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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1978-12-28, Page 2PAGE 2 — GQDERICH SIGNAL-STAR,'i IWRSDAY, DECa ; BER 2$, 1978 Looking back overtown council 78 • from page l review wouldn't be complete without some references. to the passing of the budget for 1978. It was McCabe's first attempt at putting together a budget presentation, and with Lee Ryan's help the town hall clerk -treasurer managed to help bring things to a head in record time this year. Town councillors were all high in their praise off the administrative staff's efforts. Over all, Goderich taxes went up by a very modest three per cent. In dollars and cents, it meant that on a house assessed at $4,000 in Goderich, taxes in 1978 were $859.40, up $25.04 over 1977. Of the tax dollars collected in 1978, $369,691 went to Huron County for running •the county services and about $1,000,000 went for school purposes.... $520,000 for elementary schools and $500,000 for secondary schools. Here in Goderich, quite a bit of work was done this year. Roof repairs were done at town hall and now the rain water stays outside. The citizens in Delbar are happier this fall because the streets in that sub- division were curbed and paved during the year. The long-awaited public works garage addition went up, and a new truck was ordered for that department. Roads were paved in Industrial Park, Blake Street was paved from Bayfield Road to South Street, the Rich Street area got the second lift of asphalt, . streets in 1 the NIP area in the east part of Goderich were paved and according to Ken Hunter, commissioner of works, there was other paving done here and there in town = the new Krohmer Drive for one street. And of courser work has started on Highway 21 South - widening and improving to, match that stretch of road up with the other through routes in town. +++ There's little doubt that one of the most hotly contested issues in Goderich this year was downtown improvements in The Square. Late this fall, the interlocking bricks were laid on four blocks of The Square and cable for the new lighting on.,the inside and outside of The Square went in. It took two recorded votes and called for Mayor Deb Shewfelt to break the tie, but by June council was in a position to call tenders for the first stage of the work on The Square and the radiating streets in the area bounded by Victoria Street, Nelson Street, Waterloo Street and 'Elgin Avenue. A letter from the Goderich Ratepayers' Association strongly opposed the new brick sidewalks and the lighting. Four members of council - Eileen Palmer, John Doherty, Stan Profit and Don Wheeler = joined with the ratepayers in objecting. Palmer argued that a "large number of ratepayers are speaking to us, the elected members of council" and The interlocking bricks down on The Square were the subject of much controversy in 1978. But during the summer the first half of the bricks were laid. Here former Mayor Deb Shewfelt places a brick while John Schaefer of the Bpsiness Improvement Area; Ken Hunter, public works commissioner; and Dave Gower, formerly works- and engineering chairman, watch. Lee Ryan came to the town office as an assistant to Clerk Larry McCabe in January 1978. Lee was formerly employed with the Public Utilities Commission and has been a terrific addition to the municipal staff. said council should listen to their objections. "In all conscience, I can't believe this council is going ahead with this," Stab Profit shouted at one meeting. "I simply can't believe this is happening. Itis absolutely assinine." And Wheeler com- mented: "It is -very difficult to talk on a subject that' is so ex- tensive. We have not budgeted for it. I would have liked to see a little more response to the ratepayers' letter." But the work went ahead .... and this fall, after much of the work was completed, , people were still complaining. Some felt the brick would be even more difficult to walk on than the old cement sidewalks. had been. During the election campaign, candidate Roy Breckenridge wondered what it would be like to sit in a wheelchair and be transported over the bumpy bricks. Some others expressed concern for mothers pushing,haby buggies in the downtown area. Still more com- plained the bricks weren't attractive.... and more said they would heave out of place because of the frost during the winter. But after the first snowfall this year, at least one businessman with the interlocking bricks was delighted with the new sidewalks. "Look," he said triumphantly, sliding his shovel over the bricks. "It's easier than ever before to clean my storefront. The shovel just slides , over the bricks. They're great." But it is a "wait-and- see" attitude most people have taken ......and it may take until 1980 to hear the end of this tale. +++ With winter setting in just about now, it is in- teresting to note a council story from January 1978 regarding the matter of cars parked on the town streets, blocking traffic and making snowplowing a near impossibility. At that time, Reeve Bill Clifford said that in, his opinion, the cars of the offenders should be ticketed on the first oc- casion and towed away on the second infraction. Although Stan Profit agreed at that time that the Highway Traffic Act does allow the municipality to ticket and -or tow vehicles away when they are impeding the flow of traffic, council ,agreed not to take such action "unless the problem becomes more serious". Apparently it was a "serious" problem last winter for this fall, council decided to take action against people who leave their cars in the streets and prevent the snowplows from clearing, the streets. Don't be surprised if your vehicle is towed away some night if you disregard the town's warnings to get it off the street! +++ The parks chairman, Elsa Haydon, remained very much in the news in 1978. Very early in 1978, she announced plans for a tree trimming seminar, the first to be held in Goderich. Actually the event was a success, drawing in- terest, from other com- munities. The cost to the town was just about nil - only lunch for the par- ticipants from Lambton College Forestry Department.. The idea didn't sit well with works foreman Stan Meriam. "After 25 years, if I don't know how to cut and trim trees, I never will know," Meriam told council. A champion for parks, during the budget discussions Councillor Haydon said she was aware that some citizens were critical of the amount, of money spent on panics. But Haydon produced figures which showed that over the last five years, the percentage of the parks ,budget in relation to the total municipal budget Was down. In 1971, she said, the parks committee spent 2.1 per cent . of the total municipal budget. In 1978,, her budget was for 1.1 per cent of the total`: Councillor Bob Allen argued that while the percentages may be down, the expenditures for Parks is up because the municipal receipts are up. Haydon agreed, but said the same would be true for all depart- ments. "If parks is spending less, then surely somebody must be spending more," claimed Haydon. But during the sum- mer, the parks budget was the target again .. although the matter had very little to do with parks. The public works department had decided to discontinue the spring and fall • refuse piCI.up because a new garbage contract provided for garden refuse to be picked up on a weekly basis along with the regular household waste - provided it was con- tainerized. Ratepayers apparently were unhappy about having to bag or box leaves, bush cuttings and other garden refuse. It was estimated that to undertake a spring and fall pickup of refuse costs the municipality about. $30;000 annually. Council argued that if citizens containerized their garden refuse and put it out with the regular garbage, $30,000 could be cut out of the municipal budget. But at least one citizen felt it wasunreasonable and said so. Jack Gould asked council, "How much is it costing us per tulip?" referring of course to Haydon's parks budget. And when Larry McCabe brought in his end of October statement, Councillor Haydon took it on the jaw again. The statement indicated that the parks budget would be overspent in 1978 .... but according to Haydon, that was incorrect. In fact, she ' said, parks would be under budget. In all, $5-2.,199 was budgeted for parks in 1978 and to the end of October, $49,680 had been spent. When Clerk McCabe projected the ex- penditures to the end December, Haydon suggested, he forgot to take into consideration the fact that the parks crew no longer works after about the second week in November. "There is no way the parks budget will be overspent in two weeks,". Haydon argued. "I have turned every quarter over twice before spending it, and I know parks will stay within budget." On several occasions this year, Haydon has told council members she believes that people who come to Goderich for visits will remember the trees, the flowers, the parks. And that thought" was reinforced by John Doherty, the new parks chairman, when he spoke at the inaugural session of the 1979-80 council. Doherty, of course, was the man who stopped to talk to a visitor who was A taking pictures in the town's Sesquicentennial Park at the entrance to Goderich on Highway 8. The visitor was most impressed by the town's beauty and apparently convinced Doherty that parks have a real and lasting value to the town's image. At the inaugural session, Doherty thanked Haydon for her work in, the parks department -in the last few years and told the community that as his co-chairman, much of the work of the com- mittee would fall on her shoulders. "Thank you Elsa Haydon," said Doherty. +++ By this time next year, Goderich should be well on its way to having a beautiful new senior citizens' apartment complex on West Street at Waterloo Street. But it hasn't happened without its problems - and The Signal -Star leads the community in a loud and long shout of praise for the people who brought it about. Last January, by recorded vote, Goderich town council agreed to enter into ' an arrangement with Huron County regarding the residency rules for senior citizens who require housing. Councillor Don Wheeler, a member of the housing action committee opposed the motion, saying that under the county system, available senior citizens housing would go to the people "with the lowest score". Wheeler felt the residency ruling in effect ... the need for a senior. citizen to live' in a com- munity for one year before qualifying for residency in citizen housing community . some protection residents of the com- munity who would want to stay in the community when -they were ready for senior citizen housing. aid those who favored the ?notion felt that when units stand vacant because of the residency ruling, there is merit in the county system where such housing is made available to - persons in need of accommodation, no matter where they resided in the county. It was early November in 1978 when the senior citizens complex cleared the final hurdle. Willard Legg and the members of town council were able to reach an agreement and Legg withdrew his ob- jection to the new building which he said would restrict entry to the rear yard of his home. Council promised to deed a four -foot strip of land to Legg and in return, Legg dropped his other objections about the height of the building which he said would restrict light and air to his home. +++ Jim Searls, who was in November of 1978 elected for a two year term as a town councillor, was a faithful attender at council meetings during the year and was in- strumental at one time, in setting up the popular citizens question and answer period at the closerbf council sessions. Now that Searls is on council, Goderich may look forward to a covered Judith Gooderham swimming pool . . .or at least a year-round swimming facility. At a council meeting in senior February 1978, Searls in the told council he was in - offered terested in upgrading to the existing parks and spoke especially of making the pool a year-round recreational facility by covering it. At the same meeting, Searls questioned council concerning why the public works staff was earning time and a half to remove snow at the Bert McCreath played the bagpipes at the first annual memorial service arranged by town council to commemorate the seamen who lost .. their lives on the Great Lakes. The event in 1978 was held November 9, the anniversary of the Great Storm in 1913 which was the worst in recent marine history. Ron Pennington, a for- mer Great Lakes seaman from Goderich, sparked the enthusiasm for the ceremony which was planned by Parks Chairman Elsa Haydon. There was a good deal of interest among historical building enthusiasts in Goderich to save this building—which until this fall housed Glenmark Lumber. Owner Ken Hutchins moved to Hawaii and planned to tear- the building down. Council delayed actionas long as possible and then, when it appeared the wrecker's hammer would level the building, Mrs. Dorothy Wallace put her name'on a cheque to buy the property. There have been all sorts of ideas for the building, including a performing arts theatre, but right now there is still no public statement from Mrs. Wallace concerning,the fate of the old building that was once Polley's Livery Stable. arena. -According to Searls, the snow could have been removed during the daytime at regular salaries. While council didn't have any definite an- swers for Searls, it was suggested the work of snow removal could have gotten behind in a recent snow storm . . . and because fire regulations dictate that the exit doors at the arena must be cleared, the crews might have had to work over- time to get the job done. In March, Searls recomrnendea the town hire a full time fire chief to cash in on substantial savings on insurance premiums, but council did not agree. Searls, too, was an active member of the Turn to page 3 • There was concern in the summer of 1978 that the Canadian National Railway Station at the east end of town would be abondoned, and a group of interested citizens attended council, armed with -a plan to use the building for another purpose. But it never came to that. CN 'officials told council CN would continue to use the building, although in a slightly different manner. After this picture anneared in the Signal -Star, the long grass was cut and the place tidied up. But there's still a problem with the noisy,diesels parked throughout the night in cold weather nearby the station. Council's trying to get that one resolved. 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