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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-10-20, Page 4t PAGE 4--GODFI '14'H SI(, \ \ I til \ k i I11 RSDS O('TOiiFK ''0. 1'r'; MNAN COMMO r 7r} r 4PCNA -'FOS ASSO� S tis N'SIA PI OS COM1 Goderich SIGNAL -STAR The County Town Newspaper of Huron founded In 1041 and published every Thursday at Goderich. Ontario. Member of the CWNA and OWNA. Advertising rotes on request. Subscriptions payable In advance 93.00 In Canada, '17.00 to U.S.A., '29.04 to all other countrle, single copies 30 cents. Display adsen tlsing rates available on request. Please osis for Rale Cord No. 0 effective Oct. 1, 1177. Second class moll Registration Number 07*, Advertising Is accepted on the condition that, In the event of typographical error, the advertising weep occupied by the erroneous Item, together with reasonable allowance for signature. will not be charged for but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rote. In the event of a typographical error advertising goods or services at o wrong prise. goods or service may not be sold. Advertising Is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Signal•Star 1s not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts or photos. Business and Editorial Office TELEPHONE 524-8331 area code 519 Published by Signal -Star Publishing Ltd. ROBERT G, SHRIER — president and publisher SHIRLEY J. KELLER — editor EDWARD J. BYRSKI — advertising manager Mailing Address: P,O. BOX 220, Industrial Park, Goderich Second class mail registration number — 0i6 Oh, for a plan A number of citizens sat in on Mnnda>, evening's council session. Many of them shook their heads in dismay as council worked through a normal ,igenc.a with abnormal difficulty',. The session "went on for about three hours and most of the time was spent agonizing otir issues about which the majority of council appeared to he uncertain and undecided. Among those items were the Neigh- borhood Improvement Program, the Huron County police communications system, the Goderich Area Planning Board minutes, the matter of hiring an engineer or engineer-technicain, the study to deter- mine the direction the town should be going in relation to municipal finances and municipal personnel. airport maintenance and operations, the Ontario I3uilding Code Act and the hiring of an employee at the sewage treatment plant. Certainly it was a heavy agenda but not unusually so.Goderich town - council is, Fri tlpon to - 'make dectsrons r 'e these every week now. The work load is becoming more and more demanding: the problems are getting more and more frustrating; arta the efforts of each and every councillor are growing less and less adequate. It is this horrible feeling of being swallowed up by a relentless municipal machine that is obviously rolling over everyone and undermining the ability of the entire council to function effectively right now. Take for instance the NIP question. There is available to the town of Goderich something like $600,000 of federal and provincial money. To take advantage of it, the town must commit itself to the ex- penditure of some local tax dollars. How many tax dollars will depend on the kind of program that is undertaken by the town in co-operation with. NIP. It really boils down to whether or not the municipality can afford to take the government dollars. Does the town have the money to spend to get the NIP funds? In truth, the majority of town councillors just do not know. There are so many projects in the works - the widening of Highway 21, the extension of Suncoast, the connection to the South Storm Sewer, the Industrial Park Sewer and the airport expansion to mention a few - that council members just can't get an accurate handle on the total financial implications to make a decision based on factual knowledge. At every meeting for some weeks now, there has been a suggestion that a complete study of the town's finances is an absolute must before budget time in the spring. That same idea was expressed at Monday evening's meeting by several councillors who seem to sense they just don't have the knowledge to make any more long-range decisions until such a study is completed. Witness the decision by council to hold off s, Advertising for an engineer in. an engineer - technician 1..-% en though someone is needed almost immediately to fill the shoes of retiring building inspector Roy Breckenridge. Al! through Monday ev'ening's meeting, council members .groped for answers to questions. There didn't seem to be any answers. Only more que.;tiuns. No seconder- citizens in the chambers Monday evening sat in awe as municipal business was transacted in what can only he described as confusion and a lack of direction and purpose. The most upsetting thing, perhaps, for spectators in the chambers was the fact that a much needed study' of the magnitude that is so vital to Goderich council's ultimate success, is not getting done. An in-depth study will take hours and hours of council time even .4though council members probably don't have the energy or „the leisure hours to •_devotee.. • ch=an Art kg -ToJ studycomgl.e.ted_ pr es.sionally would-be financially out of the question, however, If it is any consolation, Goderich isn`t the only community experiencing this kind of dilemma. Several municipalities in south- western Ontario have already requested government assistance to sort out their difficulties. That's ironical too, since both the provincial and the federal governments are battling to solve their own problems. The blind leading the blind. so to speak. Someone once said the problem is not the high cost of living. The real problem is the cost of high living, It could be that Goderich's living style has to he altered...or modified. Just how this will be accomplished can only be determined after all the pertinent data has been compiled - a complete report showing all projects planned for the next 10 years: their approximate .cost to the local tax- payers; their individual importance in relation to other projects as well as present needs; the cost of town employees in comparison to their productivity: the ability of the town's residents to pay taxes in the next decade or so: the desired results of a long-term plan in Goderich. There is a common belief among elected council representatives that they have no right to make decisions for future councils, In dozens of ways though, every year, councils do commit future councils to programs initiated in previous terms, if the 1977-78 Goderich Town Council can devise plan of action that is both positive and pcsihle, elected members in the years to come would have no difficulty living with such a plan. Citizens would insist on it. That must he council's aim now...the adoption of a plan of action that will lead to a con- clusion without leaving Goderich citizens in hopeless debt and chaos for a lifetime - or longer.-S,1K Like to help but..... When you're, only six years old' and it's your first Hallowe'en for UNICEF, those "huts” can really hurt. Like "I meant to get some change but... Or ':Sure E care about kids but..." Those little spooks and goblins, with their orange and black UNICEF poxes, are going to be feeling a little scared but very proud when they arrive at your door. They know that only seven cents collected in their box Nuys antibiotic oin- tment to save a child from blindness. Or thrity cents buys entrugh Vitamin A and D to supplement the diet of an under- nourished child for four months. It's a Small amount to us but through the magic of UNICEF those amounts can mean the difference between life and death to a small child somewhere in.this world. ' So at Hallowe'en, when your doorbell rings and the young voices call "Trick or Treat. for UNICEF", please dont give them any "huts", Help them to show their concern for the worlds destitute children by putting a few coins in the UNICEF box. That kind of caring is desperately needed in the world today. They don't want to go Only one in five of 682 employees at Department of Veterans Affairs in Ottawa is willing to make the transfer to Charlottetown as part of federal plans to decentralize the agency headquarters by 1986, reports The Financial Post. A departmental questionnaire found that another 30 percent remain undecided. However, 49 percent or 335 DVA employees - said they will not move in the question- naire which was answered by 77 percent of DVA staff. in Prince Edward island, a task force preparing for the shift speculates the survey means that as many as 335 job opportunities will become available for islanders • including former Islanders who might want transfers from other federal jobs to return to P.E.I. r • Faithful fans by Dave Syke BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER For two weeks now, the word "expropriate" has .been on tire- front .pe of the *-ST rrt =�trt ;ea aetipn is 't6 betaken by' the Town of Goderich, As Deputy - Reeve Eileen ,Palmer said, . expropriate is a dirty- word. She's right. Not too many members of council are happy about the prospects of expropriation any time. The first case for ex- propriation, of course. is at the airport and two weeks ago this newspaper -stated in an editorial opinion that while development at the airport may be desirable, not only„for the Town of Goderich but for the County of Huron, there is no way the ratepayers of Goderich should be asked at this time to pick up the tab for DEAR READERS expansion at the airport. Taxes in Goderich are already higher than most homeowners feel is of Suncoast Drive. This 2.98 acres of land is needed by the town to extend Suncoast Drive from Highway 21 to ,..H`cgiWay :`atiel tic -estitie --- In a round about way then-- up the sewers east of High - it could be assumed that this way 21 including the new Delbar subdivision on Ben- nett Street to the South Storm sewer, The former mayor of Goderich, Harry Worsell began negotiations for this piece of property in his term of office ' at least six years ago. From time to, time since then, talks have been held by Goderich elected representatives with Mrs. Glousher, trying to come to some agreement on the p 'ce of . the land. The tow of Goderich, according t the current chairman of wo and' engineering, Dave newspaper does not favor expropriation of the property adjacent to the airport ...... although this is not entirely true either. If the town's finances could easily permit the purchase of Land for expansion at the airport .. and if the owner of the property was determined to hold oust for an inflated price for the property ex- propriations then might be acceptable. Theo.,second case for ex- propriation is the property of Mrs. Sophia Glousher just east of Highway 21 at the end Dear Editor I was extremely interested to read the article regarding the Block Parent Plan. When the program in London was initially taken over by-khe Corporationrgf the City of London and its sub- sequent ubsequent Sub -Committee headed by Margaret McGee, I was working for the Clerk's Department and was appointed the City's liaison officer for the Block Parent Plan, i visited the home of one of the originators of the plan, a member of the London Section of the National Gower, is anxious to acquire would he paid hythe the land and wiThpay a fair no cost toherpropenp. price for it. "I am not ince ' But negotiations have just obtaining more land that the people "fit Deibar subdivision are pressing for some►action to relieve them of the problems of inadequate sewer outlets, the town has been endeavoring to bring the matter to a head. In February of 1977 another meeting was held with Mrs. Glousher. As a result of that meeting, about seven months later Mrs. Glousher sent her proposal to town council. She said she would deed the land to the town for $1 and in return would expect that services such as roads, curbs and gutters, storm sewers, hydro, street lights, water, survey costs, legal costs etc. street costs assessed my property,"Mrs,G told council in her letter Her reference to land'' was made bee original suggestionby mayor Harry Wors been a swap of land acres for the town change for 8.96 acres Glousher. That offer later reduced to 5.97 town land in exchange 2.98 acres of Glousil needed by the town. offer is acceptable 1) Glousher. In the case of theta property. there isli Turn to II DEAR EDITOR Council of Jewish Women, and also visited the London Police Department where I was given a tour of the offices and a detective explained the program to me in detail It was also pleasing to see the drop in child molestation since the program was in- troduced in the London area. Mrs. McGee, a detective from the London Police Department and I sub - London Cable Television program to promote the program, with pleasurable results. I also visited schools in the London area during meetings of Parent-Teacher Associations, to explain the Cit's part in the program. It is definely a deterrent to the would be child molester and plays a definite role in today's society. Should any organization in the Town of Goderictr con- sider starting the plan here, I would be only too happy to help in any way I can. Yours very truly, Charmian Hills (Mrs.) Dear Editor: On Halloween night, 31st, and the weekend preceding it the Goderich Police will be maintaining numerous patrols to ensure that the celebrations do not get out of hand and that the general rt public are not bothered too greatly. The ten -man force will be strengtherned by six auxiliary constables who have volunteered their assistance. Other citizens have offered to act as our eyes and ears and will be keeping us in- formed of any suspicious or actual incidents. Once again the .Circle City CB Club will be augmenting the various police patrols by organized mobile patrols of their own. The By -Law Officer will carry out yet another general patrol All schools will be staffed as a precaution. Other establishments are main- taining their own anti - vandalism measures. In other words we shall be on guard to prevent and to deal with t who disrupt the cele by their maliciousa This does not mean shall he curiae legitimate FUN 0 festivities which, nal our citizens enjoy. know that it is oillYa cause most of the. and we shall be Pr deal with them .sho use the celebrations TO ALL PAREN remind you toensure tc1):0i: tn ittc,.' tisk, e ria(nr) re:ev,r.v,aen, aeh sytoceosToi nu: u rrscnig:iet tsehdeira;od. th Mi 75 YEARS AGO On Wednesday, a Star reporter visited Doctor Clark's horse hospital, 50 x 22, situated on- Newgate St rt et next to the Colborne Hotel... I t is iron clad for safety anti is 'easily reached from town and townships. It will be fined with the modern appliances _ used in the leading veterinary colleges and in addition to reserved stalls for equines while under treatment, there will be a cosy corner for pet On Sunday evening the frame dwelling (In Waterloo street owned by William Postlewaite was discovered LCICIKING BACK to be on fire. The hose wagon was soon out, but the team attached to it ran so fast down West Street that the wagon got 100 yards beyond the hydrant before the animals could be pulled up. ItAlid not take long to put the fire out, for it had not broken through the siding, but all the inside wood was charred. The Grand Trunk Railroad building is nearly completed so far as the brickwork is concerned, only three or four course of brick on the main tower being needed and as the frame work of the roof is complete a good, idea can he f4rmed of the new station. 25 YEARS AGO Total damage estimated at about $10,000 was done to the front portion of the Samis Motors garage at the corner of Victoria and Kingston Streets as well as smoke damage to a number of automobiles by a fire which broke out early Wednesday morn ing, Work on resurfacing the Goderich-Clinton stretch of Number R highway is likely to commence in the sprinA iilthough at this time it ,can not he said with certainty deputy minister of Ontario Department of Highways. He added that when the work was done a certain danger dip in the road had to be removed as Well as several crooks, When asked whether Taylor's Corners (a notorious danger spot where many car ac- cidents have happened) was one of the crooks te) be removed, Mr. Millar <lid it was not one that had "been mentioned specifically. The third annual Huron County -Junior Farmers pdowing mateh was held fat the farm of Howard Blake 21/2 miles west of Dungannon last Wednesday. Fifteen con- testants were entered in six call a cliti-iihviitsh (ws:eprei‘iksi e.teo,fne.c, .T11 tuebr.s (ic,)‘ir.), rin,1 tin. ‘t(-1.,ihtrii nii(iI)tfiyo.rt:ce,t11.,...,e1,,iiilli: veil i•s of work Ando. er; ,(iniedlernigch haLs4clereilat ;i1kg.11111(Tir;('1:1.11:t9t:''Itio'll'I'cr'n'innigitnIdatittrth'sh'iliefenelai;Pistirlir,r5isid((c)ce5,e1,ec‘°eaenim.e-frrlisspgse--`11ai.-5''' Tt iloiVrcoani'(et'oda.iretarSisar11.11(:)nlaYir " on by tr ay eel ea igts ter aii oris Ilh