Elsa Haydon who said, _ "regardless of our political views or differences, Frank \Walkom was always a gentleman." Mr. Walkom was a member of Maitland Lodge 33 A.F. and A.M. and Bluewater Chapter 284, Order of the Eastern Star. Funeral service was held Saturday, July 3 at Stiles Funeral Ho and interment followed in Maitland Cemetery. . 134 YEAR-2-7- GODERICH, ONTARIO, JULY 7,1982 50 CENTS PER COPY The new Optimist Riverside Park was the scene of the third Annual Goderich Optimist Club Music Festival and Friends over the July 1 weekend. The three-day music festival featured bands and singers from southwestern Ontario and there was plenty of entertainment for the kids too. The new site worked nut well for the festival' organizers said and the third edition was a financial success. The town and the Optimist Club combined efforts to create,the new .park on the banks of the Maitland River just off Maitland Road.( Photo by pave Sykes) Residents view phases of, port study e BY KRISSVELA Goderich residents were given an opportunity to view •the various phases; •planned for an extensive study of port facilities being looked -at for a proposed harbour site for materials to ,and from the Bruce Nuclear.. Power Development and to offer suggestions, at a one day open house at MacKay Hall last Monday. • The feasibility study being conducted by Marshall, Macklin and • Monaghan Consulting Engineers in association with Thorne Stevenson and Kellogg, and Denald, Associates will study Whether the con- struction of a port is essential to the development located on Lake Huron, north of Kincardine. "The study is designed to determine the feasibility 'of developing a marine transportation facility in • connection with Bruce," said . Nick Poulos, a representative for Marshall. According to Poulos, the study is divided into five phases, which will include a total study of the impag of, a possible harbour on population,' employment, growth, transportation, established businesses and the potential for attracting new businesses. The group will also be looking at present harbour facilities located in Goderich, Collingwood and Owen Sound as well as the construction of a new harbour at Douglas Point: Another aspect of the study is the'volume and type of goods ,destined for marine transportation that would warrant the construction of the harbour. This would depend primarily on the types of companies that would find it financially sound to use marine transportation. ' A total assessment of, port. requirements needed to accommodate the movement of goods, which include • docking facilities, storage and crane .,capacity for loading, is also a part of the study. The study will include the type of facility at the New .park agrees with music. fe sti.val There's something about the Goderich Optimist Club's Music Festival and Friends .that attracts the • sunshine. The third annual music 'festival, hosted by the." Goderich club, was blessed with three days of sun which translated into the most successful festival despite a change in venue. The first two festivals were held in Harbour Park, but, because . of the park's proximity to residential neighbourhoods there, was great public' pressure to change the location of the festival. And that change ebRA, woter. Over the past year, the club 'has worked diligently in co-operation with the town to carve out a park on the banks of the Maitland River, land formerly used as a landfill site by the town. The new Optimist Riverside Park provided an ideal setting -for the festival but didn't detract..from• the success of the event. "The site was super and worked out really well. In fact it was far better than Harbour Park," club spokesman Ray Frydrych said. "We `didn't disturb anybody and it was a very successful festival. That' park was what we needed." The mechanics of putting a three-day music festival together provided the Optimist Club with enough work and having to prepare the site simply compounded the problems. Electricity was finally provided at the site Wednesday and the festival was , only 13 minutes late in starting.Thursday. While Frydrych admitted the third rendition of the festival was undoubtedly mere successful financially than the . previous two, each .one is a learning ex-' perience. "The whole area needs more lighting and we found that it's a big area to police: But we learned from it," he said: "Next year we may have to get the assistance of another Optimist Club to police the area. This year was a' good learning experience:" • The festival attracted large crowds over the three days. --Will question representation existing ports and the possibility of expansion. "We are also looking at the existing plans for harbour development to try to fit in with the existing facilities. This includes environmental, historical road and rail costs,'Poulos explained. "We are trying as much as possible to ac- copunodate everything within the existing planning framework," he explained. The study, which is expected to take app1 oxiniately six months to complete, will be drawn up in a master plan to be presented to interested groups and in- . dividual residents in November. At that time local residents and groups can identify concerns and present grievances. When completed the study will be presented to the Ontario ,Ministry of Transportation and Com- munications and Transport Cenada for -. ew and recommendations. Training urged for local politicians BY STEPHANIE LEVESQUE CLINTON = Provision for a community information agent and training municipal politicians through seminars, were two of the recommendations made in the final report of the Mittal Development Outreach Project. The seven-yearproject ends this month and the, recommendations were presented to Huron County Council at a special meeting on June 23 at Huronview. RI%OP representatives also presented two copies of all their work on the project. The copies, which in- clude about 10 binders, are available to the public and located at the Huron planning department office's in Goderich and the Goderich branch of the Huron Coun- ty library. i, RDOP Started, in 1975 with funds from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Mich., and facilities provided by the University of Guelph. The goal was to see how university resources, faculty, staff, students and facilities, could be used to benefit rural areas. RDOP concentrated. on three areas, Huron County, Halton Region and Northern Ontario. In Huron County, there were three major projects, absentee land ownership, the rural elderly and public participation in planning. Smaller projects included • drama workshops, rural women in Huron County, health care, and recreational needs asseg`sment° RDOP's assistant' director Valerie Gilmor said it was a learning experience, not just for rural citizens,, but fol'the university staff and students. Both she and Dr. Tony Fuller, RDOI' director, said the information contained in the binders could be us-. ed as resource information. The results of oumerous surveys in the county could he useful to both high schodl and university students and organizations. Enlarging on the recommendations, Mrs. Gilmor said it is important to have a community agent, one who could act as en information source and counsellor to the .community. During RDOP's ex- istence Louise Merritt, a Huron resident, was a field worker acting as a liaison between the university 'and the county. The role of the i ermimnity agent would be an expanded version of this role, providing citizens ith information on where to seek information. Seminars for municippl leaders should be provided to strengthen rural leadership, was one recommen- dation that would be new to Huron County. Other recommendations advised continuing to sup- port works already going on in Huron, such as par- • ticipation in planning, volunteers, and using the resources of community colleges and universities. Mrs: Gilmore noted, that although the RDOP is completed, the school of rural planning an'd develop- ment under Dr. Mark lapping will be available for research. Maxine useu.,. opens Sunday The official opening of the marine •museueariviil take place in Goderich Harbour Sunday, Ju1y'i11 at 3 p.m.. r� Thejnarine rnusetun, situated near the municipal,, beach, is a joint project of the town of Goderich and the County of Huron. The town donated the land for the placement of the wheelhouse and the county will. maintain the site. The ship's wheelhouse was donated by Goderich Elevators Limited. The official opening Sunday will. feature guest .speakers from the councils of the town of Goderich ;and County of Huron and Mr. George Parsons, president of GoderichElevator. Pleased hydro lines Will avoid county GODERICH - One"Huron County councillor is grad Hydro lines won't be coming through the county. Hullett Township. Reeve Ton) Cunningham. who represented Huron County throughout Consolidated Hearings Board sessions in Stratford this past winter, brought the board's decision to the attention of county council. "Most of you have heard of Hydro's Consolidated Hearings Board's decision, and I am glad to say the lines aren't coming through Huron County," said Reeve Cunningham. The board announced its decision on June 18, gating route M3 the e it preferred over six stating was Llll, one lines presented by Ontario Hydro. Line M3 travels from Bruce Nuclear Power Development to Essa near Barrie, through Bruce, and Grey counties. A se- cond line will travelfrom.Milton to the:LVondon area. "They put emphasis on agriculture,"Reeve Cunn- ingham said. Huron, County, in two separate motions (one Jast fall and one again in the spring) endorsed line Ml, also Hydro's preference., Line' M1 would have gone from BNPD to London, through Huron County east of Seaforth.• ' "We toe, are, very pleased," said planning depart- ment employee Roman Dies. He said the planning department has not yet receive ed a copy of the board's decision, but once it does, a report will be made. . .,- "It is desirable that prime agriculture land not be affected," added Mr. Dzus. No other comments were made on the decision at Huron county council's June 24 session. Health education position approved GODERICH - A part-time position for health pro- motion and education for the Huron County Health Unit has been approved. Huron County Council approved the position at its, June 24 meeting and if the service is invaluable, it • ,may become a full-time position in January of 1983.. Medical Officer of Health Dr. Harry Cieslar said il• - hiessesuch as heart disease and cancer are related . to lifestyles, butthat 'can; beechanged Now, •public health nurses promote- better health IlVtolilif'their ' other duties. , ' ` He has interviewed Sheryl Gilbert, a teaeher who is finishing her masters degree in health education and behaviour and it iS suggested she be. hired on .a part- time basis' beginning in September. About $5;000 had been set aside in the budget for a nursing student and this could be used to hire Ms.• Gilbert three days per • week at $80 per day.. • ` Council was told that if the positibh wete Made' full- time in January, it would be funded by reduced addi- tional nursing hours, because the,nurses would spend less time on education. Goderich Reeve Don Wheeler' expressed . concern that a position was'ing created without open corn- . petition, for it. Dr. Cieslar said the position would be advertised. He did note, that persons so. qualified, are rare and hard to come by. The position is subject to Ministry of Community , and Social'Services approval. GODERICH - Changes made in trustee representa- tion lby Huron County Council are being questioned by Goderich TowleCouncil. ; • At the June 24 session of council, Goderich Reeve. Don Wheeler said he wants to "expose the inequities in the present system" of school board representation , based on equalized assessment. When county council -met in May, changes in trustee representation resulted in Goderich going from two trustees to one,a and the combined municipalities of Seaforth, McKillop and Hullett go- ing from one trustee to two. The entire board iS still made up of 16 trustees. "Iniout- view it seems once again Goderich pays the most rand seems to lose, in this case loss of represen- tation," said Reeve. Wheeler. Statistics Reeve Wheeler presented, show Goderich 'with a total population of 7,391, while the combined municipalities of Seaforth, ,McKillop, and, Hullett have,a total population of 5,480. In dollars; Goderich contributes $T,612398;"'while the combined municipalities pay $902,341. Percentage wise, Goderich pays 15.3 per cent of the tetal required by the school board from municipalities, while the t om- bined municipalities pay 8.6 per cent. "Our contribution is almost double,", said Reeve Wheeler. The county's clerk -treasurer William Hanly said he had met the week previously with representatives of the Ministry, of Education • regarding trustee representation. He explained a task force of the Ministry had been set up to look at the question. Disbanded after 'failing to come up ,With an alter- native system; Mr. Hanly said the Ministry is still looking into the matter. �, Meanwhile, the county will be advisl°ng Goderich that in applying the.requirements of the Education Act, Goderich has 6.16 per cent of the total equalized assessment and the combined municipalities have 10.99 per cent. Goderich has sent a letter; to the executive secretary of the committee on trustee representation of the Ministry as well as a motion it passed express- ing its concern on June 21. F.A THE S GNALTSTAR. Marathon team The International Friendship Marathon ' Team made its way through Goderich on -Monday: enroute to the 1982 World'S Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee.' Andrew Carruthers of Goderich is on the team and he ran the friendship torch to the town hall. the story and picture are on the front page of the Recreation sec- tion. ' Sports up§ets • There were upsets in both the Goderich-Sldwpitch - league and the Fastball league. Bruce Baker and Bob McDonald have their weekly vl°rite-ups on pages two and three of the Recreation section Music Festival The Goderich Optimist Club held their third'anni k' music 'festival over the- weekend. Dave Sykes was there to capture some of the activities' on film. His pictures appear on the third page'of the Signal -Star.