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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-12-22, Page 11 rse county e system ;oderich Housing Action Committee has •to endorse a county -wide administrative for senior citizens' accommodations. mittee members met with ''the Huron j }rousing Authority at a special session ednesday to discuss county -wide resi0ency Under the county system, a senior citizen tint have to live in a certain municipality er to get into senior citizen housing in that idipality. Instead, that senior citizen could peed to a vacancy In another municipality county. p, under the county system, instead of the uipalities paying the province 7.5 per cent of grating deficit from the units, the county snake up that portion. In turn, the cjpalities would reimburse the county on a pita basis. using Authority members stated their belief with a county -wide residency policy, great s could be lessened. Harold Knisley, an of the Authority, explained to com- members that the county -wide system d be much more efficient and would help up a lot of red tape. As it is now, Knisley his staff has to do a lot of running back and among various councils to see if units are der the present system, for a senior citizen eve from one municipality into subsidized lig in another, the councils of municipalities toagree on who's going to pay the operating `its incurred by the, subsidized housing, said ey• MUTUAL AGREEMENT st areas have some mutual agreement but ger er 95 EA. !!It'sa of-the- )ut the !one's CORRECTION' ere was a mix up in dates for the Auburn stmas concert. It will be held Saturday night stmasevel at 8 p.m. not Sunday night. •T at least three townships (Howick, Hullett and Turnberry) have no such agreement. The County residency policy would helprclear this up. • In effect, "said Knisley, under the current system the Authority already administers senior citizen housing in the county, including the 12 units in Goderich. "They (the municipalities) have to initially put up theabuilding but once it's built, we have to manage it," he said. Committee member Don Wheeler expressed his fear of losing control of senior citizens units in Goderich, in particular, the 75 units for which they hope to obtain provincial approval next year. "We've been working on this (75 unit project) for 21/2 years now. I think it would be criminal to let it get out of our hands," said Wheeler. He also said he was worried that under the county -wide system the 75 units cold be filled with non- residents of Goderich, However, Knisley explained that most senior citizens don't like to move to another municipality and will usually only do so if no local accommodation is available, People in Huron County don't like to move, he said, an'd geographical preference is always respected. No one is forced to move. All applicants, explained Authority members, are rated on a point basis with the priority being placed on the individual's need for housing. If a non resident and a Goderich resident with the same needs wanted senior citizens' ac- cornmodation in this town, the Goderich person would always be favored according to the Authority. TABLED RECOMMENDATION Goderich town council tabled a recom- mendation from county council several weeks ago to have the 2'3/ senior citizen units in the county administered on a county -wide basis. The motion passed by the Goderich Housing Turn to page 23 • oderich is promised ice White Christmas ham Campbell, a meteorologist at the rich Weather Station, said Wednesday that rich will have a White Christmas. Campbell the forecast for weather up to and including mas Day calls for between two to six meters of snow and temperatures low h to guarantee that what does fall won't pbell said a stogy, front headed for the m Ontario, Quebec and the maritimes will tin heavy snowfall in those regions and that oderich area will be affected by the western me of the front. He said today and Friday be cloudy with some snow and Saturday it be clear and cold with the high temsierature eday about minus three Celcius. He added Christmas Day will be cloudy with a chance ore snow. e''II definitely see a white Christmas in this area," he said. "The snowfall could be heavier depending on how fast the front moves east and the temperatures we will get will not melt snow. - .Ca mpbell now."Campbell said he had no forecast available for Boxing Day. He did say that the snow will only result in a White Christmas, not a Christmas during which no one can travel. • The Christmas story in living pictures with light and music will be Der - formed at Knox United Church in Auburn on Saturday evening. The same pageant has been performed at Holy Trinity Church in Toronto for the past 40 years and director Ann St, Jean took her Auburn cast to see the performance a few weeks ago. The Auburn pageant is being performed by the Young People of the church supported by the choir. Choir director and Godt 1 organist is Florence Wightman, narrator is Elliot Lapp and lighting man in David St. Jean. Here, all eyes are on Mary (Marilyn Wightman) as she looks down at the baby Jesus during the dress rehearsal. Left to right in the semi- circle are Mike Andrews, Brent Andrews, Keith Hallam (in front of Brent), Sherry Verbeek, Greg Hallam, David Durnin, Linda Cunningham, Nancy Verbeek, Sharon Glousher, Carol Seers and Patty McDowell. (staff photo) • roc NAL -STAFF 130 YEAR --:51 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 1977 30 CENTS PER COPY Utility employees to get 4% increase in 78 The Goderich Public Utilities Commission agreed to give the utility employees a four percent increase for 1978 accepting a recom- mendation from manager Al Lawson that was voted on and accepted by the employees. Lawson said his recommendation had been formulated S ails uP a jiffy. )ff if it sinless r stay - RIR men come bearing gifts as Mary and ketch the baby Jesus in the manger in a PlIduction at St. Mary's Christmas concert last week. The wise men were played by Rick Haas, Brian Lovett and Greg Leddy,. Randy Gaynor played Joseph In the production Helen Conlon was Mary. (staff photo) through a polling of the employees to determine what they wanted in their 1978 wage and benefit settlement. Lawson said the four percent increase in- cluded wage increases and benefits paid for by the. utility. He said the 15 utility employees had submitted requests for the 1978 agreement and hod then voted on what that agreement would include. The manager said he had asked the employees to submit their requests in writing. He then took the requests and listed them costing each out. When the costs were calculated he then discussed the increases with each employee individually explaining what each would cost and what each would do for the employee's pay cheque in the new year. He explained to the commission that he costed out the requests of the employees and told them what percentage of the increase a particular benefit would cost. He used a health care program as an example pointing out that if the utility paid for a health care package for the employees that it would represent a one percent increase and that the employee's wage increase would then be three percent. After interviewing each employee and ex- plaining the alternatives Lawson listed the wage and benefit requests on ballot forms and gave one to each employee. Each was asked to select what benefit or wage increase they wanted and the results were tallied by the manager. He took the options wanted by the majori and prepared the recommendation for the emission's ap- proval. Lawson said that of the 15 employees 12 voted for a long term disability program and nine for a health care package. He said the two benefits ate ..up one and- a half percent of the four percent increase and that the remaining two and a half percent would be paid in wages. The manager said that he had done some preliminary costing on the requests but would have to obtain More exact figures before he could determine what the increase would mean on the commission's 1978 budget. He added that the increase was within the Anti Inflation Board. guidelines. In other business Lawson asked the com- mission to recognize an employee flow chart for the 'utility that outlines a chain of command and responsibility for the utility employees. Lawson said that the system had always been in use and was accepted by the employees but pointed out that it had never been on paper. He told the commission that the official ac- ceptance of the administrative system would leave no doubt as to an employee's position and responsibility. He said the system would mean no changes in the utility daily operation'hut may prove to be a safeguard in the future. He explained that if the utility ever became unionized the flow chart would make matters much simpler when the change occurred. He said when unions come into an operation they set up systems just like the one he had adding that if the commission wanted to ensure that employees retained their areas of responsibility they had to have the chart on paper. He said that it was important that foremen he named and that the areas of their jurisdiction he outlined. He said that if a union entered the operation they would prepare the flow chart and that it was important that the commission have one.on file. 'I'm not afraid of a union nor am I concerned that one is coming into the utility but 1 would like to be prepared if one ever came in the future." he said. "It's important that the commission and the employees know who is management •and who isn't." Transformer explosion causes power failure An explosion that heavily damaged a hydro transformer in Goderich's industrial Park Monday night caused a two hour power failure in the southern portions of the town. Goderich Puhlic Utility manager Al Lawson said an in- ternal short in a transformer caused the damage and that the unit exploded causing about $10,000 in damages to the transformer and a power failure lasting from an hour and a half to two and a half hours. Lawson said he was able to locate and rent a mobile transformer from Ontario Hydro in London and has pressed the unit into service until repairs can he made. He said he planned to ship the damaged unit for repairs late this week and had no idea how extensive the damages were or when the unit would he returned. lir said part of the costs estimated as a result and of the explosion were for the $75 a day rental fee on the mobile transformer. The manager said that there may have been a considerable explosion judging by the damages to the transformer. He said the unit is filled with oil that acts as a cooling agent and that a three inch pipe had practically disintegrated and oil covered over half an acre of land around the unit, He said that in his 30 years experience in hydro he has heard of similar explosions but this is the first he has seen, Index c Elsa Haydon Pg. 1A GI)CI students Pg. 10A Evelyn Carroll Pg. IRA Captain Comet Pg. 17A Special 3rd Section V XVA rr