HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-03-05, Page 1ioaericn
SINAI
Goderi
youth
wins
$10,001
1981 hydro bill
referred
to solicitor
GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 5, 1986
60 CENTS PER COPY
A hydro bill from the Goderich PUC of
June, 1981 for $3,741,03 for the police sta-
tion will be referred to the town's solicitor,
council decided at its Mar. 3 meeting.
"I'd just as soon tell them to take the bill
and shove it. Wouldn't it be great if they
could do that to everyone?" said Coun. Jim
Searls.
The error in the hydro billings for the
police station was discovered when the
PUC converted to its own computer billing
system, PUC secretary -treasurer Fred
Durst said in a letter to council.
Coun. Bill Clifford suggested referring
thematter to the town's solicitor because
he questioned whether the PUC had the
legal right to bill from 1981.
"The billing is premature. It hasn't been
brought to the PUC commission yet," said
Mayor Eileen Palmer.
When' 16 -year-old Steve Johnston, of
Goderich chose his Match 3 Sweeps ticket
close to a month ago, he was certain he
was picking what looked like "a lucky
one." And, when he scratched away the
boxes on the ticket, he was the winner of
$10,000.
"He and his friends were only gone 20
.iter hafnrP they all V2TnP. running hank
like- a bunch of animals whooping and
hollering and saying to his friends, 'Let me
tell him! Let me tell him!"' says Steve's
father, Don.
"He wouldn't let anyone touch the ticket
when he brought it home," says ,his sister
Denise.
Although Steve bought a winning ticket
close to,a month ago, he just recently got
the prize because of some difficulties with
the Ontario Lottery Corporation because
of his age.
"There was a lot of confusion if he was
going to get the cheque or if it was going to
. go into a trust fund. We made two trips to
Toronto about it," says Don.
Steve says he's only been buying lottery
. tickets for a few months and continues to
buy one or two occasionally. The Grade 11
student at Goderich District Collegiate In-
stitute bought a stereo with 'his winnings
and put the remainder of the money in the
bank.
Steve Johnston, a Grade 11 student at Goderich District Collegiate
Institute, picked a lucky Match 3 Sweeps lottery ticket last month
and won. $10,(100. He used some of the money to buy
banked the rest. (photo by Susan Hundertmark )
a stereo and
ages protested
A letter from the town of Clinton pro-
testing the salary increases for Huron
County department heads was filed by
Goderich council since Goderich has
already expressed its displeasure about
the raises through Goderich's reeve and
deputy -reeve.
"Our concerns were expressed through
our representatives to county council and
that's how it should be expressed," said
Coun. Bill Cliffford.
Huron County department heads receiv-
ed increases up to nine per cent a year
when 'county council endorsed the salary
package in January.
"For municipal councils that are
desperately trying to keep tax increases to
acceptable levels, these increases certain-
ly seem exorbitant and must be pro-
tested...11 is feared that the cumulative ef-
fect of all these demands might be more
titan the average Laxpa-yer can or is willing
to accept," said the letter.
"But then, of course, the county does not
have to face the irate taxpayers, that job is
left to the council and staff of each of the
. member'municipalities," it added.
Clinton council suggested county council
rescind the increases for the second and
third years and only guarantee those for
1986.
Adolescents' needs addrfi��se
BY SHARON DIETZ
Two Huron County social agencies and
the Huron County Board of Education are
working together to identify adolescents
with problems in an effort to develop ser-
vices to address their needs.
Previously there has been no integration
of services for adolescents in the county
but through the initiative of Paul Carroll,
superintendent of student services with the
board of education, the administrators of
the Huron County Family and Children's
Services and the Huron Centre for
Children and Youth are meeting regularly
with teachers and special education
resource personnel.
The purpose of holding regular meetings
between the two agencies and their educa-
tion counterparts is to open the channels of
communication and co- ordinate interven-
tions on behalf of children with special
needs. The social workers and teachers sit
down together and case conference the
children who have been identified as hav-
ing special needs.
Since the implementation of the Child
and Family Services Act in November, the
school and Family and Children's Services
cannot intervene unless the child is a vic-
tim of physical, sexual or emotional abuse
or is suffering from emotional harm. The.
conferences identify the kids which would
now fall through the system unless alter-
native services are devised to address
their needs.
"Huron is badly underserved compared
to urban areas" with respect to communi-
ty social services for young people, accor-
ding to Paul Carroll. There is no one to co-
ordinate the service of the needs of
children and there are relatively few alter-
natives to direct intervention by Family
by agencies
and Children's Services.
The dialogue between the social agen-
cies and the board of education has
already led to the development of a project
to identify gaps in social,. health and
educational services relating to the needs
of youth. As many as 25 adolescents in the
county will be involved in the $10.000 pro-
ject, Youth Needs You, funded by the
Secretary of State for Youth.
Sponsored by the county's Community
Services Council, the project was conceiv-
ed after the group of community agency
administrators decided the needs of the
youth in the county were not being met.
The lack of alternative education
facilities for high school drop -outs, the
non-existence of a ,crisis centre for young
people suffering from a family trauma and
the lack of psychiatric counselling in the
county were all identified by the ad-
ministrators as gaps in service.
"We're not talking about frills. We're
talkingabout basic educational, health
and social needs that are not being met in
the county," says Carroll.
A youth working committee comprised
of two young people .from each high school
in the county is being formed to do
research by various ways including a
series of public hearings conducted by a
youth panel, surveys, questionnaires, in-
terviews with service agencies, " spot
surveys in malls or arcades, radio call-in
shows and community cable TV programs.
"These are lively issues,"says Don
Keillor of the Huron Centre few -Children
and Youth, who commends Phut Carroll
for his inititatives to have kids active in the
research of solutions to these problems.
According to John Penn of Family and
Turn to page 2
.
Despite
cost-cutting
mill rat
e u 8percent
.:
Though it aimed at a five per cent in- feasibility study for a recreation corhplex;
crease in the general municipal mill rate, a number of reserve funds were deleted by
Goderich council was hard pressed to keep more than $132,000.
the increase at 8.23 per cent after a dif- The budget did not allow the $25,000 set
ficult budget -cutting session at its Mar. 3 aside for the general administration con -
meeting. And, county and school, board re- tingency reserve. It also took $40,000 from
quisitions are yet to come. the airport contingency reserve, $15,000
Insurance premiums increased by from the waterfront reserve, $12,000 from
$50,000, a decreased surplus from last the. ONIP reserve for sewers and roads,
year's budget of $45,000 and Ontario $33,323 from the pollution control plant
Neighborhood Improvement Program reserve and $10,000 from the park land
(ONIP) projects costing the town $63,000 reserve.
have combined to make greater demands "Do we want to increase the reserves at
on the budget for the town of Goderich in the expense � of increasing the mill rate
1986. beyond five or six per cent?" asked Coun.
After agreeing that services such as Bill Clifford.
road maintenance and construction, ONIP
programs and wages and benefits should Council allowed $10,000 to remain in both
the building reserves for the fire and police
not be cut, council tackled a discletionary departments.
list of expenditures, which it left untouch- <'Sooner or later we'll be faced with
ed would have resulted in an increase of replacing that building. It will be more dif-
38.9 per cent. ficult to have half a million dollars dumped
Though the 8.2 per cent- was the best on the taxpayer at one time than set aside
council could do on Mar. 3, Mayor Eileen some in the reserve now," said Palmer.
Palmer encouraged council to look for " a Coun. John Stringer agreed saying,
more ways to cut the budget for its Mar. 10 "We're using our reserves too fast.. The
meeting. province is going to get tougher with us
"We used to be able to pick a figure and each year and we'll need the reserves
work backwards but this year we must cut down the line."
to get to the level I we,want," Clerk- The $66,500 earmarked for an elevator in
Administrator the Larry McCabe told council. the arena was cut from the budget since it
Durig the past seven years, the general was considered premature before the
mill rate has increased by an average of master plan for recreation is completed.
three per cent each year.1
"It's nice to say we're coming up with a Most councillors favored keeping the
zero budget but we have to pay the piper $20,000 planned to pay half of the master
somewhere along the the line. I shudder at plan and feasibility study for recreation in
the thought of a nine per cent Increase Goderich especially since a government
when we restricted our employees to four grant contributing the remaining $20,000
per cent but we can't keep coming in at one ° has been approved,
or twoer cent and maintain services," Dr. Don Neal, 'who spoke to the issue,
said Deputy -Reeve John Doherty. ' said council shouldn't pass up the appor-
"Fxp enses must be controlled in 1986 or tunity since the grant will be used by so -
a deficiit will result. I �s basically a,balanc- meone ,else if Goderich doesn't use it a
ed budget projected or 1986," added Mc- master plan makes other grants available
Cabe.to the town and long term planning is
In order to maintain grants to groups . necessary in Goderich.
such as the Historic Gaol Board and "1 would like to see it (the master plan)
Goderich Little Theatre, continue left in the budget because the need has
sidewalk construction and make a coin- been manifested and supported and I think
mitrnent to the recreation master plan and Turn to page 2 •
Groups support
minor sports
A Goderich men's slowpitch team has
issued a challenge to several groups,
teams and service clubs to match its dona-
tionto minor sports groups in town.
Recreation director Jane Netzke said
the Goderich Chrysler Slowpitch team
recently donated one hour of ice time to
each of three minor sports organizations,
Minor Hockey, Ringette and Figure
Skating, from the proceeds realized from
„the snowpitch.lrournam nt, At $37 an hour.,,.
the donation amounted to $111 to purchase
one hdur of ice time for each group.
From the donation was borne the idea to
challenge other groups to match the idea
of supporting minor sports. Netzke
subsequently drafted a letter that was sent
to service clubs and adult sports' groups,
asking, them to participate in the challenge
from Chrysler manager Don Johnston.
"I endorse it. It's a great idea," Netzke
said. "Minor sports groups can use all the
support they get."
Tin.:
a Hamilton, of Goderich, won a 10 kiloYiietre cross-country ski race in the 14 and 15 -year-
old
year-old category during a trip with her Pathfinders grbtip recently. (photo by Susan Hundert-
Mark)
r
'INSIDE THE
SIGNAL -STAR
Air cadets
Teenagers are finding air cadets to be an
exciting challenge, a way to learn leader-
ship skills and self discipline and an oppor-
tunity for new experiences not offered by
Dietz's feature on the front page of today's
gommunity section looks at the cadet
movement and the challenges it presents.
Tomorrow Box
Goderich Little Theatre gave area
theatre -goers one more chance to enjoy
Anne Chislett's play, The Tomorrow Box.
Susan Hundertmark'S theatre review on
today's entertainment page says the play
holds the same powerful massage it did
when presented in Blyth at the, summer
festival. See page 4A.
YCW set to go
The 37th edition of Young Canada
Hockey Week is set to go at the Goderich
arena beginning Friday. In today's sports
section, sports editor Dave Sykes takes a
look at the new format which features
round robin play in two divisions. See page
6A,
1