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Wingham Advance-Times, 1977-12-28, Page 1'.••••••‘-',•ii,,, • . • •IAAND1444.141% ausine*,tt pleapu. Usts01,,, 00040 CaitThiI Fro. 11410.0r2o5i •. FIRST SECTION r 1:t Wingham, Wednesday, December 28. 1977 Sjugle, 0, •••••••••••, vincial funding approved for sep h• The sometimes -controversial Josephine Street reconstruction J project is definitely on for next ear following transport Minister 1James Snow's approval of fund - ng. Provincial approval was the only thing needed to set the pro- , ject on its way after town council 4,1klecided earlier this month to •er press forward. The minister announced his de- cision to fund the half million dollar project in a Friday mor- ning phone call to Mayor William Walden. "He told us we have been given the money to reconstruct the main street," Mr. Walden re- ported. A letter confirming the decision is to follow. Mr. Walden said while he is very happy with the decisioh he knows some people will be un- happy with it. He said his two priorities now are seeing it doesn'tcost business people in town any business and getting it completed before the plowing match. The completion date on the job Will have to be Sept. 1 to make sure it gets done well before the International Plowing Match opens Sept. 26, he said, and an- . nounced engineer Burns Ross will be scheduling a meeting with the business people to . explain how the work will be carried out. "I think it will beautify our town and draw people to it," he- clared. "It should have been done three or, four years age."- , The mayor said Mr. Snow is aware of an estimate by Mr. Ross that just repairs to the street could cost $60,000 next year and that might have played a part in his, decisioxi to approve the recon- struction. Another -factor is: "There - won't be that much construction 74, z • • ,t5,4 have all been completed and • showed nothing out of the or- dinary. The project involves tearing up and rebuilding Josephine Street from 250 feet south of Scott Street • to near Charles Street. The busi- ness district would get new side- walks and the storm sewer and water main would be replaced for a number of blocks. Finance committee chairman Tom Deyell has assured council the town should have no difficulty debenturing the $90,000 it must bear of the cost. He said the town's debenture debt right now, excluding schools and the PUC, is $480,000 and noted approval had been given earlier in the year for up to a $250,000 debenture for a storm sewer in northeast Wing - ham while only about $175,000 was debentured on that project. me Street reconstruction on this summer and we should get some real top bids," Mr. Walden added. "Snow realizes this." • He said there's no doubt the street badly needs work done on it. "You'll know how bad it is if you just ride down it in a truck sometime. It'll just about shake your boots off." He also noted the town will get some needed work done to Minnie Street as a result of the recon- struction. Minnie will be used as a bypass during the work on the main street, he said, so repairs to it will be included in the cost of the whole project. Council voted at its meeting last April to begin planning the street replacement project using the engineering firm of B. M. Ross and Associates, Goderich. Reeve Joe Kerr and Councillor Allan Harrison opposed the motion at that time, with Mr. Kerr saying the town should not sink all its money into the main street when other streets are in worse need of repair and Mr. Harrison asking where the money for the town's share of the project would come from. Wingham Business Association later expressed reservations about planning the project for 1978 or 1979, since the plowing match is coming up one year and the next is Wingham's centenary. Members were concerned the. work could not be done then, with- out interfering with one on the other. At its December meeting coun- cil voted to go ahead with the pro- ject next year provided provin, cial finding is available. Mr. Kerr_ and Deputy Reeve Harold Wild opposed the decision, with Mr. Kerr declaring he could sup- port it for 1980 but not next year; Mr. Ross has estimated the cost of the reconstruction at $550,000. The town would have to shoulder about $90,000 which in eludes the cost of new storm :sewers and sidewalks. Replacing the water mains under the street will add a further $100,00Q to be •borne by the Wingham Public Utilities Commission. The sani- tary sewer was inspected and pronounced fit, saving the town the $75,000 cost of replacing it. • Mr. Ross is convinced the re- construction can be completed in • four months, Councillor Angus Mowbray recently told council. He said the pre -engineering, soils •.tests and sanitary sewer survey Mrs. Cousins Killed in accident from behind by a car while walk- Cliffii rid gets ing from her home to her son's home in that village. A Londes- boro man has been charged with a grant forimpaired driving in connection ' with the accident. i e • operated the Cousins Creamery; Church, she was involved exten- Brussels, until the late 1960s and sively in church work, was a earlier this year marked 50 years member of the choir and be- • • of married life. An active longed to many ladies' groups member of the Brussels United within the church. . • .. Left to mourn her passing, •• besides her husband,- is .One • daughter; Mrs. Ivan (Bette) Campbell, Brussels; three sons, C. LaWrie, London, ,George and • John of Brussels; and '16 grand- children. There are two -sisters, Mrs.- Rene Kaiser • and Mrs. Marvin (Mary) Mitchell, both o.f Toronto. She wasprededeased by four brothers and one sister. 0 The late Mrs. Cousins rested at the M. L. Watts Funeral Home,. Brussels,•until Saturday, Dee: M; when removal was made to the BrUssels United Church where her minister, Rev. Eric LeDrew, conducted funeral service at 2:30 p.m.. Interment followed in Brus- sels Cemetery. Pallbearers Were ' Murray Mulcahy," Gordon. Phillips, , . Murray McDonald, and three. gtindsons, Murray.. Randy . Cousins;and Laurie.. Campbell. Doug and Ken• Cousins, also grandsons, carried floral tributes. approved park . . - The village of Clifford will re- ceive an Ontario grant of $24,500 for the. development of an ap- proved park, the Ontario minis- try '‘ of natural resources an - *need last week. municipality will under- take the:$rojectiwhich will in- clude acquisition of land, preparation of a" development plan, construction of washroom- changeroOm facilities, landscap- ing and general work. • This approved park comprises some two acres, situated astride the Red River with frontage on Elora Street '(Highway9) and bounded on the 'West by Main Street. •, Mrs Roy Cousins was walking • e along Turnberry Street at 7:15 p.m. and had stepped onto the roadway because the sidewalk was not plowed when she was hit , by the car driven by Trevor Moon, 31, Sgt. Len George of the Wingham OPP reported. He said it was later•discoveretl Mr. Moon had been involved' hi another accident. minutes before when he struck some posts and knocked out the right headlight :. • on his car and it is possible the reduced visibility could have been a factor in his striking Mrs. •. Cousins. • • s, 1! fifialommfionefilMO.M.M. SECOND IZE at Winham and District HOiptral was awarded to this window in room 240, decorated Oyborothy MacLeod, RNA, to the theme of "Igells". •• Mrs. Cousins was the former Eagle Lawrie Phillips and was born at Wbodbrldge, finth: of Toronto. She and her husband MII.S. ROY COUSINS • BEST WINDOW—This window in the operating room was awarded first prize in the window deCorating contest at Wingham and District Hospital. Mrs. Sharon Skinn, operat- ing room supervisor, was the artist and her theme was "Children Beside the Fireplace". Recreation Dept. has a full winter course slate Eleven Wingham recreation programs have been announced for the winter season. The pro- grams include both indoor and outdoor activities. Judo will he taught Thursday evenings at F. E. Madill school by Tom Greenall: Registration for the program will he at 7 p.m., Jan. 5 in gym 254 at the school. The program fee is $5. A girls' gymnastics course will be held Tuesday evenings at F. E. Madill from 7 to 8 in Gym 254. In- structor Sheila Stapelton will begin lessons Jan. 3. Registration is $10. The Wingham 'Recreation De- partment is running two ,cross country ski programs this winter. An adult, learn -to -cross -country - ski program will be held week ends. Mr. and Mrs. Gary Lisle are the instructors for the course. Registration starts Jan. 7 at 9:30 a.m. Instruction Will be on that day from 10 a.m. to noon, at the arena, from 1 te 4 p.m. at F. E. Madill and Sunday, Jan. 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. on Falconer Trail. Cost of the course if five, dollars. Special drug project results in 55 charges A six-week special project to explore the 1freva1ence tig drugs and to enforce the Narcloilic Con- trol Act in Huron County was recently sponsored by police forces in the county, Wingham Police Chief Robert Wittig re- ported this week. One police officer from God- erich police force and two mem- bers of the Ontario Provincial Police stationed in the county worked jointly executing search warrants and making drug seizures. In a six-week period a total of 55 charges were laid as a result of investigations by the tam, in- cluding 35 charges under the Narcotic Control Act. Six were for trafficking in narcotics or possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking. Twenty charges were laid under the Criminal Code, Liquor Licence Act, and the Highway Traffic Act. A cross country ski club ill have its first meeting Jan. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the town hall. • Adult fitneSs skating will be at the arena from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from Jan. 2 until March 31. The fee is $10. A children's theatre group under the instruction .of Sandra Lee will meet Saturday after- noons from 1:30 to 3:30 at the town hall.. The five dollar fee covers the 10 -week course. Ringette, for girls 14 and under, will be in the arena Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m. The cost is seven dol- lars for the season. Public school aged boys can get together to play floor hockey Monday evenings from 6:30 to 8 o'clock. The boys can play at F. E. Madill for five dollars for 12 weeks under the guidance of in- structor Ron Johnson. Registra- tion is at the school Monday, Jan. 9., Moms and tots learn to skate sessions will be held Tuesdays from 10...30 to 11:30 in the morning . and Thursdays from 1:30 to 2:30 in the afternoon. The fee for the course, which runs from Jan. 3 to March 30, is five dollars or 75 cents a day. The course will be at the arena. Ted Brewster and Ken Wood will instruct a community bad- minton class, as part of the winter recreation program. All programs will start the first week of January. For more in- formation, contact recreation director Rennie Alexander at 37 Victoria St., or phone 357-1208. The 13th annual midget hockey tournament will be held at the arena March 17-19 and 23-26. Local teams will be in the compe- tition with. teams from major cities in Canada and the US. The recreation department re- minds Wingham area people that public skating rates are 75 cents for those 13 years old or over, and 50 cents for younger people. SeasOn tickets cost $10 for an individual and $25 for a family. Groups can rent ice time from 6 a.ni. to 3:30 p.mdaily for $12 an hour if Wingham residents and for $13 an hour if from out of town. Those rates are doubled for ice time from 3:30 pmto mid- night. THIRD PRIZE for decorated windows at Wingham and District Hospital was awar,ded to Cathy Duffy,a student in the registered nursing assistant program, for her painting "A. Christmas Song for ,You". The painting adorns the window in room A-12. Assessment inspectors to check counties' homes Huron and Perth county home- owners who have improved their property and increased the value of their homes should beware — the property tax assessment in- 11 Two fires minor The Wingham Fire Depart- ment responded to two minor fires in the last week. Damage totalled about $300 in the two blazes. Firemen were called to a fire at 4:20 p.m. last Thursday at a turkey barn on Highway 4, south of town. That is why the door-to-door The barn, owned by Cold survey is -needed, Mr. Jenkins Springs Farms-, Thamesford, said. A total of 16,000 rural received about $300 damage. The properties have been inspected fire started in the electrical wir- since the program started in ing of the building, Fire Chief October. The remaining 34,000 Dave Crothers ,reportedurban properties will probably be A chimney fire reported at inspected by April. 10:30 last Wednesday night Huron and Perth counties are brought firemen to the scene, but doing well economically, he said. no action was talen and no dam- They shovteadygains in both age reported. • assessment and population., The house is owned by Walter The assessment inspection pro- Schiestel, Concession 10, Turn- gram serves two purposes, Mr. berry Township. • Jenkins said. It will bring assess - spector is coming. For the first time in four years, assessment officers are visiting the 52,000 residential properties in the two cOunties to find any changes which would affect municipal tax assessment. The assessment office usually learns of property improvements through building permits issued by municipalities. The problem is many people don't always take out building permits when they construct a building, assessment commissioner Fred Jenkins said. Some municipalities don't always issue perrnits he added. ment figures up tia date and will help the assessment offices pre- pare for the new provincial property tax system based on the market value of properties, ex- pected in 1979 or 1980. . Only improvements of more than $2,500 will affect the assess- ment value of the property, Mr. Jenkins' said. Additions of family rooms, fireplaces and major renovations of homes account for most of the, improvementse Energy-saving devices such as solar heating systems will not increase assessment, he noted. Mr. Jenkins said there are sig- nificant assessment changes on many farms. New buildings increase assessment, as • does improvement of farm land itself. Tile draining increases assess- ment, he said. Mr. Jenkins said all assess- ment commission officers carry identifiaation cart1A;nd are will- ing to prove their identity before inspecting a property. There are no penalties for improvements which took place since the last inspection, even though improvements may not have been reported