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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-01-24, Page 1i • WY 'TUT 4gariON Goderich tawxl council decided Monday night to make every effort to inform senior levels of government of .the progress of the. town's ar vexation. proceedings. Council, by a '54 margin, telt it was critical the ministry of intergovernmental affairs and the ministry of housing be kept informed as to the status of the fowl -its -study of ,the possible "annexation of 1,145. acres of Godefich township land. Council decided last week to study the im- pact, costs• and prosand cons of annexing the ' township land. The town wants tei know if it is • better' off taking the township under its wing to allow,land development on the town's' borders or if it should just sell services to• the township and let the township develop the property. o Councillor Elsa Haydon felt it,was premature for the town to begin- telling. the provincial government how the .annexation study is progressing. Haydon felt there was no need to rnake'aby reports to upper levels of govern, meat until the town actual'iy"began annexatipz; proceedings or until it knew what annexatitvi was going to cost. Haydon suggested a decision by council to inform the province, of the state.. of annexation was out of order. She said it was not necessary to say anything until a'decision Was made On whether the town was going to annex. She told council it Gould inform anyone "from Trudeau on down" and it wouldn't-matter'at all right now. She. suggested contact with :the province be delayed until prices for the an- nexation study are available -to council. Deputy -reeve Bob Allen argued that it was vital for the town to keep an open line to the province. He told council it was "very irri. portant that upper tier government be k,ept inforrned" adding that both the ministry of housing and intergovernmental affairs had requested information from the town. Reeve Eileen Palmer pointed out that more than just the annexation of the township rested on . the . town's informing upper levels of . gq vernment. She said the ministry of hattsi.ng is 'atvaiting.word from the town regarding selling services to the township to allow a 96 lett sub- division planned by Conklin Lum'ber to be 'approved. Palmer said that subdivision needs only final approval from the ministry before it can go under'. construction. The reeVe explained to council that as far as the ministry of housing' is concerned Goderich is unwilling -to sell services••to the township now. She said council's actions last week meant Goderich will not sell services necessary for the Conklin development. . . She -said the ministry is under the impression the town plans to study annexation possibilties and until that study is complete no services will be sold. Reeve Palmer said the province can in- terpret council's action to mean no services will be sold . now but the results of the annexation. study may change that. She"said the study oeuid show it is impassible for the townto annex the area or tliat the.tow doesn't nee.ci the land for its expansion. • °. "But' at leant wilt have some answers;" Palmer said. - Councillor John Doherty did not agree with Palmer 's interpretaticin. He. said council's decision last week was "not to sell servibes period Doherty said the motion did not say the town would "not sell services now but would, not sell services period". Councillor Jim Searls claimed the town's annexation study was.a waste of tax payer's dollars. He told council the town has between 300 and 400 building lots available in town now claiming Goderich is "not going to Use what its got in the next 30 years". • Council voted 5-2 to keep the province in- formed of the annexation. Councillors Jim Searls and Elsa Haydon opposed the decision. Councillors 'Stan Profit ,and Jim -Magee were absent. 132 YEAR= -4 THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 1980 35 CENTS PER COPY et'sme -mow BY JEFF SEDDON Goderich town council wants to •meet and make up with Goderich township council. The town .is sending an inVitation to the township to sit down some; time in March and patch up any differences that may have arisen in the .past .tw.o weeks. Reeve Eileen. 'Palmer told- council Monday` night there was a "Certain ,amount of misun- derstanding"• resulting from the town's recent. decision not to sell services to the township and tostudy annexation of township land. 'Palmer said the elected bodies "enjoyed certain harmony" in the past suggesting that harmony could be:returnedif both:satdown and discussed "sensitive points':'_"about the town's recent decisions. The reeve said an open dialogue would "serve both ,Councils well" adding it was 'im- portant both understand•the other'.s'position on the annexation study. Councillor Elsa Haydon told: council she would have no part of any discussion or•vote on anything to do with the town's. annexation proposals., She indicated any efforts by the town to patch up ill feelings the township may harbor over the annexation would be wasted because Of the way the town handled the situation. and makeup sasto Haydon said town council had "cheaply, crudely and stupidly handled" the issue adding that when. the matter came to a vote she in- tended to abstain. - "I will not be involved in any stupido machinations until the annexation study comes up for a decision," said Haydon. Angered by Haydon's. .comtne`rrts . Reeve Palmer told council Haydon's adjectives used to describe council's actiipn could be "directed right rack at her for her 'stand on this issue". Palmer said she had recently been to a board of directors meeting of the Association of Small Munizicipalities of Ontarid and heard nothing but•praise for Goderich'sliandlingof the issuer She said . elected • representatives from municipalities in a wide area around Goderich had learned of Goderich's decision through newspaper and television. She said she "huddled for, an hour" with mayors-or•reeves of those muraici.palities and was told they sup- ported Goderich's stand "100 percent". She Said that support.. was based on ex- periences those communities had, had as a result of "premature sale of services". She said somehad serviced land by selling services to neighboring municipalities and now couldn't annex. Others had refused to sell and now found themselvesin excellent bargaining positions because the neighboring municipalities had no means to handle the servicing themselves. "We''re (council members) amateur politicians and let's'not think we're` anything 'elge;'''"•said the re:eve: -"The only way we can learn what to do ,is.by reading or by profiting from the experience of other people." Haydon said she appreciated the reeve's comments telling council she had' had many people come to her and tell her they supported. her stand 100 percent. Sl - a said many felt the costs predicted for the annexation were "ridiculously low": Haydon pointed out.•'tfrat supportfor any council members was the same it just depended -on who council merrb'ers listened, to. She added that•: her support was "all from taxpayers not from 'mayors, of • other minicipautieq" • ... Deputy -reeve Bob Allen pointed out that the 'decision to study annexation, of the township had.been passed by a majority vote of council. He said council "needs 'harmony" to exist claiming it was time for council members to put aside differences and work toget the most from the annexation study. • Allen said'he•felt council had made the right • decision in the'anneation issue. He said all council was doing was trying to get some im- portant questions, answered before making major decisions. "Let's stop this darn bickering and get on with things harmoniously,"•said the deputy-. reeve. • • Council voted in favor of the joint meeting with the township and pian to' invite Goderich township to a March cbuncil'session. Councillor Elsa' Haydon abstained from voting. Mild winter saves cash BY JEFF SEDDON While it's still to early to tell how much has been saved this winter mild temperatures in south-western Ontario have shaved thousands of dollars off winter control budgets in the county and in Goderich. Bob Dempsey, the Huron county engineer, said Monday it was difficult to predict this early just'how much would be saved due to mild - weather. Dempsey said he knew money would be saved compared,•to last year's winter control budget but pointed out there still could be a lot- of otof winter left. The engineer said it was almost impossible to come up with a daily figure for snow removal Y ._..hecause there are too many faCtors Involved. He said the amount of snow. at the sides of the road, -the visibility, the wind conditions and the rate of snowfall all had affect on costs for snow ploughing, ``If it's blowing hard and all available equipment is going it costs about $2,000 a•'day,'," he said: ' But he added the estimate could be affe ted • by overtime hours, road salt, repairs, and'fuel consumption. The engineer said $450,000 was budgeted last year. for snow removal. He said•November and. December of 1978 were light months and saved" the bounty quite a bit. He estimated --between---- $350,000 arid $400,000 • was spept last_ winter Turn to page 14 • • Sift� lads off 59 workers -The `unusually mild winter southern. Ontario has enjoyed thus far has been blamed for layoff •of 28 workers' at the Domtar,` (Sifto) salt mine Saturday. , Another. 31 workers were laid • off. Monday because of a maintenance problem at the mine. Bill Coughlan; mine manager, said Monday market. conditions were the reason for" the layoff Saturday adding the pbor market was , due to' the mild winter temperatures. The manager explained that due to the unusually warm weather; very little'road salt has had to be applied by road crekvs. He said the - supply of that road salt accounts for a larger percentage of the mine's production during the winter months. • A second layoff Monday sent 31 workers home but Coughlan said that was due to a maintenance problem underground. He ex- pected•those workers to return in about a week.: Coughlan; could not predict when the 28 workers laid off Saturday morning would be returning to work: Turn co page 14 •. Doing it wrong could end dour child's life says Goderich police_ BY JOANNE° BUCHANAN Last Wednesday a mother drove her. three young children to Robertson School after lunch. She parked across the street from the school on Eldonand let the children out on the passenger's side of the car and waited. They ran across the road to the school from behind her parked car. ° Another car was south- bound on Eldon Street toward Bennett Street. The driver of this car saw the children run out from behind the parked car and applied her brakes. She hit one of the children with the right front corner of her cart Fortunately the child received only minimal injuries.. But this is • just one example of several near misses which have oc- curred around the elementary schools in Goderich this year. The driver of the south- bound car on Eldon Street was not speeding but her view was obstructed by the parked car :which had dropped the. children off. Well-meaning parents are posing a danger to their children every time they drive them to school by not dropping them off 'in the school parking lots or on the same side of the street as the school. Godedich police are asking .the parents' co- operation in this matter to prevent a tragedy. Several months ago, this newspaper carried a story 'about the problem of parents dropping their children off at school in the wrong manner: Few seemed` to heed that story. • It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words so this time Signal - Star has tried to illustrate the problem with pic- tures. With the assistance of Constable Gerry Hilgendorff and a volunteer Grade 2 student from Victoria Public • School, pictures were taken of -the,' right way and wrong way to drop one's child off at school „and' possible _con- sequences resulting from the wrong way. Perhaps it will open a few eyes. ' - Victoria Public. School was not picked for any particular reason. The problem exists at the other two elementary schbolsin town too. At all three schools, parents are driving their children to the loacation, parking across the street from• the school building and either letting the kids out on the driver's side to run out in front of on- coming cars or out on the passenger's side to run out from behind the car. The parked car blocks the view o,f the children, especially small children. Goderich Police Chief Pat King says once children are dropped off, the parents should im'- mediately pull away .so the children can see other cars and be seen by other cars. .They should be instructed to stop and look both ' ways before crossing the road. There is another reason for parents to im- mediately remove their cars after dropping the children ,off instead of waiting to see that they get across the street okay. "The parents are giving their, kids a false sense of security' by staying there. They think it's okay to run across the road because mom or dad are there," says . Chief King: • ' Now that winter has arrived, roads are slippery . and this corn - pounds the problem. It is most ideal for parents to drop their children off in the school parking lots or on the same side of the street as the school. They -•-should not stop on the same side of the street facing the wrong direction, however. At the' next Traffic Committee meeting, it is hoped that a by-law can be—PM-Ceti to prohibit stopping on the streets opposite to the three elementary schools in town duririg school hours. Until then, police are asking parents to, please stop causing a potential hazard to thei,.A.children • In this picture, Chris, a Grade 2 volunteer student from Victoria Public School, demonstrates the wrong way for parents to drop their children off at school. Chris has been let out of the driver's side of the car parked across the road from the school and runs into the path of an oncoming car. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) Here, Chris and Constable Gerry Hilgendorff illustrate, for shock value, what can happen if parents do not drop their children off at school' In the proper way. The pollee are asking parents' co-operation In preventing such a tragedy. There have been several near misses in town already. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) . , Chris demonstrates the proper w,ay for parents to drop'Irii'eir children off at school here. The car has pulled up to the same side of the street as the school so Chris does not have to run across the road. Parents could also consider dropping their children off -in the school parking lots instead of across the road from the school. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan) A