HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-01-25, Page 1WINGRAM
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--PLORA AND FRIENDS—It was a -gra -tad -flight for Scats
— and Tories — at the annual Robert Burns' dinner and
dance held at the Listowel Legion Auditorium Saturday
night. The Legion's honored guest was the MP for
Kingston and the Islands, the Hon. Flora MacDonald.
Also attending were two other Tory MPs, Murray Cardiff
(HurOn-B711a6), left, and the host riding MP,--thre-Hon.-B4
Jarvis of Perth. The green plaid skirt anddark green
velvet jacket worn by Miss' MacDonald is a replica of the
attire worn by the original Flora Ma6Donald who
assisted in the escape of Bonnie Prince Charlie to the
Hebrides following the battle of Culloden. (Staff Photo)
Hospital building plans
await minister's approval
Final plans for a new
emergency and outpatient
wing at the: Wingham and -
District Hospital have
cleared the preliminary "
stages of Health Ministry
approval and now are
awaiting the approval of the
minister, himself, members
• of the hospital board were
told last week.
In a building program
update, the board .was told
that onee final approval is
given, the project can go to
tender. At .that stage, when
the board knows exactly
what it would cost to build, it
will have to make its final
decision whether or not to
proceed.
however ' the property
committee agreed with a
suggestion from Hans Kuy-
venhoven, board vice chair-
man, that it should go over
the architect's drawings
with a fine-toothed comb be-
fore calling tenders.
Noting the board has not
yet seen the detailed plans,
Mr. Kuyvenhoven, a builder,
pointed out that -any changes
made to the plans after a
contract has been signed can
add substantially to the cost.
Even Something as seeming-
ly minor as changing the
direction a door swings 'can
push up the price.
Administrator Norman
Hayes objected that con-
siderable care has been
taken in preparation of the
plan and it is unlikely there
would need to be 6any
changes, except as
requested by the contractor
himself, but William Harris,
another board member, sup-
ported Mrs. Kuyvenhoven.
Even small changes to a
plan once contract has
been signed can cost "a- leg
and an arm", he declared.
Archie Hill, chairman of
the property committee,
agreed to schedule another
meeting after the plans come
back from the ministry,
In other property corn-
,
mittee business, Mr. Hill
reported that a study of the
possibility of air conditioning
the hospital kitchen has
indicated the costs would be.
prohibitive, adding an
estimated $11,000 a year to
the hospital's bill for elec-
tricity.
Mr. Hayes ,said the
problem of cooling the kit-
chen will have to be ap-
proached from another
angle, possibly using a
system of fans.
Mr. Hill also reported the
committee discussed in
detail the question of the
automobile provided to the
administrator and concluded
there seems to be no alter-
native but to continue the
practice. The ,hoard agreed
with a committee mem-.
mendation to purchase a 1984
Ford Crown' Victoria at a
cost of abotit $7,000 plus
trade-in.
The board also received an
answer to questions raised at
the previous meeting about
the need for both a per-
formance and a labor and
materials bond on the pro-
posed 'construction project..
Mr. Hayes explained that, as
had been stated at that meet-
ing, the bonds cover two pol
tential areas of liability.
A performance bond would
guarantee completion of the
project if the contractor
defaulted or went bankrupt,
while the labor and
materials bond would cover
any mechanic's liens by
subcontractors or suppliers
in case' the general con-
tractor defaulted on
payments.
The cost of the bonds
would add about $10,000 to
the-pfolect, but Mr. Hayes
said the Health Ministry now
insists on such protection,
Ifcrlidwing several unhappy
experiences.
Wingham, Ontario, Wednesday, Jan.,25, 1984
Move sparks renewed controversy
TOwn makes offer on
property
or a new fire hall in Wingham
An offer by the Town of
Wingham to purchase land f
for a new fire hall has
sparked th'latest episode in
a controversy which has
marked the fie hall debate
for the past two years.
At a special meeting last
week, Wingham Town
Council voted to make an
offer on two parcels of land
at the northerly end of the
downtown core. If the town is
successful in acquiring the
property, it would later be
turned over to the proposed
area fire board as the site for
a new hall.
Although the motion ap-
proving the -offer passed
easily, 6.- 2 in a recorded vote,
it was not without a wrangle,
drawing charges that the
town is proposing to spend
too much when it already
owns suitable land.
At first reporters who
showed up were told they
would not b,e permitted to
attend the meeting. However
when the clerk pointed out,
that if council passed the by-
law authorizing the offer. to
purchase it would become a
matter of public record, they
were allowed to stay, though
• they were excluded from a
discussion period at the start
of the meeting.
•'Following -the brief, closed
session., when council
emerged to vote en the offer
criticisms of the plan also
surfaced.
Councillor James A.
Currie was especially
critical, recalling that he and
former councillor R. W.
LeVan had been soundly
roasted two years ago over a
proposal to spend about
.$160,000 on renovations and a
substantial addition to the
existing fire hall. At that
time they were told the price
was exorbitant and that a
new hall could be erected for
much less money, he said,
yel some of those very critics
are now pushing a project
costing even more,
He declared the proposal
to spend $56,500 to purchase
the old Gulf station property
and a smaller
"runs in the face o
choose to call ver
formed oppositio
concept of develop'
MAMI!W!,
Critics then claimed a new
ire hall could be built for
about $65,000, he said, yet
now some of the same people
are proposing to spend
$56,000 for just a piece of
land.
"I would like to see thein
perform," he declared, "and
they only have $5,000 to do
it."
He added that, although he
supports the concept of an
area fire board and takes
•
credit for having suggested
it, he still feels the new cost-
sharing agreement which
raised Wingham's share of
expenses by 50 per cent was
pushed through without
suffifient time for amend-
ment or debate—.
He is not satisfied the land
purchase would be in the
best interests of either this
community or the fire board,
he concluded.
He also commented that he
failed to understand the need
for the "big, steaming rush"
to approve the offer to
purchase, saying it could
hive waited for council's
next regular meeting and
thus saved ratepayerS the
additional expense of paying
councillors to attend a
special meeting.
Deputy Reeve Patricia
Bailey joined Mr. -Currie in
his criticisms, though she
Hospital plans to purchase
a $75,000 phone system
The Wingham and District
•Hospital plans to spend an
estimated $75,000 buying and
installing a new telephone
system which Will both in-
crease the system capacity
and save money.
At a hospital board
•
meeting last week, board
members • accepted a
property committee recom-
mendation to purchase an
ITT 3100 phone system, to
replace the current system
which is rented from Bell
Canada. •
The board was told the new
system should pay for itself
within five years and' should
return an additional $84,000
to $85,900 to the hospital over
its expected lifetime of 10
• years.
In presenting the proposal.
to the board, Treasurer
Gordon Baxter explained the
current phone system is at
the limit of its 60 -telephone
capacity and would have to
be expanded sometime with-
in the next four years. In
addition, the switching 'gear
is now located in an area of
ehind. it
what I
fr unin-
to the
a fire
system in _the present
location several years ago.
"The committee then was
criticized very severely for
proposing to redevelop the
existing property for about
$150,000."
noted she had been equally
critical of his and Mr.
LeVan's earlier proposal.
She said the town has suf-
ficient land and suggested it
should have been left to the
fire board to handle any
purchases.
Councillor William Crump,
who together with Councill
Bruee Machan represen
the town on the fire board
responded to the criticism by
saying he knows the town
owns lots of land. The special
building committee looked at
nearly a dozen sites, he
added, and dere Was one he
personally favored.
"Unfortunately, the com-
. mittee didn't agree."
He said the committee
the building slated for hospital' s patient load. looked at the present fire hall
demolition. if the new In view of the fact that site, among others, but after
building project goes ahead,. hospital activity is down taking everything into
"and would have to be moved from last year, which was consideration it recom-
at that time. already an unusually low mended the site at Josephine
He said the hospital has year, he would' prefer to see' and Alfred.
He disagreed with Mr.
known for some time it could ' money spent on an area
save money by installing its more related to health care, Currie's figures on what it
own system, but was not in a Mr. Pike concluded. would have cost to renovate
position to do anything about However another board and add to the existing fire
it. Now, with a growing member, William Harris, hall, saying this proposal
surplus in its budget and the disagreed, saying it is clear "won't cost an awful lot
prospect of a new wing, the the phone system must be more and we'll have new
changed and, the only sen- building."
time seemed fight. . •
The- hospital presently sible time to do it is now, , When the vote was called,
pays Bell -about $2,500 a since it would have to be • only Mr. Currie and Mrs.
month in rental fees, Mr. moved anyway to makeway Bailey voted against making
Baxter noted. • . ;. for the propoSed- biiiiding thiebfler.-21dfotherrmembers -
of council voted in favor,
He said two competing- project.
Following the board vote with 'Reeve Joe Kerr absent.
systems had been explored
one a Bell system using Mitel
switching gear, and the other
a system sold by a company
called CTG and using. ITT
equipment, which is more
expensive but has a greater
cabability for computer
interconnection. .
The property committee
recommended the second
system, with Administrator
Norman Hayes explaining
the hospital is looking at
eventually installing its own
• computer, particularly Since
• the London-based computer
Snowarama• firm it now uses, formerly
is set to go owned by the Ministry' of
• Health, has been sold to ,.
private' interests.
The hospital has a five-
year guarantee on the price
of the service, but is con-
cerned that at the end of that
time prices could rise
dramatically, he said.
"We have to look at our
own` (computer) about five
years down the road."
He added that the ITT
phone system is used in the
Toronto Stock Exchange and
should be a safe enough bet.
Noting that a phone
system was not included on
the list of capital ex-
penditures for this year,
Finance Chairman Robert
Pike • asked whether this, ,
purchase would mean
putting off the purchase of
other equipment which is
more health-related.
He said the hospital
already has trimmed more
than • two-thirds of its
proposed capital ex-
penditures for the next three
year to accommodate the
builling program.
e also asked whether the
hospital has a priority list of
equipment to be purchased.
Mr. Hayes said there_has
been no formal ranking of
equipment needs. What is
needed most is a new
radiology ' machine, he
noted; other things are
mostly "nice -to -have" or
replacement equipMent.
He added that, in view of
A spokesman for the group the hospital's larger -than -
said they just started buying expected budgetary sur -
lottery tickets a little over a pluses last year and this
month ago, each putting up year, "I don't think there
one dollar a week. They just will be a drain on patient
buy Lottario, she added, and care."
so far their luck has been In his financial report, Mr.
good, with a $5.00 win the., Pike had noted the surplus of
week prior to their big win revenue over expenditure is
last week. continuing to grow and stood
They aren't planning to at some $274,000 as of the end
quit their jobs, she, said, but of December. The major
they might get together for a reason. for the surplus has
big celebration. been a decline in the
• All systems are go for this
weekend's Snowarama for
• Timmy in the Bruce region.
Registration commences at -8
a.m. Sunday at the Wingham
Legion for the 100 -kilometre
run.
Wingham Lions Club
President Herb Kenyon said
he hopes about 60
snowmobilers will par-
ticipate in this year's rally.
• Pledge sheets are available,
locally at the Turnberry
Tavern, B & M Rentals,
• Lynn Hoy Enterprises and
McGee Auto. Electric.
• This year, the Bruce re-
gional snowmobile associa-
tion will not pay any ex-
penses, thus leaving more of
the- money raised for crip-
pled children. -tut in Wing -
ham, said Mr. Kenyon, the
Lions Club is supplying a
meal to hungry riders after
they come in off the trail.
WAVE TO THE CROWp—Junior skaters Tammy Rose
and Ann Uhler gave a hand td the small fry as they left carnival. The youngsters had a good time, responding
the ice after presenting "Bird Dance" as their contribu- to enthusiastic applause by waving' to familiar faces in
tion to "Let's Dance", the 1984 Brussels figure skating the crowd.
•
Local residents
happy with Min
It wasn't the $14 million 6-
49 prize, but eight employees
of N. D. Cameron Limited in
Wingharn are pretty happy
with their win in last week's
Lottario draw.
The eight shared in the
second prize of $21,552.90 in
Saturday night's draw,
which works out to about
$2 700 each.
to purchase the new system,
Mr. Baxter said it is likely
work on the changeover will
• start in the near future. The
new switching gear will be
installed in a closet in the
main office and will more
than double the capacity of
the current phone system, he
said, with the potential of
adding units which would
increase the capacity to 288
telephones.
Following the meeting,
Mr. Crump explained the
town is making the offer on
behalf of the new fire board,
which does not yet have legal
status as a corporation. Once
the board is incorporated, it
would take title to any
property purchased and the
cost would be shared among
• member municipalities
according to the cost-sharing
agreement.
LITTLE TROY LEDIET found the going pretty cold Sun-
day at the outdoor skating rink at the Josephine Street
' ballpark. The Wingharri Optimists are at it again this year
and have the rink in good shape for children and older
people foo. The cold weather has helped keep the rink
ih good shape also.
IF
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