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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1976-01-14, Page 1Hospital fate known soon The fate of South Huron Hospital will probably be known on January 21. On that date, health minister Frank Miller will attend a meeting in Wingham with hospital officials from four counties in the area to announce plans for the future of those hospitals. Indications are that South Huron Hospital has been on the list to be closed in the ministry's move to reduce costs in the provincial budget, but Huron MPP Jack Riddell said last week he doubted the local facility would be closed. RECEIVE COUNTY HONOURS - A large number of girls received County Honours certificates at Saturday's 4-H Achievement Day for Zurich and area qlubs. Back, left, Mary Ann Mathonia, Lesley Hill, Landa Visscher, Betty Beer, Charlene De Jong, Jane Willert and Elaine Love. Front, Nancy McCurdy, Laura Taman, Brenda Dowson, Nancy Stoll, Saundra Webster, Janet Bllcke and Kay Hill. Hay council oa,,.ay Jyj©ft. e,714 several donations Hay township council will be calling tenders for the supply of fuel for the year 1.976. Clerk Wayne Horner is asking all the major oil companies to have GRAND OLD LADY - Mrs. Nancy Riley, one of the eldest residents in the area, marks her ninety-ninth birthday tomorrow, January 14. Resi- dents of both Zurich, where she is living with her son Nelson for the winter, and Kippen, where she spends her summers on the farm, extend heartiest congratulations. A cheerful personality belies Mrs. Riley's years and she is quite healthy in both body and mind. News photo. tenders submitted by February 3. Tenders will also be advertised for 22,100 cubic yards of gravel to be spread on township roads by June 18, Tenders for gravel close on March 1. Applications have been re- ceived from 24 residents of the Cedar Barik subdivision along the shores of Lake Huron for assistance under Ontario's Shoreline Assistance Act. Clerk Wayne Horner indicated that most of the protection' by installing gabian baskets had been completed and was working well. Two tile drain applications totalling $9,000 were approved. The following grants were approved for 1976: St. John's Ambulance 525; Salavation Army $25; Hensall° Spring Fair $40; Zurich Agricultural Society $150; Canadian Cancer Society 550; Rehabilitation Foundation for the Disabled $25. NO. 2 - FIRST WITH THE LOCAL NEWS WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14/76 PRICE 20e PER COPY High rev y reauilding high on 's list of priorities Zurich . reeve Fred Haberer program to suffer in any way. told members of his council at There is no doubt our school their first meeting of the new taxes will also be increased year on Wednesday afternoon sharply due to the new rest - that he hoped many of the proj- raint regulations." ects that have been in the mill for the past couple of years will be completed in 1976. "I hope to see the Ontario Housing Corporation call tenders for the senior citizens housing units within the next couple of weeks," Mr. Haberer went on to say. "We should also see this year mark the completion of the rebuilding program on highway 84 through the village." "1976 is to be a year .of belt - tightening," the reeve added. "However, 1 hope this will not cause our street and sidewalk Huron Board of Education Toughest ye r In his address at the inaugural meeting of the Huron Board of Education Monday, chairman Herb Turkheim said 1976 would probably go down in history as the toughest year trustees on any Board have ever faced. Turkheim continued, "We are looking at increased costs of operation with less provincial . funds available and this can only mean increased costs to local taxpayers, whether we like it The reeve concluded his rem- arks by advising council members that all committees would remain the sane in 1976 as they had been during the past year. The council of the village of Zurich on Wednesday afternoon refused to support a resolution from Stephen Township asking the Porter Commission to look or not." He outlined a few of the high- lights of the new grant structure announced recently by Ontario's Education Minister •Thomas Wells as follows: The ceilings on ordinary per - pupil expenditure eligible for provincial grants will be in- creased by eight percent for el- ementary and secondary students with an additional $80 per pupil to be added at the elementary Hensall council change system of payment, clerk gets raise A new way of paying council- lor's salaries was adopted at Hensall council's first 1976-meet- ing 976meet- ing Monday night. Councillors and PUC members will be paid $40 for each regular council meeting they attend and $15 for each special meeting. The reeve and chairman of the PUC will be paid $5Q per regular' meeting. Last year councillors were paid $450 a year and the reeve $600 plus a per meeting rate for special meetings. Clerk Bob Heil ex- plained that under the Municipal Act payment had to be made either on a straight salary or a straight per meeting basis, not half one and half the other. Reeve John Baker said he thought the total salaries paid would be about the same as last year. Clerk Heil who received his ACTM certificate from the reeve got a raise from $10,000 to $12,000. Office hours were changed to Monday to Friday, 9-12 and 1-5. Wayne Reid was sworn in as the new chairman of the Hensall Parks Board. Councillor Harold Knight said retiring chairman Bob Baker deserves 'a feather in his cap for the work he's done at the arena.' Councillor Knight said trouble in getting banquet permits for the arena ice surface was result- ing in lost bookings. 'You'd think it was an election year,' he said. `Noboby will permit any- thing.' What would the fiddlers con- test be without a banquet permit, he wondered? Reeve Baker said the Ontario Fire Marshall's office won't send anyone to inspect the arena. He suggested writing the LCBO to find out what'sneeded in order to get permits, Clerk Heil said a liquor inspector told him that a letter on file from the fire chief approving the arena is needed. Councillors suggested that the new fire chief attend the next parks board meeting to talk about a letter from him that will meet LCBO regulations. A representative from the Huron County Health Unit will be asked to come to the next council meeting to talk about house to main line sewer hook- ups, council decided. ° 'A lot of people don't know how to hook up,' Reeve Baker com- mented. Councillor Murray Baker said it was up to the village to require that householders have a clean out valve where they hook into the sewers at the street. Clerk Heil thought that the Health Unit would recommend that council require this and a valve that will shut off if a sewer starts to back up that prevents back ups into basements. A $300 donation for recreation was received from the township of Hay, who told Hensall that they were contributing to recreation in surrounding municipalities but not establishing a policy of future contributions. The fire Marshall's Office is now conducting a survey of fire protection in the village, council learned. It will include a look at the fire department and its equipment and should be com- pleted by February 23. The tax on dogs was• raised to $5 for a male, $7 Tor a female and double for a second dog, from a previous $2 and $4. After one warning, dogs running at large should be taken to the Veterinar- ian in Zurich, where they will be held for three days and then des- troyed, councillors told Ernie Davis. Dog owners will have to pay for their animal's board in order to get him back. It would be cheaper not to sell dog tags at all, Councillor Knight said, but Clerk Heil said the municipality is required to sell them under the livestock and poultry act. See page 2 level. In 1976 the maximum ordinary expenditures per pupil which will be recognized for grant purposes are $1,080 for each elementary school student and 51,556 for each secondary pupil. Any i per -pupil , spending that exceeds a board's grant ceiling will not be eligible for provincial assistance. To these regulations, the Huron chairman added, "What this really means is that any spending beyond these grant ceilings is a direct responsibi- • lity of the- local school board and be raised 'by increasing the local mill rate. Believe me, local taxes in Huron will increase sharply in 1976, so we must be willing to do our part in trying to avoid any unjust spending. Committ- ments made in 1975 will already use up more than our increase in grants, so we must examine any further expenditures very care- fully before approving them." Turkheim said despite the cut in provincial monies, he was hopeful that the building project at the Exeter Public School will be allowed to go ahead sometime in 1976. He added, "The regional office in London tells us they propose to approve this project which is in the sketch plan stage — from current funds in 1976. There is no doubt however, that some of our capital projects such as the facilities at Huron Hope, the Science Lab at South Huron, Industrial Arts and Home Ec facilities at several locations and the much discussed computer project will suffer from the restraint programs." In closing the new chairman said, "We have in our teachers and administrators people who have dedicated themselves to educate our children and their work must be made known to give parents a better understand- ing of what is being accomplished for their families. Committees are as follows: hydro and water, Leroy Thiel, Isidore Laporte, Fred Haberer; road and streets, George Haggitt; Isidore Laporte; finance and prop- erty, Ray McKinnon, Leroy Thiel; fire area board, Leroy Thiel, George Haggitt; recreation com- mittee; Lee Regier, CIaude Gel- inas, Bob Johnston. Ray McKin- non, and Isidore Laporte. eiected at the effects of a nuclear power plant on agriculture, health and • local government costs before such a project is planned for Huron County. In fact the council went one step further and instructed clerk Mrs. Betty Oke to write a letter to Ontario Hydro advising them that they were not supporting the Stephen resolution, and that the village was not opposed to such a plant in the area. The Stephen resolution asked the commission, which is investi- gating power planning in the province, to answer 14 questions ranging from the cost of spinoff development to local commun- ities to possible marketing problems with food grown near nuclear power plants, if consum- ers feared contamination. Steph- en is also concerned about the loss of prime agricultural land to such a project. Councillor George Haggitt said •he could not agree with the feelings of Stephen council. "Just look how Stephen has used agricultural land for parks, sub -divisions, mobile home parks and scattered housing," he added. "If they really care about saving agricultural land they should control this sort of thi" Allng.members of council were in agreement that any plans for a generating station in the area should not be discouraged. !HURON WARDEN - Jack McCutcheon, reeve of Brus- sels, was chosen warden at the inaugural meeting of Huron County Council on Monday. McCutcheon and Allan Camp- bell of McKillop were tied 28-28 in the second ballot and Goderich reeve Stan Profit cast the deciding ballot.