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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1980-01-09, Page 1w • • • ' • : • t • - - A . , • a, *)!: R4 !.• a a ! t` •ar ,.„ "717w7"' * A • . - • a . • navy 9, 1980 DENTAL. ASSISTANT • Mrs. Marjoriedmest, Wing - ham, Is pleased to announce the graduation of her daugh- ter Janice from the Dental Assisting Program at Fan- Shawe College, London. She bps acce a position at the affiCe of • M. Kiviichan In London. st some ife0rO by Wirigham councillors' that mgt- not be getting exactly the deal they bargained for with P.e. new police radio 8$0,0111" - • At the town.' enunell meeting Jan. 4 Councillor Mlan Harrison, %NOW§ representative on the advisory hoard' -for the county- wide police 'communications network, noted the system was already 8.5 per cent Over budget by the end of November. He said • • be wasn't Me- VirOr the overrun it ;teemed fdpft there' hadtp been meeting 4.2 the board singe • 4110.0n last Fehruary„ . • Obnnetlierc derdan BaxterNovember !fr eorSeted ititkaaying there bo41 been a meetingabut no one fr014. Wingnam, hard teen able to at- tend. 11(1r4-414.0on noted it's impossible for 'Min to attend meetings heldduring working hours and said he has bee:n pushing for kaieeting to get the cost questions straightened out. The syeteni 1sworking OK, but. • rise1. Of $8,200. Councillor cerned, ebotgef:f weren't niece ;177:y w40.04$ getting-4(irg, tration or rent conned/Or Totrf, concern e town was promised that qederich already had facilities ailable and that's why , the Stan was based there rather II in Clinton, he noted, allandli*finaricoprstosmbiysecclouna council's .t meeting, Feb, 4. Clinton Reeve Royce Mc- aaley, acting chairman of the mmunications advisory board, 'Said Monday he wasn't quite sure what had caused the cost over- t4W4nS, but he confirmed a meeting be held shortly to discuss the rnatter. said he has been chairing the group only during the al)- , nee of Clinton Mayor Harold 4.abb and consequently he wasn't ?.aware of everything which bad rt happened during the past year. • The joint communications system links police forces itilhe five county towns to a dispatcher tat Goderich. System cots are divpiidtaedbaamsiost.Ig the towns on a per r Police have been uniformly • pleased with the 'system S operation, but -council has been concerned since that start that costs of running it have, ben ' consistently higher than 'estimated. Farmhouse fire claims Three members of a family, one a five- year-old boy, lost their lives on the weekend when their.,Weat Wawattoph.Tevaiship farm- house was engulfed by flames. • Dead are 67 -year-old Isabella (Jessie) . Firdeon, her 28 -year-old daughter Marlene, - arid Marlene's young son, Robert James. Load depot"of • The fatal fire broke out during the, early Christmas Bureau aided 43 families Four hundred and •fifty. children from 195 families in Huron County enjoyed Christmas a little morethis year through the efforts of the Christmas Bureau and its volunteers. Wingham, the most 'northern depot in the county, did,a terrific • job under the direction of CNA, Since his phone line, which was connected: fain Trainor- of the Salvation to the one in the house, had been knocked out Ariny and his Forty- by,the fire, he had to drive to .a neighboring • three families with, 108 children • farm -to phone in the alarm. However his car were helped bY.• these hard Wouldn't start and eventually be had to take a workers. s..7. truck and drive,to the farm, of J. D. Durnin, In Clinton:Mrs. 'Wyn Hoinirth where he saw a light in the house. :* . looked after -43' taMilies, viha Mr„Wbitby said the alarm was received at total. of 122 children,, *Idle '.4V Oriderich Mrs. Dianne AVrit-' strong :and the local Kinoraim chi!) Operated a "toy drop whiCh heiped:diit 42 families with 88 children.,sbnitaieff011$4W91,P4•. forkird by Itev. Robert floberts, 'Mrs. Kay Whitmore and other volunteers at Seaforth and by Mrs. Marj Adams and her " volunteers at Exeter. The ' Christmas Bureau is a service of Family and Children's Services of Huron County and Director John Penn expressed his thanks to all the volunteers and everyone who contributed h any way. hours of Saturday morning and the cause is still unknown, although oil, space heaters and electrical wiring are being investigated as possible causes. \ The blaze was discovered by Mrs. Fhdeon's ion Jim, who lives in a trailer about 50 -feet • from' the main house. He tried to break 'Into • the house, but found all die doors locked; and when he tried to enter a Window it was so hot • he burned his hand, Lirclinow Fire Chief • Gerarge Whitby reported. New name, but same company Despite the‘new name gracing, • its building, the company inside is substantially the same, Phil Creswell, vice president of the Cnnestoga Chair Company Ltd., said last week. The company, which took over the furniture factory on Victoria Street after it was closed „13), Electrohome, was at first known as Kilgour Furniture Ltd.. It continues to produce a lovely line of carved chairs. • • • • 3:15 a.m. and the lir arrived on the scene Within ,•that time there was, nolOardb" the house: The inside :WAS 8.. every door and window had140:ca' out of it, he said. He _noted that clocks recover rubble of the two-storey, brick* stopped at 2:45, and said hemr had probablydied of smoke,inhalal they could have been rescued three bodies -were found in the sai It was nearly, t bodies could be reingyed:.. smoldering wreckageof toe hi C. McKim of 'Luchnow conf identities as the three members Ot family, but p9 co said it wo,01 tke days for tests atthe Centre. F Sciences ia Toronto to determine the: . cause Of death. . • • • Mr. Whitby said that although deal with a number of fatal fires , years on the fire btiga0,tbie* • achildhasdiedandjsa1sotheth' have died in a single fire in • "I had hoped - to. get retre child Idtilied-in a fire);" he sa wt. u 4 ncil e ms new y a Wingham Council is beginning work on a new property stan- dards bylaw to replace the one passed • and then • quickly rescinded last .year. CouncillOrs have been given copies of a modified bylaw adopted by Exeter to study and will also be looking at another which was passed in Wallaceburg. ° • At the council meeting Jan. 4, Councillor • • John • Bateson, chairman of the property com- mittee, noted coinicil is "back into the bylaw business". Theone passed by Exeter seems to make common sense, he said, and he has a copy of another one from Wallaceburg which he described as a little stricter. His committee will be going over both to seewhat it can come up with, he said. He commented that the Exeter bylaw "seems to be wordedat lot nicer" than the one originally passed by council. It calls for ari approach emphasizing "cooperative compliance as opposed to rigid enforcement" and says legal enforcement will be taken onlyaS a final measure when cooperative efforts fail. However Councillor Tom Deyell warned all might not be smooth sailing yet, noting that Exeter Reeve Eldrid Simmons had resigned in protest against the passage Of the bylaw in his List year council gave quick. passage to a property standards bylaw adopted from Goderich and aimed at forcing the cleanup • of several, prOperties it con- sidered eyesores.. A strong outcry by citizens calling the bylaw dictatorial forced council to reconsider its action and, following a meeting • attended , by more than 60 ratepayers, it agreed to rescind the bylaw and start over. At least ene member of council admitted he had not read the previous bylaw before it was passed, and council promised that any new standards bylaw would be faublished and citizen, Still golfing on , New Year's Day • At least one local golfer. has . 44:‘, found it iumeceisary to put away, the clubs yet this winter. We hear Jim Beattie played - nine holes out •at the club on the morning otNew Year's Day. Our information was sketchy as •to whether Jim actually got up • early to putin the round, or simply stayedRtret following the party.' Mit thee",Jhe previous ease - Onirdiriess of thelocal golfers and the a ma zingly temperate Weather we have enjoyed so far -this winter. Speaking of Which, Harald Wild reports he went Out and mowed • approved. In other birsineSS !at at\he meeting cotinCillert heard that Mrs. Sheila Staple Orr has been • hired milli' netv doPuty treasurer: She is currently learning the position and *ill take over upon the retirement of • • Mrs, Marie MacLe.anat the end of Februm. Her hiring is con- enlilccessful completion of a six-month probationary PerOd. . • Mr, Deyeli, chairman of the financecommittee, said about a • 'dozen applications had been received andthree persons were • interviewed far the job. The committee felt Mrs. Stapleton was best suited for the position, he reported. • • council also 4.1411 begin looking • for.a new clerk -treasurer t6 take the place of Bill Renwick, who will be retiring in May of next year. Councillors- hope to have someone hired by this June, to allow time - to work with Mr. Renwick and learn the duties re response invited before it was • quired. •ei;. • ONE YEAR AGO, 1979 The Mayor's Centennial Levee held New Year's Day kicked off the celebration of Wingham's centenary as a towk Don Kennedy, program committee chairman, gave a preview of events leading up to and through the' big August 1-6 week of festivities. The. Ontario government ' got things Underway for its observance of the In- ternational Year of the Child. Dozens of organiiationa, municipalities and associations across the province in- dicated they would join in the celebration . Currie Furniture Was sold to Doug Layton and Doug 'McBurney, both longtime employees of the firm. A poPtilar spirts figure and fOunder of the WOAA, -Alfred Lockridge, died in hospital at the age of 81. Wingham and District Hogpitallaced a rocky road when the government an- nounced a new funding fornailla which left Wingharn looking at a deficit. FolloWing a Meeting in which pressure was applied by citizens, the hospital board agreed 'to fight the government but after a lengthy battle, 14 betls were closed and 12 emplo ees were laid off. Mark Moore won the Wingham Figure Skating Club's Marguerite Burrell Trophy as the skater who showed the most improvement and assisted the club most throughout the year. Nine veterans of World War I were named life members on..Branch 180, Royal Canadian Legion. They wereE. S. Copeland, Frank Seddon, Dick' Bur - bridge, George Anger, Dr. Georte Howson, Jim Currie, George Currie, Gord Simmons and Dick Llciyd. At a public meeting, voters supported erection of a plaza south of the Canadian Tire store on Highway 4. As the year ended, work ,was continuing on the plaza site with an expected opening date of mid -summer, In August, hundreds of townspeople returned for Wingham's centennial celebrations,Karen Wood was a popular choice as Miss Centennial and Archie Hill, Perris Holmes and Colin Campbell were winners in the beard -growing contest. • • Janice Fischer, Steven Johann, Joanne Wood,, Patti Stewat, Stephen Burke and Joan' Marie Hilether were Ontario th 14 At 4:4440410raiii titra r " '.A4 • • • " • t the proud mother of layingharrkis isfeW.Yeaei.haby,gciffikirancia kutchinatin:The infant weighed seven pounds andseven Ounces 'breth. Ms. Pliitchinson *at presented with a baby Ouffit by the president of the hospital auxiliary; Mary Vair.. his lawn New Year's Day. Irmust PUC emplo area be a record of some sort for this Wingham's Pnblic Utilities Commission awarded a five per • cent salary increase, across the. • board, to employees. During the meeting' last, Zehrs market Thursday: the increase was passed and commissioners decided the cost of living will be reviewed in June. Another in- crease will be awarded if necessary. Employees were also guaranteed 11 statutory holidays and time and onehalf for those on call. "This will bring us in line with other commissions in this area,", said Chairman Rey Bennett. coming to town ' A Zehrs supermarket will be • opening Wingham sometime thiSaummer, the company has announced. The food store will be the focal poiritof the new plaza being con- .1 structed at the south end of townl and slated for completion during the early part of the summer. As planned it will have 20,000 square feet of floor area and will he joined by an additional 15,000 square feet of retail space • The Zehrs chain has been open ing supermarkets in towns throughout southwestern Ontario for the past several years. forwarded directly to the totalled $42,869.89. • that materials can be ordered. • - There is still some confusion over the sewage debenture owed by the town, which is collected on the hydro bill. PUC members have apparently suggested to town council's finance committee that the collected funds should be yee wages Miniatry of Environment instead of going to cduncil first and then on to the ministry. In this way payments would be handled by one body instead of two. "If we are going to collect the money Id like 7to 'know where it's ping anyway," noted Ken Saxton, manager '01 the local com- mission. Negotiations for Payment of 'the. debenture were to take place between the finance committee and council during Friday evening's meeting. However the. finance comniittee said it didn't have complete information regarding the Matter. Later Mr. Saxton reported he gave mem- bers of in the committee PUC suggestions' at an earlier Meet- ing. Mr. In his 'financial report to the commission Mr. Saxton -reported that out-of-town work increased • • annt,711naa-aa„; • Ho also ' Made final arranementS• through Reg O'Hagan that Would allow .all employees to learn the 'basics in i first aid including external heart .. massage. The course.wilicoat the commission $26 per student. In other business Mr. Bennett' was voted chairmanforanother year. • 1 • After- negotiating with the new shopping plaza's electric com- pany, Kearsley ElectricLtd. Pmembers decided to install ug seven meters to serve stores within the plaza. During an, earlier meeting Mr. • Saxton suggested a two -meter system would be more economical for all oncerned. However separate meters for each Store were requested and a letter of credit totalling $18,000 has since been reeeived by the commission so arktineetaraaaaintartanimparmana=aaaaaa oneavazameanneareaanaleaketwamanea Seholars at F. E. Madill Secondary School! Lloyd 'Casey' Casemore was honored for his outstanding- work with Lions In ternational. He is a longtime member of the Wingham Lions Club. Mary Beth Sanderson was crowned queen of" the Hoick Fair, Lorraine Dinsmore was first runner-up• . A problem facing Bleevale much of the year was partially resolved in November when residents voted to try and save the Bluevale Hall. It will have to endergo a major renovation program to meet fire_ and health regulations. The Huron County Board of Education and its 258 secondary school teachers settled on a 1979-90 contract calling for a seven per cent increase in- teacher salaries, TWO YEARS AGO, 1978 Mrs. James Taylor, formerly of Belgrave, celebrated her Moth Birthday at *Brookhaven Nursing Home Jan. 18. High school teachers at F. E. Madill Secondary Scluiol and other Huron 'County high schools went on strike Feb. 15 after failing to reach agreement on a new contract with the county school board.The strike dragged on until ,mid- April before a settlement was finally reached. Ttumberry Township held a series of workshops during the year, to get' input into' its proposed secondary plan. The Meetings, were generally well attended. The ICinette Cub of Wingham spent fhe Year hard at work on its history book for the tewneentenary coming up in 1979 and issued a number of appeals for con- tribution of material. The Standish -Sterling High School Band from Michigan visited Wingham during April and drew rave reviews for its concert at the high school. &along the biggest news of the year was the start of the $600,000 Josephine Street reconstruction project. The contract for the job was let to Arnott Construction Ltd. of Collingwood, whose equipment took the first bite out of the street on April 24. Despite some gloomy Prettetioria the Job went quickly and ,as finished on schedule. TheWingham Canadettes made quite a splash with their Perforrnane at the X 0.• '10:M X4 44 Eastern Canadian Championships io Ottawa April 29. Their showing definitely put Wingham on the map, the group reported. • Florence Reavie, who had been in- volved with the Golden Circle School since its founding, announed her retirement in 1978. She had been with the school for 20 years, beginning as a volunteer and ending up as its principal. A storm described as a Mini -Niger struck parts of Morris Township May 31. The severe windstorm, accompanied by rein and hail, damaged buildings, trees and crops. • In June a .fire, possibly. started by lightning, destroyed the historic Co-op mill in • Teeswater. The mill had been built about the year 1859. • A slice Of the town's life was preserved for posterity by burying a time capsule in front of the town hall during the street construetiOn. The capsule contains a wide variety of ,llems-intendedto be dug up 100 year % from now, A Big Brothers' Association was for- med in Wingham ;lurng 1978, with Marty Cretier as president. The group provides help and friendship to fatherless boys. The members of the Wingham Plan- ning Board resigned en -masse duo* the summer, forcing cbuncil to reeruit% ne* board. :The action was sparked by council's overruling of the board's recommendation against allowing construction of more 'single semis' on small lots. This was the year, the International Plowing Match camegto Wingham, and the sun shoe brightly for most of the week, attracting record crowds, More than 30,000 people came to see moon - walker Neil Armstrong open the match and an estimated 225,000 attended over the five days. Municipal elections were held in November, bbt produced few changes. locally as virtually all inennabents were retarned. The only new face on Wingham cOttneil was that of Gordian Baxter, vaho took over the seat vacated by Angus Mowbray. The biggest race was for school board seats, with Murray Mulvey and Bert Morin emerging as the winners. By year end the Wingham Centennial Committee was gearing up for the 100th birthday festivities in 1919. Please turn to Page 5