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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWingham Advance-Times, 1980-04-02, Page 1nil u, .. ::"1:4 • al • / If .A, f'e • It ,will be up to the members of rile " Wingham Town Cotmci4, at their meeting April,7, to decide the future of the Cruick- shankPark senior citizens' apartment proposal. The matter was placed, squarely back in the lap -of emoted by the -.decision' of the ttiwn platirnIng board, following a public 'meeting. last week, to reverse its previous stand and recomaaiend against the project. A twothirds vote of council is needed to overrule a planning board recommendation. After discussing the matter in a closed session, members of the planning board voted Wednesday night to recommend that council not approve an amendment to the town of- ficial plan needed to clear the way for the, project. That motion followed an . earlier one, by Mayor William Walden, also a member of the board, that it should recormend acceptance; the motion failed for lack of a second. The board action came affter the end off a somewhat rowdy public meeting, which showed some strong opposition to°btailding the apartments in the park. Though only a small fraction of the.50 to 60 people who attended, Spoke out, their com- ments were all against theproposaland ma+ly other members of the audience showed their general agreement with vigorous applause. 'That building, will ga• in, there ' over My dead body, and I intend to fightthis. per- sonally to my last nickel!" . James 'A. Currie declared. He said in hie opinionthe park should be retained as parkland and alit Must change the next priority would be commercial use: "It's definitely not for seniors' housing!" •he declared, to loud applause from an audience which contained quite a number of senior citizens. Mr. Currie was most outspoken in his . ob- jections to the project, and in a prepared statement he blasted the town council for inept administration of the official plan and zoning bylaws and "collective` inability to think things through to the logical con- clusion". He charged that commit has "pros,tituted the bylaw at every oppOrtunity and held. the planning board up to ridietde", citing as evi- dence the mass resignation of planning board members two years ago and the previous resignation of a building inspector. Fred. McGee also spoke out against the proposed location for the apartments. He doesn't object to seniors' housing, he said, but doesn't feel it .is ,conzpatible'with his auto- motive• business right across the street. He predicted • the"' proposed development ,would .worsen parking probleins for businesses in the area and said he thinks that, as commercial businesses in a commercial area, "something we say should be listened to" Several persons, among them Pat Bailey 'and Sill -Harris, objected that the main street location would be too noisy for an apartment building. It was also objected that the park would be ruined by the building project, which would be disrespectful to the mem Cruickshank for whom it. Was The old Lloydfactory sltewast as an alternative location for mo with one woman observing: she would be any further from park. Mrs'. Bailey added she willing to pay higher taxes: if required to have the buil gilt Lloyd factory site. However Mayor Walden T. .". talked to. representatives of the ,i Housing Corporation aboutio sg and, according to them, switching would delay the project by two•years;' Mr. Walden, who • was -instrurnetit getting OHC" to agree to., builtradl seniors' housing here, was the onl : on meeting to attempt to sup , • t the pre' he found the going .diffic t ,agai hostile audience. Some hecklers in'�tile resisted efforts byChan',tinl'"Tomii f"t quiet them and several times. (harm meeting. w Although three'•other r>crem era o attended, they took no meeting, ' Gary Davidson, planniti Huron County, also attended and;very, history of the project. He.explai freestanding zoning -bylaw pass at; its last meeting depends oil they being amended. "If the plan is not •amended tli4.prop can't be zoned and the apartment`leaniit He also explained that by selling the ffrorty to OHC cheaply the town would in effect be helping the senior citizens who ould live in the building. Ontario Housing Spend only so much per unit to build the tpal'tinents, he said, and by getting the land et reduced price it 'could afford` to spend more on the building. Neither the town nor OHC stands toe make a profit on the trans- ;tjon, he noted. However the arguments had no apparent effect and when, atthe end of the meeting, a straw vote was taken, no hands were raised in .S,`u .port of building the apartments in Cruick- nk Park. The question how many opposed e plan yielded a forest of hands. It is now up to council to decide whether to accept the new recommendation of the Hanning board and look for a new site, or go ead with the project as planned and allow Onjatio Municipal Board hearing to decide e matter. for to the public' meeting Mr. Davidson warned planning board members that On- tario Housing won't build the apartments • unless it can start during this construction season. • "OHC doesn't say it won't build but it says it can't guarantee it, and I've dealt with OHC• enough to know that when they say they won't guarantee it means they won't build," he reported. This is. the last subsidized housing complex the housing corporation is committed to build. From now on housing projects are to be built., privately, although rental, assistance will continue to,be provided. tr for, l.ief� built." • • EFFECTIVE SPEAKING—Murray Gilchrist and Marry Luanne Clare; 1=; Secondary School students, took top prizes at the region speak -off heli! last week , high school..The couple, both from'Lucknow, qualified together with second' lace choices, Joan Blacker, Palmerston and jack Whytock,'-RR 5, Luckeow,. for a ;Pator Ston contest to be,held • 40114,, Winners of that competition will,carupete-in,Owen;;Sound for Atte Catttadian0';flna a. �v;ty nc b,r..H �.,. • . "'fi4• '4: - •5�F .... v l�lj::dA w7 ".�S - ...' • , orrie area man A Gorrie area man is in a London hospital recovering from injuries he suffered on the weekend when he was thrown from his pickup truck as it rolled over and ended up pinned under a front wheel. Murray K. Thornton of RR 1, Gorrie, was listed in stable condition Sunday in the in- tensive care unit off University Hospital, where he was transferred from Wingham and District Hospital. However Const. John Jessup of the Wingham detachment, Ontario Provincial Police, who investigated the accident, reported Mr. Thornton has since been removed from the intensive care unit and ap- pears to be making a good recovery. Prompt action by persons at the scene of the accident may have saved Mr. Thornton's life, as they jacked the truck off his back and held it up by roping it to a tree. Const. Jessup reported that Mr. Thornton, 19, and Zolton P. Pasztor, 20, of RR 1, Wroxeter, were involved in separate accidents at about 1 a.m. Saturday morning as they were passing different vehicles while going up a hill on Highway 87, east of Gorrie. The Thornton vehicle, which was in front, swerved back into its own lane to avoid on- coming traffic and Mr. Pasztor, seeing this, also swerved back. Both lost control of their vehicles which ended up in the ditch. As Mr. Pasztor's vehicle was sliding down the ditch backward, he could see the Thornton truck rolling over, and he and others the rushed to Mr. Thornton's aid and lifted the truck off him. Both drivers have been charged with careless driving and IVIr. Pasztor was also charged with having an open container .of liquor in the ear. "under' suspension, had no' insurance and expired registration on his car, .took the licence plates off the car and a case of beer and set off through the' bush and across the fields for home, he reported. The officer; together with the man's brother, managed to track him for about half a mile and then drove to his house where they found him. Const. Jessup reported Mr. Roden was obviously in shock and was reluctant to leave the house, and he had to plead with him to get him to go to the hospital. He was taken to Wirigham hospital • and later rushed by ambulance to Victoria Hospital, London; where he was reported in fair condition. Const. Jessup said a doctor later told him that if he had not convinced Mr. Roden to come to the hospital he Const. Jessup, who was first at the scene of the accident, said that Walter Leslie Roden, 28, of RR 5, Lucknow, had been . driving along the ' Division Line between East and West Wawanosh town- ships when his car went into the ditch, struck a stump and flew through the air to land on its roof in the middle of the road. Mr. Roden, who was driving Mr. Pasztor was not injured in the accident but Richard G. Shaw of RR 1, Wroxeter, a passenger in his vehicle, and ' Paul Gerald Martin of Ford- wich, a passenger in the Thornton vehicle, were reported to have suffered some minor injuries. INJURED MAN WALKS 21 MILES HOME In another accident which occurred just a few hours earlier, an Auburn area man, despite having a fractured skull, internal injuries and a badly gashed arm, managed to make his way 2/ miles home through the bush after crawling from the wreckage of his car. probably would have died et home. In yet another accident that night, Gary B. Heyden suf- fered minor injuries when he lost control of his vehicle in attempting . to ' slow for an intersection,' and it went into the ditch and rolled over. The. accident occurred along 7the Howick-Minta town „line .road, north of Highway 87. "Everytime we get • a full moots' everything just segins to go crazy," Const. Jessup commented about the rash of accidents on the weekend. Mrs. Carolyn Kennedy of Teeswater was also treated at Wingham hospital Saturday after her husband's car, in which she was a passenger, went into the ditch along the 6th Concession of Carrick Township. No damage caused by chimney fire Wingliam Firemen an- swered a call last Thursday when a. chimney fire was reported at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hooper on the third concession of Morris Township. No damage resulted in the blaze. ENCORE—Violinist Anne Marie McQuaid, did such a fine job in her presentation of 'Ave Marla', that she was asked for an encore during the Lions Talent Hunt shpw held Thursday night at the Town Hall. Anne Marie is one of three sisters from Seaforth who participated in the show. Putting on a total of four acts between them the McQuaid sisters came away with three of the four prizes and will compete in the Show of Stars in May. S.S. Bd. reviews financial report 9i By Wilma Oke DUBLIN—The Huron -Perth County Roman Catholic Sepa,ate School Board hada successful operation last year, with expenditures falling within the maximum grantable ceiling, trustees learned last week. Gregory Fleming, board finance chair- man. reported that although total ex- penditures were over -budget, the money raised through local taxation in 1979 was sufficient to cover the year's operation and also reduce the previous year's deficit by some $12,000. He noted 'the year-end statement in- cluded a reserve of $15,000 from the sale ii of St. Peter's School, Godericb, for " 'capital projects not included in the fore - east. Total spending for the past year ;totalled more than $4.9 million, up ,:$402,181 over the previous year. Included in the expenditures were salaries for teachers, administration and others totalling Ss•3 million, with fringe benefits adding another $167,797. Of this teachers' salaries and benefits accounted for slightly over $3 million, up about ,I0 per cent over the previous year, Jack Lane, superintendent of business and finance, reported. Transportation costs last year amounted to $512,496, up $13,033 over the previous year; plant operation and main- tenance accounted for $478,646, up $23,085 over 1978. The 1980 budget was to be discussed at a special meeting called for March 31 by Mr. Fleming.' Following discussion in committee -of - the -whole, the board agreed to reimburse teachers for tuition and related tran- sportation and living costs to a maximum of $500 for completion of a university course in French as a second language. Teachers who qualify and receive ap- proval from the director of education, director •�. 2uuca uvn , after being certified to teach oral French, will instruct their own and other classes (to a maximum of five) upon request. Upon questioning by trustees William Eckert, director of education. exp!ea.ed the decision to have in-house staff teaching French instead of continuing to hire auxiliary teachers, who in this area have to travel considerable distances among the various schools. In the end it will result in a saving to the board, he said. Teachers in the Huron -Perth system will hold their professional development day May 2 by going back to college. They will attend workshops at Elborn College, University of Western Ontario, where they will hear a talk on the role of teachers in the 19a0s. Sparse crowd shows up for Lions' Talent` Hunt A sparse crowd showed for the second Lions Talent Hunt Thursday evening. However, those who did attend were treated to some high quality performances The crowd was especially pleased with Anne Marie McQuaid's violin playing of 'Ave Maria', so much so that an encore -was requested just after she was presented with one of the four top awards, Anne Marie's talents were included in two other award, winning. presentations. She and her two sisters, Madonna and Carbl Ann, entertained the audience with more violin playing and a step dancing act. A versatile group from Seaforth, the sisters gaVe a total of four performances that evening. The fourth prize was awarded to the McMichael sisters of Wroxeter. Judith, Rhonda, Karen and Janice McMichael caught the judges attention with their. step dancing routine, Both groups will compete in the Show -of Stars, to be held in May. They'll be up against each other and the top four acts from the first and last hunt. Thursday marked the second of three hunt contests. About the only disap- pointment of the show, besides the small audience. was the absence of Wingham talent. But that didn't bother out-of- towners as performers travelled from places such as • Seaforth, Wroxeter, Tiverton. Neustadt and Arthur. Judges for the' evening were Margaret Bennett, Wingham • Donalda Graham, Gorrie, and Mrs. Lyle Murray, Clifford Emcee for the show was tiek O'Donohue, president of the Wingham' Lions Club Madill takes top honors at the regional speak off A small group of moms and dads gathered at F. E. Madill Secondary School last Wed- nesday night to' listen to the region speak -off. Sponsored by area Lions Clubs, the effective speaking finals featured two boy and four girl contestants. Although two Madill students captured top honors, judging was obviously tough as all six displayed top-notch ability. First choices • for the contest were Mary Luanne Clare of Lucknow, sponsored by the Wingham Lions Club, and Murray Gilchrist of Lucknow, sponsored by the Lucknow club. . -Mary Luanne's speech • focussed' -•on. -the rights of a child. • A colorful and controlled speaker., she maintained that although much Was accomplished because of the In- ternational Year of the'Child, "it was only a start". She explained that abuse of the young and unborn is still apparent and that it is the responsibility of parents, politicians and the general public to rectify the situation.' ' With a humorous and relaxed flair, Murray took the audience back to, the school -days of our forefathers. He reminded the crowd of the teachers' strictness, the importance of the basic, 3 -Rs and those 'long trips to the facilities. - ' Together with the winners, honorable mention was awarded to Joan Blacker- of Palmerston and Jack Wbytock, RR 5, Lucknow: The top four will participate in a .. . contest•in•Palmerston=April 9. Winners''of-that. ' competition will then traVel to Owen Sound • for the 'Canadian •final$. • Other regional contestants were• Janice Elliott, Ripley, and Heather Percival, Kin- cardine. . AB participants presented a 5-7, minute prepared speech and a 2-3 minute impromptu. Farmers happy Hydro told to share decision-making Ontario Hydro has finally been put in its place by, the re- commendations of the Porter Royal Commission on electric' power planning, according to spokesmen for the farm community. `.'For more than six years we've been saying that On- tario Hydro planning and decision-making is lousy," said Lloyd Moore of Wallace Township, chairman of the Food Land Steering com- mittee. "Food land has been ignored and big mistakes have been made. But now we have been vindicated." Porter has recommended a joint planning process and that real decision-making authority should be shared with farmers. The Food "Cans' Steering committee is d'n umbrella group for seven farm organi- zations including the Ontario Institute of Agrologists, the Ontario Federation of Agri- culture, the National Farmers Union, and the Christian Farmers Federation of On- tario. "it's a breakthrough for us," said Elbert van Donkers- goed, secretary-tneasum. e the committee, and the committee's representative at many of Porter's hearings throughout the five years of the Royal. Commission's life. ,"Porter has taken a careful look at the decision-making process of the past add found that the concerns for food land .and of the farming community have been ignored. The only way to change this is to have joint planning and shared de- cision-making." , The Food Land Steering committee met near Listowel to review the Porter report the day after it was released. "We've agreed," said Elbert van Donkersgoed, "to seek an early meeting be- tween ourselves, • senior On- tario Hydro management and Dr. Porter." Porter recommended that more initiative be left to citi- zen representatives. "We've decided to take the initiative," said van Donkeys -M goed. "We want to Work out the details of this joint plan- ning and shared decision- making im'inediately. No more Ontario Hydro projects should go forward without the new decision-making process, being in place." Farmers were pleased that Porter is predicting a much slower growth' itt electricity needs than. Ontario' Hydro's predictions in the past. This confirms the views of farmer spokesmen throughout the hearings that 'Hydro's fore- casts were unrealistic. Spokesmen for the Huron power plant committee, also participants in the umbrella group, were pleased with the strong recommendation agaihst another power plant along Lake Huron. Postai service caster weekend The Wingham Post Office will be closed on Good Friday and Easter Monday • Post- master G. K. Sutcliffe. advises. However there will be regular service' on Saturday and on Easter Monday mail Will be collected from street „letter boxes and the red mail box in front of the post office. LOTTERY WiNNER Elmer McFarlan of Wingham won the March 14 draw of the Wingham Golf and Curling lottery. He received a $1,000cheque. -