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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-08-15, Page 11.1.b1.1.0 Librarydiv, 4� orx WINGRAM BRM CII LIE a tRY Wingham, Ont 4 "DIAMOND ANNIVERSARY— Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Robertson of Strathclair, Man., came back to Molesworth where they were married 60 years ago to celebrate their diamond wedding anniversary. The bride of 60 years ago is a sister of Mrs. Irene Simpson of Molesworth and Mr. Robertson' is a brother of Mrs. Glad Edgar and Mrs. Annie Edgar, both of Gorrie. (Banner Photo) Diamond wedding couple enjoys travel and sports MOLESWORTH — Mr. and Mrs. Cameron Robert- son's trip back to the area where they were born and raised had special meaning to them this year. Now residents of Strath- clair, Man., the couple celebratedtlkeir 60th wed- ding anniversary while they were visiting with relatives in Southwestern Ontario. In this area the couple visited with Mrs. Robert- son's sister, Mrs_ Irene Simpson of Molesworth and with Mr. Robertson's two sisters, Mrs. Gordon (Annie) Edgar and Mrs. Glad. (Mabel) Edgar, both of Gorrie. With the happiness and celebrations marking their diamond wedding an- niversary, however, there was sadness. "I lost a brother while I was here," Mr. Robertson said, speaking of his brother, Birks Robertson of Tees - water who died on July 24. Mr. and Mrs. Robertson, the former Agnes Stewart, were married by Rev. Lang on July 23, 1924. The marriage took place at the home of the bride's parents, the late Mr. and. Mrs. D. F. Stewart of RR 1, Listowel. Mr. Robertson is a son of the late Mr. and Mrs. George Robertson, also of the Molesworth area. Attendants at the marriage were the bride's brother, Cameron Stewart, and the groom's sister, Mrs. Glad Edgar of Gorrie. The couple honeymooned in Goderich and then headed west. "'I couldn't live here because of my asthma," Mr. Robertson said. They farmed in the Strath- clair area specializing in grain, until 1955 when they retired to the Town off Strath- clair. The couple has .two children, Helen Williamson who resides in Thornhill and Patricia Pollock who along with her husband resides on the Robertson farm near Strathclair. They have one grandchild who resides in Winnipeg. Remarkably healthy for their age — Mrs. Robertson is 88 years old and her husband is over 90 years of age - they say they have no fear of flying, love to travel, and enjoy the sports of la . �n bowling and shuffleboard. And, says Mrs. Robertson, their interests also include the Strathclair United Church. The couple celebrated their diamond wedding at the home of their dauhter Helen Williamson in Thor- nhill at a family dinner, complete with decorated • wedding cake. ti L FIRST SECTION Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, Aug. 15, 1984 Single Copy 50c Large turnout for public meeting on Lower Town dam proposals The very grave concern felt by the people of Wingham about the future of the Lower Town millpond was indicated in the large turnout for a public meeting held at the Town Hall July 30. Although the audience was presented with several alternatives, there was no doubt the majority of those present strongly favored restoring the pond to its original state. High water in the Maitland River in late June eroded the soil around the concrete footings of the dam and the centre portion of the structure collapsed into the river. Since that time the area, which fronts onto the south end of the town parks system has been a wasteland of mud flats, gravel beds and exposed stumps. The public meeting was called by town council to seek suggestions from local citizens for remedial action. Councillor Bruce Machan acted as chairman for the meeting, with Councillor William Crump as assistant .chairman. THREE ALTERNATIVES Mr. Machan said it is apparent there are three alternatives open to the community, any one of which is likely to be costly. To explain the first of these, he called on Mr. Moos, who .had prepared a colored sketch of the pond area converted to a planted greenbelt. His drawing in- 'dicated . the river channel could be dredged to direct the main flow of water. Several ponds could be formed adjacent to the river, with shrubs and trees planted to form a natural park, part of which might become wildlife habitat. Since the entire pond area is too large to be covered completely by such plant- ings, . some of the former pond bottom would be allowed to grow up with the weeds and cattails which occur naturally along the river. Mr. Moos could not offer any accurate projections of Pilot error caused , crash .. Mr. Machan introduced x{ kCorofrer Dr. J. K. several guests whorhad be ti'f� '.1V eGregor of Wingham has invited to share Aliei " rtilad'that piloterror was the specialized knowledge.,They included David Gower, chairman of the Maitland Valley. Conservation Author- ity; Bryan Howard, Author- ity general manager; Bob Moos, regional landscape architect with the. Ministry of Natural Resources, Lon- don, and Dave West of Ducks Unlimited, a sportsmen's association. Members named to police commission A five -member board of police commissioners has been named to take over management of the Wingham police depart- ment. Members of the com- mission, of whom three are appointed by the provincial solicitor general with the other two coming from the town.council, are Margaret Bennett, Jack Gillespie, Ian Moreland, Mayor William Harris and Councillor Jack Kopas. Man still critical following accident A young Wingham man remains in critical condition- with severe head injuries in the intensive care unit of a London hospital following an automobile accident ' near Belgrave July 28. Tom Remington, 21, was injured when the car he was driving struck another car he was attempting to pass and went out of control, colliding with a culvert and rolling over. A passenger in the car, Nathan Griffith, 20, of Gorrie, escaped wi less serious injuries d was treated at the Wingham and District Hospital'. Provincial police at Wingham reported that Mr. Remington, driving a 1972 Chevrolet belonging to Mr. Griffith, was northbound along Highway 4 shortly before 8 p.m. when the ac- cident occurred. While in the process of overtaking another north- bdund car, driven by Harvey Black, 33, of Belgrave, Remington encountered an oncoming vehicle, causing him to swerve back into the northbound lane. In at- tempting this, the right rear corner of his car struck the left front corner of the Black vehicle. The collision caused Mr. Remington to lose control of his vehicle, which entered the east ditch and struck a culvert broadside before rolling over and coming to rest on the driver's side. Both Mr. Remington and Mr. Griffith were taken by ambulance to the Wingham and District Hospital, with Mr. Remington subsequently transferred to University Hospital, London. Mr. Black was not injured in the accident. fi Both Mrs. Bennett and Mr. Gillespie are former members of town council, while Mr. Moreland is chairman of council's planning advisory com-. mittee. All three were selected from a list of nomin- ations submitted by council. The police commission held a preliminary meeting July 27, the day the appoint- ments were announced, however as one member was out of town the,meeting was mainly a "get acquainted" session for members to meet and review their respon- sibilities, Mr. Kopas report- ed later. Another meeting is' planned within a week or so, he said, at which time the commission will elect a chairman and establish a schedule of meetings. The commission also plans to meet with Ken Schultz of the Ontario Police Commission in mid-September. Town Clerk -Treasurer Byron . Adams has been appointed as secretary - treasurer to the commission, and its regular meetings will be open to the public, Mr. Kopas said. Police Chief Robert Wittig made a brief report, noting a seminar for police governing authorities will be held at the Aylmer police college Sept. 16-17 and commissioners discussed the current state of contract negotiations with the police association, Mr. Kopas reported. At its next meeting the commission will review its budget and set the honoraria for its members, he added. Councillor Tom Miller, who chaired the police committee which is being replaced by the commission, also has offered to hold a joint meeting between the com- mittee and commission. The new commission has assumedauthority over the police department as of July 27. Diving bd. temporarily off-limits The high diving board at the Wingham Centennial Pool has been declared temporarily off-limits to swimmers following recent accidents in whic two persons were injured while using the board. Recreation Director Ren- nie Alexander said it was de- cided to suspend use of the board until pool staff could determine whether there is a problem with it. This is not the first time there have been accidents on the board, he said, estimating there has been about one'accident a year for the past 10 years. However' two potentially serious ac- cidents within a short period led to the decision to "give the board a rest". He added there do not appear to be any special problems with the board itself, since a check with major suppliers across Canada revealed that all use the same .design, and it is likely the board willbe returned to service. cause of.a plane -car accident near' Gorrie' June 16 which claimed the lives of three persons. Dr. McGregor made the decision last week after meeting with Ontario Pro- vincial Police officers and Department of Transport in- vestigators. Pilot "of the single-engine Cessna 172 was Gordon Moir, 56, who died in the crash. Occupants of the car with which the plane collided, William Miller, 70, and his wife, Helen, 65, of Fergus, also died in the accident. A passenger in the plane, William,Ball, 26, of Etobicok, was seriously injured and was treated at University Hospital, London. Mr. Ball was released after a four-week stay in hospital. The plane was owned by Norman Fairies of RR 1, Gorrie. Investigation indicated the pilot was attempting to land the plane on an airstrip on the Fairies farm, then tried to take off again, 'and over-„ shot the runway, crossing Highway 87 and smashing into the roof of the Miller car. Mr. Moir was a former Gorrie businessman who served as administrator of the Clarkwood Estates Nursing Home at Palmer- ston. Acquaintances describ- ed him as an experienced pi- lot who was familiar with both the plan he was flying at the time of the mishap and with the Fairies airstrip. the cost of such a project, but said some of the landscaping might be done with govern- ment employment grants. Asked about the possible consequences of flood water backing up from down- stream stretches of the river, the speaker said he did not know what the results would be. In response to another question, he said the smaller shrubs would require, three to five years to reach maturity and larger trees as long as 10 years. Another question from the floor concerned the chances of such plantings being washed out or damaged by Funeral home name ' changed The Currie -Walker Funeral Home at 35 Patrick Street in Wingham has had its name changed recently to the McBurney Funeral Home. However Doug McBurney, funeral director, emphasized the name change does not indicate any change in the operation of the home, which continues to be owned by Layton -McBurney Limited. He said he and Doug Layton hope the change will more clearly identify the home as a division of their cotnpany, which also has a furniture division on Josephine Street, but that Ontario law prevents its operation under the jQint name. ice in the spring runoff. He answered that such damage is not unusual and some damage would have to be anticipated. BRIDGE & DAM Wingham resident Borden Jenkins spoke at some length about the possibility of replacing the present iron bridge downstream from the dam with a new bridge and dam erected as one struc- ture, 'adding the present bridge has already been condemned and must be replaced soon. He also said a- flood water bypass could be excavated across the former fair Work underway on a new fire hall Work is underway this week on a new fire hall across from Cruickshank Park in Wingham, with. completion planned for mid to late November. The contract for the new buildingwas awarded to Carl Reinhart of Teeswater at a net cost of $223,740.99. This was the lowest of six tenders received on the building. Plans call for a structure of insulated steel with three double bays as well as offices and equipment and meeting rooms. Douglas Fortune, chair- man of, the Wingham area fire board which will own the building and equipment, said the cost is close to what the. board had anticipated. He estimated the total cost for. the 'project, including land cost and fees, will be in the neighborhood of $300,000. This will be shared among the five participating municipalities according to a formula which has been agreed upon, with Wirighaln,' Howick and Turnberry picking up the lion's share. A number of local sub- contractors were successful in obtaining work on the building, with Burke Electric and LeRoy Jackson Plumbing and Heating off Wingham getting the elec- trical and plumbing sub- contracts, while Hodgin's Home -All will supply materials. grounds to releive pressure on the bridge and dam he visualized. To summarize the entire problem, Mr. Machan reminded the meeting that the upper dam, known as the Howson Dam, also is structurally unsound. He said there is no way of knowing how long the temporary repairs carried out earlier this year will be effective and, in fact, the community faces the task of Please turn to Page 5 GRADUATED Brian Reid, son of Mr. and Mrs. Scott Reid off Wingham, graduated June 13, 1984, from the University of Western Ontario, London, receiving his Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Physiology. He will fur- ther his education at the University of Ottawa in September, where he is enrolled in the School of Medicine. Lawn -wafering ban extended to Aug. 20 It will be another week before Wingham residents are free to water their lawns and gardens, many already shriveled by the prolonged hot, dry weather. Wingham Town Council last week agreed to extend the lawn -watering ban until Aug., 20 to give the Public Utilities Commissio time to complete its testing and get the newly -repaired water standpipe back into service. PUC Manager Ken Saxton explained Friday that work onthe standpipe was nearly complete and engineers had begun testing it. The tests involve filling the tank with water and then draining it again and doing a thorough inspection for any potential trouble spots which might have been missed. Once this has been completed, the tank will be sterilized with a strong solution .of chlorine and put back into service. Originally the PUC had hoped to complete its repairs by mid-July, but unexpectedly serious problems resulting from improper pouring of the concrete during the tank's construction caused the project to drag on as additional repairs were made. The total cost of the standpipe repairs, including the first phase of repairs un- dertaken in 1981, will be in the neighborhood of $250,000, with the Ontario Environment istry contributing 75 per cent of the funds hrough a.special grant program. Council is warned of possible budget deficit Following several years of surpluses, Wingham Town Council has been warned it might end 1984 with a budget deficit. Finance Chairman Jack Kopas warned council last week that increasing demands on town funds have driven up spending this year and, unless revenues are higher than expected or other expenses can be trimmed, it could find itself in the red. In a later interview, Mr. Kopas said he did not want to give the impression the town is in any kind of financial trouble, but felt it was only fair to let council know where it stands. "I'm not startled and not losing sleep over it," he said, ,but wanted to alert council to what it could expect at year- end. He said there are several reasons why spending is over budget. One is that council had set aside about $85,000 toward the cost of a new fire hall, representing 37.5 per cent of an anticipated price of $225,000. Since then the price tag, including land and building, has risen to an estimated $300,000, meaning the town must contribute an additional $28,000. A second reason is that last winter's heavy snowstorms resulted in an over -run of about $6,500 in the snow: clearing budget. As well, council earlier this year approved additional capital expenditures atbounting to an additional $3,300 in the police budget, for which it will have to rind the funds. As a result, if nothing changes between now and the end of the year, the town faces a deficit in the neigh- borhood of $30,000 to $40,000, Mr. Kopas said. He said the finance committee will be meeting to review the situation in detail in October and in the end it will be up to council to decide whether to incur a deficit this year or try to defer some expenses until next year. If council decides it does not want a deficit, it might ask the area fire board to wait until 1985 for the rest of its money, he suggested, - noting that the major ex- penditures for this year have already been tendered so there is little room for ad- justment. Either way, he noted, the cost in the end will be about the same.