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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-11-08, Page 1Eric Mitchell of the GDCI Senior Vikings proudly holds the championship trophy aloft after the Vikes' 31-16 victory over Exeter in the Huron -Perth final in Goderich, Saturday. Mitchell Kicked three converts, three field goals and a single in the victory. It was his last game for the Vikings. (photo by Dave Sykes) MacKay Hall now for seniors BY JEFF SEDDON Goderich town council cleared the way for a senior citizen's centre Monday night when it gave approval in principle to a $90,000 project at MacKay Hall. The project, developed by senior citizens for senior citizens, involves alterations to MacKay,., Hall to install an arts and crafts area, a new kitchen, a meeting room, a lounge, improved storage and an elevator for the disabled. A ,delegation of about 25 seniors made a presentation to council unveiling plans for the hall and detailing projected costs. The presentation outlined capital costs for the renovations to the hall as well as possible grants and other' revenues available from senior levels of government. Ken Hunter, commissioner of works for the town, helped the seniors' group with the MacKay project and told council the alterations to the hall could be done for as little as $15,000 in tax money. Hunter said that figure is based on Goderich and Colborne township getting in- volved in the project and chipping in money for the centre. He told council after grants the seniors would need $20,000 which could be split between the town and .townships. He said if the costs were shared the town would be asked for a share based on population figures,. He added that if the townships don't want to be involved in the project the town may be asked to foot the entire $20,000. Hunter said the renovations were broken into three categories. Ile said the alterations to the hall would cost about $40,000, the elevator about $30,000 and items such as -furniture about $20,000. He explained that Wintario grants would account for $10,000, a New Horizons grant about $40,000, the MacKay trust fund about $5,000 and the seniors,•through fund raising efforts, about $15,000, leaving the municipalities to pick up the remaining $20,000. Hunter said the project was designed to enable the work on MacKay to be done as funds are available. He said if grant applications were turned down or other monies not realized the project could be,trimmed accordingly. He said if the 'seniors found themselves short $30,000 they could simply Rake the elevator out of the plans. Everet Sparling, chairman off the senior citizen's group, told council there was an ob- vious need for a senior citizens' centre in Goderich. Sparling said there were 1,925 people over the age of 60 in Goderich and Goderich and Colborne townships. He said 1,520 of those people lived in Goderich and the remaining 405 in the townships. Recreation director Jim Moore supported the project telling council there was no facility in the town now that meets the needs of the seniors. Moore said the project would combine a meeting area with workshops and arts and crafts areas that seniors could make use of. He said the centre would permit the seniors to develop leaderships skills, organizational skills as well as allowing them an. opportunity to create new skills. He said some of the benefits of the proposed centre could not be registered in dollars. He said the centre would be an "asset" to the town and would enhance the "physical and mental well being" of senior citizens. He added it would give seniors an much needed opportunity to enjoy "love, companionship and a sense of belonging". Councillor James Magee, also a member of the committee planning the project, outlinedg plans for alterations to the building. Magee,+f who drew up the plans, told council the •' renovations were geared to a $40,000 New Horizons grant adding he felt the changes to the hall would be withing $200 of that $40,000. He said the changes would not alter the ar- chitecture of the building nor would they affect any of the current uses of it. He said some of the changes included replacing the main floor of the building', improving storage areas, changing the entrance to make it more- ac- cessible and add a coat check room, moving the building's furnace, installing washrooms and a caretaker's room, adding a kitchen and par- titioning off the basement area to add rooms for YEAR 132 — 45 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1979 Lanc airborne. ..at last BY JEFF SEDDON Fifteen years after it was flown into Sky Harbour Airport one of three Lancaster bombers in restorable condition in the world took off Monday afternoon....with a little help from a friend. Stripped to the point where it barely resembled an aircraft the bomber, suspended under- a 'giant Armed Forces' Chinook helicopter, was plucked from the Goderich airfield and flown to Mount Hope airport where it will find its niche in history. The 100 mile flight took a little over an hour Monday afternoon but was over six months in the making. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Foundation and the Canadian Armed Forces worked together on the exercise trying to get the bomber to Mount Hope Airport in Hamilton where it will be completely restored. . The flight was classed as an operation exercise by the armed foil ces and was an op - Interest rate costs taxpayer 6O,OQO for education •loans invest the board of 'education's money until it has to be sent to the board and enjoy windfall returns, BY JEFF SEDDON Consumers in Huron County may guard against high interest rates . through careful spending but it appears taxpayers won't be able to avoid the record rates. Roy Dunlop, superintendent of education for the Huron county board of education, said Tuesday that high interest rates have already cost the board'about $60,000 and will probably cost more. Dunlop said the board is about $60,000 over budget because of the recent hikes in the in- terest rate and appears to have little choice but to keep paying the cost. He told the board the methods used to finance the board's operation make borrowing a necessity. He said the board had budgeted about $120,000 to pay interest costs for the year but that quickly disappeared when the rates went up. Dunlop explained the methods used by the board to fund its operation. He said the board requisitions money from municipalities, in the county but those municipalities don't pay that bill when they receive it. He said the towns and townships collect taxes twice a year and after those taxes are collected sends its portion of the education costs to the board. Until that money is sent by the municipalities the board of education has to borrow funds to pay its bills. That borrowing is now being done at a 15 percent interest rate. Dunlop pointed out that there is little the board can do to get out of its jam. He saidif municipalities pay their bill early the board rewards that effort with a rebate. He added that most municipalities collect their taxes, Vandals on ' spree The Maitland Cemetery was vandalized to the tune of about $1,000 last Friday evening. A tombstone Was hit by a pick-up truck. Water pipes were ripped up and an underground pipe damaged. The Goderich detatchment of the O.P.P. have arrested two young men and charged them with wilful damage and failing to report an accident. Board picks up tab for Bayfield BY JEFF SEDDON The squeaky wheel certainly gets the grease in education circles. The Huron County board of education learned Tuesday that on occasion government itself can become a victim of government bureaucracy. John Cochrane, director of education, told the board that a recent appeal of the board's education requisition to the "village of Bayfield had been appealed. He explained that each year the board passes its budget and then divides up the amount of money to be paid into education coffers by municipalities in the county. He said the board notifies each municipality of its apportionment'and bills.it for the amount. He said Bayfield had objected to the amount it was billed and appealed the matter. The director said any appeal by a• town or township is sent to a special meeting of clerks and treasurers in the county. That group hears the arguement raised by the appealing municipality and acts as an arbitrator in the matter. He said the clerks had heard the appeal and voted in favor of the board's requisition. Bayfield was not satisfied with those results and took the mater to the Ontario Municipal Board. A hearing date was set for December 10 in the municipal offices in Bayfield. The OMB instructed the board of education to notify all clerks and treasurers of the meeting by first class mail. Cochrane said that was no sooner done than the municipal board sent the board of education a bill for $25, presumably for the rental of the hall. "The wheels of government," Cochrane. 1uttered 35 CENTS PER COPY 1 portunity for the foundation to get the Lanc home. An earlier attempt to airlift the bomber was halted abruptly in June when the Chinookewas unable to get the Lanc more than a'few inches 19 off the ground. The helicopter crew then estimated the weight of the bomber to be in the neighborhood of 25,000 pounds, much more than the chopper could l.iff. That fact caused some concern amongst members of the Heritage Foundation. Wing Commander Phil Nelson, co-ordinator of the lift, had worked months stripping the bomber to get its weight within the capabilities of the helicopter. After the June attempt Nelson was miffed at the results claiming, according to calculations by the firm -that constructed the airplane, the Lanc weighed less than 20,000 pounds, well within: the capabilities of the Chinook. & - Nelson later discovered his calculations were correct. For Monday's lift only an additional 1,000 pounds was taken off the Lanc and the chopper was able to lift the aircraft easily. The problem in June was not the weight of the Lane.„ but the length of the sling used to suspend it under the helicopter. Nelson said the sling was»too short causing down thrust from the helicopter to strike the bomber pinning it to the ground. He said the "down wash" made it impossible to lift the bomber. A helicopter crew member said the thrust of the helicopter on the Lanc was comparable to a person trying to lift themselves by their boot straps. Monday's operation went smooth but both the "helicopter crew and the Heritage Foundation members were not sure what would happen when the Lanc was airborne, In an attempt to ensure that the bomber would keep its nose in the wind once it was in the air a huge "drogue" chute was attached to its tail. The crew hoped the chute would pull the bombers tail around to keep it in place under the Chinook, The crew made it clear if any trouble developed during the flight the $6 million helicopter came first. They planned to lift the bomber out over the lake and if problems developed it would be dumped in the water. Everything went as it should, The chopper lifted the Lanc with ease, flew it west over the airport and then turned for Hamilton making a second pass over Sky Harbour to allow the media and spectators a final opportunity to take some pictures. The restoration of the bomber will cost about $100,000 according to members of the foun- dation. They say it would cost close to a quarter of a million if volunteer labour wasn't used. The Lanc will be added to the -33,plane fleet which the foundation flys to air shows'and other special events to allow spectators to see what -the Allies flew to war in 1940. Lift off. The Canadian Armed Forces Chinook The foundation received the plane from the helicopter had little difficulty getting • the Goderilch branch d the Royal Canadian Legion Lancaster airborn in the second attempt to lift' and. Bruce) Sully, president of Champion Road the vintage from the airstrip at Sky Harbur Machiner Ltd. `Airport, Monday. The Chinook transppt`ted the meetings and arts and crafts. The councillor said the alterations would be very simple to change at any time in the future. He said If the seniors moved to new quarters at any time it would be a very simple taskfor the town to make changes to the hall for other uses. Reeve Eileen Palmer said the senior citizens should have little difficulty getting approval for government grants for the project. She said representatives of the federal governments New Horizons program had already seen the projeet and }were "impressed". Palmer pointed out that operating the senior citizens' centre once renovated would put no burden on the town, She pointed out that estimated costs for operating the building are $35,000 which in- cludes the salary of a centre director. But she added that grants woule pay the bulk of that and that the town may be asked to finance about $9,800 of the total. She explained that the town now budgets $12,000 for the operation of MacKay and Last year spent a little over $11,000 on the building. She said the $9,800 to operate the seniors' centre will be a saving. Hunter told council one of the criteria for the project was that council rename MacKay Hall. He said the name chosen by the seniors was MacKay Centre for Seniors. Council endorsed the project giving per- mission for the application of government grants for the project and renaming the building. Palmer announced that final drafts of the project will be unveiled at a "gala" evening November 28 at which time township councils will be made aware of the plans. fA THE ECIPE HERE! Look for the special in this week's �:.. paper ;:A°AJ�8LS4i£s rt T Y Lancaster 100 miles to Mount Hope' where it will be restored by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Foundation at a cost of $100,000. (photo by Dave Sykes) :,-.,. ,:_..L. .m-: �'S."1` �"FT"'"»n.'�; �:}�.. �..... _ .af. a.. .� .n. R... :, .., ._ .�,,, .». .. _...sNf+t4f�,� ..•w},;:.. "`�F, ..:tr$,Mi.'m .. _ .. ' • • .. ... .,...