HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance Times, 1995-09-13, Page 3?WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13.1885
�rk begrns.on airport runway
y JIM BROWN
The Advance -Times
Wingham Municipal Airport
committee chairman Ian Moreland
felt as. if he had just won a champi-
onship as he wanted to jump up
.and down for joy last Wednesday
morning.
After 18 months of planning,
long meetings and numerous
phone calls, work on the airport
was started last Wednesday morn-
ing.
"All the hard work, dedication
and frustration has finally paid
off," said Moreland.
It was late 1993, when then
Western Foundry president Dick
LeVan approached Wingham
Town Council with the airport
proposal.
The final piece of the puzzle
was received last Tuesday at the
regular meeting of Morris Town-
ship council. Committee member
John Schenk presented a cheque
for $12,854.70 to the township for
the deed to the road allowance at
the North 1/2 of Lot 10-11 of Con-
cession 1, from the Town of
Wingham.
The approximately five acres of
property will provide an access
road tq the airstrip. With the ac-
quisition of the road allowance,
the Town.of Wingham now owns
a total of 468 acres in the town-
ship. However, only 6.88 acres of
the total acreage would be used for
the airstrip. The' airstrip will be
4,000 feet in length and 75 feet
wide and will be paved by the end
of October.
There will be a double -wide en-
trance/exit with three rows of
trees. A row of trees are being
moved to along the east side of en-
trance/exit.
"All of the farmland will be
leased," said Moreland. "The rev-
enue will more than offset any def-
icit, if there is one, to operate the
airstrip."
• •
Moving trees...Airport committee chairman WIan
Moreland and ccommittee member John Schenk watch as a
crew from Reay's Tree Planting Service Ltd. moves a tree at
the entrance of the airport development.
Morris Township council had
passed a road closing by-law in
May, pending approval from the
Ministry of Municipal Affairs.
That approval was received and
council then met in -camera at the
beginning of last Tuesday's coun-
cil meeting to determine the price
of the road allowance.
When LeVan first approached
council with the idea back in Oc-
tober 1993,' then councillor
Schenk as chairman of the finance.
committee thought it was just a
dream.
Cuts mean
.By HEATHER MIR
Special to the Advance -Times
"At first, I thought the idea
would not fly," said Schenk. "But,
the more I got involved with the
project, the more I felt it would
really benefit the Town of Wing -
ham."
Neither the town nor the com-
mittee proceeded with the project
blindly.
"We did not go into this project
with our eyes closed," said former
mayor Moreland. "We did a lot of
research."
He added that they were encour-
aged when the MTO had reported
8 less per student
CLINTON - According to Director Paul Carroll, the
Huron County Board of Education expenditures so
far are "on track" but added the board must proceed
with caution.
The July 21 Queen's Park update announced $1.9
billion in cuts and reductions to be achieved by the
end of the province's fiscal year. The. Ministry of
Education and Training has been given a $4Q million
in -year capital expenditure reduction target as well
as an $80 million in -year operating expenditure re-
duction.
Given these targets, the $8 funding reduction per,
pupil for 1995 and further reduction of $8 per pupil
in 1996 is only a token start to further cutbacks and
reduced funding. The impact of this unbudgeted $8
cut for both elementary and secondary translates into
a $73,423 shortfall in the Huron board's 1995 bud-
get. Through careful management the director does
not anticipate the board will have a serious problem
making up the shortfall.
The cuts have a greater effect on low assessment
boards such as Huron. Carroll said the reduction is
"meaningless' for large boards such as Metro, which
do not rely as heavily on grants for funding their pro-
grams.
"We can't forget we have a. tough year coming up.
1996 is going to be a pretty awful year in terms of fi-
nance," Carroll said.
In addition to grant reductions, the Ministry is
also reducing capital spending. Cuts have been made
after some projects have already started. More of
these clawbacks are possible between now and the
end of the year.
The Huron board has been fortunate as a late ap-
plicant for Junior Kindergarten funding to have re-
ceived $1,846,000 in allocation. Only $260,000 re-
mains unclaimed. Another $356,000 in top -up fund-
ing has been verbally approved. The funding has
allowed an update of the elementary facilities at
many sites including Huron Centennial, McCurdy,
Clinton, Wingham and Exeter.
The board has released a projected budget for
1996 with a zero per cent expenditure increase. Pro-
jected spending is down slightly from the 1995 bud-
get estimates.
"That still doesn't address our problems with
grants," Grey Township/Blyth Trustee Don McDo-
nald said.
To meet government reductions, „the board must
find more cost efficient means to deliver services
and innovative ventures. As budgets become tighter,
the public will hear more about school business ven-
tures such as summer computer camps and comple-
mentary partnerships between schools and, private
sector businesses.
B
ridge pro
the committee to negotiate with Coun. Doug Layton said. "I think
CN to see if the rail company is' we are -really blessed. I think we
interested in providing financial have something here."
assistance to develop the bridge The committee is examining
into a walkway. McGrath said the the possibility of using recycled
committee is approaching CN to plastic for the pathway across the
see how much it will cost the bridge. McGrath said the life ex -
company to remove the bridge as pectancy of this material out -
specified in a 1994 land purchase weighs the cost of using a wooden
arrangement versus the cost to platform.
leave it in. Members of the community
The committee has the support trails committee are expected to
of Wescast Industries. Part of the make a financial presentation to
proposed trail will cross Wescast council at the Sept. 25 meeting.
land. So far the local firm has in- The total cost of the project is
dicated a willingness to allow a estimated at $59,486.42. This in -
trail across their property and con- eludes
a $20,000 portion for labor
nect the Eco -Park trail on the east assuming none is volunteered and
side of the Maitland River to the a $5,000 contingency fund for fu -
trail on the west side, creating a ture maintenance. The recycled
full loop. plastic deck and runners figure in
"1t looks like a good idea," at $11,500.
Continued from front page
Councillor Bill McGrath, who
sits on the recently council -
endorsed community trails com-
mittee, presented an update to
council on the bridge and request-
ed a special meeting for Septem-
ber 25. Council must decide by
then whether or not they will seek
another deadline extension on the
bridge to allow the committee to
continue their plan, or virtually
kill the whole project and let the
deadline pass.
McGrath told Machan that the
committee has no intention of
seeking municipal funding. He
told council the committee has a
"fantastic" fund raising plan and
will make a complete presentation
to council on it.
Part of the current plan calls for
that an airport was going to be es-
tablished in the area.
Moreland added that Morris
Township council has been co-
operative in their approach to the
committee.
Schenk noted that the township
council was very conscientious in
their approach to the issue, and
knew what questions to ask.
Moreland said that the town has
always supported an airport, the
Cruickshank airport. Now the
town is getting a bigger and better
airport.
"We are attempting to sustain
local industries, with this airport,
and also encourage other ones to
come to Wingham," he said.
The former mayor said they are
trying to improve the economy of
the area, and it is frustrating to
have "one individual attempt to
turn industry off from coming to
the town."
The Sept. 6 issue of The Ad-
vance -Times carried` an in-depth
story on Morris Township resident
Debby Himmelman, who is lead-
ing a crusade against the airport.
Canadian Agra and Royal
Homes have both thrown their
support behind the airport project.
. Municipal councils from the area
are also in favor of the venture.
Morris and East Wawanosh
Township councils were both re-
quested by the Wingham Econom-
ic Development Committee to
send a letter of support for the air-
port project to the Town of Wing -
ham and to Huron MPP Helen
Johns.
Moreland said that it has been
proven that a municipal airport
will bring in hundreds of thou-
sands of dollars to the area.
"We are trying to build a better
future for , the children of the
area," he said. ,
Schenk said that as a former
councillor, this is one project that
there was no negative side to in re-
gards to the town.
"I had no reservations about go-
ing ahead with the project," he
said.
THE WORM JIDYAVCFTIMES
Local man joins
oppos!tion fight
Petition in the making
battle, she says, adding she is grati-
fied to team that perhaps she is not
alone in her views.
A Wingham man has offered his
support to Debby Himmelman in
her fight against the Wingham Mu-
nicipal Airport development.
Jim Coultes, a long-time Morris
Township cattleman, has come for-
ward with his opposition to the
$2.9 million development. The con-
tract for phase one of the airport
was awarded at a special meeting
of town council last month and
work commenced last week.
While Coultes, like Himmelman,
realizes that the airport project is
going ahead, he wants to make his
opposition known. He also believes
there are many people out there
who do not agree with the proposal
and are not aware of the heavy tax"
burden being placed upon the citi-
zens of the town.
Coultes says he is particularly
concerned about seniors on fixed
incomes, who have seen their taxes
steadily increase. "This (opposition
to the airport) is a common feeling
among the people, but they are
scared to speak," Coultes claims.
He also says he is concerned
about the fact that prime agricultu-
ral land is being used for the airport
development and that no environ-
mental assessment has been held
into the impact on the environment.
Coultes has written to Huron
MPP Helen Johns with his con-
cerns about the airport develop-
ment, but now is prepared to go
one step further by getting signa-
tures of those opposing the use of
tax dollars to construct the airport.
The province agreed earlier this
year to fund the airport up to 80 per
cent with the Town of Wingham
and Wescast Industries contributing
the remainder. The petition will be,
forwarded to Johns.
The fact that someone else ap-
pears to have joined her in oppos-
ing the airport is welcome news to
Himmelman, whose story appeared
in last week's edition of this news-
paper. This has been a long, hard
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