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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-08-08, Page 1f 130 YEAR -32 enc �N IDES* AI ROUND COMMUNITY Iolli vy ipAPEff 116j1 PAIMA A (Circulation Claps 3500 - 4500) C•C;N.A• Better Newspoper Competition 1984 STAFF GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 8, 1984 50 CENTS PER COPY Many tourists were at the Goderich beaches over the Civic Holiday Goderich's sandy beaches and inviting water make it a pleasant weekend enjoying the warm weather and the cool water. place to soak up the sun or take part in some water sports. Tourists treated well at booth A brown station wagon, steaming with the summer heat of a too -hot day, pulls into the parking lot after an interminably long drive. A family spills out of the car, filled with the cynicism and fatigue common to summer vacationers everywhere. They drag themselves into the tourist information booth, such a cool haven of retreat, and' ask the question that has plagued travellers for years... "Where's the nearest McDonald's?" But this is Goderich, fdlks, and the nearest McDonald's is 50 miles away! Before the tired tourists can run back to their car and drive into the lake in quiet desperation, a tourist centre hostess is quick to suggest some of tie places to eat in Goderich that are at least just as good as McDonald's. And after they eat, the hostess continues with suggestions of the sights to see in Goderich and the area, with pamphlets and maps to offer descriptions and directions. If the tourists are ready to stop for the night, or if they plan to spend a few days in town, the hostess will help them find accommodate .ns, which is not too easy now in our peak tourist season. Our scenario concludes with a contented tourist family, still tired and dirty, but satisfied now with the information they have glegned from their happy contact with one of Goderich's finest travel counsellors. INFORMAT ION BOOTH Four young women are working this summer as hostesses in Goderich's tourist information booth, Debbie Shaddick is the project supervisor, hired with the aid of a Turn to page 2 Five tall ships may dock in ..Port of Goderich beach. During the hot summer monthspeople of all ages enjoy the Sunny sides help to Increase the number of tourists that visit g Awe Nate ko) ;vIdi'.e_maii -'bem^hsrathezem;,�tira .i 6edsd:-C Wr-isto zzl,Aa....)aenefFite.of.relaxinf int.*e.sAraa.�a .water...,dphll t•► ........., _........ Four ships confirmed for Aug. 16 Town of Goderich officials learned late Tuesday that four and possibly five of the famed tall ships will dock here on the evening of Thursday, August 16 before heading to Sarnia the next day. The British brigantine Ciudad De Inca, the Sheila Yeates and Norfolk Rebel of the United States and the Canadian Joana I have confirmed their arrival in the Port of Goderich August 16 and there is a good possibility that the United States schooner Western Union will join the flotilla. Originally, . the Sheila Yeates and Norfolk Rebel, two American ships, were scheduled to visit Goderich Tuesday, August 21 after a stopover in Sarnia. The. complete flotilla was confirmed for a stopover in Windsor Sunday, August 12 and the Inca, Norfolk Rebel, Sheila Yeates and Joana I were scheduled to head for Sarnia for an August 18 stop. Town administrator Larry McCabe said that negotiations with King Boake of Toronto proved fruitful and confirmation was received late Tuesday. The flotilla was expected to leave Windsor Monday, August 13 and the prospect of some sailing time on Lake Huron toGoderich seemed to appeal to some of the captains of the tall ships. "The captains wanted to get in some 'sailing time which they really haven't had a chance to do on this tour," McCabe said. "And it seemed that the sail to Goderich appealed to them." Barring poor weather conditions, the flotilla should arrive in Goderich on the evening of August 16 and dock all day Friday, August 17 before leaving for Sarnia. A special meeting of the town's Bicentennial Committee was held Wednesday to begin formulating plans for the visit of the tall ships. The committee may have to work around commercial shipping commitments and parking and busing arrangements will have to be organized. The Sheila Yeates, desinged from vessels of Civil War vintage, requires a 66-, foot berth and measures 15 feet by 58 feet. The Norfolk Rebel is 63 feet in height and has a crew of four. The other confirmed ships include the 26 metre (85 foot) Canadian Joana I; the 38 metre (125 foot) Inca from Great Britain and possibly the 40 metre (130 foot) Western Union from the United States. From Goderich, the tall ships will make the eight-hour voyage to Sarnia and dock in the St. Clair River near the foot of George Street. Details of the arrival times and public tours for the Goderich visit will be confirmed in next week's issue. Centre won't be ready until 1985 or early 86 The completion date for renovations at the Bluewater Centre, which is planned to he turned into a correctional facility for young offenders, has been pushed back to late 1985 or early 1986. The Minister of Correctional Services, Nicholas G. Leluk, sent a letter to Goderich town council informing them that the centre should be in operation by late next year. The original completion date for the centre was April, 1985. Leluk also said in his letter that the ministry planned to make a presentation to the Management Board of Cabinet by the end of July. The provincial Cabinet board must approve the ministry's plans to use the Bluewater Centre in Goderich to accommodate 16 and 17 year old offenders. The Ministry of Correctional Services was assigned the responsibility to look after offenders of these ages in April 1984 with the passage of the Young Offenders Act. Carl De Grandis, manager responsible for implementing the Young Offenders' Act in the region, said that the ministry made an initial presentation to Cabinet yesterday, Tuesday, August 7. He said the ministry may have to meet again with the Cabinet board next Tuesday, but the board's decisions on the ministry proposal should be made soon. Leluk continued in his letter that upon approval of their plans by the Cabinet board, the ministry will meet with the present and former staff of the Centre to discuss employment opportunities. The ministry will also hold a public meeting in Goderich to present the plans to the community. Leluk's letter was in reply to a request by town council to hold a meeting with ministry officials to find out about the ministry's plans dealing with Bluewater Centre, and to impress upon the ministry the concerns of council that plans be finalized as soon as possible. Leluk earlier replied that, since the plans were not yet approved, it would be pointless to meet with the town council. The workers who have remained at the Bluewater Centre have not been notified themselves as to the extent of possible renovations. There has been a staff change at the centre however. Just last week, the centre changed security staff, and the four security guards from CORE security have been replaced by Burns International. Want to promote land The town's Industrial Park was again at the forefront of topics at a recent Goderich Economic Development Committee meeting. The committee discussed various ways of promoting the park; recommended renewal of Champion Road Machinery's option to buy 25 acres in the park; and also recommended that .2 acres of land inthe park should not be sold as requested by Goderich Plymouth Chrysler. The committee is presently looking for an investor to construct an industrial mini - mall in the park, with the idea of leasing out space in the mall to people wanting to start their own businesses. An advertisement appealing to investors has been drawn up, approved and is now ready for placement in various publications. The committee also discussed promoting the town and Industrial Park through advertisements in Toronto Business Magazine and the Canadian Manufacturing Association newspaper. Bruce Sully of Champion Road Machinery wes called upon by committee chairman Fred Durst to elaborate on any immediate or future plans of Champion for the 25.34 acre parcel of land currently under option in Industrial Park. Although it was learned that Champion has no immediate plans for the land, the committee passed a motion recommending to council that the town renevitham*Plerig an option to buy for one year enecuve August 15. A proposal from Goderich Plyrtiouth Chrysler to purchase approximately .2 acres of land adjacent to their property on Suncoast.Drive for $1,250 was rejected by the committee after a lengthy discussion. Committee members felt the proposal was unrealistic, with the property being far more valuable than the price offered. It was also learned that sale of the land to Goderich Plymouth Chrysler would require a zoning change which could put the town in a `legal position of perhaps violating the Planning Act. -- The committee felt that the property should be cleaned up and that the town could do this and maintain the same. Mayor Eileen Palmer and administrator Larry McCabe both expressed concern to the • tmmittee over the fact that Goderich has ? en removed from Tier II under the Industrial Regional Development Program. Under Tier II, this program provides up to 65 per cent federal subsidy to industry and commercial outlets to get started or to expand. "We know from past experience that it was difficult enough to get this money under Tier II and it will be even more difficult to get under Tier -I," said Palmer. Gary Davidson of the Huron County Planning Department is trying to establish a meeting to review this situation with Emergency meeting held A meeting was held on Friday, July 27 to discuss an emergency plan for the town of Gode rich. The proposed plan will take the form of a by-law to town council, and will cover any sort of emergency. The July meeting was held with local industry. A committee was formed to get industry's viewpoints on what form the by- law should take, and to make the by-law read as simply as possible. Goderich Police Chief Pat King says the by-law will' "cover any kind of peacetime or wartime emergency in town." Possible emergencies might include a mishap of a ship in the harbor, any serious fire, or a large explosion. The emergency plan would determine a course of action to take during ,such an emergency, and enable the town to call in any resources as they are needed, depending on the seriousness of the emergency and the resources of the town -and county. Chief King says the plan is "intended to - look after any situation other than a normal traffic accident," and the by-law will be written to make sure it will stand the passage of time. Another meeting concerning the plan will be held some time in the future. Chief King says that something will be submitted to council sometime in the next two or three weeks. Museum to hold, Craft Festival The Huron County Pioneer Museum will hold a Craft Festival on the museum grounds this Saturday and Sunday. Participants from all over the county will display and demonstrate their crafts from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Museum staff members will demonstrate candle - making and rope -making. Members of the IODE will be selling box lunches and there will also be games for the children. On Saturday at 3 p.m. a number of local politicians will be on hand for the opening ceremonies. Winners of the museum's `What Is It?' Contest will also be announced at this time. Local participants at the Craft Festival will include Jim Remington (wood ducks), George Griffiths (knitting machines), Blanche Kerr (quilting), Mrs. Ray Scotchmer (rug hooking), Gerry Zurbrigg (weaving), Jean Hanly (doll making), Lu Legg (oil painting) and Ray Hanna, a wood turner from Wingham who has made a bowl from wood that once was part of a tree on the museum grounds. INSIDE THE SIGN 4 L STAR Slompitch tourney Forty-two teams took part in the Goderich Slo-Pitch tournament held during the Civic Holiday weekend. Two London teams took first and second place in Division One while the Port Albert Bulldogs won Division Two. For more information on the tournament, see the Recreation section. Ladies' baseball The ladies' slo-pitch league is having a very competitive season with only one point separating first place Go-For-Ettes and second place Sifto. Last week there were several games played with the winners not being determined until the final batter Was out. For complete details on the games, see the Recreation section. Theatre review Dracula! This well renown play of a vampire who must drink blood to stay alive is now playing at the Huron Country Playhouse. Director Ronald Ulrich gives the audience scenes that are both humorous and frightening. For more details on the play, see the theatre review on page 3A.