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The Wingham Advance Times, 1995-04-19, Page 1• Ittitre nOt Oubscdbing to The Wingham Advanco TImes, you're missing out, Use hila coupon below and subscribe todayl Name: Address; Oily, Prov.: Postal Cada: Subscription rates Canada within 40 miles (65km) ad- dressed to non letter carrier address- es $27 plus $1.89 GST. Outside 40 miles (65km) or any letter carrier address $40 plus $2.80 GST. Ouslde Canada $80 plus $5.60 GST USE YOUR CREDIT CARD Card No. ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ ❑❑❑❑❑❑❑❑ Expi Date: Visa LI Master Card ❑ Cheque enclosed ❑ Return To; WINGHAM ADVANCE -TIMES P.O. Box 390, 5 Diagonal Road Wingham, Ontario, NOG 2W0 L 1 ebt The Canadettes annual performance and award presentations from last week. Page 6 I,I:. xngbam Parents had a chance to meet with various agen- cies during Community Safe Schools Fair. Page 2 Brussels man run over on Hwy. 4 Killed when struck by tractor-tratilor Wingham OPP are inves- tigating a fatal motor vehicle accident that claimed the life of a Brussels area man. The accident occurred at ap- proximately 5:00 a.m. on Sun- day along Highway 4, just north of the Westfield Road. Police believe that Edward Cummings, 86, of RR 5, Brus- sels was lying in the southbound lane when he was struck by the tractor -trailer . driven by John Minke, 46, of Hanover. There is no indication at this time why Cummings was on the road. Diane Francis to lecture in Goderich One of the most powerful and influential business journalists in the country will speak on the fu- ture of Canada at the Knights of Columbus Centre in Goderich on Wednesday, April 26. Diane Francis will speak on Canada 2005, sponsored by the Goderich and District Chamber of Commerce. A charismatic and brazen edi- tor of the Financial Post, Francis is read by millions and has be- come popular speaker in Cana- da today. In 1992, Chatelaine Magazine named Francis "Woman of the Year', calling her "unstoppable" for her shoot -from -the -hip, no - holds -barred style of journalism. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and Francis will take the stage at 8:00 p.m. For tickets to the unitme event, call 1-800-265-5594. Tickets are also available at Marlin Travel or Campbell's Cameras, both in Goderich Feature Page 2 Editorial Page 4 Letters Page 5 Feature Page 6 Sports Page 7 T.V. Guide Page 11 Classifieds Page 12 Horoscopes Page 16 Crossword Page 16 A LOOK AT. -- The Wingham Canadettes annual show and invitational competition. Page 6 Tho Wingham Advance -Times Is a member of a family of community newspapers providing news, advertising and information leadership if The Madill Mustangs took to the soccer pitch for another football season. See Sports n your .bike. Fair rolls down the halluvc Madill on a tricycle. Ther event was part of Activit the local high school. VnivreW .n° . Imoof& Volunteers to receive raise Members of the Wingham Area Fire Department will be receiving a raise, effective April 1, 1995. The raise was approved at the April meeting of the Wingham Area Fire Board last Wednesday evening. Chief Harley Gaunt said the of- ficers will receive a straight 1.5 per cent, and the fire fighters will receive a 1.5 per cent raise for fire fighting calls only. The raise will not include fire practices or fire meetings. • Earlier this year, the fire fight- ers had proposed that the fire board purchase green flashing lights for each fire fighter instead of getting a raise. However, the board rejected the proposal. Chief Gaunt said getting the raise was better than the green lights, because of the paper work required in determining who al- ready had a light and who was to receive a refund for buying their own. "I feel good about this raise," said the chief. "The 1.5 per cent is 1.5 per cent more than what we had last year." Fire News 3 � ern,..mcM•: Town will have to remove soil from two rail land sites By CAMERON J. WOOD the Burrell building on the west side of Josephine. The Advance -Times ' In all, Lesarge said the easiest solution for the ma- jority of the contaminated soils at the two fuel storage The Town of Wingham will have to foot the bill to sites is 'excavation. The soils could then be deposited at the landfill site and land -farmed before being used chased railway lands. - as cover. Engineer Keith Lesarge, of ai^s The permeation at the Supertest site is generally re - Golder Associates Ltd, London, „tr stricted to the top four feet of the shallow fill top explained to council last week ,Y.�" '.• layer of soil. However, some permeation of total pe - their findings on two sites on the troleum hydrocarbons (TPH) has reached depths of railway lands., .• 17 to 19 feet. Lesarge recommended council perform Council was anticipating soil some greater study to determine the impact at the contamination on, the former Josephine Street Super- deep soil level. He, explained there are three options test site and BP/Gulf site off Alfred St. Above open to council in handling the situation: identify the ground fuel storage had taken place in the past at the extent of contamination. If it is localized it can be two locations and visual soil examination lead the dug out. Secondly, the town can install additional town to believe some contamination was present. wells and pump in nutrients to improve bioremedia- Lesarge said in their initial study of the lands indi- tion - the natural decomposition of the biodegradable cated that there were only localized patches of oily fuel's. the final option is to define the size of the con - soils and no significant PCB impact near' the PUC tamination and study the real environmental impact. shed. Traditionally PCBs have not been stored at the • "Take a look at the potential pathways of human site, he said. There is some slight oil permeation near Please see TOWN/.3 remove some toxic soil found on the recently pur- 75 Taxes on the rise for Wingharn By CAMERON J. WOOD The Advance -Times The tax bill will take a little more out of people's pockets this year. During a special council meeting last Tuesday, Wingham Town Council agreed to a 4.4 per cent hike in overall taxation revenue; which translates into a 2.4 per cent hike in the mill rate. Mayor Don Carter said although there is an in- crease, the town will see the finali- zation of the John Street recon- struction project and further work on Arthur and Water Streets. The expansion of Carling Terrace as re- ported in March will also proceed. In the budget, $100,000 of the town's share for the Wingham Community Airport will be set aside from reserves and $6,500 col- lected through taxation. However, next year the remaining $106,000 will have to come entirety from tax- ation. With the Huron County Board of education levy increasing the total taxation percentage to 4.9, Council- lor Doug Layton requested that a notice be sent out with the next tax bill breaking down where the costs are for the ratepayers. "I think it's important they know who is charging what." In all the municipality will col- lect $2,556,000. Of that total reve- nue, $1,412,300 comes from taxa- tion, up from $1,352,600 in 1994. Grants from the province are down from last year's actual of $773,679 to an anticipated $709,100. In terms of expenditures, the biggest hike comes in public works; up from a budgeted $715,900 in 1994, to $846,100 in 1995. There is a sig- nificant drop in property expendi- tures from $249,956 actual in 1994 to a budgeted.$163,700. But before the budget passed, Deputy Reeve Ron Beecroft questioned the town's thinking on the diversion of $48,000 infrastruc- ture grant money from the pool ren- ovation project to the rdads con- struction projects. "The Lions and Optimist clubs agreed to fund the rest of the pro- ject if the town was to receive this infrastructure grant. We will lose this support if that money is ear- marked for roads. If thatis the case," he said. "Then it seems that whatever roads want, they get and the rest of the -departments go to..." Beecroft said the service clubs • TAXATION GRANTS - ROADS & PROVINCIAL GRANTS - COUNTY GRANTS - IN LIEU - TELEPHONE GRANTS - IN LIEU - GENERAL GRANTS - IN LIEU - OHC SUPPLEMENTAL TAXES INTEREST ON TAXES PARKS AND RECREATION - FACILITIES PARKS AND RECREATION - PROGRAMS RENTS LICENSES & PERMITS FINES INTEREST INCOME TRANSFER FROM RESERVES 1993 SURPLUS `I think it's important the taxpayer know,. who is charging what' Councillor Doug Layton in making a motion to clarify the 1995 increases. may back out of the pool project and use the money for other pro- jects if the town -doesn't feel the need to renovate the facility. He said last fall the town earmarked the grant for the pool project and requested a cost estimate from Fa- cilities Manager Peter Quennell. That study was provided to the town„but ,Quennell apparently told eoiicil the `rreatioii' department could make the pool last another season with some repairs. It was that aspect of the report that council hinged their decision on and pro- ceeded with other infrastructure plans - also because they did not have confirn ation from the clubs. that they were willing to proceed this year. Coun. Layton said he felt the whole situation could be clarified by meeting with the service clubs to discuss all the options available to the pool. He said other commu- nities have managed to build new facilities without their council$' fi- nancial support by pulling the clubs together towards a common pro- ject. • "Is there any chance they could take this on themselves?” he asked of the estimated $86,000 project. "They are human 'too and have to realize that we only have so much tax money to go around." In fact, if the town was to raise taxation to make up for, the short- fall, the percentage would have to' increase by another four per cent. "They have other projects they want to get on with," Beecroft said. There were some questions raised as to whether or not the town could actually divert the infrastruc- ture grant , to the roads project. Clerk -treasurer Byron Adams said there was the assumption it was ac- ceptable. The town was entitled to an esti- mated $500,000 under the infra- structure program. To be eligible, they had to spend a total of $750,000, required under a one third payment agreement from each of the federal, provincial and mu- nicipal governments. When the town applied for the funding the Please see BUDGET/3 TOTAL $1,412,300 709,100 38,000 38,700. 22,500 25,100 10,000 27,000 109,200 58,600 26,900 16,600 2,600 7,000 52,400 $2,556,000