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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-12-08, Page 1yT ardignores-reques The Huron County Board, of Education ignored a request "from the Ontario Chiropractic Association to phase out high school contact football and replace it with non -contact football or some other potentially less dangerous sport. The board chose to file a letter from the chiropractic association at its Monday meeting despite the protests of Goderich trustee Dorothy Wallace. Wallace told the board that she didn't think the matter should be dismissed "just like that". She said the board had to make its decision con- sidering the physical hazards of a teenager playing body contact sports adding that she didn't think the matter should be "tossed in the trash basket": Board chairman Herb Turkheim asked Wallace if she thought football was any rougher than hockey, a sport almost every youngster plays during childhood and usually with his parents' support. "I dqn't think vou can stop young people from playing at sports," said Turkheim. "If the board barred it• in the schools it would just start up on its own in parks and empty lots." Clinton trustee Dorothy Williams supported the chairman's theory pointing out that at least in the high school programs the athletes were provided with protective equipment which lessened the chance of injury. She said that if youngsters were going to play football she felt it was better they play in a high school program rather than out of one. Wallace pointed out that if youngsters played hockey they did so with parent's approval and that hockey programs were not offered by schools and that the schools were not responsible for injuries to students playing hockey after school hours. Turkheinl pointed out that the only difference between hockey and football was that schools did not sponsor hockey programs. He said the body contact is the same. Wingham trustee J.P. Alexander told the ban coritao board that high school football programs were offered to students wanting to play the sport. He said football was not mandatory and that if,A student's parents didn't want him to play the game they could stop him from doing sq. "Girls are wanting to get in football programs now," said Brussels trustee D. McDonald. Separate school trustee Eugene Frayne, the trusteo responsible for the motion to file the letter, said he felt the board didn't have enough information to comply with the request of the chiropractic association. He said if the association backed up the request with facts and figures regarding an alarming number of serious injuries theboard would have to take a second look at the subject, The resolution from the association recom- mended the phasing out of high school football because of a potential danger to adolescents. The letter said adolescent bodies are not sufficiently developed to be safe from spinal and neck in- juries as a result of heavy body contact in football. Superirltendent of education Jim Coulter said he had kept a list of injuries to students at school :during the last three years and that he has not had a football injury reported to him. He said children have broken arms falling off swings but he has not been made aware of serious football injuries. He added that it was possible any in- juries received in the game may not have been reported to him. Ray Donnelly, coach of the Goderich District Collegiate Institute Vikings, said Tuesday he had never seen a long term injury to a student as a result of football in his 11 years of coaching at GDCI. He said the players he coaches every year are in top physical condition which is one of the best methods of preventing injury to the athletes. He said the players do a minimum of 20 minutes of muscle stretching exercises every day of the Turn to page 24 • „I j nday harness cing approved ay harness racing will -be written into 51 of 1968 and will become a permitted ty in Goderich in 1978. This decision was Monday. evening by Goderich Town it after representatives of the Goderich Association asked for this amendment local bylaw.. Crawford and Larry Jeffrey of the Bch Trotting Association said their group ceived permission for race dates on the aaday in May and three Sundays in June, They said the revenue from these race which will be in addition to their regular day night racing dates for July and twill help the GTA offset the costs for the ndstand which is to be built in the spring. GTA, Crawford said, will spearhead the rtor the construction of the grandstand Vas made necessary after the former land was demolished when it was ruled "by the Ontario Racing Commission in e is against us," said Jeffrey. "Other ities have found Sunday racing to be 'BA and we're hoping for some extra money from Sunday racing to get the grandstand paid off earlier." Councillor John Doherty suggested there might be some conflict with the Industrial Fastball League, but said if the racing started early and ended early on a Sunday, there could be a satisfactory arrangement made with the baseball enthusiasts. "These people need to have an answer," said Doherty. "It's only for four,Sundays." "It is a very reasonable request," said Reeve Bill Clifford who made the motion to amend the bylaw for Sunday harness racing. ' 1 In seconding the motion, Deputy -reeve Eileen Palmer said, "It is the least we can do, to give you our support and co-operation in this matter." Councillor Elsa Haydon expressed some concern about the additional man-hours which will be charged to the parks department because of the Sunday racing. She pointed out this would he at time and a half. Mayor Deb Shewfelt said when the former grandstand was levelled, the old agreements were destroyed with it. The new.iacility will be costlier to operate and there will have to be a totally new agreement," said Mayor Shewfelt. ew recreational ea to be built 000 recreational area at the south-east of Bennett Street and Eldon Street edtheapyroi.al of Goderich Town Council / evening. An agreement between the and the owner of the property, the Huron Board of Education, will be prepared by n'ssolicitor, Dan Murphy. (cation will he made for a $10,000 ill is due Goderich Area Planning Board decided to recommend to council that an out - account of Delbar Investments be over to the town solicitor for action or on, The board discovered that the ac - for $1,037,42 had been overdue since ber13, 1975 and had not been paid despite letters sent to Delbar reminding the firm 0. secretary Roy Breckenridge told the that he wanted to brig the matter to the attention to clear off the items he had thas secretary. He said he was retiring office and wanted to explain the matter board himself rather than leave it in the olanew secretary who may not be aware count, enridge said the account was for Ontario Pal Board costs, printing costs, ial work and postage costs when requested planning board rezone its`s Yonliighway 21 to highway commercial. in which Mayor Deb Shewfelt was a wanted the property on Highway 21 Turn to page 24 • recreation grant and a $10,000 Wintario grant. Goderich District Collegiate athletes and in- terested persons have already raised $11,400 which is invested at thq present time. The remaining $6,000 or so is eitpected to be realized by GDCI students in their 1978 walk-a-thon planned for May. "The direct cost to the town is nil," said Principal John Stringer who appeared before town council with Lynn Meyers head of the physical education department at the high school. "That's the point that should be stressed here." The recreational area will include an asphalt track, a softball diamond and backstop and a soccer and football field inside the track area. It is hoped that construction can begin in the spring. Costs of upkeep ane maintenance will be shared by the board of education and the town. Since the facility will be utilized by both the schools and the general public, it is visualized that the hoard and the town will finance any expenses incurred as a result of their own ac- tivities. Meyers told council the recreational area will he virtually maintenance free, with the ex- ception of the grass which will need to be cut. He suggested this would be done by the town as is the practice now. The schools would have the use of the facility from Monday to Friday during school days and for the occasional special event. The community would use the facility from Monday to Friday after 6 p.m. and on holidays and weekends, Councillors John Doherty and Bob Allen of the Goderich Community Centre and Recreation Board said that group had reviewed the Plans arld would be in agreement with council's decision to approve the project. Godericht IGNAL STAR 130 YEAR -49 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 1977 30 CENTS PER COPY Teachers settle The Huron County Board of Education and its elementary school teachers agreed to terms of a 1977-78 contract for the teachers Tuesday night when the teachers voted to accept the latest board /offer. John Cochrane, director of education, said Wednesday that the teachers had agreed to a 5.12 percent increase and that the controversial pupil -teacher ratio had been dropped from the contract. Cochrane said that the new pact brings the average earnings of the 380 elementary school teachers in the county to $17,448. He said there are 380 teachers working in Huron county's elementary schools but that some are part, time. He saidthe full. time~ equ#•a1eyit, of the teachers makes the total full time staff 362.5. R. J. Elliott, Blyth school board trustee and chairman of the board's elementary school teacher negotiating committee, announced Monday that the board had ratified the teacher agreement and that the teachers had to vote on acceptance of the contract Tuesday night. He said the contract negotiations, which had bogged down in October and had been turned over to a mediator, had been completed by Monday and that the teachers' vote to accept the ratification would settle the issue. The negotiations broke down due to differences arising from basic pay rates for teachers and the pupil -teacher ratio. The settlement removed the pupil -teacher ratio from contract talks and turns it over to director John Cochrane who has been given the authority to determine the ratio in the future. A committee consisting of Cochrane, three teachers and three hoard members will determine the ratio in the future. Cochrane said the pay rates are established in seven categories depending on the teacher's' qualifications and experience. He said four of the categories involve teacher's with degrees and the remainder teachers with no degree. The new .rate for category D teachers, the lowest category, is from $9,840 to $13,140 after six years experience. Category C ranges from $10,415 to $15,365 after nine years. Category B is from $10,990 to $18,490 after 10 years. Category A-1, teachers holding degrees, is from $12,040 to $19,540 after 10 years. Category A-2 is from $12,590 to $21,090 after 10 years. Category A-3 is from $14,170 to $23,670 after 10 years and Category A-4 is from $14,290 to $25,040 after 10 years. 1 The rate of pay for vice -principals is the same as teachers except they receive arr extra allowance for holding the position. Principals are paid at a higher rate and are also defined by category depending on qualification and ex- perience. Principals in Category D are paid between $13,200 and $15,200 after two years' experience. Category C receive from $14,900 to $19,750 after four years. Category B receive from $20,500 to $25,400 after four years. Categories A-1 and A-2 receive from $26,250 to $31,050 after four years. and Categories A-3 to A-4 receive from $27,100 to $31,900 after four years. Cochrane said most of the county elementary school principals are in the top two pay categories while the majority of teachers are in Category B, A-2 and A-3. The contract is for one year and is retroactive to the beginning of September. Cochrane said the settlement is within the amount the board speculated on when it struck the costs for teacher salaries in its 1977'- 78 budget. The county secondary school teachers are still negotiating their contract with the board. Those talks are also being handled by a mediator, Thanks to Banks Goderich Town Council received a letter from Mrs. Joanne E. Muck concerning.the town's new coat of arms. According to Mrs, Muck, the coat of arms looks as though "it belongs in a Walt Disney animated film". "It suggests to me that the artist is making a comic gesture and not a serious attempt at something that represents The Prettiest Town in Canada," wrote Mrs. Muck. "Let's have a coat of arms which depicts a little more dignity and sophistication - please." Deputy -Reeve Eileen Palmer told council that ti• tPlch bowlersroudly display medals he Southwestern Ontario Regional L the "tubay mentally nand handicapped foriop he medal s presentation were Roy Mitchell, Mary McNeil, Renada Pont*, Diane McAuley and Robert Mitchell. in the rear are "volunteers Sheri MacLaren. Karen Willis, Kim Smith, Darlene Pollock and Robin Campion. Roy and Renada picked up a silver and gold medal, respectively, in the B Division and Robert won a bronze medal In the A Division. (staff photo) despite Mrs. Muck's letter, she felt town council should send a letter of thanks to Rick Banks of Port Credit who led the town through the steps to an original coat of arms in its Sesquicentennial Year. Deputy -reeve Palmer said. she had been uneasy since the last meeting of council because she felt council had been rude to the man hired by the town. 'Rick Banks was dealt with shabbily," agreed Councillor Bob Allen, "This is not usually how we deal with people here." "There is no excuse for bad manners and rudeness, especially on the part of elected members," said Palmer. In a recorded vote requested by Councillor Elsa Haydon, only Councillor Haydon vetoed the idea of a letter of thanks to Banks. Councillor Stan Profit was absent from the meeting. Safety first Ten merchants in Goderich are sponsoring a New Year's Eve taxi service again this year designed at keeping drinking drivers off the road after New Year's Eve celebrations. Ron 'Allin, p*Enoter of the taxi service in 1977, said recently tlythe project will be operated again this year beginning at 9:00 p.m. December 31, 1977 and ending January 1, 1978 at 3:00 a.m. Allin said over 100 people used the free service last New Year's and not one accident was reported in Goderich during the entire evening. The taxi service is free to anyone calling Bluewater Taxi and is confined to the Goderich town limits. Ten merchants in town agreed to sponsor the service. The fees for the rides will be billed to Ron Allin and Associates, Garb and Gear Sports Shop, Furniture World, Nakamura Pharmacy, Glenmark Lumber, Irene Hill Ladies Wear, Lyle Pinkney Insurance Adjusters, Alexander and Chapman Insurance, Whalen Insurance and - photo) Wayne and Heather Lyons Insurance Agents. The old pie in the face caper. GDCI teacher, Tom Allen, and student council vice-president, Tim Doherty, wipe the remains of blueberry pie from their faces that brought an end to a magazine subscription drive by the high .school students. The student who sold the most subscriptions, Pat Murphy, was granted the prize of plastering the teacher of his choice with a pie. The top teacher sub seller, Bob Wright, was allowed to make a similar choice from the student council. (staff 0 •